As everyone on the planet is now aware, save for some bushmen, tree people, & nomads, we've been overrun by casual dining restaurants. For each chain, it's important to establish a unified brand personality that patrons can attribute to them. Forget about the food, the real importance is the character. The interior design, the pseudo-vintage wall hangings & decorations; this is big business!
I realize it's difficult as a consumer to keep track of all this vital information. That is why I've compiled here a brief & incomplete summary of the personality types for several of the bigger name restaurants. A character cheat-sheet if you will:
TGI Friday's - Friday's is like the middle-aged White guy who thought it was supercool to yell "wasssuppp!" when those beer commercials came out. Heck, he still thinks it's cool today!
Bennigan's - The lonely depressed drunk who sits gloomily in the dark corner of the bar.
Applebee's - Country bumpkin who seems friendly enough but is completely inept at doing anything.
Chili's - That office coworker who likes to reference the ethnic portion of his family history even though it was like, 7 generations ago. "You know, I AM 1/64th..."
Olive Garden - The guido who tries to cop a real 'tude, even though his parents are rich and from Long Island. There's gonna be a 1980's Mustang around nearby for sure.
Chevy's - That Food Network personality who's trying SO HARD to show she's Colombian. You know. Ingrid Hoffmann.
Red Lopster - The person who likes to call himself 'classy'. Uh, saying it and being it are mutually exclusive!
Jul 29, 2007
Casual Dining
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8 comments:
Ugh! I hate when places have a bunch of crap up on the walls just to have a bunch of crap up on the walls. Like crap on the walls gives a place "character."
You know, there's really no use for yard sales when you can go to your local "TGIF" and take something off the wall.
I was a server at Olive Garden once for three whole hours.
I had one customer who kept ordering Tanqueray & Tonic and I'm really proud of myself for not sampling even when it was right there with nobody looking.
Thanks for that insight. I'll know what to avoid now.
Loved your restaurant reviews! You should review Hell's Kitchen.
Did you know that they actually have FACTORIES where they MAKE the crazy crap on the walls? It's not even real. It's covered in spray paint to make it look vintage.
I live in Texas, and from the new strip malls that go up every day, I think they're to the point now where the Olive Garden and Applebee's are considered "fine dining," because there's NOTHING ELSE.
I refer to all those establishments with the all encompassing moniker of "Thank God it's Crapplebees."
Good character profiles.
"Roadhouse Grill" - the 53 year old surly guy who finally succumbed to the "you never take me anywhere" lament from his gussied up wife.
I have a love/hate relationship with digital memory because of how prices are always dropping. I absolutely hate buying Micro SD Cards for my R4 / R4i at (what seems to be) a bargain price only to see it become ten percent cheaper a few months later.
(Submitted from NETPost for R4i Nintendo DS.)
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