# Companies you thought would have gone belly-up by now... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 7, 2012, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686 "2012-08-07T02:28:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686/121 "2012-08-09T02:37:18Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > Brick and mortar porn stores. > > There’s a universe of free content streaming online. That should kill 90% of the biz, and without checking, I bet you could get sex toys off [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) billed and shipped discreetly. > > Also, Playboy et al. Who pays for hardcopies of porn in the smartphone and tablet age? Many are scared of malware. And Playboy isnt porn and honestly I do read it for the articles… and the cartoons. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686/122 "2012-08-09T02:40:31Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Mob involvement, according to my little sister. She insists that video stores, mattress stores, and futon stores exist only to launder money. Not as far as I know, at least commonly and I am a expert here. But jewelry stores, music stores and oddly Mexican Clothing stores (Jeans, Cowboy wear) are sometimes a front for money laundering. Mattress stores work on a very high mark-up and scamming the gullible. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686/123 "2012-08-09T02:42:11Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > Build-A-Bear Workshop. Wikipedia says there are 400 of them worldwide. When they started in St. Louis in the late 90s it seemed like a dumb idea: build your own teddy bear? That’s like Kramer’s “make your own pizza”, except that most people don’t want more than a couple of stuffed bears. > > Apparently the business model was more robust than I supposed. It’s not the bears themselves. They are like Barbie. It’s _the clothing and accessories_ you can buy for your little plush animal. Honestly I have seen grown mature women break down into cooing at that crap. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686/124 "2012-08-09T02:57:48Z")
Bob Evens. I don’t know anyone who eats there. I know it’s established as more of a “down home” style cheap diner/restaurant that may appeal more to seniors or southerners, what have you… yet… It felt like their customer base was on their way out 15 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686/125 "2012-08-09T03:19:57Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Bob Evens. > > I don’t know anyone who eats there. I know it’s established as more of a “down home” style cheap diner/restaurant that may appeal more to seniors or southerners, what have you… yet… It felt like their customer base was on their way out 15 years ago. Southerners? You know Bob Evans, as in the guy who was literally named Bob Evans was an Ohio farmer and the restaurant chain is headquartered in Ohio, started in Ohio, and has more restaurants in Ohio than any other state. Ohio is pretty not-southern. Further, Bob Evans really only exists in significant numbers in the more northerly Southern states. Now, you are right they seem to appeal to an older crowd, for reasons I can’t quite pinpoint. But I don’t really think it is generational, I’m not a huge fan of Bob Evans but I think they have decent food for what it is. They are really very similar to IHOP with slightly less emphasis on breakfast (and I think they are trying to be less of a breakfast place more and more, but every Bob Evans I’ve ever been in has always been the most packed at breakfast.) But yeah, I probably went into my first Bob Evans in the 80s and it was mostly old people, mid-60s to 80s, and it’s been that way for 30 years. Now, obviously the people that age I saw back in '88 aren’t the same ones kicking around at 2012…so something appears to happen from age 65-85 to Midwestern people that makes them naturally gravitate to Bob Evans. ---
**Author:** ![Suse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Suse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suse)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686/126 "2012-08-09T03:51:09Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Maybe because Big Boy has decent food and Bob Evans doesn’t? Or maybe because they exist where the other chains don’t? If you live out west there isn’t a Bob Evans anywhere. Bob’s Big Boy seem to exist in Michigan and Southern California and nowhere else. The Big Boy chains have different names depending on where they are: in Indiana they are Azar’s Big Boy (at least in Northeast Indiana) and in Ohio they are Frisch’s Big Boy. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686/127 "2012-08-09T04:04:36Z")
Yep, for the longest time, here in Michigan, it was Elias Bros. Big Boy restaurants. They were headquartered in Warren, MI where I lived for 10 years, but went bankrupt in 2000. They were bought out since then, but I’ve eaten there maybe 3 times since 2000. Anyway, RE: Bob Evens. I’ll grant you it’s a mid-western franchise (although, I like to call the Great Lakes cluster of states “mid-eastern”), but I should’ve used the adjective “rural” over “southern.” My bad. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686/128 "2012-08-09T04:14:38Z")
Podunk? ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686/129 "2012-08-09T04:39:22Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > A whole bunch of the chain sit-down diner competitors: > > **Shoneys > Friendly’s > Perkins > Bob’s Big Boy** > > All of them have mediocre food and largely dated menu selections… > > I almost put Dennys on the list but I think they have cult fans and hipsters keeping them alive. With regard to Denny’s, I think its survival is due to a number of reasons. First of all, they’re always open, and in smaller cities and towns, are often the only opportunity in town for 24/7/365 dining. Heck, I once had a meal at Denny’s on Christmas Day–every other place in town, bar none, was closed. (Yep, I checked–I was hungry!) Secondly, they’re consistent. Big Macs are the same around the world, and Denny’s offerings are no different; indeed, a friend once called Denny’s “the McDonald’s of sit-down table-service restaurants.” I think he’s right; I’ve eaten at Denny’s at various locations in the US and Canada, and when I order an item I’ve enjoyed previously at another location, it is exactly the same as I remember from elsewhere. Nice when you don’t feel like experimenting, and all you want is something to eat. Nextly, the menu does change. I can remember a few things that are no longer on their menu (meatloaf, for example), but I’m pleased to see a few new things (the bacon-lover’s BLT). They also have seasonal offerings. Granted, the menu may seem a little slow in changing, but it does change. Overall, and let’s face it, Denny’s is diner food; good old American truck stop diner food. It will never win any Michelin stars, it will never be reviewed in foodie publications, and its recipes will never appear on popular TV cooking shows. But it will survive for the same reasons that McDonald’s will: availability, consistency, and price. As one who has pulled into unfamiliar cities and towns at weird hours of the day and night, Denny’s is a place where I know I won’t get fine dining, but what I will get will be satisfying at any time of day, and I won’t be surprised at the bill. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686/130 "2012-08-09T04:39:28Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > Southerners? You know Bob Evans, as in the guy who was literally named Bob Evans was an Ohio farmer and the restaurant chain is headquartered in Ohio, started in Ohio, and has more restaurants in Ohio than any other state. > > Ohio is pretty not-southern. Further, Bob Evans really only exists in significant numbers in the more northerly Southern states. > > Now, you are right they seem to appeal to an older crowd, for reasons I can’t quite pinpoint. I can! They offer a [menu for patrons 55 and older](http://www.bobevans.com/Menu/Category/19/55-Over), with somewhat smaller portions but lower prices. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686/131 "2012-08-09T04:44:41Z")
I’ve never eaten at a Bob Evans restaurant, but I do love their [Roll sausage](http://www.bobevans.com/Grocery/63/Bob-Evans-Original-Roll-Sausage). It’s expensive so I only buy it when it’s on sale. They don’t use sugar anything in it and it’s much tastier to me than other sausages. My contribution to the OP is [classmates.com](http://www.classmates.com/). Really, wtf? How do they stick around what with Facebook free? (This [Onion piece](http://www.theonion.com/articles/classmatescom-employees-dont-have-heart-to-tell-ce,6710/) was funny to me) I’ve had an account there since it started but I refuse to pay for their “Gold” membership or whatever it’s called nowadays just to see who signed my Guestbook, which I figure no real person did (I had no friends in high school, all my friends were older) and it’s just an ad from Classmates itself or something. If they’d give me a name with their “Someone signed your Guestbook!” emails so I could judge if it’s legit or not, I might consider giving them money. Maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686/132 "2012-08-09T05:53:40Z")
Chrysler, the zombie of automakers. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686/133 "2012-08-09T06:13:46Z")
> [@Haunted\_Pasta](#): > > Guitar Center. Their stores are really big and must pay an accordingly large rent. Aren’t pawn shops and Craigslist full of perfectly good used guitars, amps, etc.? It amazes me they can sell enough gear to pay those large rents. > > I’ve posted before about Batteries Plus. I guess there’s more demand for specialty batteries than I’m aware of. Doesn’t seem the demand would be high enough to support a growing national chain. The one time I’ve been in one there were three employees but no other customers in the store on a Saturday afternoon, and I left without buying anything because they were asking $90 for a replacement battery for our old laptop. They just moved into what used to be a Borders next to my Dr.'s office. Space was empty for MONTHS! ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686/134 "2012-08-09T11:47:57Z")
I have no issue with Denny’s food, but I gave up on them years ago because of consistently crappy service. When you place an order, and then don’t get your food, or a refill on your water, or in fact even _see_ your server for 20 minutes or more, something is very wrong with that restaurant. And when this happens three different times at three different locations, something is very wrong with the chain. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686/135 "2012-08-09T11:57:45Z")
**Burlington Coat Factory**. They have a store in the plaza behind a local mall. The plaza nobody ever thinks about, let alone shops in. Right next door to the Guitar Center. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686/136 "2012-08-09T13:01:25Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > **Burlington Coat Factory**. They have a store in the plaza behind a local mall. The plaza nobody ever thinks about, let alone shops in. Right next door to the Guitar Center. I got an a suit there and an overcoat that everyone raves about for $100 (each). It was amazing how many people were in there when I went in because like you said the parking lot didn’t ever seem that full. And it does still seem like a marginal business considering the large footprint of the store, but there weren’t an _absolutely_ small number of people in it, just small for its size. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686/137 "2012-08-09T13:15:31Z")
I’ll vote for OLD NAVY-I never see anybody in there. The last time I went, it was to buy a dog collar-they were out of them. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686/138 "2012-08-09T13:34:56Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I got an a suit there and an overcoat that everyone raves about for $100 (each). It was amazing how many people were in there when I went in because like you said the parking lot didn’t ever seem that full. And it does still seem like a marginal business considering the large footprint of the store, but there weren’t an _absolutely_ small number of people in it, just small for its size. Huh. The single time I ever went in, I was looking specifically for a coat. I walked in, saw a display of kitchen stuff, some outdoor furniture, bird feeders, etc. I turned around and left. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686/139 "2012-08-09T13:43:33Z")
Sew & Vac stores. In our increasingly disposable economy, most people just go to WalMart if their Singer or Hoover breaks down. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686/140 "2012-08-09T13:57:32Z")
I can’t believe nobody has mentioned Radio Shack yet! Little mom-n-pop computer stores that are only open 9 - 5 when most people are at work, and from 12-4 on Saturdays; and who charge like $60-$80/hr to diagnose & repair. I can’t even begin to identify who their market is, let alone how it can be big enough to provide sufficient income to keep the lights on. If my 3 year old PC breaks down I make a choice: pay $250 to diagnose and _maybe_ repair my machine so I can have my 3 year old technology back, or spring for $500 and get a new magic box with ALL new parts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-you-thought-would-have-gone-belly-up-by-now/630686.md?page=8)