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Business First of Columbus wrote
Fast food dies slow death downtown
Friday, December 19, 2008
by Dan Eaton
Downtown Columbus workers are within walking distance of all manner of lunch meals – Venezuelan arepas, Ohio-style Monte Cristo sandwiches, micro-brewed beer. But good luck finding staples like the Big Mac, Whopper and or a single with cheese.
“Any property owner would love to have fast food as a tenant,” said Cleve Ricksecker, executive director of the Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District downtown. “Am I personally distraught? No.” Ricksecker said the district does feature several good independent restaurants, as well as some lower-profile fast-casual chains such as Potbelly Sandwich Works and Einstein Bros. Bagels, owned by Einstein Noah Restaurant Group Inc.
Said downtown restaurant owner Jeff Mathes of fast food’s flight: “As an independent owner and an urbanite, I think it’s OK.”
And one major player stands out: Subway, owned by Doctor’s Associates Inc., has seven sandwich shops scattered throughout downtown.
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Fast food dies slow death downtown
By: Walker
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I can see that, if the concern is that they’re going to think that the absence of fast food places means that downtown is desolate. The stereotype is that fast food franchises are sort of like cockroaches — they can survive anywhere, so if you find someplace where they’re dying off, you’d better get the hell out. But it’s clear from the article that there are lots of other places that aren’t dying off.
Which leads to one of the stranger passages in the story:
Ricksecker said that while independent restaurants can be flexible to keep costs lower, chains with myriad company requirements and standards are more rigid financially and operationally. And they face hours of operation that are shorter downtown, which can limit revenue.
Um. The independents face the same hours of operation… and I don’t often hear Wendy’s and Burger King complaining about the low operating costs that all those pesky independent restaurants have. (Perhaps the independents don’t have to spend as many valuable hours processing new employment applications for all those short-term, part-time employees…. :wink: )
They certainly do to me sir! :lol:
Nothing beats an all beef with sauerkraut and mustard
Man have I been craving a good hot dog. I, too, am looking forward to Dirty Franks, although probably not in the same way that Core is :)
I guess I tend to think of places like Jimmy John’s and Grinders and Potbelly as not being in the same “class” of fast food as places like Wendy’s and McDonald’s. I don’t feel bad eating at places like the former since they’re making deli-type sandwiches as opposed to ersatz burgers. When I moved here, I made a conscious decision to at least attempt to change my eating habits, so given a choice, I’d take the sandwich joints over the burger joints.
But I do love Cane’s. Wish we had that back home. :P
But I do love Cane’s. Wish we had that back home. :P
good point.
It doesn’t even have to be 24/7. Just the wee hours of Saturday and Sunday morning will do for me. :lol:
I used to work downtown and now work next door to the Gateway.
I feel like campus is trending in the other direction as downtown…fewer independent places and more chains. I think I would prefer what’s downtown now.
…either way, I miss those hot dog carts are there any taco stands downtown?…that sounds like a great business that would do well.
But I do love Cane’s. Wish we had that back home. :P
if you looked at Grinders Nutrition guide and compared it with a fast food places on a sandwich to burger comparison.
say Wendy’s
-Double Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe at 390 calories and 20 grams of fat
to
– Grinders
6″ Turkey Grinder Calories: 645, Total Fat: 30g
PotBelly’s
– Veg w/ cheese: 20g Fat – 555 Calories
McDonald’s
-Double Cheeseburger -Calories 440 Fat: 23grams
Also a lot of Independent places can’t tell you how much is in the food chances are it’s going to be close.
So it is all about choices and self control not so much the place. I mean I can eat a Protein filled meal from Wendy’s that would be 2 bucks and that’s a good thing.
I guess it makes me sad to see the cheaper options leave I personally am tired of having a nice lunch out and paying 6 bucks for a Turkey sandwich. Or Four Dollars for Soup. Sometimes cheaper options would be nice.
There is a segment of the population who want to see a McDonald’s or a BK as an food option. I think it’s great that we have some independent dining options but it’s a glaring void that a McDonald’s or Wendy’s are not in the Broad and High area.
There’s already a good selection of restaurants where you can get a bite to eat in a reasonable amount of time. I would just like to see any new ones fit in with the urban(izing) environment and have the McDonalds move the building up against the sidewalk at the very least. Donatos is, and they have a drive-thru. There’s still a space open next to Dunkin Donuts for a fast food chain restaurant to fill in, but I’d rather see something else.
I’m kinda suprised atcha all. The Business First story has a few basic flaws:
1. It equates the term “fast food” with Wendy’s and Burger King and McDonald’s. While they are certainly fast food, as the guy who said he thought the hot dog stands were fast food, the chains are not the only fast-food outlets.
2. It says Subway is in the same line as Wendy’s and Burger King. Bzzzzzzt!!!
3. It ignores many of the shops already in place, such as Kevin Ames’ three — Lola Cafe, Cinco and … hmmmm. I’ve forgotten the name of the third.
4. There is a fourth flaw, isn’t there?
5. It’s a one-note snapshot of a very complex scene. There are more than 75 restaurants in the tight confines of Downtown, and most of them can have you in and out the door in under 5 minutes. Sounds fast to me.
I understand a drive-thru can save some time, but the fact that it can “make or break” a fast food joint here is gross. Are people seriously that lazy? I guess it’s a rhetorical question. Evidently a good chunk of the populace must be. Burger King “Home of the Sedentary Lifestyle”. Criminal.
1. It equates the term “fast food” with Wendy’s and Burger King and McDonald’s. While they are certainly fast food, as the guy who said he thought the hot dog stands were fast food, the chains are not the only fast-food outlets.
2. It says Subway is in the same line as Wendy’s and Burger King. Bzzzzzzt!!!
3. It ignores many of the shops already in place, such as Kevin Ames’ three — Lola Cafe, Cinco and … hmmmm. I’ve forgotten the name of the third.
4. There is a fourth flaw, isn’t there?
5. It’s a one-note snapshot of a very complex scene. There are more than 75 restaurants in the tight confines of Downtown, and most of them can have you in and out the door in under 5 minutes. Sounds fast to me.
I actually think most people agreed with almost everything you said there…
Regardless, I put Subway in exactly the same line. I was served salami there once that was so gray I thought it was roast beef.
That was pretty much it for me.
Actually, my guess is, that if a fast food place is forced to compete without a drive thru when the neighboring options are as good as the ones downtown, they lose. In fact, I’m guessing that the real story here isn’t that a drive thru is so beneficial, it’s that a drive thru is what makes 90% of the fast food out there remotely acceptable, because if they lose that no one wants to eat there. They rely on being able to suck in the driver, because if you’re driving you may not want to park and eat at El Arepaza…but I bet if you’re on foot already, it’s no choice at all.
Though I wonder if drive-thru is a factor downtown, since the lunch crowd is already parked for the day. It seems as if most customers just walk in, order the food, then leave. That seems to be the prevailing trend for downtown lunch – there’s not much time to wait to order and then sit in the establishment before the half-hour break is over.
With that said, downtown seems filled with sandwich shops, but needs another burger joint. The only one I can think of is that diner-like restaurant (Jack’s?) around Pearl Alley, and the McDonald’s in Nationwide. Bring back Wendy’s.
Well Breakfast is where the Market Exchange district McDonald’s seems to kill. My suspicion is breakfast and dinner is where drive throughs matter the most as they give car commuters an easy quick fix. I think you are right about lunch.
Danny’s Deli has some pretty awesome food over on Front Street, pretty sure they sell burgers. Little Palace and Jury Room have pretty decent burgers as well if you go to the South end of downtown. Warehouse cafe might have burgers too…City Diner in City Center sells burger as well I believe (and yes they are still open as of last week).
Downtown could always use more choices, but there are more choices than you might think. :)
Actually, my guess is, that if a fast food place is forced to compete without a drive thru when the neighboring options are as good as the ones downtown, they lose. In fact, I’m guessing that the real story here isn’t that a drive thru is so beneficial, it’s that a drive thru is what makes 90% of the fast food out there remotely acceptable, because if they lose that no one wants to eat there. They rely on being able to suck in the driver, because if you’re driving you may not want to park and eat at El Arepaza…but I bet if you’re on foot already, it’s no choice at all.
I think you nailed it exactly Core, I’ve yet to meet many people who say fast food is superior in quality to indie food. And if you look hard enough it isn’t really cheaper than many indie options. When they are forced to compete in the same sphere QSR Fast food usually loses in the taste/quality test. QSRs are all about convenience and that’s about it.
The fast food places that do ok without drive throughs tend to be a bit better quality food, technically I don’t think the Quizno’s of the world qualify as QSRs (as the McDonald’s, Carl’s Jrs of the world call themselves), different segment I guess. To be honest I’m not sure if they different names, but somewhat recall that they do.
I thought their sales there were just underperforming compared to other stores with drive thrus and late night hours. I don’t think they were operating in the red.
They may have been operating in the black Walker (I don’t know either), but if it wasn’t generating enough free cash flow to be able to leverage another store out of it, the reward probably wasn’t the worth the risk in corporate’s mind. Especially with that Easton rent. The big corps of the world view things a little differently than us SBOs do , making good money isn’t their metric for success, it’s making enough money to make a lot more money… :(
They’re getting a Dunkin Donuts at Broad and High!
I don’t think what we’re seeing described here is any sort of cultural phenomenon exclusive to Columbus. Drive-thrus can be found nearly everywhere, and I’m sure they can “make or break” a fast food joint in 95% of the cities in this country. Not saying that we shouldn’t strive to be like that 5% minority, but I’m surprised that you sound so uh… surprised that we’re not quite there yet.
I’ve been known to hit a drive-thru lately for a quick lunch if I’ve got a kid in the back seat who is either fast asleep or not in the mood to get out of his carseat. I can’t imagine I’m alone in my situation.
D.D. has some pretty good coffee.
Big *shrug* from me. There’s a lot of good places to eat downtown. So many that when I worked down there it just never occurred to me to bother going to MCD/BK/Wendys.
Actually, I just remembered the last time (of two) I went to the MCD there on Grant (mid 1990s) I got into an argument with the counter person and ended up leaving without giving them my business because they tried to overcharge me.
I don’t think what we’re seeing described here is any sort of cultural phenomenon exclusive to Columbus. Drive-thrus can be found nearly everywhere, and I’m sure they can “make or break” a fast food joint in 95% of the cities in this country. Not saying that we shouldn’t strive to be like that 5% minority, but I’m surprised that you sound so uh… surprised that we’re not quite there yet.
I’ve been known to hit a drive-thru lately for a quick lunch if I’ve got a kid in the back seat who is either fast asleep or not in the mood to get out of his carseat. I can’t imagine I’m alone in my situation.
You’re absolutely right on both accounts.
Often, living/ keeping myself in a bubble I just forget about some cultural norms.
This has been “coming soon” for almost a year….when will it open? Also – I recall seeing that a Caribou Coffee was also coming soon right next door but now those signs are gone….anyone know what gives?