the chains take a hit

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/04/business/04restaurant.html

I'm not shedding any tears. If I ever visit Times Square you can bet I'll never step into an Applebee's.

I was thinking the same thing when I read that article today (by the way, thanks for posting the link, Nancy).  Why go to NYC on a trip and eat at Applebee's?  (Or if you live there why eat at Applebee's?)  It would be akin to looking for the nearest Pizza Hut on my next trip to Hartford, CT.  (No worries there)

Times are tough at the Times, too. They didn't spend any money on travel to write that article. That Applebee's is two blocks from the Times' new offices.

the only chains at times square should be the staples- Nathans and Tads Steaks.

Davydd


I'm not shedding any tears. If I ever visit Times Square you can bet I'll never step into an Applebee's.

Not when there's a Bubba Gump Shrimp to eat at!

You can get Bubba Gump Shrimp at the Mall of America.

Yeah, there's one in a tourist-trap on the water downtown here, too.  I was teasing a Certain Person who asked for suggestions about where to dine in NYC and proceeded to go to Bubba Gump's. 

For some reason, I'm reminded of a friend's relatives who went to Paris and bragged they saved money by eating at McDonald's.

Is there a link to the Moody's list of restaurants at the bottom rung?

Applebee's problem?  Normally, a burger, fries, and drink (alcohol) at any other place would run you $7-10.  You'll pay at least $12-15 at Applebee's.  In that Times Square location?  Good luck escaping for under $20.

I liked that they mentioned Dallas BBQ.  In the three years of being in NYC, DBBQ has gotten a lot of my money...even the Times Square location.  It's certainly not for the service or comfort, though.  Less than $20 there will get you so much more than any of the other sit-down chains in NYC (and even some that aren't chains)  and kind of "exposes" the shenanigans the brand-familiar stores exploit just because of the location.

It's hard to mourn for these chains.  Seldom, if ever, do they blame themselves or their product for their plight.  It's always some other circumstance: too much competition, shifting economy, public taste/perception (Atkins, anyone?), or location.  Everyone gets thrown under the bus before themselves.  Just once I'd love to hear an owner, CEO, or President rip into himself or the investors for bad direction, or confess that the mark-up in price with a downgrade in product quality wasn't entirely necessary, or that nobody's listening to R&D.  It's not ennobling, just honest.

Buffalo Tarheel


I was thinking the same thing when I read that article today (by the way, thanks for posting the link, Nancy).  Why go to NYC on a trip and eat at Applebee's?  (Or if you live there why eat at Applebee's?)  It would be akin to looking for the nearest Pizza Hut on my next trip to Hartford, CT.  (No worries there)

You would be better off going to pizza hut if you are looking for pizza in the hartford area...