Tag Archives: Restaurants

December 4, 2012 · 7:00 pm

Papa John’s, Denny’s, Applebees brands hurt by Obamacare criticism

Good…

I never went to Denny’s or Applebees to begin with, but  used to order Papa John’s on occasion.  But not since their CEO made his idiotic statements after the election.

I’m now boycotting Papa John’s.  I’ve long boycotted Domino’s due to their political actions and I hate Pizza Hut.

Another reason to buy local pizzas!

Local pizzas are better anyway.   We have several local, wood-fired pizza options.  At least one, uses only locally grown ingredients.

I should always been buying all our pizzas from them to begin with…

If only they delivered…..

Well, we all must make some sacrifices….

From AmericaBlog.com:

Though it has many faults, one great aspect of the free market – the actual free market and not what we have on Wall Street – is that customers have choices. Since the Obama re-election victory in November, a few CEOs and business executives couldn’t accept that they lost, and chose instead to bash President Obama and Obamacare.

It was especially strange to hear one CEO, Papa John’s’ John Schnatter, complain about the supposedly high costs of Obamacare forcing him to limit his workers’ hours, while he somehow found the money to build a moat around his mansion and a personal golf course. He’s also the same CEO who is facing a $250 million class action lawsuit for sending text messages to customers.

Then there was the local Denny’s franchiseewho came up with the bright idea to tack on a 5% surcharge to every check to supposedly pay for Obamacare.

Or Applebee’s NY franchisee who claimed Obamacare may force him to institute a hiring freeze.

via Papa John’s, Denny’s, Applebees brands hurt by Obamacare criticism.

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May 12, 2011 · 2:40 pm

McDonald’s Revamps Stores to Look Like Starbucks

I’m glad they are so focused on the aesthetics, but what about the food?

Remember that Happy Meal Test?

They are still serving those hamburgers that never decompose when left outside for months….

McDonald’s is looking less like McDonald’s and more like Starbucks.

By Brian Blanco, for USA TODAY

At a time when most of McDonald’s competitors are still shell-shocked from the recent recession, the fast-food giant is undertaking its biggest store-by-store makeover in the chain’s 56-year history: The 500-pound clown of fast food is trying to look more like a grown-up.

It’s a $1 billion-plus undertaking that McDonald’s and its franchisees hope, by 2015, will have the vast majority of America’s 14,000 McDonald’s looking comfortable enough to hang out in long after you’ve gobbled down your burger, fries — and smoothie.

For the next generation of McDonald’s customers, the notion of what a McDonald’s restaurant looks like inside and out could be turned on its head. Goodbye, fiberglass tables and industrial steel chairs. Adios, neon-yellow, bright-red interiors. Hello, wooden tables, comfortable faux leather chairs and interiors newly painted in muted oranges, yellows and even subtle greens.

Take away all the McDonald’s signage — and the familiar front counter area — and customers who were to drive by or step inside wouldn’t likely know they were face-to-face with a McDonald’s. Even from the street, many of the changes are immediately apparent. No more clown-red roofs. No more confusion about what door to use. And that all-too-familiar white facade has been replaced with more inviting earth tones and glass.

More:  McDonald’s revamps stores to look more upscale – USATODAY.com.

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May 10, 2011 · 9:56 pm

7 Restaurant Tricks – Ways for You to Spend More

Interesting article from Dr Mercola and Yahoo Finance…

Menu engineering is used by restaurants to steer you to order high-profit items. Yahoo finance has collected a list of some common menu ploys:

  1. First in show. You are more likely to order the first item on a list in a given section of the menu (such as the “chicken” or “beef” section.) That’s where many restaurants place the most profitable dish of that type.
  2. Menu Siberia. Unprofitable dishes, on the other hand, tend to get banished to a corner that’s less noticeable.
  3. Visual aids. Many menus box off something they want to promote, because if you draw a line around it, people will order it. Photos also sell dishes.
  4. Package deals. Even if only a small percentage of the McDonald’s customers spend some extra dollars on a meal package, that translates to millions in additional revenue.
  5. Dollar-sign avoidance. Some menus avoid dollar signs and decimals — keeping money abstract makes spending less threatening.
  6. The small plate-large plate conundrum. A restaurant may offer two sizes of the same dish; that price differential is almost pure profit.
  7. Ingredient embroidery. If the menu makes each ingredient sound ultra-special, it will sell better; it may be the same dish you would get anywhere else, but you’ll start to think you can only get it there.

via 7 Restaurant Tricks – Ways for You to Spend More.

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April 26, 2011 · 7:48 pm

Jon Bon Jovi’s New Restaurant Is Pay-What-You-Can

This is really cool…

From TakePart.com:

For anyone who’s living on a prayer—or looking to give love a good name—a new opportunity is springing up in Red Bank, New Jersey: it’s Jon Bon Jovi’s Soul Kitchen, a restaurant where patrons pay what they can afford and volunteers help run the restaurant.

The Soul Kitchen, which will enjoy a grand opening this Spring, is founded on the principle that a healthy meal can feed the soul. Diners can pick any item on the menu and pay what they’re able. Patrons who don’t have money can volunteer an hour of their time in the kitchen to cover the cost of their meal, and anyone who can afford to give a little more than the recommended donation of $10 will be helping to feed someone with less means.

Most importantly, stresses the Kitchen’s website, the restaurant is a place for conversation and community. Volunteer staff serve diners with respect and friendliness, and patrons are encouraged to meet and greet new friends.

via Bon Jovi’s New Restaurant Is Pay-What-You-Can | TakePart – Inspiration to Action.

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