The Home Depot-ization of Restaurants
"Eating is not merely a material pleasure. Eating well gives a spectacular joy to life and contributes immensely to goodwill and happy companionship." - Elsa Schiaparelli (1890 - 1973)
Over the past ten years, I've been disturbed by the dominance of chain restuarants in local restaurant scenes across the country. The types of restaurants that I operated were what's known in the business as a "Mom & Pop" operation; my wife Loretta and I were the owners (not a group of investors) and we pretty much took a "hands on" approach to the business. The folks who dined in our restaurants knew exactly who the owners were and that we regarded them as guests in our home, rather than faceless numbers on a profit chart. I feel that this is one of the most crucial elements missing from the chain restaurant experience. Feelin good in the neighborhood? I don't think so.
The quality of food one finds in these restaurants is pretty much one dimensional. The most distinguishing characteristic is a high salt content which is probably intentional, so as to encourage the customer to order extra beer, wine or soda. I've known cooks who have worked in these chain restaurant kitchens and some of their stories have troubled me greatly; the fact that, in certain circumstances, there is not a lot of actual cooking being done on the premises! Pretty much most of the deep fried items on chain restaurant menus are pre-breaded and frozen; they're just taken out of the freezer and tossed in the fryer per order. Many sauces come in pre-portioned cryovac bags which are simply slit open and heated to order. In some cases the entree is already pre-cooked and then simply defrosted for service. Come hungry, leave happy? I don't think so.
Why is the dining public so infatuated with this style of dining? I guess it's because of the prices. Chain restaurants are able to buy their food supplies in bulk quantities, thereby getting the product at a cheaper wholesale price. Small independently owned restaurants do not have the buying power that the chain restaurants have; they will have to charge more for what they serve because it costs them more to put the food on the plate. It comes down to a question of quality. In my mind, though, all of these chain restaurants are merely fast food joints masquerading as fine dining establishments.
Service in these chain restaurants is inadequate when it comes to requesting information about a particular dish. It's rare to find a wait person in these establishments that actually knows what's in a menu item or how it is prepared. When asked about a menu item, they usually disappear into the kitchen and return some time later claiming, "The chef isn't really sure what's in that particular dish..." The chef isn't sure? It seems bizarre to me that nobody in a professional kitchen would know how what went into preparing a certain dish.
What bothers me the most about chain restaurants , besides the mediocre food and service, is their dedication to the customer having the exact same dining experience in every location. It seems to celebrate a lack of culinary imagination. I've eaten in a variety of restaurants that range from a down home BBQ joint in Georgia to a fancy five star restaurant in New York city; what I remember most about these restaurants is the unique experience I found in the food, service and the ambience.
So if any of you out there are going out to dinner, take the time to check out your local small restaurants. If the food is good, give them your support. They need you to survive and you need them to help you remember what a great meal can really be.
J.P. Gelinas
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I agree
i could not agree more, good read!
In my house, we call the chain restaurants "The Evil Empire, as they attempt to cancel out individuality in the restaurant world. That and sub par food make it a ridiculous way to spend a hard earned buck.
Chains?.... All preservatives, no indivuality, and trying to pound the little guy, who makes the food with his heart and hands, out of business. Boo Hiss...better to eat at a local, privately owned place or cook at home, where you know the ingredients are fresh
Cheers! I hate the way almost all chain restaurant supplies -- food, drink, linen, etc. -- come from central depots, hundreds of miles away. No help for local businesses or farmers at all. Why don't people realize that when they eat at Appleby's, they're taking some neighbor's job away?
I totally agree. It's tough though. In my local area, there have been countless small independent cafes open up and they have fairly quickly folded because they're not able to compete with the likes of Burger King and Dominos. As you say, the price thing is a factor. Soon we'll be getting a Subway up here in the hills, which on one level I guess would be good because I don't mind Subway's food and prices, but I can see it's going to eventually kill the small cafes up here.
I think the detached-ness of the food in these chains - be it cafe, restaurant or sandwich bar - is a real issue. I tend to feel some concern about where my food is coming from when I eat at such places.. the source is almost unknown by the workers and owners. As you say, it's all just shipped in from another location.
Unfortunately, though, anything different to this set up often comes at a considerable cost. Mainly because of the cost of the labour that goes in to sourcing of the produce and maintaining the business. I've recently started in a job at a local French restaurant up here, and although its expensive menu could be seen as resulting from the inclusion of very very top quality ingredients, it's all those hidden costs of employing people to clean the place, do the daily mass of laundry, tend to the vegetable garden and grounds, etc. etc. etc., that you in part end up paying for as the customer when you dine at such places. If you're an establishment who cares for their workers and pays them a decent salary for their loyalty and care, then unfortunately that ultimately shows itself in the price you have to demand from your customers.
Lots of people don't think of those expenses when they go out to eat. They don't ponder the fact that fast food is so fast and so cheap because those performing the labour to keep such a place up and running are often poorly treated and underpaid. In the same way, less time has gone in to ensuring that the produce that goes in to each meal is good quality.
Michael Pollan's excellent The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals is a fine study of the state of food in the US. From our monoculture of Corn (and, the myriad products derived from Corn) to factory farms to self-sustaining farming and, eventually to the fact that we kill to eat - from abattoir to pig hunt. A fine book to pair with Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation if one desires to understand how we came to be in this mess.
RBDC turned me onto your blog - and, as an avid amateur cook (albeit that I only worked in the industry while in college - moving from dishwasher to line chef at an "upscale" '70's dark dining room with red tablecloths and armor (to hide the ardor)) I couldn't agree with your analysis more.
I've been growing my own herbs and vegetables since the family moved out of NYC. I buy fresh, local everything and I love the site.
Michael Pollan's excellent The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals is a fine study of the state of food in the US. From our monoculture of Corn (and, the myriad products derived from Corn) to factory farms to self-sustaining farming and, eventually to the fact that we kill to eat - from abattoir to pig hunt. A fine book to pair with Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation if one desires to understand how we came to be in this mess.
RBDC turned me onto your blog - and, as an avid amateur cook (albeit that I only worked in the industry while in college - moving from dishwasher to line chef at an "upscale" '70's dark dining room with red tablecloths and armor (to hide the ardor)) I couldn't agree with your analysis more.
I've been growing my own herbs and vegetables since the family moved out of NYC. I buy fresh, local everything and I love the site.
I couldn't agree more. We live in a society slowly becoming controlled by big corporations and it shows even in our plates. Seems like people this days need a brand, a logo on everything they eat, drink or wear. Nice post!
I do think the appeal has to do with large portions that are inexpensively priced. I'd much rather have less, higher quality food, and pay a little more. Thanks for a thoughtful piece.
Great post! Even high end locally owned restaurants use pre-made distributor foods. French fries, sauces, stocks, salads, desserts, pastas...all just open package and warm up. Very sad.
Y'know, I've always joked that the only cooking skill you need to have in order to work in one of those kitchens is to know how to use a can opener! Thanks for stopping by the site, chefjp
After reading the above posts I feel like I am only going to preach to the choir...but maybe I still need to say it.
I could not agree more with your assessment. I have been travelling for work for almost 10 years now. There is nothing worse than rolling into town and having lunch with my client at place like Applebees...or Chilis ...or TGI...You get the idea. In my opinion all of these restuarants are exactly the same. They all specialize in three flavors: Salt, Fat, and Sugar. And quite often the dish will have all three of those flavors. On the other hand, there is nothing better than rolling into town and having the client suggest a local food joint. Over the years I have run into a bunch of great finds. Sadly, over the years I have seen a bunch of them close. I agree that a big part is price, but I also think that people like consistency, regrettably, even at the expense of quality.
Amen!
Nice post....Usually I prefer to buy my home & garden decor items from Home Depot store.....!
You're right on about this! I'm an American, and a few years ago I moved to Barcelona, Spain. This part of the world is full of small, privately owned and run restaurants, and it's so refreshing. Every place has its own personality, and the food doesn't taste like it came in a plastic 5-gallon container delivered by truck-- it's real food from a real menu created by real people.
Everytime I go home to visit, I'm overcome by the number of chain restaurants. It seems like that's all there is. Almost all of my favorite privately-owned restaurants have shut down because nobody vists anymore. They're being overtaken by chains, and it's a terrible shame.
-Karen
Divine Dinner Party.com