Restaurants on the Ropes

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There is nothing wrong with All Beef Burgers and All Beef Hot Dogs. Come off the B.S. Adapt or Die. Business 101 Freshman Year at Community College.

Rules Open in Populated Areas that are good bedroom communitys as well as having some business.

Open as close as you can to a Wal Mart, Target, or other good discount retailer.

I do not fear Wal-Marts Wave I want to be in it. Sloppy Secounds is better then No Firsts.

Try for single standing buildings, Mall are turning former food stores and furenture stores into Gov't Offices and Churches, Not Store Front Church but refitted into Real Churches, these people the Gov't Workers and the Religious Eat Like Pigs. Be near them.

Location, Location, Location. Never go into a place where two of the same type stores have gone broke.

Medical Dr and medical Centers such as labs, and MRI Center are now in Malls, These People Also Eat. Out of fear of dying they will eat healthy for awhile at least.

Be near a large Fitness Center, Fitness Center people also eat like pigs, diets fail all the time. So be there.

A double cut of Dead Flesh is not worth 60+ Dollars. Anywhere, I can eat for $10 dollars and get a covered table, cloth Napkin, Silverware, Chopsticks (real ones on request) and my dinner prepared just the way I want, and on my table in 10-15 Min. Plus the view of a nice city park. After a while we also get a personal greeting from the owner.

That is called Customer Service, also Business 101, its about them not you. You serve them, and they pay you, and they remember you.

most of all they come back. Also they talk to there friends for good or ill.

If your shy put the Dogs and Burgers on the Kiddie menu thats what kids eat.

Save the clothing rules for the QE 2, I am going to wear what comfortable, if you do not like it, I and my Family, Date etc go else where and so does our money and your profit, plus i talk bad about you.

I am the customer within certain limits, you work for me.Not the other way around. i want the servers clean, and short hair, and except in Hawaii, No Tats, and the Hair some color found in nature. No Black Finger Nails.

I love Camp Bob Big Boy etc, I know thats gone but i stilll love it.

Some Retail with your logo on stuff, In case i am coming through once in my life time and want to remember the event. Should include your WEB Site, If I buy a cup or Tee Shirt and I put it on a shelf and 5 years later some one asks me about it, I remember the story and the food and service and I can tell them. Maybe the Cup in employed as a Coin Cup or Pen Holder and is in general display daily.

Finally Basic Business 101. Employees Reflect Management and the reverce is true.

Tips are a personal matter between the customer and their server.

Customers: If you are tipping with a Church Tract to save the poor servers soul. Please put double the tip or at least a 5 Dollar Bill in it. 10 is better. Also say somthing Nice to Management about your server also if possible the Manager.

awsomeron of HI 10:13PM September 07, 2011

LB - I don't think Pittsburgh is lacking in restaurants and certainly not in comparison to Ohio. The restaurants you named are all small to mid-sized chains that are simply not found in most areas. There are plenty of restaurants that are found in Pittsburgh that aren't found in Ohio.

Lori - Thank you for those comments. I enjoyed them.

John of PA 7:37PM July 20, 2010

Judy, your comment had absolutely nothing to do with the article. It was a review of Dennys. There's "Yelp" for that.

Eat at home- you would actually suggest mCDonalds food over Applebees. Myabe if you ate healthier you could actually find some healthy alternatives on Applebees menus. Same quality?? What applebees are you eating at?

I live and work in boston, ma and fortunately have plenty of choices for restaurants. Then again, I hate chain restaurants anyway except for Cheescake Factory)

Pgh- great suggestions, but where is Pgh???lol

Lori of MA 10:58AM May 03, 2010

I live in Pgh, and I have family scattered in OH. Our restaurants always have a wait time, because we have so few. In OH, there are about 20 chains that we have never heard of! Most are moderately priced and I think would do great here in Pgh, if they would just open here. Of the names listed above - best and worst - we have only a few. Get with it chains - open here. Start with First Watch, then Rusty Bucket or Champs. I would love a Carrabbas or Maggianos. Oodles of Noodles and Macaroni Grill would be something different. Those are just a few for starters.

LB of PA 10:26AM April 09, 2010

I took my grandkids to Dennys in SF. The children ate free. I ordered a sirloin steak it was tasteless. We ordered chicken wings, tasted like boiled chicken with hot sause thrown over them. The kids enjoyed the pancakes.

Judy James

Judy James of CA 11:35PM April 08, 2010

Skip Applebee's eat at home, save money. Something fast, McD's I guess (I don't go there much) but same quality as Applebee's for cheap and not need to tip. :)

J chic of OK 9:59AM March 22, 2010

My husband and I used to like to go to Applebees for their salads. We ordered what we usually ordered, and the usual basket of garlic bread which was a stardard. What we received was a Kaiser roll, cut in half with garlic powder on it, one half for my husband, and one half for myself. We were told Applebee's new longer has "Garlic Bread." NO GARLIC BREAD WHEN THEY SERVE SPAGHETTI? We tried one more time, and ordered burgers and fries. The burgers were tasteless, more like Mc Donalds, and the fries were had a lot to be desired. We just looked at each other, and knew it would be our last time. It used to be a nice place to go, prices were not bad, etc. Now, it is off of our list.

BJ of PA 4:41PM February 08, 2010

Went there 2 weeks ago, had a burger, daughter had chicken strips, grandson had grilled cheese.. All three meals where horrible & greasy. I could of went to Red Lobster for lunch and had a tastier meal for what I spent at Applebees. This is the second time this has happened, won't be going back a third time.

Jeannie of IL 10:50PM January 24, 2010

Use to like Applebees but the last two times we were not satisfied. Too pricey for what you are getting and we recently used a coupon you could choose any 3 suggested Menu Entrees for $5.55, just one, so I tried the Island Shrimp thinking it would have some sort of marinade or something. The shrimp was dry and they sprinkled either Chili Powder or Cayenne Pepper on it and so the results were dry shrimp on skewers which you didn't know they were shrimp because all you could taste was the chili powder or cayeene pepper.

Also, the the tea glasses are way too small. This causes the server to refill the glasses more often and that cuts down on their time to ensure all the customers are served as well as they should be. The Dinner my husband was served also was super low on portion size. Not good when you are paying 11.00 for a single entree.

Lisa Hawkins of TX 11:45AM January 24, 2010

Don't know how they survive? Bad food, service and management in all that I used to visit. Overpriced in this economy and the new items they have been introducing will not pull them through.

Not good in the Hood' of IN 8:09AM January 24, 2010

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Rick Newman

Rick Newman

The global economy is mysterious, even scary. Chief Business Correspondent Rick Newman connects the dots. In addition to his writing for U.S. News, Rick is the co-author of two books: Firefight: Inside the Battle to Save the Pentagon on 9/11, and Bury Us Upside Down: The Misty Pilots and the Secret Battle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail.


Read Rick's latest blog entries here.

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