Opening a Restaurant: SLC or KCMO

[frogandtoad]

Originally Posted by fordingtons

I am planning on opening a restaurant. Where would be better, Kansas City or Salt Lake City? Thanks for any help!

If you have not done enough market research in your area of expertise to know the answer, you should not be opening a restaurant in this economy. Seriously.

[dcisive]

Well lets see Frogandtoad. Just my short list of insane restaurants I've been to (and interestingly enough Red Robin isn't one of them) all have been inundated with screaming brats any time of the day or night. I've rated the level of insanity and noise for each.

Chili's (completely insane)
Wingers (completely insane)
IHOP (not good)
Chic Fil A (could permanently damage your hearing)
Carl's Jr. (I've seen worse but not good)
Iceberg (bad enough)
Training Table (certifiably insane)
Noodle Company (not really too bad)
Apollo and Crown Burger (not too bad)
Jim's Restaurant(not too bad)
The Last Outpost (hope no mommies see this as it was PERFECT please leave the kids at home if you try this place)
The Outback(not too bad)
Lonestar(very bad)
The Over the Counter Cafe(if you want one of the best breakfasts PERIOD and wish to skip the insanity don't go at prime hours or on weekends,or prepare for long lines and insane levels of noise)
Joanna's Kitchen (fogetaboutit....insane on weekends and the food has gone downhill over the last year, not worth the trip trust me.
Village Inn (on rare occasions not bad, on weekends insane)
Texas Roadhouse (great food if you can put up with the ear shattering noise and crowds.
Goodwood (go early if you wish to avoid the insane crowds and nose of screaming out of control brats that parents let do their thing. The food is superb, go early or take a pass)
The Bohemian (not the greatest food, good beer and next to NO kids)
Lambs Cafe (haven't been there in years but when I was never saw anyone under their mid 30's. Great food of course well known for that.
Macaroni Grill (so far they have a good track record with me not having high levels of brats present. Mostly adults...great food and service.
Carino's (hit and miss. Good food but the brat levels can vary according to when you go.)
Rodizio Grill (great when your in a carnivorous mood. Generally quiet with minimal brat interferences. Could be a bit pricey for the "family" scene so that might be why).
Grubsteak (park city) Never had a bad meal, never saw more than a few kids which were miraculously well behaved. Must be the water (or the schools) up there. A very safe bet for a good quiet meal.
Market Street Grill (Totally overpriced and the service is often very sketchy. These days it is now becoming a mob scene there and is not a pleasant place to hang out. I'd pass. The food is NOT that great in the first place.
Amber Restaurant (not too bad and never that noisy. A step up from a Denny's to be sure with reasonable prices.
Applebee's (okay I'm not pulling punches. This restaurant is based on the use of a microwave and nothing more. It basically SUCKS period. Take a pass, noisey and bad food (I know several folks that got food poisoning here as well)
Red Rock (downtown) excellent food, service and NO brats. Just at prime hours it does get VERY loud in there. Superb beer selection also
Chuck A Rama (surely you can't be serious...they call this food? the brat and noise level alone would put me off of this place, but the food most certainly isn't worth it.
Gepetto's (not as bad as you might think. The pizza is just ok, the noise level is tolerable most of the time. No big deal in general...hey I'm from Chicago where they really know how to make pizza so I'm fussy.
Golden Corral (Now I must say this is what up chuckarama wishes they were. Good food (and tons of it) in a bit of a mahem kind of environment. If you go off hours you're fine, during the rush....take some zanex.
Iggy's Sports Grill (The food is good enough, and there are fairly few brats around at any given time, just wish the idiot generation X'ers running the place would turn the junk they call music DOWN.
MacCools (please mommies you didn't see this. The food is great, service is great and I have just about never seen a kid in there. A nice well kept secret...let's keep it that way please.
Lion House (I know, you should expect it to be insane with brats in this place, they don't disappoint in that regard. The food is "good" not great. I'd pass.
Log Haven (you won't beat the atmosphere if you go at a good time. Otherwise you'll wonder why you bothered. At times a decidedly ADULT place to be, very overpriced if I do say so.
Marriott Grand (dinner) (delightfully devoid of brats and noise. Great service and food, and the bill is steep too.
Olive Garden (catch it at the right time and you'll be rewarded with great food at a fair price, catch it at the wrong time and you'll wish you brought the ear plugs.
P.F Chang (Good food and service, not too bad on cost either. The general noise level can be high, but it is typically NOT from screaming kids.
Tiburon (This was a huge disappointment considering the high price of their menu. It was noisy with brats and the steak sucked. I won't go back
Tuscany (NOW your talkin. Great food, a bit high priced but tolerable and devoid of brats. I can't ask more than that. Mommies please don't read this I like this place the way it is.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of the number of restaurants in town I've eaten, so NO I have a good idea what's out there and what to expect. Hope you enjoyed my mini reviews. Once again this is decidedly from the ADULT perspective of someone that wishes to go out and enjoy the meal without the assault of screaming brats and poor food.

[frogandtoad]

OK, so basically the places you'd expect kids (IHOP, Chilis, etc) have them, and the nicer places don't. From this list, I'd say it's pretty much what you'd expect anywhere.

[Mtn. States Resident]

Originally Posted by frogandtoad

OK, so basically the places you'd expect kids (IHOP, Chilis, etc) have them, and the nicer places don't. From this list, I'd say it's pretty much what you'd expect anywhere.

Yip, I think you are correct.

What would you add to options in UT that would attrack diners to your new restuarant?

MSR

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Where is Gepetto's these days? The location on 1300 East has been Aristo's for several years.

[jhwest]

People in Utah loooove chain restaurants. Non-chains have a hard time surviving. I try to only patronize locally owned restaurants, but it seems like they disappear quickly. Utahns will actually wait over an hour to eat at the Olive Garden. Seriously. It's very sad. And weird.