Seattle: Chain restaurants opening in downtown

[tighe]

If you go by the Red Robin next to the University Bridge, they have a big banner up proclaiming them best casual or best family restaurant (something like that) in the Weekly poll.

For me the all time worst-offender of this type is Tony Roma's, voted 'Best Ribs in Washington' for 8 years running!!

[Schneier]

Every year the Seattle Weekly does a Best of Seattle poll, and every year the results consist of the readers picking something old hat, or a chain, and the editors printing the result with a comment like, "Come on, people! Can't you do better than the Cheesecake Factory?" It was funny the first few times.

And the Cheesecake Factory isn't even any good.

Patronize independent restaurants. Patronize independent bookstores. Patronize independent anything, lest we all become one homogenous suburban country.

Bruce

[agnolottigirl]

Fight the power--eat real food!

Eric Asimov's review in the NYT of Chipotle (the new McDonald's-owned burrito chain) was of the foot-shuffling, I-know-it's-a-chain-but-I-like-it variety. I travel a lot for work, and it's pretty disturbing to be able to completely lose track of where I am not just b/c of jet lag but b/c it's ALL THE SAME. Gap, Starbucks, Applebee's, Outback, Banana Republic, Chili's, Ruby Tuesday's. We are turning into a gigantic mall!

[Batgrrrl]

I travel a lot for work, and it's pretty disturbing to be able to completely lose track of where I am not just b/c of jet lag but b/c it's ALL THE SAME. Gap, Starbucks, Applebee's, Outback, Banana Republic, Chili's, Ruby Tuesday's. We are turning into a gigantic mall!

Ah, but this gets at what I think is precisely the appeal of large chains--not for me, personally, but for a lot of people around the country--you get to feel like you are part of a "national culture" (and believe me, I use that phrase very advisedly, hence the quotation marks). You get to feel like you're the people on those tv commercials, at Olive Garden or Applebee's.

Now, this may sound awful to many of us, but it's a powerful force for much of the population--especially that part that lives in smaller communities. They come to the big city, either moving or vacationing, and they can choose between something they've never heard of, and something that they've seen advertised, that makes them feel like part of something bigger.

This is even more noticeable in a place like my hometown, Fargo N.D., which is about the only part of the state with a really growing economy--it's absolutely exploding there, as mostly young people move there to go to school or right after school, coming from smaller communities around it. Every time I go back, there's a new chain restaurant opening up. And it was my mother who pointed out that the appeal isn't the food (though it's better than what most people around there cook for themselves), it's being part of popular culture.

Similarly, in Duluth, where I recently moved (MISS YOU PNWers!!!), the whole town is abuzz with the coming Olive Garden! Way back in June, when we were looking at houses, our realtor was talking it up. It's still not open--so people were already excited about it a half a year in advance!

Now Seattle isn't Fargo or Duluth, I know. But I think Seattle is more "provincial" (yes, again with the quotes so indicate that I know that's a loaded word) than we often think. It's a growing city, and yes, many of the people moving there are from other urban areas and are used to having good quality food around--but based on who my students were when I was teaching college there, I'm willing to bet that even more of the recent arrivals are from small towns in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon, and are looking for ways to be part of the national popular culture. A meal at Olive Garden is going to give them that; Le Pichet isn't. Depressing, but there it is.

The good news, I think, is that in Seattle there is a strong base of people who are going to keep the good restaurants alive and well. Think about it--are any of you guys going to start frequenting these new chain restaurants? Not likely. So you'll continue to patronize the good guys, and the chains will come up with a new customer base. And, being optimistic, eventually some of that customer base will forsake the dark side and convert over. That's what the good restaurants have going for them--the conversion rate is, I would think, much more in their favor than against them.

Batgrrrl, who is anticipating the opening of Duluth's first Olive Garden with all the excitement of a 5-year-old going to the dentist

Edit: I teach composition and still don't know the difference between there and their

Edited September 23, 2003 by Batgrrrl (log)

[chadum]

You gotta admire a new eGulleteer that throws out a very inflammatory topic for their second post, congrat & welcome chadum...

thanks, I think ;->

I live in Belltown (above Macrina) and have lived in various other parts of the country before moving here 4 years ago. What I'm fearing with the chains is how generic the food scene will become. It's not even a personal loss that I fear since very few restaurants I like have closed and I've found many new ones.

Chains work differently economically since they can afford to invest much more early on, run for a loss, and advertise better than an independant restaurant, usually.

Our personal influence is to eat at not only the places that we like, but the places that we would like more of.

I can only understand why people will wait for an hour to eat at Cheescake Factory when there are plenty of other restaurants around when I think that Cheescake Factory seems familiar and comforting (not really, in my experience) compared to non-chain restaurants.

[tsquare]

Another interesting point is that most of the $ spent in local restaurants stays in the area - purchasing from local distributors and suppliers, salaries reinvested locally, charity and community support by the restaurant owners, chefs and staff.

Chains - corporate profits head back to the home base. Some chains do support local organizations, but not relative to the profits they make. To confuse matters - I wouldn't turn down a meal at Oceanaire - and I know who owns it (and hate that they do.)

And then you can get into the phenomenon of corporate hotels with locally significant restaurants. I'd head for 727, W, Sazerac, Andaluca, Fish Club, Library Bistro, and such over Cheesecake Factory et al any day - and not be apologetic about my choice.

[MichelleW]

Now Seattle isn't Fargo or Duluth, I know.  But I think Seattle is more "provincial" (yes, again with the quotes so indicate that I know that's a loaded word) than we often think.  It's a growing city, and yes, many of the people moving there are from other urban areas and are used to having good quality food around--but based on who my students were when I was teaching college there, I'm willing to bet that even more of the recent arrivals are from small towns in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon, and are looking for ways to be part of the national popular culture.  A meal at Olive Garden is going to give them that; Le Pichet isn't.  Depressing, but there it is.

Batgrrrl, I think you have a valid point, though it's one that most Seattleites don't like to hear. To me, a native Washingtonian (DC), Seattle is a fairly provincial city and it's largely a result of where people are coming from and why they're coming to the city. My mother has lived in Seattle for about three years now, on the east side (she has no love lost for the east side) and she agrees.

Y'all are just starting to get the upscale chain onslaught, for better or for worse, that we've had on the east coast for a number of years now. Even cities like Denver, which I think of as second tier (and definitely a third tier restaurant town, which is probably why they have so many chain restaurants!) have had the upscale chains for some time. It was bound to happen sooner or later, although why it's happening now, when the Seattle economy is so deeply in the toilet, is anyone's guess.

One thing about Seattle in general -- and this extends beyond restaurants and to just about everything worth finding in Seattle -- is that if you live on the east side, you have to go into the city to find it. I live in northern Virginia, yet I can choose from multiple enormous pan-Asian supermarkets and mom-and-pop ethnic joints in my happy little suburb. I can find multiple French bakeries, middle-eastern bakeries, and even a furrier within 5-10 miles of home and none of them actually in downtown DC. Sure, all of those things are downtown too, but I don't have to cross the bridge to seek them out.