Comments on: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Chain Restaurants

By: WestEgg

WestEgg — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 16:09:10 +0000

@deepomega That’s true, and something I appreciate — what’s wrong with a little success? On the other hand, I recently overheard one of the girls upstairs from me refer to Busboys & Poets as a “massive franchise”. Wut?

By: mahiki

mahiki — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 20:27:00 +0000

@franceschances Dangerous info! Why does DC get all the good London chains? :(

By: KBLF ♥@twitter

KBLF ♥@twitter — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 04:35:19 +0000

“Starbucks is for tourists, Applebee’s is for flyovers, McDonald’s is for the poor.”- McDonald’s is definitely NOT a food for the poor. And Starbucks isn’t just for tourist. I see a lot of people drinking Starbuck’s coffee but they weren’t tourist at all. Just people who appreciates great coffee! :)

http://www.ishopz.dk/nar-man-skal-skyde-fyrvaer...

By: Michelle

Michelle — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 23:53:33 +0000

@megsy Totally horrible, absolument.

By: harrumph

harrumph — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 23:49:34 +0000

@plastico Word. Nothing says authentic like a Berlin cafe where nobody speaks German!

Also, Jupiter’s not much denser than water. Those brownies must be shitty!

And, finally, yes: the BMI thing was embarrassing. Poorly done all around, Michael Hobbes.

By: bacon

bacon — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 22:56:25 +0000

@MiltonFriedman’sGhost I guess the same way they did before McD’s, Starbucks and Applebees came along?

By: newglasses

newglasses — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 19:05:44 +0000

@petejayhawk A bit irrelevant to the benefits or liabilities of chains, but I know they were around 25 years ago, especially on interstates and in airports. 25 years ago was 1988, but let’s go a bit further back, 40 years ago, to 1973, so say, 1973 to 1983. I lived in various small towns and rural areas in Kansas during that time, even Lawrence, though I didn’t go to KU, and 1983 was the year I finished my degree. There were plenty of chains, including McDonalds, Hardees, Pizza Hut, IHOP, Taco Bell, Denny’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, Dairy Queen, etc. plus many chains that no longer exist. On the road, eating at a chain was often the only option because any local restaurants were not located right off the interstate, but one of the chains was usually there, and people were in as much of a hurry then as they are now.

The difference today seems to be that even the smallest small town has several chain eateries rather than just a McDonalds or just a Dairy Queen. And you are still out of luck if you want to get something to eat late at night in deep rural Kansas or Missouri, because everything is closed and the gas pumps are credit card only. Ask me about driving from Wichita to Topeka after 9 pm, ha!

By: Derbel McDillet

Derbel McDillet — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 18:19:22 +0000

@stuffisthings Yeah, I wanted to point out that there are some potential benefits to working for a larger company, like FMLA and an actual HR department to voice complaints with, as opposed to having to tell your supervisor/the owner of the business/the only other person in the building to quit touching you. Granted, larger companies can been very creative about screwing their employees, but just from experience following up with HR depts vs. very small employers when working in mental health, the employees of larger businesses received more support from their employers in terms of sick leave, FLMA time, and the ability to adapt positions or transfer to others.

By: Punk-assBookJockey

Punk-assBookJockey — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:48:17 +0000

@chic noir Of course it’s possible that it’s changed plans since I worked there (it’s been about 4 years) but the health insurance I had from there was good. Aetna PPO. I could go to any provider I wanted and the copays were your typical 20 dollars for most things. I had prescription coverage which was very helpful. There was even some coverage for alternatives like massage and chiropractic care. You had to average 20 hrs per week to qualify which they assessed quarterly, and there was a 3 month waiting period after the start date to qualify. I was in college so I rarely worked more than 25 hours a week and got benefits. I cut back to less after getting insurance through school. But I also got paid pretty fairly starting out, more than minimum wage for sure, plus tips, and got regular raises and other benefits besides health insurance. It was a pretty good part time college gig.

By: londonistheplaceforme

londonistheplaceforme — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:26:59 +0000

This sentence – “Thatcher, gentrification, celebrity chefs, they ran mom and pop outta there decades ago” – is complete and utter sensationalist bullshit, pulled out of thin air because it sounds good.

Soho may have gone upmarket in recent years, but it’s still full of independent businesses: clothes shops, hairdressers, cafes and Vietnamese, Chinese and Italian restaurants run by immigrant business-people.

Apologies if I sound pissed off, but I’m a journalist. Do some research. Speak to people. Soho has changed but it’s not wall-to-wall Starbucks. And Patisserie Valerie is gross.