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The myth of authenticity isn't killing Tex-Mex. Economics are. The increasing advantage of corporate chains over mom-and-pop restaurants, the increasing cost ra

by beat 9y ago

The myth of authenticity isn't killing Tex-Mex. Economics are. The increasing advantage of corporate chains over mom-and-pop restaurants, the increasing cost ratio of mass-market factory ingredients over local meats and vegetables... it's just plain cheaper and more profitable to build another Taco Bell or Chi-Chis than to keep Grandma's restaurant going into a third generation.

rwc 9y ago
Didn't expect a Chi-Chis reference on HN. For what it's worth, "A combination of bankruptcy and hepatitis drove the chain out of business" in 2004. http://journaltimes.com/news/local/glad-you-asked-what-happened-to-chi-chi-s-why/article_fea637c0-075e-5912-b5bb-34ccead84f1a.html http://journaltimes.com/news/local/glad-you-asked-what-happe...
pc2g4d 9y ago
This theory goes against the grain of the "fast casual" movement where people are willing to pay more than bottom dollar for food... if they're convinced they're getting something a little better than Taco Bell. Chipotle, Qdoba, etc.
- mywittyname 9y ago
  Chipotle is dirt cheap. A chicken burrito bowl (my go-to) is $6.50. It's pretty much the cheapest food around my work. The only other contender is the Chinese place where I can get a lunch for $6.75.
DoreenMichele 9y ago
When I worked for a Fortune 200 insurance company, I sometimes had to call healthcare providers to verify information. Healthcare providers were sometimes major hospitals, but they were often small offices providing medical or dental care. Although doctors are highly educated professionals, their education specifically covers medical stuff, not business stuff. Small offices routinely had piss poor knowledge of regulations like HIPAA and lousy business practices. Small shops often simply lack robust practices in important areas outside their main area if expertise. This is a serious problem in business. Similarly, I imagine that in many cases, Grandma's restaurant was started because Grandma was an excellent cook and she decided to make money off of it in an era where her lack of business acumen was less of a hindrance. The grandkids may not cook as well as Grandma and may have no idea they need to up their game in non cooking areas as well. So Taco Bell comes in and Taco Bell has better business practices and a robust system in place to standardize the quality of its so so food. The fact that no gourmet chefs work there won't hurt the business the way it kills Grandma's restaurant when the grandkids just can't turn out a dish like Grandma could. I would really like to see a world that does a better job helping small shops perform well as business entities. But that isn't the world I live in currently. Currently, small shops often die because they simply lack business acumen that franchises have well sorted.
- Retra 9y ago
  And entrepreneurship becomes harder, so it becomes rarer, and of course people by far tend to go into business only if they know other people who do, and so inequality continues to grow.

by beat 9y ago

rwc 9y ago

Didn't expect a Chi-Chis reference on HN. For what it's worth, "A combination of bankruptcy and hepatitis drove the chain out of business" in 2004. http://journaltimes.com/news/local/glad-you-asked-what-happened-to-chi-chi-s-why/article_fea637c0-075e-5912-b5bb-34ccead84f1a.html http://journaltimes.com/news/local/glad-you-asked-what-happe...

pc2g4d 9y ago

This theory goes against the grain of the "fast casual" movement where people are willing to pay more than bottom dollar for food... if they're convinced they're getting something a little better than Taco Bell. Chipotle, Qdoba, etc.

mywittyname 9y ago
Chipotle is dirt cheap. A chicken burrito bowl (my go-to) is $6.50. It's pretty much the cheapest food around my work. The only other contender is the Chinese place where I can get a lunch for $6.75.

DoreenMichele 9y ago

When I worked for a Fortune 200 insurance company, I sometimes had to call healthcare providers to verify information. Healthcare providers were sometimes major hospitals, but they were often small offices providing medical or dental care. Although doctors are highly educated professionals, their education specifically covers medical stuff, not business stuff. Small offices routinely had piss poor knowledge of regulations like HIPAA and lousy business practices. Small shops often simply lack robust practices in important areas outside their main area if expertise. This is a serious problem in business. Similarly, I imagine that in many cases, Grandma's restaurant was started because Grandma was an excellent cook and she decided to make money off of it in an era where her lack of business acumen was less of a hindrance. The grandkids may not cook as well as Grandma and may have no idea they need to up their game in non cooking areas as well. So Taco Bell comes in and Taco Bell has better business practices and a robust system in place to standardize the quality of its so so food. The fact that no gourmet chefs work there won't hurt the business the way it kills Grandma's restaurant when the grandkids just can't turn out a dish like Grandma could. I would really like to see a world that does a better job helping small shops perform well as business entities. But that isn't the world I live in currently. Currently, small shops often die because they simply lack business acumen that franchises have well sorted.

Retra 9y ago
And entrepreneurship becomes harder, so it becomes rarer, and of course people by far tend to go into business only if they know other people who do, and so inequality continues to grow.