Thread: Bennigan's, Steak & Ale latest victims of slowing economy

Well... as the original poster I'll take heat for us getting off-topic as well. But, we are discussing how other restaurants remain successful even in the current economy, so it's sorta on topic.

I have to agree on the steak. We always ate medium-rare growing up and I still do. My little brother likes it so a good vet could have it back on its feet in 10 minutes. My wife, bless her heart, likes it well done, even filet mignon. I have a really, really hard time burning a perfectly good piece of cow.

Yes, Pei Wei is the place. Pretty tasty, not over the top pricewise.

I haven't been to Yamoto yet. I like Shogun, at least the last time I ate there several years ago. Have you been to Musashi's on Western? They do nice hibachi style cooking there. There's a huge piece of etched glass hanging in the front of the restaurant closest to Western. One of the guys at the dojo is a graphic arts guy, and did the original artwork for it. He did some of the styling on the menus as well. He's moved to a different ad agency now, and is the guy who is doing the artwork for all of the Choc beer 6-pack boxes now.

Wow, can't say I like the beer, but his artwork is top notch! Nope, never been to Musashi's. What's their pricing and atmosphere like?

I feel for ya. I got lucky with mine- she likes hers the same as mine. It always sucks getting steak with my mother-in-law though. She likes everything well done...we tease her and tell her to just get a burger.

I think as long as restaurants do the things that people want, and do it well, they have nothing to fear. If you have fair prices, good service, good food, and good atmosphere, you shouldn't have any problems. I don't even expect above and beyond service (though it's nice). Keep my drink full, make sure I'm ok, and a restaurant will typically keep my business.

There is a japanese restaurant here that is starting to slip and it comes down to what I've just said. At first, it was great. Reasonable prices for great food, good service, and a nice atmosphere. The mrs. and I used to go there around once every week or so because of this. We would see the owner almost every time, yet every time he would not treat us nicely- borderline rude I would say. Strike #1 for me. Next, he won't keep up his establishment. We had a table FALL on us about a year ago, and it still isn't fixed. His place is packed nightly, so he can surely afford to at least do some maintenance. Strike #2. Worst of all though, prices have gone through the roof, though nothing else has changed. I understand rising prices, but he added about $5 to every entree, plus service has gone down the tubes. His basic chicken dish, which used to cost $9 is now $15! Strike #3. We haven't eaten there in at least 2 months.

Oddly enough, I've noticed that his business hasn't been as brisk lately. If he keeps going like this, it won't surprise me to find out that he's selling in a few years. I'm sure he'll blame it on the slowdown in economy too.

Originally Posted by sensei_kyle

I have to agree on the steak. We always ate medium-rare growing up and I still do. My little brother likes it so a good vet could have it back on its feet in 10 minutes. My wife, bless her heart, likes it well done, even filet mignon. I have a really, really hard time burning a perfectly good piece of cow.

Same here. I like it so it is pink and juicy on the inside. My wife wants it well done.
That, to me, is a waste of perfectly good cow meat. But since she's in charge... . .

The concept is if you take a 6-pack of each of the beers, sit the boxes end-to-end it forms like a cartoon story board about the beer and how it started. I like the traditional Choc, but haven't had any of the new flavors they've released this year.

Musashi's pricing is comparable to Shogun. Figure $20-$30 a person, plus alcohol/appetizers/sushi. The same people own Sushi Neko across the street. I don't think it's quite as yuppy as Neko. Service has been great every time I've eaten there.

I think as long as restaurants do the things that people want, and do it well, they have nothing to fear. If you have fair prices, good service, good food, and good atmosphere, you shouldn't have any problems. I don't even expect above and beyond service (though it's nice). Keep my drink full, make sure I'm ok, and a restaurant will typically keep my business.

Amen!

If you like Mexican stuff, there's a great little tacqueria named Los Carbones about 47th & May. The guy does some incredible things with flavors. When they first opened, I just ate tacos all the time because it reminds me of a place we eat in Houston. Two soft corn tortillas, your choice of meat, topped with whatever is appropriate for that meat. The Super Duper Burrito is easily a meal for two and under $10. His tomatillo sauce is incredible, the habanero sauce is wonderful. There are a couple of really good waitresses, but a couple of duds too in my opinion.

Might be time for a trip to Musahi's with SWMBO. Her birthday is coming up

I love mexican, but I typically get my fill here in Stillwater. There's a huge place called El Vaquero (for obvious reasons) that has awesome food, insanely low prices, and some of the best service ever. I never go in with any less than 4 people and we never wait for anything! I've had over 10 people with me on a busy night and we all got our food in about 15 minutes (maybe less). You can get silly full on $10 or less!

I'll have to head down to the liquor store and see this cartoon progression. I always admire the art, but I never realized it was meant to be one continuous piece.

I'm sorry to see the employees lose their jobs, but these corporate chain restaurants are horrible and I'm glad whenever they shut down. Hopefully, they will be replaced by a "real" eatery run be real people who are part of the community.

The relatively recent increase in our food sophistication (Food Network, etc) probably had something to do with Bennigan's going down - I hope so anyway.

Jordan

Unfortunately my wife and I eat out more than we should, but when we do go out, we go to local places now a days. We have eaten at Bennigan’s and Steak & Ale in the past, and I would say that they were just okay, but not something I would prefer.

I have to agree with jnich. I would like to see more local places come back and more of the corporate chains go away including stores. Maybe we can get back to more local butcher shops and places that have food that is raised and slaughtered locally.

Certainly I have concern over our economy; how bad is it going to get? Will our country collapse financially? How soon? All those questions. These bankruptcies are not surprising to me. Mervyns Department stores also filed as well as others. Huge RV/Motorhome dealers in my area have closed their doors, a few large golf courses are up for sale around me. A friend works for a golf products company and his entire branch office has been shut down with operations being handled by another branch in another state.

All the "dispoable income" type businesses are being hit hardest now and it will continue. Unfortunately IMO this is just an indicator of a progressive decline of our economy.

I'd be interested in seeing a thread started with predictions at how bad people think it's going to get here in the U.S. and why.

Chris L

Originally Posted by jnich67

... The relatively recent increase in our food sophistication (Food Network, etc) probably had something to do with Bennigan's going down...

You make a good point Jordan. There are several of us at the dojo who will talk food between classes. There are a lot more people talking about food & listening than there were even a couple of years ago.