[QUOTE=Left Hand of Dorkness]
Is a Monte Cristo hard to make at home? I’ve never had one, but it sounds like French toast with cheese and meat, something that shouldn’t take so long to make.
[/QUOTE]
A Monte Cristo isn’t hard to make, but Bennigan’s Monte Cristo is beyond the scope of most home kitchens. It’s ooey and gooey on the inside, battered in something like funnel cake batter and deep fried until GB&D, then served with some seriously awesome raspberry preserves.
At least, I know I don’t deep fry at home. I suppose I could, but it’s a habit I’d probably best not cultivate.
[QUOTE=Hippy Hollow]
I’m pretty sure that Tchotchke’s was a piss-take of a T.G.I. Friday’s.
[/QUOTE]
I think the fact that some people think it is a mock-Bennigan’s and others a mock TGIF is one of the reasons they are going under!
The article in the OP sort of reaches the same conclusion.
Basically, the are all just “flair” factories with fried cheese. There is little in the way of difference.
Well except…
[QUOTE=El_Kabong]
I never went to Bennigan’s much, but one time I did (on FM1960 north of Houston), a guy at the bar tried to talk me into going home with his wife so he could watch. I didn’t (and she was fairly hot, too). That was in 1983, and it’s been pretty much all downhill since.
[/QUOTE]
You promote this angle, and you ain’t filing Chapter 7!
(Oddly, this is probably my own local Bennigan’s, as I am in the 1960 area of Houston.)
[QUOTE=WhyNot] A Monte Cristo isn’t hard to make, but Bennigan’s Monte Cristo is beyond the scope of most home kitchens. It’s ooey and gooey on the inside, battered in something like funnel cake batter and deep fried until GB&D, then served with some seriously awesome raspberry preserves.
[/QUOTE]
Ah, okay, that makes sense. Making French Toast is one thing, deep-frying an entire sandwich is another entirely.
[QUOTE=BMalion]
Damn, I was fond of the one on Howe Road in Akron, by Chapel Hill Mall.
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All of 1.5 miles from my house!
In some sad way I kind of liked it. Never had a taste for the Monte Cristo, but I loved the potato soup and the burgers. My honey had a taste for their ribs.
So now we’ll have two empty restaurants on the same block…
I haven’t been to Bennigan’s in years so I guess I won’t miss it. It just kind of bugs me when places I have known for years close down, makes me feel old.
There seems to be a few of these chains going out of business recently, what’s the deal? Bad business practices, people eating out less?
I feel bad for all those employees. Do they not get a last paycheck at all or do they have to wait forever for it to go through the courts?
[QUOTE=Wile E]
There seems to be a few of these chains going out of business recently, what’s the deal? Bad business practices, people eating out less?
[/QUOTE]
I’d guess that people eating out less is at least part of it. We ARE in a recession, the rose-colored-glasses crowd in the White House notwithstanding.
Does anyone have a list of exactly where the restaurants are that are closing? I’d be curious to see if the S&A that we visit is on the chopping block.
[QUOTE=ivylass]
Does anyone have a list of exactly where the restaurants are that are closing? I’d be curious to see if the S&A that we visit is on the chopping block.
[/QUOTE]
MRG hasn’t yet provided details at this level; but I’m 99.9% sure that all Steak & Ale locations were company-owned, as were all locations of The Tavern (the other restaurant under the subcompany that’s folded), and are now closed indefinitely. Only Bennigan’s has franchisees that will continue in operation.
[QUOTE=Wile E]
There seems to be a few of these chains going out of business recently, what’s the deal? Bad business practices, people eating out less?
[/QUOTE]
A combination of both, in this case, from what I understand. Which makes sense, really–when times get hard, it’s the weakest competitors that get sunk. They had made some bad business decisions in the past, which they had at least become aware of & might have been working to fix. (Although the resignation of their new CEO in May after only six months on the job makes me question how deep their committment was.) A good revenue stream can help hide inefficiencies, and can help prop up a company while it fixes them once they’re found. But when you don’t find them until that revenue stream is drying up, your company is in big trouble.
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright]
That story says the fire occurred the day after the closures were announced, so I think you’ve got the cause and effect mixed.
[/QUOTE]
How do you figure? I’m assuming an employee found out at the last minute (indeed, some new employees showed up at their first day of work to find the restaurant closed) and expressed his displeasure.
Of course, there could be a perfectly innocent reason for the fire, but I find it odd that the corporation suddenly closes restaurants, then there’s a fire at one of the closed restaurants.
[QUOTE=Sigmagirl]
You mean the one that was that barbecue place? Such a beautiful building, and closed almost before it opened. I heard it was good, too.
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, it used to be the Cooker, closed up, was going to be a Smokey Bones, lots of people happy about that. Then they decided to open it as a “pilot” for a new chain, and remodeled again, and opened, and closed almost immediately. Horrible decisions all around. Never did get to eat there. Hey, at least we get Chipotle.
[QUOTE=SCSimmons]
Only Bennigan’s has franchisees that will continue in
[/QUOTE]
Here’s a question though- Franchises of chain resturants purchase all of their food from corporate suppliers right? Are these franchises still going to be able to buy the ingrediants to make the same food or will they have to go outlaw?
You people don’t know what it is to lose a Monte Christo. :mad:
Long long ago, in the before times…
There was a restaraunt chain called The Magic Pan. Not a huge chain only a place or two in each large city. But there it was down on Larimer square in Denver. They made crepes and other fancy breakfasty food . But they made a Monte Christo that was pure ambrosia. Light crispy batter, good meat, perfectly melted cheese, in a deep fryer that wasn’t also used for onion rings. Served with pure syrup and heavenly preserves for dunking. My parents hated going downtown, but at least once a month I would presure them into going to the Magic Pan.
Then the dark ages it closed, and there has never been a good Monte served in the country since. I tried the Bennigan’s one and Bah! Bah! Bah! I say. Heavy gloppy and greasy batter, with the essence of rancid oniony oil. Tough cheewy ham, and crappy jelly.
This is not a tragic loss, it is the slaying of a pale, false, pagen sandwich.
[QUOTE=ivylass]
And** jayjay**, sorry, but a recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth. We haven’t had that yet, IIRC.
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=ivylass]
How do you figure? I’m assuming an employee found out at the last minute (indeed, some new employees showed up at their first day of work to find the restaurant closed) and expressed his displeasure.
Of course, there could be a perfectly innocent reason for the fire, but I find it odd that the corporation suddenly closes restaurants, then there’s a fire at one of the closed restaurants.
[/QUOTE]
Never mind. I thought by “responsible for this” you meant the closures, not the fire. :smack:
[QUOTE=Cluricaun]
Here’s a question though- Franchises of chain resturants purchase all of their food from corporate suppliers right? Are these franchises still going to be able to buy the ingrediants to make the same food or will they have to go outlaw?
[/QUOTE]
An interesting question that has not, AFAIK, been answered. Along with virtually any others.
The Dallas Morning News story from yesterday implied that they had been unable to reach any company executives for comment–they got a statement that executives had no comment from a receptionist, who was evidently screening all media calls. And one of my friends who was a former contractor was unable to reach any of her internal contacts yesterday–all phones were ringing straight to voicemail. (She had a personal cell phone number for one that she was going to try last night, but I haven’t touched base since the afternoon, so I don’t know how that went.) There is zero information flowing out of MRG HQ in Plano about this so far … Their website is still ‘business as usual’, which obviously isn’t true. (You can still buy Bennigan’s gift cards there! Any takers? )
[QUOTE=Cluricaun]
Here’s a question though- Franchises of chain resturants purchase all of their food from corporate suppliers right? Are these franchises still going to be able to buy the ingrediants to make the same food or will they have to go outlaw?
[/QUOTE]
AFAIK (from my short stint at Subway many, many years ago), Franchisees get names of suppliers that are in compliance with corporate standards and buy from them. As long as those suppliers continue to produce the same ingredients (and they might be supplying other chains with similar standards) there’s really no reason why the franchisees couldn’t continue to buy there.
it closed, and there has never been a good Monte served in the country since. I tried the Bennigan’s one and Bah! Bah! Bah! I say. Heavy gloppy and greasy batter, with the essence of rancid oniony oil. Tough cheewy ham, and crappy jelly.
)