The Gang Mentality ...

It has happened to us all.

We are on the road with a group ... usually business associates.

You gather in the hotel lobby and the tide turns against you as people start opting for the chains.

I find that always leaves you eating at the lowest common denominator option ... so frustrating as you drive by bona fide RF places.

Anyone have techniques to overcome the gang mentality?

Didn't your mother ever warn you about hanging around with the wrong crowd? pb

quote:

Originally posted by wheregreggeats.com


Anyone have techniques to overcome the gang mentality?

If the business situation allowed, I have always just told people that "I am going to XXXX for dinner tonight", explained the whys and wheres and welcomed them to come...making it clear that I was going there even if it meant alone. Usually someone would come with me, but sometimes not. Sometimes they warned me where I was planning on going was in a "dangerous" area, but I went anyway and lived to tell the tale.

Of course, there are times when the meal has been a big part of the meeting, and sticking to MY choice would have been bad business form, and I have been forced to eat at "this great seafood place out by the mall" (Red Lobster) or "really good Italian" (Olive Garden) and done so without complaint or fuss.

Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Yes, this has happened to me before. It happpened a few times. You know what I did subsequently? I lied and told my associates I was not up for going out, then proceeded to go out by myself to a local eatery that I targeted strategically prior to my arrival.

Life is too short to eat at chain restaurants, particularly if you are traveling. I keep my patronization of chains to when I am home and I want to feed my kids conveniently. When I am on the road, that is my coveted time. And I take my dining out very seriously. You are absolutely right, the mob mentality of chains invariably prevails. I signed off that and now go out independently.

quote:

Originally posted by tamandmik

Yes, this has happened to me before. It happpened a few times. You know what I did subsequently? I lied and told my associates I was not up for going out, then proceeded to go out by myself to a local eatery that I targeted strategically prior to my arrival.

Life is too short to eat at chain restaurants, particularly if you are traveling. I keep my patronization of chains to when I am home and I want to feed my kids conveniently. When I am on the road, that is my coveted time. And I take my dining out very seriously. You are absolutely right, the mob mentality of chains invariably prevails. I signed off that and now go out independently.

I agree. I feel that you only get to eat each meal in your life once. Eat it at Chili's and it's and opportunity wasted, one you'll never get again.

quote:

Originally posted by wheregreggeats.com
I agree. I feel that you only get to eat each meal in your life once. Eat it at Chili's and it's and opportunity wasted, one you'll never get again.

As much as I like a great meal...sometimes food is just food and a meal is more about the people at the table than the food.

I certainly have my preferences, and they are probably similar to yours, but your devotion to the cause is way more serious than mine!

tamandmik-
Excellent.....I could not have said it better myself.

I never have to travel on business with others, so this never comes up. When I travel with family or friends they always let me choose the restaurants we eat at. They know how much it means to me and they know that more times than not, they are going to eat very well.

I never had that problem when I was working. Most of the people I traveled with were willing to try something new and nothing that could be found at home (meaning chain usually). I did have that problem at lunch time at work. Too many of the people I worked with were chain centric and unwilling to try new even if it were a chain. I had one guy I tried to get into a Pot Belly for lunch for nearly a year. After I got him to concede I could not get him out of the place.

At a conference in NOLA a few years ago, I opted for Mother's while everyone else voted for Morton's of Chicago for steak. I went alone and did not miss their company one iota. Next morning one of them accompanied me back again for breakfast and just raved about it. If I can come up with an alternative to a chain, that's where I'm going. It helps a little that I'm fairly anti-social to begin with.

quote:

Originally posted by Tony Bad

quote:

Originally posted by wheregreggeats.com
I agree. I feel that you only get to eat each meal in your life once. Eat it at Chili's and it's and opportunity wasted, one you'll never get again.

As much as I like a great meal...sometimes food is just food and a meal is more about the people at the table than the food.

I certainly have my preferences, and they are probably similar to yours, but your devotion to the cause is way more serious than mine!

It might be.

Today, albeit on my own, enroute from central Oregon to Seattle, I left the hotel foraging for food -- drove past upteen chains, got to the end of the strip and having found nothing with my RF antenna, drove 2o miles to a known entity -- which was closed !!!

Undaunted I explored more and found a wonderful ma and pa joint with superb biscuits and chicken fried steak ... I feel far better right now than if I'd done the EggMcMuffin compromise.

I have always just told people that "I am going to XXXX for dinner tonight",

Wow and I thought saying I was going XXX was raunchy enough to keep them away, four X'x must really be some crazy stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by wheregreggeats.com

quote:

Originally posted by tamandmik

Yes, this has happened to me before. It happpened a few times. You know what I did subsequently? I lied and told my associates I was not up for going out, then proceeded to go out by myself to a local eatery that I targeted strategically prior to my arrival.

Life is too short to eat at chain restaurants, particularly if you are traveling. I keep my patronization of chains to when I am home and I want to feed my kids conveniently. When I am on the road, that is my coveted time. And I take my dining out very seriously. You are absolutely right, the mob mentality of chains invariably prevails. I signed off that and now go out independently.

I agree. I feel that you only get to eat each meal in your life once. Eat it at Chili's and it's and opportunity wasted, one you'll never get again.

You are sooo right.

My wife and I had a good friend from Dallas who kept telling us about this great Texas restaurant, Chili's. Well, one finally opened here in Miami, back in '89 or '90. So, the three of us went. It was all my wife and I could do to not laugh at the gal from Texas after the meal.

And it is a VERY popular chain down here now. Probably a great investment for the owners.

Before I retired my boss insisted that we always go to Outback. Even though I like it, there was no option.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Sometimes for decorum and protocol you have to go along with the crowd (or the boss) but I always try to get my roadfood suggestions in early in the day to gain an advantage in the decision-making. Once I took a crew to SF and I couldn't sway the bunch to try some of the neat places there - we ended up a a Denny's, for god's sake, as that was where the boss wanted to go.

quote:

Originally posted by Oneiron339

Sometimes for decorum and protocol you have to go along with the crowd (or the boss) but I always try to get my roadfood suggestions in early in the day to gain an advantage in the decision-making. Once I took a crew to SF and I couldn't sway the bunch to try some of the neat places there - we ended up a a Denny's, for god's sake, as that was where the boss wanted to go.

yeah, you've got to keep the boss happy!

I know I cringe when I'm on Roadtrips with my sis and her family , and the kids start getting excited yelling "Friendly's", "Friendly's!"..
last time, in central PA, I opted for for the hot prepared foods at the local supermarket next door, and I got some exercise walking around the parking lot... then I joined them during their tail end of the meal just to socialize.

It depends on the situation, but if it means filling up your system with Outback or Carraba's with your business associates(those places are only 1 mile away from my condo, anyway), I would probably opt for going along to be social, but just having a drink, and that's about it.. this way I would still have their wonderful company, and keep up with the office banter!
then I would "save" myself for somewhere else to go on my own , an independantly owned Roadfood type of joint!

When I absolutely must go to an Outback or Carraba's or anything like that, I tend to dine on an appetizer then sneak out later for some sustenance.

With one group in particular, I have whined enough about the chains that they have begun to trust me and the group mentality has changed a bit. RoadFood has been a key tool in that slow transition. Thanks everyone.

Usually I end up eating alone, or with people I see only occasionally. If I'm out of town WITH people, I try to avoid them in favour of those I don't see very often. And I don't much hang out with those who want to eat at a chain, to be honest. Not that I've never eaten at a chain even by myself (sometimes it's just easier and I'm often under time constraints), but it's not how it usually works.

quote:

Originally posted by tamandmik

Yes, this has happened to me before. It happpened a few times. You know what I did subsequently? I lied and told my associates I was not up for going out, then proceeded to go out by myself to a local eatery that I targeted strategically prior to my arrival.

Life is too short to eat at chain restaurants, particularly if you are traveling. I keep my patronization of chains to when I am home and I want to feed my kids conveniently. When I am on the road, that is my coveted time. And I take my dining out very seriously. You are absolutely right, the mob mentality of chains invariably prevails. I signed off that and now go out independently.

Nice!



Here's an additional dilemma, every year I get a gift card from my Aunt and Uncle. It is always a Chili's/Macaroni Grill/On the Border card for $50. I don't want to waste it, so I take my kids to the Mac Grill for pasta, but none of the three really get me excited.

What do you do with gift cards to chains you are not fond of?

If it is someone else's money (gift cards) I would have no problem eating at a Macaroni Grill. It is not that bad but it would not be my choice on my nickel even though I have eaten there a few times because others in the party liked it.

quote:

Originally posted by Davydd

If it is someone else's money (gift cards) I would have no problem eating at a Macaroni Grill. It is not that bad but it would not be my choice on my nickel even though I have eaten there a few times because others in the party liked it.

Exactly. Free food is good enough, even if it is a chain.

Great topic.

I spent enough time in the same small Canadian city to learn most of the good local pubs and restaurants, as well as which Canadian chains to appreciate (Tim Horton's vs. Subway, a no brainer).

Almost all my travel cohorts were of the same mind, except for one. His first choices were always Applebees, Outback, or Red Lobster (which he had to go out of his way to find). Eating alone was no sacrifice, this guy wasn't great company, anyway.

quote:

Here's an additional dilemma, every year I get a gift card from my Aunt and Uncle. It is always a Chili's/Macaroni Grill/On the Border card for $50. I don't want to waste it, so I take my kids to the Mac Grill for pasta, but none of the three really get me excited.

What do you do with gift cards to chains you are not fond of?

I try not to be too self righteous about not eating in chains so, I'd probably use them recognizing the gesture of a gift. It would be an insult to toss them. An alternative might be to raffle them off at the office and donate the proceeds to a charity.

And on the other hand ...

I used to travel to quarterly "Owners Group" meetings where we could count on our supplier to make reservations AND pick up the tab.

The project manager for the supplier took pride in locating outstanding locally owned & operated restaurants. Naming some locations from memory: Richmond, Savannah, St. Pete Beach, Toronto, New Orleans, even Lynchburg, VA ... I had eight years of outstanding meals and great camaraderie. I miss those guys, and those meals.

I think many people would want to try a local place, but because they don't know enough about the local scene they end up at a chain. Of course, there are also people who love chains, but who really wants to have dinner with those kind of people. The chance that you end up having a great conversation with one of these types is slim to none.

I do find it interesting, however, that I like trying regional chains when I travel. I'm sure if I lived in Canada I would not think much of Tim Horton's, but there is something enjoyable about going into one as a tourist and ordering a double-double just like the locals.

I'm glad everyone knows I despise chains. That includes friends, relatives and coworkers.

Even if I don't exactly know everyone in my group (usually friends of friends) I always steer them away from the chains without hesitiation...

Thankfully I'm not in sales or marketing where suggesting something else to a business associate or customer could be a deal breaker...

quote:

Originally posted by wanderingjew

Thankfully I'm not in sales or marketing where suggesting something else to a business associate or customer could be a deal breaker...

That has been the tough part for me. When trying to make a sale or deal it is tough to insist on a dining choice when the potential buyer/customer has their mind on another place. I have gone places, with limited chances for dining, and have had restaurants I REALLY wanted to go to, only to get stuck at a place I could go to at home.

I guess this is why I am so envious when I read some of the trip reports where roadfood is the primary concern. Most of the time, my travels are for business and I have to squeeze in what limited RF I can.

Loads of good advice here.

Basically, do not let the mob mentality win. Mc Donalds serves (fill in the blank) billions because of the same fear of the unknown that plagues most people in a foreign place. Whether its Europe or Ohio, find someone who can help you get decent cuisine.

You have to pick your "spots" as to when you can do this. This past year I was in St Augustine for a family reunion. My brother & sister & I went out one night to get a pizza and they were interested in a chain. I told them they should try a real pizza from one of the local places. They were amazed at the difference and ended up thanking me for going to the local place.

I traveled for 10 years, exhibiting at trade shows. I took my engineer to Paris for a 2-week stint, and he sulked about not having his SKIPPY on white every day for lunch, and even asked me, "Don't they have any other kind of bread here?" In France, where bread is a religious object!
So, feeling bad for him, I found a cafe that served "American-style" breakfast, and took him there early one morning on the way to the metro. And what did he order?
French toast.

Ron

When I traveled to open stores in 5 different states, we had a food credit card. The places where set up in advance, cost was a factor to make the trip profitable. The folks I traveled with would marvel how good the food was. We are talking Denny's, Shari's, Taco Bell! I really think because the company was paying for food, it tasted better to them!

The past 10 years, I have been locally based. Meetings and trainings are held in fine hotels. Instead of eating in a really good place downtown, they would order pizza from a chain! YUK!