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Those are the wirdly friendly basment memorabelia kind of "oars on the wall" restaurants that come to mind, I am sure there are a few more (somone had to replace Beefsteak Charlies!!!!).
Combine that with the Pseudo-Mex of Chipoltle and Qdobo (Burritoville bit the dust?), Chilis and Caliente Cab Co, the "genuine" Maine feeling of places like Red Lobster and all the others found in finer food courts near you and it gets a little boring.
Anyone want a bloomin' onion??!?
The REALLY bad thing here in the city are the TGIF's that open in these small spots, or team up with 31 flavors, dunkin donuts or some others to make a combined food court thing. Went to one YEARS back and had some of the driest ribs I have ever had. Combined with a limited collection of skunked beers (or maybe that was just the soap from the glasses) I never went back.
Although I must agree, that when making a choice between "Ying King" and its rubber chicken chow main, or "Yo Momma's" 'genuine' XXX fried chicken (insert whatever form of genuine you want there), I might be sorely tempted to go with the safety.....
TGI Friday's is coming to the Bronx too! They will be opening at 1750 East Gun Hill Road (just east of Gunther and Allerton Avenues, west of the New England Thruway). This is at the same site where Circuit City once was.
They're also opening an Applebees in Harlem at 125th and 5th, although it seems to have been delayed due to some financing issue related to the National Black Theater people not wanting them there... there's a new building across the street where they're going in. I'm wondering if there'll be other tenants in it too, or if it'll be a 2-story restaurant?
Those are the wirdly friendly basment memorabelia kind of "oars on the wall" restaurants that come to mind, I am sure there are a few more (somone had to replace Beefsteak Charlies!!!!).
Combine that with the Pseudo-Mex of Chipoltle and Qdobo (Burritoville bit the dust?), Chilis and Caliente Cab Co, the "genuine" Maine feeling of places like Red Lobster and all the others found in finer food courts near you and it gets a little boring.
Anyone want a bloomin' onion??!?
The REALLY bad thing here in the city are the TGIF's that open in these small spots, or team up with 31 flavors, dunkin donuts or some others to make a combined food court thing. Went to one YEARS back and had some of the driest ribs I have ever had. Combined with a limited collection of skunked beers (or maybe that was just the soap from the glasses) I never went back.
Although I must agree, that when making a choice between "Ying King" and its rubber chicken chow main, or "Yo Momma's" 'genuine' XXX fried chicken (insert whatever form of genuine you want there), I might be sorely tempted to go with the safety.....
Obviously there is a market for it. It saddens me to think that there is in fact a market for it. I used to think it was all for tourists, but then they put things like Olive Garden and Outback in neighborhoods that aren't for tourists.
So who's going there? It must be people living in NYC. It makes me sick to my stomach.
What the chain restaurants DO offer -- and I think this is the general theme of Elvira's original post -- is at least some decent standards for cleanliness, courteous customer service, and basic food quality at reasonable prices. Many local dining spots (not all of course), do not provide these basics. Just because a business is locally-owned does not mean that it upholds high standards. Many local businesses do not.
For a sophisticated diner who enjoys the myriad of excellent food options in NYC, the Applebee's and TGI Friday's of the world offer very little that is interesting, but for people with limited options in their neighborhood, this is a good thing, and the competition may force some of the local restaurants to raise their standards.
The most interesting aspect of an Applebees in the Fordham Area is the continuously increasing corporate investment in various Bronx neighborhoods,despite the recession.Not that long ago there was virtually no corporate interest in The Bronx, no matter what.It is a sign that the stigma of the 70's and 80's is continuing to fade.
Usually, when one of those chains opens up, others soon follow.It will be interesting to see if Olive Garden has the nerve to go into the same neighborhood, which is only a few blocks from the last "Little Italy" in the city and where there are a number of very good,"real" Italian restaurants.
The most interesting aspect of an Applebees in the Fordham Area is the continuously increasing corporate investment in various Bronx neighborhoods,despite the recession.Not that long ago there was virtually no corporate interest in The Bronx, no matter what.It is a sign that the stigma of the 70's and 80's is continuing to fade.
Usually, when one of those chains opens up, others soon follow.It will be interesting to see if Olive Garden has the nerve to go into the same neighborhood, which is only a few blocks from the last "Little Italy" in the city and where there are a number of very good,"real" Italian restaurants.
I just hope that these chains don't try to open within Little Italy. I remember when the McDonald's opened on Arthur Avenue, people cried foul because it didn't fit with the Italian restaurants and that it was a hangout for the teens of nearby East Tremont. It ended up closing in 2006.
There is a Domino's "pizza" on 41st near Port Authority (I forget exactly where).
In a town that has so much good Pizza, the fact that they can survive is a sad sad commentary on peoples exposure to good food (or lack thereof).
Chains push out the locals. Subway sandwiches outright suck. They are overpriced for what you get on them, and basically poor quality formulaic sponsor based pieces of poo, but they are pressuring local delis and other shops.
I know that there is a reason for a lot of these places, but it is really sad when a commercialized spot can force out any local competition because of their relatively low overhead, and their combined national advertising dollar.
And don't even get me started on overexpansion of a brand name. When I go to Dunkin, I want a DONUT, not a flatbread sandwich!!!!
I don't think chains pushing out local business is really an issue in NYC at least for restaurants it isn't. Some people never learned to eat anything eat besides chicken nuggets and Domino's pizza so that's what they like eating. In midtown for instance it's not uncommon to see the chain places full of people at lunchtime but you'll also see long lines for cart vendors. NYC is unique like that.
Also sometimes like people pointed out these places fill a niche. For instance when I used to live in Hamilton Heights, when Domino's opened it was one of the few pizzerias around in the neighborhood period, plus they were fast, consistent (consistently average but consistent nonetheless) and offered specials. Some neighborhoods have nothing. Seriously. An established franchise coming in and having success can also have the affect of giving small business owners the confidence to open a business in a neighborhood they would otherwise ignore.
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