Why are chain restraunts depressing?

A former associate of mine found Sullivan's in Charlotte, NC to be his favorite restaurant...until he found out that it was simply one link in a chain of Sullivan’s operating in 10 or 12 states.

I suspect that there are other “hidden” chains that are thought to be independents. I also suspect that the knowledge a restaurant is part of a chain has altered a fair number of opinions.

which is odd to a certain extent.

If a restaurant does WELL, and the family who owns it opens another....
and IT does well..

and they CAN afford to open a few more, lets say not going over 10..They are called a chain, yet it is still a family business, owned my someone local and what most people are looking for.
Yet they get snubbed.


My friend Maria owns a really popular taco shop here in Austin. She has gone round and round about possibly opening another yet she knows she will lose that ' home store' attitude that people have for her stuff if she does this.
Yet the demand is MORE than she can accommodate in her one location.

Talk about a double edged sword

that happened in our area in the last few years with a chinese place, the local one was great and folks came from all over, he opened a second, and while dividing his time between the two places both sort of settled into a really good category, not necessarily great, now with a third, the overall rating has changed to good

they're still the best of two in town, and they're certainly good enough to stop me from traveling to another town or city for chinese food, but the fact that the owner isn't in the one kitchen all the time, has had an impact on the overall experience of the place

My favorite steak place is "The Keg" on Rue St-Paul in Montréal. I'd been
several times before I found out it was part of a chain. But I don't live
near any of its other locations, so who cares? I went back again and the
steak was just as good and the restaurant just as pleasant. (Wine's a
bit overpriced, though.)

When i lived near Columbus, Ohio, there was a good Chinese fast food restaurant on the High Street by the university. They offered lunch specials and inexpensive entrees, and were alway busy. Then they opened a second restaurant in a suburb (where i lived), but they more or less franchised it to a family that worked like dogs to make a success of it. Their clientele was local families, and their menu changed to accommodate that. They still offered lunch specials for the local mall employees (it was located near four strip malls), but in the evening they sold take away dinners, and made no effort to attract people with the price. The draw was the quality. It ended up that they were a better restaurant than the parent restaurant. They each served different communities, and they each adjusted according to the populations they were serving.

There's a Keg in downtown Toronto, and it's way overpriced. The food was good, but not worth the high prices.

Like anything else, there is a range of experiences here. A place like McDonalds with what, more than 1000 sites, or Applebees with hundreds will be more generic than a local family with 3 sites. Originally the franchises had a positive trait in that you knew what to expect, a certain level of quality. Perhaps now that expectation influences in both ways.

I still think that the larger the franchise, the more mediocre the food. There may be exceptions. Anyone have thoughts on a place like Ruth Chris' Steakhouse? I've not been to one. I would expect it to be high quality, but very expensive.

I've never been to one but at least years ago they were well regarded.

Hmm, does Lawry's still exist? That was the place, on La Cienega in LA, in the early sixties. It's been years and I haven't been back, but I suspect either they changed, or I did.

Ruth Chris' is the kind of place you go to once every 10 years for a really really special occasion. The steaks are superb and the service is incredible. Very expensive, but sometimes it's great to say "Hang the cost!"

There's a steak place near me that rivals Ruth. Took 2 friends there for my B-Day and the bill came to $200. Great wine and the owner stopped by our table and chatted. Charming.
http://www.peterssteakhouse.com/about.html

Peter's is cheap...I can't get out of a steakhouse for less than $200 for two people...if we get a decent wine it is north of $250...

The Red Lobster chain makes Happiness to my mouth
for 3 or 4 courses, tho it takes very little from my wallet.
I am willing to put up with that.

The decor is brite n cheerful, with a nautical motif.

It has fairly quick n cheerful service; big parking lots and my gratitude.

I ofen send my compliments to the chef, on the way out.

That chain proves that u don't have to get rid of a lot
of cash in order to have a good time in your mouth.



David

I'm guessing that an urban location might jack up the price, not sure.