Why Can't Kentucky Fried Chicken Make it in the city? (Chicago: restaurant, fence)

[Manigault]

KFC seems to be hooked up with A&W at many outlets. That let's one place offer chicken and burgers, extending their menu. I think the colonel is also trying some sort of breakfast.

Fast food is highly competitive. I guess everyone notes that the signs don't even say "Kentucky Fried Chicken" anymore. The colonel's picture is really downplayed, too. Before he died old Col. Sanders really gave it to the new management and their 'extra crispy'. They basically told him to shut up. The word is that John Y. Brown (KY governor and husband of Miss America) really took Col Sanders' money when the original colonel got bought out. But they took the brand worldwide.

[cobolt]

Whatever happend to Brown's Chicken? I used to think that place rocked when I was a kid. Of course, I was a kid and it could be nostalgia.

[UnderTheLiveOaks]

Originally Posted by cobolt

Whatever happend to Brown's Chicken? I used to think that place rocked when I was a kid. Of course, I was a kid and it could be nostalgia.

Well, they're still around. Though, I gotta say, if you are really asking "what happened to them", you must not have been around almost exactly 15 years ago...

From what I understand, the chain took a big hit after all those people got killed. Brown's Chicken massacre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[cobolt]

Originally Posted by CarolinaBredChicagoan

Well, they're still around. Though, I gotta say, if you are really asking "what happened to them", you must not have been around almost exactly 15 years ago...

From what I understand, the chain took a big hit after all those people got killed. Brown's Chicken massacre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yeah...I moved away from the City in 85 and only return for the holiday visits every so often and such. Thanks for the info. I didn't know.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by CarolinaBredChicagoan

Well, they're still around. Though, I gotta say, if you are really asking "what happened to them", you must not have been around almost exactly 15 years ago...

From what I understand, the chain took a big hit after all those people got killed. Brown's Chicken massacre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Browns is still around, but mostly in the burbs just like it was before-more Browns in the burbs than in the city. (About 50 locations total)

I do not think the murders at the one in Palatine affected their business. It has many stores franchised anyway.

Browns Chickens president and co-founder is Frank Portillo,brother of Dick Portillo-who founded Portillos. I am willing the bet the family has been investing in Portillos more than Browns, even before the slayings.

[mel2000]

I have noticed a number of Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises that have gone out in the City:

Kostner and North
Armitage and Kimball
California and Division
Milwaukee and Diversey?

1.) Rents in those neighborhoods too high for KFC fast food
2.) Increased health consciousness
3.) Meal + drink = too much $$ (getting competitive with non-fast food restaurants)
4.) Mismanagement (remember healthy NYC rats at KFC?)

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by mel2000

1.) Rents in those neighborhoods too high for KFC fast food
2.) Increased health consciousness
3.) Meal + drink = too much $$ (getting competitive with non-fast food restaurants)
4.) Mismanagement (remember healthy NYC rats at KFC?)

The rents are not too high for McDonalds(yeah I know they own most of their own land),Wendys,BK,though... Hmmm...

[Humboldt1]

Thanks avengerfire. You are right that high rents should not be an issue in these areas.

Instead, I would argue it is a combo of health and demographic shift. How much of which factor has more influenced the decline of kfc in the city of chicago is a matter of debate.

[aragx6]

I'm curious to know if they're closing a similar number of stores around the country or if this is a Chicago anomaly.

[emroyka]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

Dragoro,

I agree with the poster who said there may be physicians making 500m first year. Granted this is rare, but it does seem feasible.

6 years ago I underwrote a loan for a physician who was straight out of residency in anesthesiology, who was paid 350m to start. In addition, her new employer, a hospital in nw indiana guaranteed the loan on her new house.

High physician salaries are part of the increased healthcare costs. Another is the drug costs. What really bothers me is how the drug reps basically get doctors to prescribe more expensive drugs by bribing their staffs with free lunches everyday.

As a graduating med student, I can say that physician salaries are extremely variable depending on the specialty. Anesthesia, radiology, dermatology, surgical subspecialties are fairly high paying (even so, I think it'd be tough to land $500K fresh out of residency unless you're in a very "uncompetitive" midwest/south location).

However, primary care physicians (family, internal med, pediatrics) aren't going to come close to $500K without a) having extremely good business sense/investments or b) specializing in some select fields like cardiology. And that's at least half of the doctors out there based on the average med school match list. Combine that with average loans of at least $150K (mine is a whopping $330K - seriously, I wish that were a joke) and you can see that we live well but not in luxury. A lot of student with my debt wouldn't even consider pediatrics because of the lower salaries.

I'd blame malpractice for forcing "defensive medicine" and driving up the cost of healthcare before physician salaries. I agree big pharm is an issue but many hospitals have taken steps to minimize the impact (ex. stopping those free drug sponsored lunches).