Why do restaurant chains leave Chicago area? (Naperville, Glen Ellyn: condos, bus)

[Anthera]

There is also still a Barnaby's off 41 in Northbrook.

[Anthera]

Originally Posted by cobolt

I saw a Big Boys in Kentucky a few weeks ago, but it was no longer called "Bob's Big Boy." It was called Frisch's Big Boy.

Big Boy's has always been a national chain, they just add the franchisee's name.

[myrc60]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Lum's

Do you mean the beer hot dog Lums?

Yummy! Was there one in Chicago? The one I knew was in Nashville, TN.

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

Jack In The Box is mostly just in the southwest, and in Illinois it's only near St. Louis. It's not in any other major metros east of the Mississippi River.

Arthur Treasures is now just exclusively in the New York metro, Ohio and Penn. They had major financial troubles and pulled out of places to retool their model.

There are Jack In The Box's here in South Carolina, so it is southeast too. A place named Miami Subs used to have a restaurant down here and they served Arthur Treachers too. They closed up a few years ago but still had a location in Spartanburg, SC.

[inspect2]

Originally Posted by Anthera

Big Boy's has always been a national chain, they just add the franchisee's name.

Yet another chain that left Chicago...

[inspect2]

Originally Posted by irish setter girl

For you Pondersoa lovers out there, I think the one on New York St. in Aurora is still operating. I just remember going there as a kid and eating the potato wedges with cheese sauce.

No I wish. I could use some of that taco bar..

[inspect2]

Originally Posted by cobolt

Wow...we're really talking old school here: he Walgreens lunch counter. We used to get pumpkin pie and hot chocolate there in the winter while waiting for the bus to take us to our dance lessons near Lincoln Square.

And who can forget the Walgreen's cafeteria across from Marshall Field's on State Street. Remember you walked right in and the escalator takes you down to a good salisbury steak meal. Boy does time fly..

[Drover]

Here's another chain that is more or less gone from Chicago-area (I think there are about 2 left): Bob Evans.

I sense a common thread among a lot of the chains that have pulled out of the Chicago area: they are, for lack of a better term, "old-school." Times have changed on the culinary scene, and a lot of these places didn't change with it. Those changes are especially pronounced in the Chicago area which has seen an explosion of ethnic foods to match our changing demographics. This influx of new styles (new to us anyway) have also made Chicago one of the most innovative and experimental culinary cities in the world, aided by the presence of top schools like Kendall and CHIC who churn out fresh chefs with fresh ideas about how to tweak and/or combine these numerous ethnic styles.

That's my hypothesis anyway. In a city with new and exciting culinary styles cropping up all the time, the same-old same-old chains just don't hold much appeal any more. Ironically, some of the chains that used to be new and fresh (Chili's, Applebee's) are starting to get a little old and stale themselves. I see Claim Jumper is starting to move in on Chicago territory. It will be interesting to see how they do.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by inspect2

And who can forget the Walgreen's cafeteria across from Marshall Field's on State Street. Remember you walked right in and the escalator takes you down to a good salisbury steak meal. Boy does time fly..

There used to be a whole chain of these, called Wag's.

[inspect2]

The cafeteria across from Marshall Fields was a genuine high cholesterol nostalgic cafeteria. Th eventual Wag's is like IHOP. Big difference.

[inspect2]

Originally Posted by Drover

Here's another chain that is more or less gone from Chicago-area (I think there are about 2 left): Bob Evans.

I sense a common thread among a lot of the chains that have pulled out of the Chicago area: they are, for lack of a better term, "old-school." Times have changed on the culinary scene, and a lot of these places didn't change with it. Those changes are especially pronounced in the Chicago area which has seen an explosion of ethnic foods to match our changing demographics. This influx of new styles (new to us anyway) have also made Chicago one of the most innovative and experimental culinary cities in the world, aided by the presence of top schools like Kendall and CHIC who churn out fresh chefs with fresh ideas about how to tweak and/or combine these numerous ethnic styles.

That's my hypothesis anyway. In a city with new and exciting culinary styles cropping up all the time, the same-old same-old chains just don't hold much appeal any more. Ironically, some of the chains that used to be new and fresh (Chili's, Applebee's) are starting to get a little old and stale themselves. I see Claim Jumper is starting to move in on Chicago territory. It will be interesting to see how they do.

Bolingbrook closed because of poor biz a few years ago (I knew the G.M). Naperville does OK last I heard and Joliet does very well. I think it's funny that they had a location on Golf Road not far from Woodfield Mall which of course did not last.