$11.39 burger at Chili's, tax, then the tip, and you're closing in on $15 for the privileged. OR....you could go to a place like Mooyaa which is like a Chipotle for burgers and get this for only $8 . The #1 reason sit down restaurants are failing is because of the cost. The food isn't often any better/worse. The only option is to reduce costs to compete with places like Chipotle or Mooya.
My buddy Aaron would in a second he loves overloaded burgers like that, I prefer simple meat and cheese and the bun and maybe double crispy bacon on top.
The more important question is who sits down to order a burger? Burgers, as a staple of the American diet, are on just about every menu at every restaurant outside of ethnic cuisine and fine dinning, and typically an after thought. As was famously spoken in Office Space, you're paying for the flare.
Yeah, I've eaten charred snake, frog, and fish straight from the fire. Those burgers look quite okay, but I wouldn't drive 20 miles out of my way for one. At least those burgers don't have the shiny bun that looks like plastic that one franchise serves. They're hard to find now, but the Mom & Pops, totally unfranchised, still have the best burgers by far, and at reasonable prices. Those I drive out of my way for.
Thing I miss most is Chili John's. Hole in the wall, open when JPL takes a break and the owner flips on his neon sign, and the only place where your waitress is also an aerospace engineer. Serves cowboy chili over rice, beans, tamales, or spaghetti, and you can bring in your own burgers and fries.
There's a place in western Illinois with a sign so small few people see it. Those who see the sign have to walk a narrow path a long ways through an ugly warehouse to get to it -- most think they must be in the wrong place, turn around, and leave. But it's always packed with locals and the persistent. I've gone a thousand miles for a burger there.
The Diners, Drive ins and Dives dude did an episode on my buddy, saying his chili was terrible, and he responded with "well I'm the 5th generation of my family to run this and people have been eating the exact same chili for 100 years so..."
Zinburger is a very successful set down hamburger joint here in Tucson. Kobe beef burger, truffle fries with a soft drink will set you back $25.oo
Some folks like being waited on. Ill never understand why... but they do. So long as they're willing to pay more for it, more power to em. W/e. Ill take the cheaper one. But Ill take Chilis' southwestern eggrolls too. You wont find a bigger burger fan than I, but the southwestern eggrolls at Chilis are my crack.
I can’t really agree. I sat down at chili’s and ordered a salad. It was good but not great. I sat down at Red Robin a week later and ordered a salads and the leaves were shitty and it was swimming in dressing. It was not good. Price difference was about four dollars.
A restaurant is no different from any other business venture...the business must provide products/services that resonate with consumers in order to create, and sustain, demand for those products/services. The price is only one component, for example, if the burger above was only $5 but tasted like crap, there would be little demand. The restaurant business is particularly problematic because most people think they know how to cook, believing they have all the experience necessary, but soon realize with failure that they don't...then the scramble is on to keep the doors open...
We're living in a growing age of convenience, and when you can order in from anywhere for next to nothing, the dine in restaurant, outside of the finer end, will fade away.
I don't see it fading away. I agree with what you are saying. The primary reason why sit down restaurants are not as successful as they were 20 years ago, is a bit of a lifestyle change from the current 20-30 age-group. However, this is the type of thing that runs in cycles.
