Here where I'm packing and stacking boxes in a shipping container, there is a crab restaurant on every other corner. "The Boiling Crab." "The Angry Crab." "The Steamin' Crab." "Crazy Cajun Crab." And "Psycho Stabbin' Hobo Crab."
Only one of the above isn't a real name. Wall to wall crab joints -- with full parking lots.
Why? They do precisely one thing and they do it well. And (this is the big one), it's not bland or boring. I went to one of these crab joints that locals rave about. And their XXX-hot dipping sauce was properly hot. Not Thai hot. Not Howlin' Ray's hot. But hotter than anything I've tried in a restaurant in a very long time. It was good enough that I took some home and copied the recipe so I can make it in Hawaii. (We have a crab farm nearby.)
Meanwhile, Red Lobster is selling the same "bland Cracker Barrel/Olive Garden except with Seafood" menu they offered in the 1970s. I see no problems at the various sushi and poke places around town. They're popping up all over. Best of all, they're replacing failing chains.
The venture capital companies saw that Red Lobster's biggest asset was the real estate they held. So that got spun off, leaving last century's restaurant chain relying on last century's customers.
It's the same with the Mexican place we enjoyed this afternoon. (We're eating at all our favorite places because this is the last time we ever will.) Mid-size restaurant which prides itself on serving one region's cuisine and only that one region's cuisine. The quick-service Mexican chain across the street had an empty lot the entire time we were dining. Meanwhile, this place turned over twice while we ate.
The big picture problem is that people aren't interested in what the chains are selling.
None of those are "chain" issues. They're "poorly operated restaurant" issues.
A chain is never going to be top-quality fine dining with fresh local ingredients. But many people don't want that and the vast majority aren't willing to pay for it.
While I agree that your experience screams "amateur hour, both front and back of the house," I have to disagree with the above.
Those crab joints I referenced are selling reheated frozen snow and dungeness crab. We don't have an ocean anywhere near, so they're doing the same basic business model as Red Lobster -- modernized for today's palate. I would much prefer an off-boat crab -- from Pier 45 & 47. But that isn't the point. These "Criminally-Insane Stabbin' Crab" (there are literally dozens in this town, same basic restaurant, different names) restaurants are offering food that would have most Red Lobster guests screaming for a glass of milk. The fact this town can support dozens of hot-cajun-crab joints but is closing Red Lobsters tells me everything I need to know about that market segment.
Red Lobster isn't going to adapt because they're afraid of alienating what little market share they still have. It would not surprise me in the least if the Red Lobsters which close are replaced by sushi, poke, and cajun crab joints. I think it's a given that eventually, the public's taste for poke, sushi and crab will wane. And something else will move in.
Instead of "all-you-can-eat" shrimp, Red Lobster should have tried modernizing the menu -- at least the specials section of the menu. Leave the cheese biscuits alone (and don't burn them). But advertise a poke bowl. And (gasp!) screamin'-hot-crab.
Independent steak houses have been doing this for decades. Hard to find a traditional Steak Diane anymore. And creamed spinach is the exception, not the rule. (Still love it.) But I can throw a nickle and hit a place offering chimichurri steak.
That's a good point. Red Lobster selling Poke Bowls and hot crab would almost certainly be more successful than it is now. You could do those things and still be a chain restaurant though. There are chain sushi places, and I'm sure Poke chains are coming soon. I was at a local pub chain here having lunch with a friend (~700 miles from the ocean) and the specials were a hot chicken sandwich and an Ahi Tuna Poke bowl. I didn't order it, but if they think they can make it work I'm sure other chains could.
Anyway, I'm not saying chains are better than local/independent places, because that clearly isn't true. But they aren't doomed to irrelevant if they're competently run, imo.
The consistency is what allows chains to survive, and often thrive, especially with the rise in restaurant prices. Chains offer a product that people know, wherever they are in the country (world), that is exactly how they know it. While there are incredible "mom and pop" restaurants, there are enough duds that people fear getting an unexpected meal that they don't enjoy (but still have to pay a lot for.)Although I don't patronize Chipotle, I think Chipotle is a good example of a current chain operation that has hit it's market. But that could also have been said of Red Lobster in it's heyday. The challenge for Chipotle will be whether the can adapt as the market inevitably changes. If not, they will go the way of Howard Johnson's and Red Lobster.
Some other good large chain operation examples that occur to me are Inn-N-Out, Chick-Fil-A, and Waffle House. Not that the food is exemplary, but each of them understands the market they are in and delivering.
Frankly, most people aren't that finicky about their food - they just want something that hits their taste buds, at a price where they perceive value, and in a comfortable setting. The challenge with operating a chain is maintaining consistency across all of the locations - give the customer what they expect. When I go to Waffle House and ask for two eggs over easy, hash browns (scattered, smothered, and peppered), and wheat toast, I know exactly what I will get.
Quite a few years ago, I had a friend who was a PhD yeast microbiologist - degree from UC-Berkeley. Very smart guy. Yeast microbiology is a very big in the brewing business, and beginningwhen he was a grad student he had consulting gigs with many of the mega-brewers. We had quite a few chats about the business that I found interesting.The consistency is what allows chains to survive, and often thrive, especially with the rise in restaurant prices. Chains offer a product that people know, wherever they are in the country (world), that is exactly how they know it. While there are incredible "mom and pop" restaurants, there are enough duds that people fear getting an unexpected meal that they don't enjoy (but still have to pay a lot for.)
While chains rarely if ever offer the best meal in an area, it is hard to find the best places, especially when traveling. If there is a chain that one knows, that has a reasonably decent experience and food, people will gravitate to that as they know what they are getting.
Yet the Venice McDonald's did taste different than home. We only visited one McD's in Italy, and it was on our mile + walk to San Marco Square. Our granddaughter saw it first, that big yellow arch, and she had to stop. I usually don't eat there, but it sure tasted good. We had a lot of pizza and pasta that trip, and the change in menu was fine with everyone. The fries were the same, and our grandkids loved their happy meals. So expensive compared to our other meals.One set of discussions I remember involved the issue of product consistency - when you are brewing a big brand, you want the product to taste the same no matter where you go. Like McDonalds - when you go into a store and order a Big Mac, the Big Mac should taste the same no matter where you are.
TLDR: The proteins are probably what he's sensitive to, and European wheat uses different hybrids and growing processes than the USA.Rick usually gets a stomachache after eating breads, yet no symptoms while in Italy. As soon as we boarded the ship and ate our first meal, he had stomach issues. I am wondering if it's the flour in the breads here at home.
Rick usually gets a stomachache after eating breads, yet no symptoms while in Italy. As soon as we boarded the ship and ate our first meal, he had stomach issues. I am wondering if it's the flour in the breads here at home.
1) I disagree that everyone wants sushi, whatever a poke bowl is, or flaming hot anything
2) I suppose completely changing the menu is an option, but so too would be fixing some of the above issues. I struggle to believe that you couldn't get better food, staff, etc at the high pricepoint they're trying to hit. Or, for the very low service and food quality level, they need to slash their prices. But most people will avoid a 4/10 restaurant with 7/10 prices.
My point is as a chain, I'm talking about the places in say Elmira, NY - not Las Vegas. Or Wilkes-Barre, PA. etc.[Numbers added for convenience.]
1) I invite you to check out the Red Lobster on Flamingo in Las Vegas -- not much happening there. And what few guests they have look like they came from a retirement home. And then go for a drive in literally any direction and count all the crab, sushi and poke places -- and have a look at the parking lot. They're doing brisk business. And they aren't filing for bankruptcy anytime soon. Yes -- there is a segment of the market which wants bland food. That isn't enough to support a restaurant anymore. Meanwhile, there's a line out the door at my favorite Pho joint.
My point is as a chain, I'm talking about the places in say Elmira, NY - not Las Vegas. Or Wilkes-Barre, PA. etc.
Here where I'm packing and stacking boxes in a shipping container, there is a crab restaurant on every other corner. "The Boiling Crab." "The Angry Crab." "The Steamin' Crab." "Crazy Cajun Crab." And "Psycho Stabbin' Hobo Crab."
Only one of the above isn't a real name. Wall to wall crab joints -- with full parking lots.
Why? They do precisely one thing and they do it well. And (this is the big one), it's not bland or boring. I went to one of these crab joints that locals rave about. And their XXX-hot dipping sauce was properly hot. Not Thai hot. Not Howlin' Ray's hot. But hotter than anything I've tried in a restaurant in a very long time. It was good enough that I took some home and copied the recipe so I can make it in Hawaii. (We have a crab farm nearby.)
Meanwhile, Red Lobster is selling the same "bland Cracker Barrel/Olive Garden except with Seafood" menu they offered in the 1970s. I see no problems at the various sushi and poke places around town. They're popping up all over. Best of all, they're replacing failing chains.
The venture capital companies saw that Red Lobster's biggest asset was the real estate they held. So that got spun off, leaving last century's restaurant chain relying on last century's customers.
It's the same with the Mexican place we enjoyed this afternoon. (We're eating at all our favorite places because this is the last time we ever will.) Mid-size restaurant which prides itself on serving one region's cuisine and only that one region's cuisine. The quick-service Mexican chain across the street had an empty lot the entire time we were dining. Meanwhile, this place turned over twice while we ate.
The big picture problem is that people aren't interested in what the chains are selling.
I dont think Joe's Crab shack is doing too well either. All the stores by me are out of businesss.While I agree that your experience screams "amateur hour, both front and back of the house," I have to disagree with the above.
Those crab joints I referenced are selling reheated frozen snow and dungeness crab. We don't have an ocean anywhere near, so they're doing the same basic business model as Red Lobster -- modernized for today's palate. I would much prefer an off-boat crab -- from Pier 45 & 47. But that isn't the point. These "Criminally-Insane Stabbin' Crab" (there are literally dozens in this town, same basic restaurant, different names) restaurants are offering food that would have most Red Lobster guests screaming for a glass of milk. The fact this town can support dozens of hot-cajun-crab joints but is closing Red Lobsters tells me everything I need to know about that market segment.
Red Lobster isn't going to adapt because they're afraid of alienating what little market share they still have. It would not surprise me in the least if the Red Lobsters which close are replaced by sushi, poke, and cajun crab joints. I think it's a given that eventually, the public's taste for poke, sushi and crab will wane. And something else will move in.
Instead of "all-you-can-eat" shrimp, Red Lobster should have tried modernizing the menu -- at least the specials section of the menu. Leave the cheese biscuits alone (and don't burn them). But advertise a poke bowl. And (gasp!) screamin'-hot-crab.
Independent steak houses have been doing this for decades. Hard to find a traditional Steak Diane anymore. And creamed spinach is the exception, not the rule. (Still love it.) But I can throw a nickle and hit a place offering chimichurri steak.
interesting, not surprising. a major public company that farms shrimp in Thailand (and elsewhere in Asia) wanted to keep RL afloat. the Thais are probably the only ones who make any money off "endless shrimp". as for "endless shrimp" being a value, I see Xtra Lg frozen FARMED shrimp in the grocer for $5/lb almost every week. How much of a value is the ES when Xtra Lg shrimp cost $5/lb. btw, do NOT ask what they feed the srhimp farmed in Thailand. Anybody ever see a detailed chemical analysis of what a lab finds in farmed shrimp?Thai Seafood and the Seafood Alliance? Just holding that worthless bag
interesting, not surprising. a major public company that farms shrimp in Thailand (and elsewhere in Asia) wanted to keep RL afloat. the Thais are probably the only ones who make any money off "endless shrimp". as for "endless shrimp" being a value, I see Xtra Lg frozen FARMED shrimp in the grocer for $5/lb almost every week. How much of a value is the ES when Xtra Lg shrimp cost $5/lb. btw, do NOT ask what they feed the srhimp farmed in Thailand. Anybody ever see a detailed chemical analysis of what a lab finds in farmed shrimp?