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Regarding really mediocre, overpriced chains (Outback Steakhouse, Applebees, TGI Fridays, etc) I gotta wonder if their only asset these days is consistency. Go to touristy parts of Mexico and you'll find the same restaurant chains you'd find in the US, and they are always packed. I guess people are still willing to settle for mediocre overpriced food if they know what to expect; familiarity has a virtue of its own. However actual economy seems to be on its way out. 5-10 years ago, dollar menu loss leaders were popular among many fast food chains but most have eliminated them. Restaurants need to understand that you can have food that is fast, cheap or good (pick two).
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Aug 22, 2017 20:32
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Panfilo posted:Regarding really mediocre, overpriced chains (Outback Steakhouse, Applebees, TGI Fridays, etc) I gotta wonder if their only asset these days is consistency. Go to touristy parts of Mexico and you'll find the same restaurant chains you'd find in the US, and they are always packed. I guess people are still willing to settle for mediocre overpriced food if they know what to expect; familiarity has a virtue of its own. Parents with kids, especially kids in that like 4-12 range love predictability. Kids can be serious picky eaters, so having something they know will please the kids is big. That and just the huge amount of people who are seriously scared of trying something new.
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Aug 22, 2017 20:36
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Panfilo posted:What's strange is that back when I was in High School, there was a chinese fast food chain called Mr. Chau's that was hugely popular with the local High School and community college crowd. I don't know if they were still around, but the main draw was that they were the cheapest place around. When I see places like Panda Express I wonder who in their early twenties can really afford to go to these types of places regularly (I'm guessing not many, as most of the people at Panda Express tend to be older families these days). I guess it is true that people assume Millenials have much more discretionary spending than they really do. Food quality in many chains is essentially 'economy' but the pricing is far from it, which is absolutely I only ever ate Panda Express at the mall after I got sick of the other limited food court offerings. I thought there was no way to dip below common takeout Chinese fare, but holy hell was that some bland Chinese. I guess if you're out and about in a shopping center or mall or something, things like that and TGI Friday's and whatnot are OK, but I can't imagine going out to them on purpose. We used to go to Outback every year for my birthday because it was the closest thing to a steakhouse dinner my family could afford. And then the prices rose to be about equal to that of the local places with better food, so we haven't been since. It's kinda weird how expensive they've gotten.
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Aug 22, 2017 20:38
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. Especially with the existence of the internet and restaurant apps where people have a lot more tools to find actually good places to eat.
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Panfilo posted:Regarding really mediocre, overpriced chains (Outback Steakhouse, Applebees, TGI Fridays, etc) I gotta wonder if their only asset these days is consistency. Go to touristy parts of Mexico and you'll find the same restaurant chains you'd find in the US, and they are always packed. I guess people are still willing to settle for mediocre overpriced food if they know what to expect; familiarity has a virtue of its own. I think so. My parents will eat at any chain before they go to a local place. Of course last time I talked to them, my dad also spent 10 minutes telling me how great the new Little Caesar's was, and how the Domino's doesn't compare.
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Aug 22, 2017 20:38
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Bird in a Blender posted:That and just the huge amount of people who are seriously scared of trying something new. Guilty. If I have to choose between $10-15 for something I know I like or the same for something I have no clue about I'll take the safe choice. But I am The Worst
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Aug 22, 2017 20:43
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SpacePig posted:I only ever ate Panda Express at the mall after I got sick of the other limited food court offerings. I thought there was no way to dip below common takeout Chinese fare, but holy hell was that some bland Chinese. I guess if you're out and about in a shopping center or mall or something, things like that and TGI Friday's and whatnot are OK, but I can't imagine going out to them on purpose. You brought up a good point- that there are a subset of consumers that are just really goddamn hungry and want to eat something. This is probably really common in outlet malls, tourist traps, and so on. They might not have initially planned on eating at these places but they are too hungry to care at that point because at least on the 'consistency' angle they know what to expect. For what Outback Steakhouse charges for a steak I agree you are better off going to an actual steakhouse and probably spending about the same amount of money for a far superior steak. One thing I've noted personally is that chains/crappy steakhouses often offer a lot of sides and frills which makes it seem like a good deal, but often it is just kind of covering up a pretty mediocre steak for the price along with a baked potato, vegetables, etc. All the genuinely good steakhouses I've been to charged the steaks individually but they were so well-prepared it was worth the cost. In contrast, getting a Filet Mingion at the Cheescake factory is probably not worth the $35 price tag.
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Aug 22, 2017 20:49
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Panfilo posted:You brought up a good point- that there are a subset of consumers that are just really goddamn hungry and want to eat something. This is probably really common in outlet malls, tourist traps, and so on. They might not have initially planned on eating at these places but they are too hungry to care at that point because at least on the 'consistency' angle they know what to expect. OUtback is probably also a good choice if you only get your steak well-done
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Aug 22, 2017 20:52
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Iron Crowned posted:OUtback is probably also a good choice if you only get your steak well-done Sizzler too. They used to have a promotion where you could get a 6oz steak for an additional $3 if you bought a regular entree. So the unlimited salad could get a side of steak for 3 bucks more. I figure if you are only spending 3 dollars for a steak the best you can expect is a 3 dollar steak, which Sizzler would definitely deliver. I always found it a little offputting that in TYOL 2015 the guy at the counter taking your order would yell into a microphone to transmit the order to the kitchen 
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Aug 22, 2017 20:59
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Chain restaurants like that are sort of the more expensive equivalent to McDonalds or Burger King. The food isn't really that good, but in theory you get the exact same meal at every location you go to so it breeds familiarity. The problem is that they try to price themselves at the same price point as restaurants that look and act similar (sit-down experience, lots of decor, etc.) when the food doesn't match it. Local restaurants like Maxine's on Shine cost the same but have much better food and service, while smaller places like cafes and sandwich shops have better food for less money. Fast food restaurants don't really suffer from the same problem because their food costs as much as it should be valued; if Arby's started charging $12 for one of their roast beef sandwiches without sides, you would see a lot less business there.
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Aug 22, 2017 21:03
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There's a small pizzeria/pub food chain within walking distance of my apartment called Mackenzie River that's pretty alright. Killer goat cheese queso. Haven't had a pizza there yet though.
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Aug 22, 2017 21:07
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chitoryu12 posted:Chain restaurants like that are sort of the more expensive equivalent to McDonalds or Burger King. The food isn't really that good, but in theory you get the exact same meal at every location you go to so it breeds familiarity. There already is an expensive version of McDonald's in the "Fast-Casual" market with things like Chipotle and Panera. Heck, even burgers themselves are getting a run thanks to your Have-a/Whata/Smash/Wahl Burgers and such. I'm an idiot and will easily drop  on Chipotle in a single visit, and probably more than that at 5 Guys. But quality to price is absolutely key, like you said. I'll spend on a single burger at 5 Guys what I will for an entire combo at Wendy's, but the burger itself is so much better that it's worth it. Would food from a real Mexican restaurant or a burger from a sit-down restaurant taste better? Probably, but it'd take longer and cost more.Chain "family" restaurants aren't any A) Cheaper B) Faster or C) Better than local places, so there's almost literally no reason to go to them anymore. You need at least one of those to set you apart in some way. e: As far as the conversation about consistency goes, I'm moving a couple towns over soon, and my biggest concern is that I won't be able to find a decent local pizza shop, and will have to resort to chain pizza, since I at least I know what I'm getting there.
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Aug 22, 2017 21:17
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I used to live very close to a local community college and I remembered seeing two places: -An affordable sandwich placed owned by an Iranian guy -An Asian fusion type sit down restaurant with a fancy bar Not surprisingly, nobody that went to that community college could reasonably afford the fusion place and after a year it closed down. Given the demographics, I'm shocked the place would reasonably think people that are likely 18-22 are going to afford a Lobster Cesar Salad or similar types of offerings from this place.
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Aug 22, 2017 21:20
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Kids and consistency. We take marathon road trips and when the kids were younger you had to find something familiar. You'd be surprised at how many independent restaurants don't have chicken tenders. And you're really screwed if they don't have milk or juice (High-C if your kid is on a spectrum). Iron Crowned posted:Of course last time I talked to them, my dad also spent 10 minutes telling me how great the new Little Caesar's was, and how the Domino's doesn't compare. He's not wrong. EDIT: for cheap college-age food it's hard to beat a Cookout. I might survive a $20 challenge at Taco Bell, but there's no way I could eat $20 worth of food at Cookout. Krispy Wafer has a new favorite as of 21:24 on Aug 22, 2017 |
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Aug 22, 2017 21:21
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Krispy Kareem posted:Kids and consistency. We take marathon road trips and when the kids were younger you had to find something familiar. You'd be surprised at how many independent restaurants don't have chicken tenders. And you're really screwed if they don't have milk or juice (High-C if your kid is on a spectrum). Eh, I guess my point is my parents are old people these days, and they really seem to enjoy talking about the differences between two mediocre pizza chains that I have already established familiarity with. Yes, I will snag a $5 Hot N Ready once a month when I don't feel like cooking poo poo, but I can't remember the last time I had Domino's over 2 mom 'n pop places, and 3 much better chains.
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Aug 22, 2017 21:26
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Bird in a Blender posted:Parents with kids, especially kids in that like 4-12 range love predictability. Kids can be serious picky eaters, so having something they know will please the kids is big. That and just the huge amount of people who are seriously scared of trying something new. My job has 75% travel. And most of the time I will try local places. Sometimes they are great, and sometimes the yelp reviews were bought. But after the third week in a row you just don't want to roll the dice some nights. So I'll hit up a Texas/Longhorn/Outback Steakhouse and get a steak that will be acceptable. It won't change my life, but even at it's worse it will be acceptable food.
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Aug 22, 2017 21:30
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The Bloop posted:Chain restaurants are fine. I've been to some chains lately that have actually blown me away. There's a regional chain called Houston's in the south, and I went to the one in Scottsdale and everything there was great. Service, food, booze, they know what they're doing. They had a smoked salmon appetizer that's as good as the best kippered salmon I've had at Jewish delis, and grilled artichokes that are the best I've had, period. I've also been to plenty of utterly mediocre "Italian" restaurants that aren't even half as good as Carrabba's, and touristy shore communities are full of seafood restaurants that *suck* compared to Bonefish. A chain's at least going to be consistent (a well-managed one, anyway), so you know what you're getting. In plenty of places that's better than taking a chance on something that will probably suck. SpacePig posted:Would food from a real Mexican restaurant or a burger from a sit-down restaurant taste better? Probably, but it'd take longer and cost more. Most of what Americans think of when they think of Mexican food is street food. It's supposed to be fast and cheap. If you're in a place with a strong Mexican community, the dirt-cheap place with fluorescent overhead lamps and molded plastic chairs that serves tripe and tongue tacos and has menudo on weekend mornings is going to kick the heck out of most Mexican restaurants that mainly exist to serve overcooked meat covered with melted cheese. (I just got back from work travel to Phoenix and the work cafeteria has a guy who makes a big pot of pozole every morning. So. Goddamned. Good.) Phanatic has a new favorite as of 21:37 on Aug 22, 2017 |
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Aug 22, 2017 21:33
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Is Houston's the same as Hillstone? Famous for artichoke dip. It's a chain but it's also really expensive. Same price as local fancy restaurants. ($35+ for entrees). It's not in the same category as a place like Chilis.
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Aug 22, 2017 21:39
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Panfilo posted:What's strange is that back when I was in High School, there was a chinese fast food chain called Mr. Chau's that was hugely popular with the local High School and community college crowd. I don't know if they were still around, but the main draw was that they were the cheapest place around. When I see places like Panda Express I wonder who in their early twenties can really afford to go to these types of places regularly (I'm guessing not many, as most of the people at Panda Express tend to be older families these days). I guess it is true that people assume Millenials have much more discretionary spending than they really do. Food quality in many chains is essentially 'economy' but the pricing is far from it, which is absolutely I've had good chinese food, but it doesn't exist where I live now. Panda Express is unironically the best chinese around here. This is after trying multiple hole in the wall places and places recommended by other people. Sometimes I'll go to the independent places because they're still a lot cheaper for more food, but they're all somehow blander than the chain option. If you want something actually good, you're stuck driving at least 30 minutes. It's as depressing as you'd think.  On the flip side, we're absolutely drowning in mexican places that serve stuff insanely cheaper and tastier than the poo poo you'd get from a Qdoba or Chipotle, and they're not even that much slower.
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Aug 22, 2017 21:50
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Choco1980 posted:Speaking of Outback, I wonder how much longer my local one will last. About a year ago, a Texas Roadhouse moved in across the street. TR is about the only chain restaurant I still look forward to trips to--they don't have any nonsense hip flavors or "chef-inspired dishes" on their menu, just like, steak, burgers, and ribs and other straightforward stuff, and they seem to be the only chain not going overboard on their pricepoints. Like, sure the steak is only average-to-good level depending on what you order, but they cost like, half as much as Outback across the street, who have much lower quality in my opinion. Like, I don't even mind the country music and football motif, just because it means I'm not paying $18+ for a 6oz rubbery under-flavored hunk of meat cooked wrong. I wonder if this is a regional thing, because the Texas Roadhouse by me was a bit more expensive than Outback was, although the steak was better. It was also super loud, and more cramped than airport restaurants. They really wanted me to sign up for a membership or something, too.
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Aug 22, 2017 21:54
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Krispy Kareem posted:Kids and consistency. We take marathon road trips and when the kids were younger you had to find something familiar. You'd be surprised at how many independent restaurants don't have chicken tenders. And you're really screwed if they don't have milk or juice (High-C if your kid is on a spectrum). I just had food from Cook-Out on Sunday for the first time and it was great for the cost. The pulled pork sandwich wasn't the most amazing thing ever, but it was big and filling. The Cajun fries taste a lot like the ones at Five Guys too, and they have more milkshake flavors than I thought you could have (like watermelon, which legit tastes like fresh watermelon). One of my favorite restaurants I've been to is Kottu House in NYC. It's a Sri Lankan fast casual place that specializes in dishes that are basically meat, rice, shredded flatbread, and vegetables mixed together with spicy sauce. It's one of the most delicious things I've ever put in my mouth and it only costs $11 on a lunch special with a side item (they have delicious spicy tuna fritters) and a drink. It wrecks the competition when it comes to flavor-to-value ratio.
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Aug 22, 2017 21:58
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Aug 22, 2017 23:02
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An honest advertisement of an indispensable home accessory at a reasonable price is hardly a Dumb Marketing Move 
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Aug 22, 2017 23:11
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Please do not slander the beautiful names of my homeland
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Aug 22, 2017 23:12
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EmmyOk posted:Please do not slander the beautiful names of my homeland My son is also named Brid.
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Aug 22, 2017 23:13
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Do not mac me that is such a loving good joke but w/e content: 
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Aug 22, 2017 23:23
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well time to stock up
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Aug 22, 2017 23:31
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Tiny Brontosaurus posted:An honest advertisement of an indispensable home accessory at a reasonable price is hardly a Dumb Marketing Move Still beats the gently caress out of food chat.
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Aug 23, 2017 12:35
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Thomamelas posted:On the flip side, we're absolutely drowning in mexican places that serve stuff insanely cheaper and tastier than the poo poo you'd get from a Qdoba or Chipotle, and they're not even that much slower. The real trick for eating well and cheaply is to live near Hispanic people. Same thing goes for affordable produce. I don't entirely understand how they can sell limes six for a dollar in the middle of winter, but those guys have that poo poo figured out and I'm going to take advantage of it.
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Aug 23, 2017 13:00
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After yesterday, I can definitely attest to "Just because it's local and run by Mexicans doesn't mean it's a good Mexican restaurant." We tried a place across the road from my office because it had decent reviews, and they just churn out incredibly generic Mexican food that you can find at any chain. Like the frijoles charros were just regular refried bean paste like you would find at Taco Bell and the chimichangas had no rice or beans in them. We were telling my mother-in-law about it and it turns out the place is owned by a friend of theirs from church. Meanwhile, Rookie's Cantina a bit further south is the same price point but has awesome, authentic food. The former has big margaritas with barely any alcohol, the latter has tequila flights. Considering that Rookie's is in a better location, I'd imagine the one across the road is going the way of the dinosaur in a few years.
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Aug 23, 2017 14:17
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chitoryu12 posted:After yesterday, I can definitely attest to "Just because it's local and run by Mexicans doesn't mean it's a good Mexican restaurant." We tried a place across the road from my office because it had decent reviews, and they just churn out incredibly generic Mexican food that you can find at any chain. Like the frijoles charros were just regular refried bean paste like you would find at Taco Bell and the chimichangas had no rice or beans in them. We were telling my mother-in-law about it and it turns out the place is owned by a friend of theirs from church. I have tried just about every Mexican place I've found nearby and they're all terrible. I guess that's what I get for living in Ohio
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Aug 23, 2017 14:19
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Phanatic posted:I've been to some chains lately that have actually blown me away. There's a regional chain called Houston's in the south, and I went to the one in Scottsdale and everything there was great. Service, food, booze, they know what they're doing. They had a smoked salmon appetizer that's as good as the best kippered salmon I've had at Jewish delis, and grilled artichokes that are the best I've had, period. I've also been to plenty of utterly mediocre "Italian" restaurants that aren't even half as good as Carrabba's, and touristy shore communities are full of seafood restaurants that *suck* compared to Bonefish. It's been my experience that huge chains are mostly awful while smaller or more regional chains are better. Especially if the 'chain' is just like four or five restaurants.
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Aug 23, 2017 14:33
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Yeah, once in a while my impressionable hipster brain notices that a place I thought was local actually has another location and I get one leg on my high horse, but then I remember there's nothing inherently wrong with chains even though most of the really big ones are managed terribly. There are some very good "regional chains" around now. Hopefully they don't just end up riding that wave into oblivion.
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Aug 23, 2017 14:46
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I once worked for a major "Italian" chain that was dressed like a real restaurant and it was pretty easy for us to be consistent - the lasagna, ravioli, lamb stew, soups, mashed potato and a bunch of other poo poo was brought in frozen and we just microwaved them or passed them through the oven. Except one time when we ran out of soup and the dumbass assistant manager went to Tesco and bought a bunch of tins of Heinz tomato and cream of chicken soups. The most recognizable tinned soups in the country.
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Aug 23, 2017 16:11
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Sir Lemming posted:Yeah, once in a while my impressionable hipster brain notices that a place I thought was local actually has another location and I get one leg on my high horse, but then I remember there's nothing inherently wrong with chains even though most of the really big ones are managed terribly. There are some very good "regional chains" around now. Hopefully they don't just end up riding that wave into oblivion. There's a local franchise with 4 or 5 locations that I didn't even know was a franchise. We just popped in when the power was out for dinner and the food was awesome (and my martini was basically pure gin), and we asked the waitress how long they'd been open because we've never noticed them before no matter how much we're in the area. Turns out this one location has been open for like 13 years and there's others scattered around. You'd never know if you hadn't run into one before.
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Aug 23, 2017 16:25
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bitterandtwisted posted:I once worked for a major "Italian" chain that was dressed like a real restaurant and it was pretty easy for us to be consistent - the lasagna, ravioli, lamb stew, soups, mashed potato and a bunch of other poo poo was brought in frozen and we just microwaved them or passed them through the oven. Wasn't this an episode of Kitchen Nightmares? Or I guess, isn't this most episodes of Kitchen Nightmares?
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Aug 23, 2017 16:36
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SpacePig posted:Wasn't this an episode of Kitchen Nightmares? Or I guess, isn't this most episodes of Kitchen Nightmares? AKA "Put some gloves on before you touch tha- oh god it's everywhere  "
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Aug 23, 2017 16:39
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QUACKTASTIC posted:Can we not do this here? The correct term is Hungarians. Oops. I meant goulash fans, some of the ones I know aren't Hungarian.
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Aug 23, 2017 17:39
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mllaneza posted:Oops. I meant goulash fans, some of the ones I know aren't Hungarian. That poster was just making a joke, one which I laughed at irl. There's never any good way to let someone know they made you laugh in a format like this 
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Aug 23, 2017 17:55
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bitterandtwisted posted:I once worked for a major "Italian" chain that was dressed like a real restaurant and it was pretty easy for us to be consistent - the lasagna, ravioli, lamb stew, soups, mashed potato and a bunch of other poo poo was brought in frozen and we just microwaved them or passed them through the oven. There's a place in the next town over that my family went to several times, years back. Delicious, they had really good pasta fagiole that was the thing I looked forward to most about going there. Went there a few years ago for my birthday with my boyfriend. I think the management had changed hands in the few years since myfamily went. Got the pasta fagiole and it was absolutely a can of progresso. I usually don't give a poo poo. I loving love olive garden, outback, etc. I'm genuinely so dumb I usually can't tell. But that one hit below the belt. My soup
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Aug 23, 2017 21:43
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sweeperbravo posted:fagiole Reported
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Aug 24, 2017 00:51
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