TGI Fridays files for bankruptcy

People in Texas haggling about BBQ places.

Excellent!

Funny. Ironic. Jealousy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Point is even in my village of 12k - a guy cooks, cuts, and cleans - who happens to be the owner. His bbq is better than any chain.
I’m just comparing chain bbq to chain heat n serve …
I’m in Houston and decided to check at 12:30 - yep, this and the parking lot were full …(I had shrimp and oysters elsewhere 🤓)

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Point is even in my village of 12k - a guy cooks, cuts, and cleans - who happens to be the owner. His bbq is better than any chain.
I’m just comparing chain bbq to chain heat n serve …
I’m in Houston and decided to check at 12:30 - yep, this and the parking lot were full …(I had shrimp and oysters elsewhere 🤓)
Point is we get shirt for BBQ. Even if there was a real place here, only a few of us, and then some transplant Texans would like it, and place would fold. Most of the milksops here would not like it. Frustrating, the amount of garbage places here. There are very few gems.
 
Went to the one in Lubbock and was not impressed at all....
Rudy's is where the locals take the out of towners for the picnic experience, and pay for very expensive gas. I have to say their potato salad is good.
Lubbock though is ... less than desirable all around.
 
Rudy's is where the locals take the out of towners for the picnic experience, and pay for very expensive gas. I have to say their potato salad is good.
Lubbock though is ... less than desirable all around.
We have found a few local places with much better BBQ then Rudys....
 
I think we will see new models of most chains. Look for counter service only instead of table service. Now that might mean a runner brings you your food but you will order at the counter or Kiosk and that will remove a ton of labor. We have a few BBQ joints in my market and they are following that model and having eaten there, its fine by me.
 
Point is we get shirt for BBQ. Even if there was a real place here, only a few of us, and then some transplant Texans would like it, and place would fold. Most of the milksops here would not like it. Frustrating, the amount of garbage places here. There are very few gems.
I was always told that in Texas the roadside stand or smoker shack that looks shady has more than likely really good BBQ.
 
Private equity raiders have taken their toll as well. The flapping gums in the media blamed Red Lobster’s bankruptcy on endless shrimp but that’s not even remotely true. The company that bought Red Lobster sold the real estate out from under them which forced store owners to begin paying rent on buildings where they didn’t have to before. A similar kind of asset stripping is what put the final nail in Sears’ coffin IIRC.

Red Lobster doesn’t franchise. At least not in the US proper.

Red Lobster has nearly 700 locations in North America, all corporate owned. To carry out our vision of being ‘where the world goes for seafood now and for generations’, we continue to expand our international footprint. We have over 40 franchised restaurants in 9 countries and 1 U.S. territory.​

They do franchise in Puerto Rico. This mentions Darden, which sold off Red Lobster. I’m a bit unclear if there’s just one franchisee in PR, or if there are multiple franchisees who operate through an intermediary.

The initial agreement between ROI and Darden was formed in April, when Darden said ROI would develop Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants in Puerto Rico. ROI had previously worked with former (sic) LorgHorn Steakhouse parent Rare Hospitality International Inc. before Darden acquired the company for $1.4 billion in 2007. As such, before the exclusive agreement formed, ROI already operated five LongHorn Steakhouses in the commonwealth. ROI will open its first Olive Garden there this year.​
 
From the demand side of the equation, the largest cohort in history, the baby boomers are rapidly disappearing. Half of them are already dead. The youngest of them are about 60 years old. While they used to fill TGI Friday’s they are no longer showing up.
This is a bigger deal than most people realize. There are many, many ways this will affect institutions and things we take for granted.
 
The more chains go out of business the happier I am.
I want a million small business doing 10 million transactions with other small business places instead of taking it laying down from google amazon oligopoly.
 
The more chains go out of business the happier I am.
I want a million small business doing 10 million transactions with other small business places instead of taking it laying down from google amazon oligopoly.
Actually google maps has meant I can find more and better indy restaurants when I travel. When I used to travel unless I could get a recommend from a local I ended up in a chain. Since google maps I honestly can not remember the last chain I ate in, and I travel a bunch for work.
 
If every restaurant in the USA went out of business in the next year, business would prosper at all the grocery, fruit and meat markets.

We would all continue to live just fine and think of all the tips money we would save. The only unhappys would be unemployed restaurant workers, who would need to pick other means of job source & income.

Well, I would be a bit unhappy also, for I am not a good cook. But the wife sure is and I hope she outlives me.
On a plus-side, the best, longest marriages are those that find time for each other -like an entire family at your own home's dinner table every evening. Fond memories can even be-had at the kitchen counter washing and drying the dishes afterwards.
Wait - maybe I said too much old-school there. Automatic dishwashers to the rescue then.
 
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If every restaurant in the USA went out of business in the next year, business would prosper at all the grocery, fruit and meat markets.

We would all continue to live just fine and think of all the tips money we would save. The only unhappys would be unemployed restaurant workers, who would need to pick other means of job source & income.

Well, I would be a bit unhappy also, for I am not a good cook. But the wife sure is and I hope she outlives me.
No, no prosperity. Because we are idiots we subsidize soy beans and corn and dont grow actual food we eat and import it instead.
 
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