Why no Chinese chain restaurants?

Factual Questions
1

I tried doing a search for this topic but came up empty, so…here goes…

The hubby and I dined at Olive Garden last night. Now I’m sure purists will argue with me, but I think they have decent (although not completely authentic) Italian food - and it was a hell of a lot better than taking in a meal at, say, Ruby Tuesdays or TGI Fridays.

Anyhoo, you have your chain Italian restaurant - the Olive Garden. You have your chain Mexican restaurant - Chi Chi’s (or Taco Bell for those really willing to stretch the meaning of the words “mexican food”). What I’m wondering is, why hasn’t anyone ever put together a chain Chinese restaurant?

I can understand no chain Indian restaurants, or chain Japanese sushi bars. The cuisine still appeals to a small enough audience that it probably wouldn’t fly in any but the largest cities - and the largest cities already have tons of independantly owned restaurants specializing in cuisine from around the world. But almost everyone eats Chinese food, right? At least, almost everyone has tried it and can find at least one dish that they enjoy. Its pretty universally enjoyed in America.

So, why hasn’t anyone pounced on the idea of creating a chain of Chinese-themed restaurants? You know, prepackaged General Tao chicken sauce, oriental decor purchased from a stock warehouse in New Jersey, ridiculous and annoying birthday songs - in Cantonese, maybe - sung by the staff. It could go right next to the Home Depot at your local strip mall.

It could be because there’s already at least one authentic Chinese restaurant in every fair-sized city in America. (At least there seems to be.) But there were plenty of authentic Italian restaurants as well, and Olive Garden seems to be holding its own.

Are there (pardon the term) ancient Chinese cooking secrets that whitebread corporate America can’t get their hands on? Is there a powerful union of recently-immigrated Chinese restaurant owners that keeps the big money off the playing field?

Seems to me that Americans would flock to a chain operated Chinese restaurant, especially in the heartland. You don’t have to worry if you’re getting served cat in your chicken lo mein, no awkward conversations with a heavily-accented hostess or server, and you get the reassurance that another 40 miles down the highway there’s another place exactly like this one with the same exact menu and soothing Oriental-style muzac piped in from behind the plastic plants.

So am I off my rocker? Maybe this idea has already been tried and failed miserably, and I was just hiding out at the Dragon Wok down the street and never noticed.

2

No chain restaurants? Like PF Changs?

3

its starting

http://info.detnews.com/restaurants/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.singleresults&restaurantid=404&locationid=429

http://retailtrafficmag.com/ar/retail_chinese_chain_steaming/

4

Or P.F. Changs new spinoff, Pei Wei’s?

Or Panda Express? (best orange chicken ever.)

5

Don’t forget Manchu Wok.

6

Mark Pi’s.

7

In NJ and NY, it seems that all the take-out Chinese places have the same menu and similar food. There’s some variation restaurant to restaurant (for instance, the place just north of my apartment building serves better lo mein than the place southwest of me), but for the most part–it’s the same exact food.

I don’t think the take-out places are related like a chain, but they aren’t independent entities either.

8

In the D.C. area we have a small chain of Chinese restaurants called Charlie Chiangs. Some have a buffet with Mongolian bbq option (those are the better restaurants) and some are just sit down.

9

So, no LeeAnn Chin where you are?

10

Geez, that answers my question, apparently there are Chinese chain restaurants, I’m just the poor shlub that’s never seen one!
:smack:
My apologies for being a backwater gal.

11

Should have previewed before I posted last…

nope, there’s no Leeann Chin, PF Changs, Manchu Wok, Pei Wei’s, or Panda Express where I am. I’ve seen a Panda Express, but it was when I was at school in State College, PA, and there were lots of other mall-type chains (like Sborro’s) right alongside it. In fact this is the first time I’ve heard of any of these places.
I did say I’m backwater, right? :wink:

12

I immediately thought of “Mandarin” restaurants, which there are a couple of scattered around my area.

Turns out to be a small local franchise, fifteen locations in southern ontario, based on one sucessful restaurant in Brampton.

(Not really a chinese food fan myself.)

13

There was also a chain called China Coast and it was firmly in the model of a Red Lobster or Olive Garden. They had TV ads and the works. In Dallas their locations were along the strips of chain restaurants. The chain went bankrupt back in 1996.

14

I live in China, and there are many Chain restauraunts here, though a majority of them operate without mass advertisement, unlike McDonalds. They develop a real name recognition and hope to succeed. I love some of them.

15

Here in Mid Missouri we don’t have any chains. Be nice though, as it seems almost every restaurant is a little different. Although I definitely have my favorite, Dragon Kitchen with their Peanut Butter Chicken mixed with General Tso’s chicken Mmmm… Now I’m hungry.

16

Peanut Butter Chicken? Sounds…interesting.

17

I recall reading an article in the Chicago Tribune some time ago regarding this issue (well, specifically, it was “why don’t big companies like McDonald’s or TriCon (or whoever it is that owns Taco Bell, et. al.) open a chain of Chinese restaurants?”). The answer was that it takes cooks that are significantly more skilled than your typical fry-cooker as they’re dealing with some pretty hot open flames that their safety and training doesn’t really cover.

I also didn’t realize that there were so many Chinese chain restaurants before reading this thread. All I knew about was Panda Express.

18

I can think of two or three chains in the San Antonio area alone.

Perhaps the OP should be, “Why are there no NATIONAL chains of Chinese restaurants?”

And my answer would be, “They’re trying. Give 'em time.”

19

If so, you’re not the only one. I was wondering the same thing as the OP just yesterday. I haven’t heard of any of those chains either. Where I live, there are plenty of Chinese restaurants, including the fast-foodish eat-in/take-out kinds of places, the more elegant sit-down restaurants, and the Chinese buffets—but as far as I know, none of them are chains.

20

Now that’s what I really had in mind when this topic of conversation came up last night. I’m picturing national advertisements - huge company policy handbooks covering topics like “the massive backlit photo of an idylic Chinese mountaintop shall be placed no closer than 4 feet from the main entrance” - and the best part, pasty Caucasians struggling with the native language. (You can get this at Olive Garden too - our hostess last night actually said “Eye - talian”, good gravy :rolleyes: )

Maybe I question this because I think it would be hysterical to see the chain restaurant mentality applied to the Chinese dining experience. I could only imagine the flash the servers would be forced to wear.