5 ms·

I guess I don't understand why that needs chains. In the parts of Europe that I am originally from, there are far less chain restaurants than here. And as I hin

by anyfoo 4y ago

I guess I don't understand why that needs chains. In the parts of Europe that I am originally from, there are far less chain restaurants than here. And as I hinted, it's still pretty common for folks to have "their" restaurant in the neighborhood and to eat there all the time, same food or not. Maybe mixing it up some time with another restaurant, maybe not.

Tostino 4y ago
I don't honestly think it's necessary by any means, and don't personally like them. But they do eek our their existence through appealing to the "familiar" for their customers, because no matter where you're at, you know X will taste like home. I don't personally subscribe to that, i'd much rather see what a new place has to offer, but i'm not everyone.
- anyfoo 4y ago
  Ah, I think I can understand that aspect (even though it also does not fit me personally).
throw7 4y ago
You're right... it doesn't need "chains". "Chinese" restaurants fill the same needs. I think maybe even "Mexican" restaurants do to some degree also. I'm not familiar with Europe, but in my limited travels, "doner kebab" shops kind of seem to fill the same niche.
- monkeybutton 4y ago
  Pho. I know exactly what to expect and what I want to order walking into any Pho restaurant in the country and they're all owned and operated by different people.
  - Spooky23 4y ago
    Maybe not. Many Asian restaurants use unique, exclusive suppliers. I don’t know about Pho places, but many neighborhood Chinese restaurants are really outposts of a fully vertically integrated enterprise. Even vegetables come from specific farms in Central America and have a distinct supply chain.
  - silisili 4y ago
    On the other hand, as a Thai food lover, I can honestly say I've never had Pad Thai that either tasted the same or was even prepared the same between restaurants. Whole peanuts, halves, crushed, peanut butter? Mixed in or on top? Egg or no egg. Same with cilantro. How wide of noodles? Etc. I try not to be picky so just ask for Pad Thai, Thai spicy. Usually good, but definitely not consistent. A chain like say, Applebees will at least give consistently OK food that tastes about the same across restaurants, IMO.
    - monkeybutton 4y ago
      I once got a Pad Thai with crushed cashews and a tomato based sauce. It tasted like blasphemy.
      - silisili 4y ago
        Ugh, that sounds awful. I absolutely hate tomato based. If it's red, it had better be from stirring in too much chili oil! I noticed the good places slice up fresh chilis and mix them in well. The bad places just dump some red pepper flakes on top at the end.
oh_sigh 4y ago
HoJos were catering to travelers, not to locals(which is why they are on the side of highways generally). So the idea is you're in some new territory on a road trip, and you see a name you know and trust and know you can go in there and get a meal that you'll enjoy. Yes, sometimes exploring unique local food options is what you want to do. Other times, it isn't. Maybe you just spent 8 hours driving in the car with 3 kids, and you need to get food into them that you know they won't reject. Or you're a business traveler and aren't interested in sightseeing, and just want to get a quick meal near your hotel. I'm sure it happened, but I'd imagine very few customers lived within a couple miles of a HoJo and would eat there regularly.
- anyfoo 4y ago
  That's a good explanation, thanks. So it's basically McDonald's but with more "substantial" food suited to sit in with families. That makes sense to me. Almost no matter where I traveled in the world, I sometimes wanted to just get some food in me and move on, say because I was transitioning through a place or simply did not have the energy for more. As a then single guy, McDonald's was always a good option for that: You know what you get and it's quick and easy.
  - bobthepanda 4y ago
    Right. These days, a lot of chains like these have become less necessary, since Yelp and the like are everywhere. But in pre-digital days you didn’t know which local restaurant was good and which would send you to the clinic.
- Spooky23 4y ago
  HoJos were based on the famous “Harvey Houses” of Santa Fe railroad fame. They were sort of like a mix of Dennys and a Waffle House. In alot of out of the way places, they were the restaurant. So they carried a nostalgic appeal even for locals.
Agamus 4y ago
This is an interesting point. Perhaps chains give a sense of cultural cohesion across the many states, in a geography that encourages a vision of a culture that spans the states. In Europe, are there chains that project a sense of cultural cohesion across the nations?
Spooky23 4y ago
The financial model is different in Europe. Real estate interest have wired that tax code in the US to the point that it’s often cheaper to leave a building vacant and get paid by the government re tax benefits than to rent it. If you find yourself in Manhattan, it’s easy to see. Storefronts with 50k people walking by every day are vacant and the rents are absurd. Even in my little city, commercial leases are nuts. My wife tried to open a bakery, but the high value spots aren’t available, period unless you enter into a multi unit lease. She ended up doing a bakery trick and flipping the business a few years later.
- silisili 4y ago
  > doing a bakery trick I assume you meant truck? If so, we're considering the same thing for the same reasons (though not baked goods). Would love any advice or tips or pros/cons you have to share.

by anyfoo 4y ago

Tostino 4y ago

I don't honestly think it's necessary by any means, and don't personally like them. But they do eek our their existence through appealing to the "familiar" for their customers, because no matter where you're at, you know X will taste like home. I don't personally subscribe to that, i'd much rather see what a new place has to offer, but i'm not everyone.

anyfoo 4y ago
Ah, I think I can understand that aspect (even though it also does not fit me personally).

throw7 4y ago

You're right... it doesn't need "chains". "Chinese" restaurants fill the same needs. I think maybe even "Mexican" restaurants do to some degree also. I'm not familiar with Europe, but in my limited travels, "doner kebab" shops kind of seem to fill the same niche.

monkeybutton 4y ago
Pho. I know exactly what to expect and what I want to order walking into any Pho restaurant in the country and they're all owned and operated by different people.
- Spooky23 4y ago
  Maybe not. Many Asian restaurants use unique, exclusive suppliers. I don’t know about Pho places, but many neighborhood Chinese restaurants are really outposts of a fully vertically integrated enterprise. Even vegetables come from specific farms in Central America and have a distinct supply chain.
- silisili 4y ago
  On the other hand, as a Thai food lover, I can honestly say I've never had Pad Thai that either tasted the same or was even prepared the same between restaurants. Whole peanuts, halves, crushed, peanut butter? Mixed in or on top? Egg or no egg. Same with cilantro. How wide of noodles? Etc. I try not to be picky so just ask for Pad Thai, Thai spicy. Usually good, but definitely not consistent. A chain like say, Applebees will at least give consistently OK food that tastes about the same across restaurants, IMO.
  - monkeybutton 4y ago
    I once got a Pad Thai with crushed cashews and a tomato based sauce. It tasted like blasphemy.
    - silisili 4y ago
      Ugh, that sounds awful. I absolutely hate tomato based. If it's red, it had better be from stirring in too much chili oil! I noticed the good places slice up fresh chilis and mix them in well. The bad places just dump some red pepper flakes on top at the end.

oh_sigh 4y ago

HoJos were catering to travelers, not to locals(which is why they are on the side of highways generally). So the idea is you're in some new territory on a road trip, and you see a name you know and trust and know you can go in there and get a meal that you'll enjoy. Yes, sometimes exploring unique local food options is what you want to do. Other times, it isn't. Maybe you just spent 8 hours driving in the car with 3 kids, and you need to get food into them that you know they won't reject. Or you're a business traveler and aren't interested in sightseeing, and just want to get a quick meal near your hotel. I'm sure it happened, but I'd imagine very few customers lived within a couple miles of a HoJo and would eat there regularly.

anyfoo 4y ago
That's a good explanation, thanks. So it's basically McDonald's but with more "substantial" food suited to sit in with families. That makes sense to me. Almost no matter where I traveled in the world, I sometimes wanted to just get some food in me and move on, say because I was transitioning through a place or simply did not have the energy for more. As a then single guy, McDonald's was always a good option for that: You know what you get and it's quick and easy.
- bobthepanda 4y ago
  Right. These days, a lot of chains like these have become less necessary, since Yelp and the like are everywhere. But in pre-digital days you didn’t know which local restaurant was good and which would send you to the clinic.
Spooky23 4y ago
HoJos were based on the famous “Harvey Houses” of Santa Fe railroad fame. They were sort of like a mix of Dennys and a Waffle House. In alot of out of the way places, they were the restaurant. So they carried a nostalgic appeal even for locals.

Agamus 4y ago

This is an interesting point. Perhaps chains give a sense of cultural cohesion across the many states, in a geography that encourages a vision of a culture that spans the states. In Europe, are there chains that project a sense of cultural cohesion across the nations?

Spooky23 4y ago

The financial model is different in Europe. Real estate interest have wired that tax code in the US to the point that it’s often cheaper to leave a building vacant and get paid by the government re tax benefits than to rent it. If you find yourself in Manhattan, it’s easy to see. Storefronts with 50k people walking by every day are vacant and the rents are absurd. Even in my little city, commercial leases are nuts. My wife tried to open a bakery, but the high value spots aren’t available, period unless you enter into a multi unit lease. She ended up doing a bakery trick and flipping the business a few years later.

silisili 4y ago
> doing a bakery trick I assume you meant truck? If so, we're considering the same thing for the same reasons (though not baked goods). Would love any advice or tips or pros/cons you have to share.