I'm Done Eatin' Good in the Neighborhood
Update: Chili's chicken ranch sandwich tasty as always.
So long, Applebee's.
It was fun while it lasted. Reasonable food at reasonable prices. Balloons for my kids. The Brewtus beer when I was an undergraduate.
Applebee's was one of the first chain restaurants in Las Cruces, so we'd eat there as undergraduates. We also spent many happy hours there after working at the NMSU student newspaper.
To tell you the truth, I always liked Chili's better. The food is a lot better. In fact, we may have to go to Chili's for lunch today.
But until this week, Applebee's was a Kansas City (metro area) company. And I'm a Kansas City guy. Born and raised.
[ More fountains than any place other than Rome! ]
So I felt some loyalty to Applebee's. In part, I still have Sprint cell phone service largely for this reason.
Anyway, this week it was announced that IHOP is buying Applebee's for $2.1 billion.
What? IHOP?
I hate IHOP.
Their food is mediocre and overpriced, and their service is worse. And now they want to franchise out most of the company-owned Applebee's restaurants.
Great! Lousy service!
Actually, to be more fair, the franchising means completely unpredictable service.
Take McDonald's, for example. You might walk into a McDonald's and get great service. But if you walk into a McDonald's in Lubbock, Texas, Santa Rosa, N.M., or Roswell, N.M., the service will be awful. In fact, the average jellyfish would provide better service than McDonald's employees in these three cities.
Even worse, IHOP is headquartered in Glendale, California. No loyalty there.
So, my kids' love for your 2 cent balloons and my hometown roots used to get me in the door.
That's over now. Just another corporate takeover killing off the identity of a brand. I get profits. I am a capitalist. But to me, as a consumer, almost nothing good ever comes from these giant mergers.
Indirectly, perhaps, I get some benefit from my retirement mutual funds. But as a consumer, I see little benefit.
So long, Applebee's.
It was fun while it lasted. Reasonable food at reasonable prices. Balloons for my kids. The Brewtus beer when I was an undergraduate.
Applebee's was one of the first chain restaurants in Las Cruces, so we'd eat there as undergraduates. We also spent many happy hours there after working at the NMSU student newspaper.
To tell you the truth, I always liked Chili's better. The food is a lot better. In fact, we may have to go to Chili's for lunch today.
But until this week, Applebee's was a Kansas City (metro area) company. And I'm a Kansas City guy. Born and raised.
[ More fountains than any place other than Rome! ]
So I felt some loyalty to Applebee's. In part, I still have Sprint cell phone service largely for this reason.
Anyway, this week it was announced that IHOP is buying Applebee's for $2.1 billion.
What? IHOP?
I hate IHOP.
Their food is mediocre and overpriced, and their service is worse. And now they want to franchise out most of the company-owned Applebee's restaurants.
Great! Lousy service!
Actually, to be more fair, the franchising means completely unpredictable service.
Take McDonald's, for example. You might walk into a McDonald's and get great service. But if you walk into a McDonald's in Lubbock, Texas, Santa Rosa, N.M., or Roswell, N.M., the service will be awful. In fact, the average jellyfish would provide better service than McDonald's employees in these three cities.
Even worse, IHOP is headquartered in Glendale, California. No loyalty there.
So, my kids' love for your 2 cent balloons and my hometown roots used to get me in the door.
That's over now. Just another corporate takeover killing off the identity of a brand. I get profits. I am a capitalist. But to me, as a consumer, almost nothing good ever comes from these giant mergers.
Indirectly, perhaps, I get some benefit from my retirement mutual funds. But as a consumer, I see little benefit.
Labels: brand, identification, Kansas City, merger, restaurant
posted by Samuel D. Bradley at 10:17 AM
del.icio.us
FOLLOW SAM ON TWITTER
SUBSCRIBE TO THIS FEED
4 Comments:
I love IHOP!
This is one of the many, many reasons why you will never be as cool as me.
IHOP is the devil. THE DEVIL, I tell you.
If you want a pancake, go to Denny's. If you want a waffle, go to Waffle House (the real one, not the imposter in B Town).
If you want real food, go anywhere else.
THE DEVIL, I say.
Okay.......where do you go if ya want a taco? (The TRUE American food)
Kansas City taco: Acapulco's
Las Cruces taco: too many places to pick; they used to have free tacos during happy hour at My Brother's Place. The tacos weren't great, but how can you beat free?
Modesto taco: Del Taco, but only because it was new to me, which was cool
Albuquerque taco: I forget the name of the place, but it was up along the Rio Grande. I ate there with the editor of the Journal once with some other then new employees
Lubbock taco: Lujan's, I am told. Will know more tonight.
Midnight taco: Taco Bell crispy tacos with hot sauce
2 a.m. and intoxicated taco: Jack in the Box
Want to drive only a block from my house taco: Taco Bueno
Post a Comment
<< Home