OT- Question about restaurants

There was a thread on another forum recently that touched upon modeling modern buildings such as fast food restaurants and it got me wondering about something that I thought I'd ask others on this group.

Every time I turn on the TV, I'm beseiged by ads for Burger King. The only thing is, in Western PA, most of them are either closed or run-down dirty dumps. I noticed the same thing in another mid-western city too recently while traveling to a train show. What I was wondering is...does anyone have new or nice clean BKs in their area?

No, I'm not going to travel cross country to eat at one. : ) I'm not even a big fan of the food. I just noticed this recently when I realized that despite all the TV ads they run, most of them in this area are closed or seem on the verge of closing. I realize that it could just be the local franchisee, but then when I noticed it in another city, it got me wondering if there any nice ones left anywhere.

Yeah, I know it's a dumb question.

Jim

Reply to
Ctyclsscs
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Many down this way in upstate South Carolina. My wife used to work in the local one.

Reply to
Howard R Garner

Yes. Here in northwest NJ we have a new Burger King (built

3 years ago) and the BK's around here are all pretty well maintained from my perspective.

There's no such thing as a dumb question in my book.

Cheers, Bill

Reply to
Bill Sohl

At the Springfield train show I stopped by the West Springfield Riverside BK for a quick dinner, 6pm which should be a busy time, I was the only customer there. A few days later in Niantic/East Lyme CT, stopped again at around 6pm, and I was the only customer there too. Just the staff and me. That can't be good for business. James F. Hodgdon Jr. Hodgdon Scale Models

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Reply to
Hdgdn

If those areas are suffering economically, I'm sure that translates into all the businesses. Especially businesses that are dependent on that local economy.

On rare occasion we will travel the mile to the local BK. I haven't been to a McDoug's in a very long time but, I think BK is a step up (ok, a small step). It seems reasonabley clean, not overrun with customers but, there are customers. Saturday afternoons we often drive by and notice a line in the drive up isle. Baker's Square just moved in next door to the BK. They are very, VERY busy on Saturdays and on Sundays from about 11am to 2pm ... well, hope you aren't really hungry the line often comes out the door. The restaurant biz in the Livermore/Pleasanton are seems to be booming. The Safeway has a deli section and I've often observed a line of 10-15 people there. Guess we'll have to try them out someday ... when the line is shorter.

Paul

Reply to
Paul Newhouse

Coming out of lurking mode for a moment...

The BK down the street from me is very clean. All brick inside, even a faux-fireplace. To top it off, bringing this back on topic, it's decorated to look like a railway station, with tons of photographs of vintage trains and other memorabilia on the walls.

And the kids wonder why I don't want to go to the McDonald's across the street...

Reply to
Pschings

We've got about tenBK's around Flint, MI. About half are decent, the other half are dumps to varying degrees. Some of each owned by the same franchisees. I don't see a pattern with BK, locally or nationally. Fast food restaurants in general are nowhere near as nice as they used to be. That includes McDonald's, BK, Arby's, KFC, Wendy's, Long John Silvers, etc. Even McDonald's are often dumps nowadays. That was UNHEARD of around here twenty years ago. If you frequented the places, you used to see company inspectors there every few weeks. I haven't seen one now in perhaps ten years! Quality control is totally 'out the window' at most chains. It all seems to be at the whim of the local manager.

Dan Mitchell ==========

Howard R Garner wrote:

Reply to
Daniel A. Mitchell

the BK. They are very, VERY busy on Saturdays and on Sundays from about 11am to 2pm ... well, hope you aren't really hungry the line often comes out the door.< Eat at Baker's Square often (Newark). They are very good but prices just went up recently. We like it because it nice and quiet, none of the roar you find in most of the other equivalents.

Reply to
Jon Miller

C> There was a thread on another forum recently that touched upon modeling modern C> buildings such as fast food restaurants and it got me wondering about something C> that I thought I'd ask others on this group. C> C> Every time I turn on the TV, I'm beseiged by ads for Burger King. The only C> thing is, in Western PA, most of them are either closed or run-down dirty C> dumps. I noticed the same thing in another mid-western city too recently while C> traveling to a train show. What I was wondering is...does anyone have new or C> nice clean BKs in their area? C> C> No, I'm not going to travel cross country to eat at one. : ) I'm not even C> a big fan of the food. I just noticed this recently when I realized that C> despite all the TV ads they run, most of them in this area are closed or seem C> on the verge of closing. I realize that it could just be the local franchisee, C> but then when I noticed it in another city, it got me wondering if there any C> nice ones left anywhere.

For the most part, BKs. MDs, etc. are all locally owned franchised. This means that their 'state' is a function of the *local* owner/manager. If the owner is not 'doing his job', the place will be run down. All that the Burger King, MacDonalds, Wendy's, KFC, etc. national corporations is do is to provide a 'standardized' menu, standardized basic design for the restaurant, standardized burger boxes, cups, uniforms, etc., as well as national advertising.

It is possible that you are seeing older establishments or owners who have come on hard(er) times or have some other 'local' problem.

C> C> Yeah, I know it's a dumb question. C> C> Jim C>

\/ Robert Heller ||InterNet: snipped-for-privacy@cs.umass.edu

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Reply to
Robert Heller

Or new owners who are now in a cash crunch. A highschool chum of my wifes starts up restaurants and sells them off within a year or two. He claims he gets about 50% of them back within 5 yrs, builds them up again and resells them. His claim, "many of these people seem to think the restaurant will some how run itself".

Paul

Reply to
Paul Newhouse

Interesting. In this neck of the woods (Far, far NW 'burbs of Chicago) Mickey D's tends to arguably be a small step up from BK in most aspects: Run-down vs. tidy, slow vs. busy, etc. Sounds like there may be regional preferences, with the "winner" in any given region reflected in their appearance and the amount of traffic they generate.

The thing that I find interesting is how BK lets Mickey D's do all the market research when it comes to siting their stores. You see all the hoopla at the construction site for "Mickey D's: Opening soon!", and about three months or so after it opens BK quietly puts up a store across the street...

Steve

Reply to
Steve Martinak

I was thinking more along the lines of; QP's are pretty greasy, Whoppers seem less so to me.

Pretty clever management at BK, huh!!! Why by the cow if the milk is free?

Paul

Reply to
Paul Newhouse

You're probably right, however, that's not the case around here. I've asked and about one half of the McDs here are corporately owned. They're also the nicest ones. Clean and efficiently run for the most part. Gradually, though, almost all of the McD's over 20 years old around here are being torn down and rebuilt. The Wendy's and Arby's here are also generally pretty decent.

That's why I can't understand how the BK's could be so pitiful. You'd think eventually some inspector from headquarters would see how dirty and rundown they are. Makes you wonder just how bad they have to be before they make a move to find another franchisee! (actually, I don't wanna know the more I think about it).

Jim

Reply to
Ctyclsscs

Write them a letter.

Paul

Reply to
Paul Newhouse

I prefer Wendy's

I still remember that commercial with the Little Old Lady... "Where's The Beef?"

Just a better burger.

As one of the comedians said, I never eat at a place that served billions of customers, what would they care if they screwed mine up?

Reply to
wannandcan

I live in Altoona, PA, and we have two or three BK s here. all seem clean and busy. I dont get there often, though. They aare a step up from McD s, but I prefer Wendy's.

Reply to
Jim Marlin

Never stopped at Tim's, eh?

Reply to
Steve Caple

It's not a dumb question, but I find it shudderingly offensive to refer to Macca's, BK, etc as "restaurants". Call them takeaways, eat-in's, whatever, but save the name "restaurant" for something a little bit classier. It's not hard - being classier than the aforementioned, I mean.

Most of the problems are due to proliferation. We had one Macca's start up here about 15 years ago, only one for miles around. Clean, efficient, busy. Now we have about 10 in the same area, so less customers = less income, less income = cost cutting. Ther's also some local legal folderol with BK's, or Hungry Jacks as known locally. I was shouted one of their burgers once - never again. Sloppy, stale and smelly.

But to bring it back to trains, I do not regard a visit to a train show as a real visit if I do not have a hot dog. Or three. Train shows + hot dogs = heaven! :)

Steve Newcastle Aust

Reply to
Steve Magee

Clara Peller. She died about 5 years after that. She made her money, though.

Jay CNS&M North Shore Line - "First and fastest"

Reply to
JCunington

Twelve years ago when I was in Kenosha the BK on 52nd St. west of 39th Ave. had what looked to be a copy of the Jerome & Southwestern from the MR of 1980s. Don't know if it's still there.

Jay CNS&M North Shore Line - "First and fastest"

Reply to
JCunington

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