Yet another fine dining establishment is struggling

[pubic_assistance]

The 9 worst restaurant chains...

I just ate at an IHOP on Saturday on my way up North of NYC. Although the service is not what it used to be, my blueberry pancakes, eggs and bacon were delicious as always. No real complaints to be made. I continue to support this chain whenever I can. 

Edited August 18 by pubic_assistance
grammar

[rvwnsd]

On 8/15/2025 at 11:09 AM, Vegas_Millennial said:

I was just talking about Chili's last night.  My family and friends and I used to go to Chili's almost weekly during the 2010's.  We stopped going when they were forced to shut down in 2020.  When we finally went back in 2023, the changes were noticeable.  The decor and atmosphere and clientele was louder, younger, and "cheaper".  It felt like what Chuck E Cheese would do if it served burgers and didn't have an arcade.  We thought it was just an off-night so we went back later to give it another try.  Same thing, it was loud and felt "cheap".

I'm glad they survived the economic shift of the pandemic shutdowns, but the new shift in service/clientele is just not for me and my peers anymore.

I've been eating at Chili's when I take road trips and I'm happy to say they have improved. Their recent attempt at "improving the guest experience" seems to have been sincere. They are one of the few restaurants (of any type) who can steam broccoli correctly. Hot and tender but not soggy. I could probably eat their chips and salsa with a side of broccoli and be happy.

[rvwnsd]

13 hours ago, pubic_assistance said:

The 9 worst restaurant chains...

I just ate at an IHOP on Saturday on my way up North of NYC. Although the service is not what it used to be, my blueberry pancakes, eggs and bacon were delicious as always. No real complaints to be made. I continue to support this chain whenever I can. 

There's a very busy mall-turned-power center near me in Central Phoenix that had a struggling outparcel formerly occupied by a Pier 1 and Texas Roadhouse. IHOP moved in and that building took off. It now has a sandwich place and a fish place, in addition to IHOP, and all three are super busy. Quality wins every time.

[samhexum]

Multimillionaire baby boomer Julia Stewart was told that she would never become Applebee’s CEO while working as its president in the late 1990s. So she left and went on to be chief executive at rival American casual dining chain IHOP—then she bought her former employer for $2.3 billion. After the acquisition, she called Applebee’s then-chair and CEO, breaking the news: “We don’t need two of us, so I’m gonna have to let you go.”
 

 

Ex-Applebee's exec was told she’d never be CEO—she bought the chain and fired her naysayer: ‘We don't need two of us, so I'm gonna have to let you go’

APPLE.NEWS

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Multimillionaire baby boomer Julia Stewart grew IHOP’s business and got back at her former employer...

 

[Ali Gator]

On 3/11/2025 at 1:19 PM, azdr0710 said:

I remember when it was "Boston Chicken" before it was "Boston Market". I liked the place a lot and I  suppose case studies exist on why it didn't make it. Was it another one of these private equity deals?  

Back then, there was a number of these 'slow roasted' chicken fast food restaurants in New England. Shortly after the success of 'Boston Chicken' in the late 1980s, Boston Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemen's invested in 'Roger Clemen's Roasted Chickens', opening the first one in RI in the early 1990s (I think Clemens had just turned 30 and he was regarded as one of the top pitchers in MLB at the time).The food was horrible, and the location closed within a year or so. Kenny Rogers also invested in a franchise chain called 'Kenny Rogers' Slow Roasters' at the same time, competing with Boston Chicken and Roger Clemens. That didn't last long, either (at least not in New England).

[samhexum]

7 minutes ago, Ali Gator said:

Kenny Rogers also invested in a franchise chain called 'Kenny Rogers' Slow Roasters' at the same time... That didn't last long, either (at least not in New England).

There was a location near me. I thought the food was decent but it was on a very busy thoroughfare and there was no parking, so I think I went twice.

[samhexum]

https://www.aol.com/articles/biggest-changes-coming-hooters-chains-185133682.html

Biggest Changes Coming To Hooters After The Chain's Founders Take Back Control

A group called Original Hooters LLC, made up of some of the original owners and investors, has taken control of the restaurant again, buying it back during the bankruptcy process with plans to reinvigorate the franchise.

The new-but-old owners want to take Hooters back to its roots, and for them, that means making it family-friendly, doing away with the controversial and revealing uniforms the chain is known for. The orange shorts and white t-shirts remain, but the plan is for the shorts to become more modest, keeping in line with how uniforms looked in the 1980s when Hooters opened. Those shorts are by no means long, but they are closer to a traditional athletic short and not as revealing as some later versions were under the previous owners.

As for the rest of the uniform, which is traditionally just a tight, revealing shirt, there are no changes planned. Instead, the rest of the revamp will focus on the restaurant itself and the food that it serves.

Hooters is famous for chicken wings, but despite that, reviews over the years have not always been kind. The wings are often considered inconsistent or average, although we ranked them fairly high amongst other popular chains' wings. In order to address this problem and put the wings front and center again, the chain plans to make all of its wings fresh, no longer using frozen products. That also includes hand-breading the wings according to the original recipe and using AA-grade butter in the wing sauce. That focus on freshness will extend across the menu, which will be simplified. No word on exactly what that means or what may be cut, but the new owners seem focused on higher-quality ingredients. Another thing diners can look forward to at the revamped Hooters is salad dressings that are made in-house.