Good afternoon blog readers! I hope your mornings were lovely, lunches filling, and your location is heated. I just finished a peanut butter sandwich and am enjoying a cup of vanilla tea.
I think we need to discuss chain restaurants in NYC. I fear that I might offend some of you with my thoughts on chains. I am going to take that risk and encourage your feedback. Please note that we are discussing national chains today. Discussions of the value of NY specific chains is a different topic. Also understand that my thoughts on chains are coming from a place of a 20-something year old girl living in Manhattan. Therefore, if you have children who love McDonald's, I understand, and my thoughts may not apply to you.
And keep in mind - chains offer deals, but is it really a deal if you can get that food anywhere in the country? Are you cheating yourself by not taking advantage of the uniqueness of NYC? Or, is a deal a deal anywhere? Maybe the NY specific places are charging you a little more, but you may move one day, and you can take advantage of all the chain deals then. Don't forget to really be a part of this city while you are here.
We have three different types of chain restaurant (I made these categories up myself)
1. Fast Food, counter served: this includes places like McDonald's, Subway, Wendy's, Chipotle, where you order a meal at the counter.
2. Moderately Priced Restaurant Chains: Ruby Tuesday's, Olive Garden, Chevy's, Red Lobster, where you sit down and you are served.
3. Upscale Chains: Morton's Steakhouse, Ruth's Chris, places where you are served and are paying a hefty price for it.
For starters, I should admit that I find category two to be the most offensive. Lets break it down.
Fast food,counter served:
This is a tough argument because people have strong opinions about whether or not to eat fast food at all. But sometimes quick, easy, and cheap (I'm talking about food) is the way to go, especially when you are somewhere in the city where you are not familiar with the local eateries. I get it. You have a training somewhere at a different office and you do not want to shell out $10 on a gourmet sandwich at a place you have never been to and you do not even know if it will be good. On a day where you are stuck at work, running out to get a $5 footlong will hold you over. Other days, thinking about where to get lunch and what to order once you get there is just too much, so you would rather default to the turkey sub, or the Wendy's salad.
I mostly do not judge in these situations. However, I am sure there are great and cheap alternatives to fast food options wherever you live or work in the city. You may have to look a little bit, perhaps go somewhere different for lunch everyday for 2 weeks, to find that perfect $5.00 sandwich. I live near three Subway Sandwich shops, but one is close to a falafel place, where I can get lunch for under $5.00, and one is near a deli, where I can get burger, fries, and a soda for $5.00. But - I am comparing apples and oranges - you wanted a sandwich, not a burger or a falafel. And if you are calorie conscious, you know what you are getting at Subway, and that feels good.
Another alternative - bring lunch! Just because you bring lunch does not mean that you cannot take a lunch break and find somewhere to sit, or walk, or shop, etc. Spending $10 on lunch everyday when I am not even getting the enjoyment of the establishment or the company of a friend is not in my budget. If I am going to eat out, it better be cheap, or the price better come with an experience - not food in a bag.
Verdict: You can do better than fast food in this city, but you may not want to put in the work to find that out. Ask a co-worker where they get lunch, and surf www.menupages.com in your area, jot down a few cheap places, and go check them out. They may be dirty holes in the wall, or they may be awesome. And never underestimate the power of the Bodega. Your bagel won't be as good, but it will be half the price of a better bagel.
2. Moderately Priced Restaurant Chains - I cannot think of a good reason to go to a Moderately Priced Restaurant Chain except for a feeling of nostalgia from your days of suburb living. I know Ruby Tuesdays has an unlimited salad bar or something, and Olive Garden has a good lunch special that is under $10. Cool. But there are SO MANY places to get the types of specials that these places offer, with a more unique look and twist. You can sit down in several thai restaurants in NYC and get lunch for under $9.00, and it usually includes an appetizer. A restaurant I am profiling in a few weeks has burgers and a beer for under $7.00. Lots of Asian restaurants have bento boxes that are tons of food for such a small price. And I am not talking about take out restaurants - this is full service.
Verdict: Leave these places off your list. You can visit them anytime, anywhere. You are not really saving a lot of money going, and you are bound to run into.... lots.... and lotssss.... of children.
3. Upscale Restaurant Chains
These restaurants are somewhat more acceptable because the price-tag fits the bill. Upscale restaurant chains offer great food at prices you would expect. The service is usually good. But how is this different from a moderately-priced restaurant chain? It is still a chain waiter service restaurant. The difference is that these upscale chains may not exist in your suburb of choice and therefore its existence to you is completely unique to NYC, and usually there is only one location in the city. You could find a McDonald's on the side of any road, anywhere in the US, and all over major cities. I guarantee if you have an itch for TGIF's, you can hit up one of its several Manhattan locations, or one of its 30+ locations in New York state. Morton's Steakhouse only has 4 locations in New York - Westchester, Long Island, Manhattan, and Brooklyn.
Verdict: There are plenty of great steakhouses unique to New York that you could try - but hey, if you are visiting from out of town, and a friend in Chicago says "You should try Morton's in New York," I understand that. It is still a chain, but it may be one of the few times you get to try it. And it is actually good.
Basically, this is a mixed bag. You are going to eat where you want to eat. But if you are eating subway for lunch everyday and Olive Garden once a week, then you are not taking advantage of NYC cuisine. NYC is a top city in this country for food. Don't you forget that (that is why I am reminding you). When you need to get by, and you need that subway sandwich that is 280 calories, enjoy. But please, I am begging you, explore a little. Ask me for recommendations. Comment on this post with some great NYC unique places that make you LOVE this city.
And most importantly for my readers outside of the area, ask me for a recommendation when you come into the city. I totally understand how overwhelming it is to see 9 places within a 2 block radius and you have no idea what to choose. But if you ask me, I'll give you a few destinations. Or just take a risk - look at the menu and decide. The beauty is that you can just keep walking.
Have a delicious day!
NYCMenuGirl
I agree with you on the concept of chains. I'm not even sure why people bother with the chains in NYC. But then again, it's like ordering chicken and broccoli at a legitimate Chinese restaurant. You're missing out on a ton of fantastic food, but at least you know what you're getting and will be comfortable with it. And sometimes, you just don't want to make any decisions.
ReplyDeleteI've ultimately concluded that chains are for the risk adverse or convenience driven. Those who don't have the time to research new places will default to chains that they've been to before.
I wonder what would happen if you conducted a hypothetical deal between a chain and a no-name offering the same "deal" value and tested against those who live in NYC and those who are from elsewhere...
Julie, I love your bold and directed response to those who go to chains. I would almost say that I would prefer someone go to the same unique NYC restaurant all the time then go to chains. For me, I prefer to go somewhere different everytime I go out. But if you are going to default, let it be somewhere with some NYC flavor. I might hate on someone who says they just went to Ruby Tuesday's because it was close by but I will NOT hate on someone who says "Well, I always end up at The Smith, in the East Village."
ReplyDeleteAnd you know what else, some of these chains have waits! Waiting for a table at a chain restaurant - shame!
As per your hypothetical, do you mean encourage suburb people to go to a chain with a deal and find a similar deal in NYC for city dwellers, and gauge their responses?
but.... CHIPOTLE. it's the exception to the rule! as is dunkin donuts for price/quality/non-latte consideration.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Chipotle thing is a once-a-month quick lunch, too.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Chipotle is not an offense NYC bet, and here is why: Mexican in NYC is really not that great. There are not a lot of great choices. Especially if you want Mexican on the go - you are kind of stuck. I think Chipotle and those types of places almost fit in between number 1 and 2 - a little more than a regular fast food chain, but a little less than a restaurant.
ReplyDeleteChipotle on Nikki!
great post! but i have to say, there are parts of this post i agree with and parts that i don't.
ReplyDeletei agree that if you are in NYC, you have OPTIONS. explore them, otherwise what are you doing here??
now for the disagreement part..
when i think about eating at a chain vs. eating at a non chain, i do a quality/quantity/cost balancing test (i could throw up on myself for even typing that- thanks a lot law school.)
first of all, i really think it depends on WHAT you're eating. i eat subway once a week, almost every week. i always order the 6 inch veggie sub and baked chips for under $4. it's the only chain i eat at. could i buy all the ingredients and make it myself? sure- but it actually winds up costing more since i don't eat veggie sandwiches enough for the ingredients to stay fresh every week. could i get a veggie sandwich elsewhere? sure- but i will pay more for what is basically vegetables between two slices of bread. quality wise, there is also not much of a difference. ok so i only know this because i have a relative who owns a subway and asked about the freshness, quality etc. and it can actually be fresher than places that have less turnover for those ingredients, and therefore are less fresh. the sandwich makers wear gloves and i am able to see what is happening to my sandwich. all these things matter to me, so the scale weighs in favor for subway for me here.
i just want to point out that also, i rarely, if ever, have gotten a sandwich with meat from there because i have intense issues with processed meat and try to eat organic meats if possible- in which case ill go to whole foods and split the $10 lunch with someone. subway loses on the balancing test there- not as high quality in comparison to a better quality, inexpensive alternative.
ok i am a little embarrassed i was able to write that much about freaking subway sandwiches. this is what my life has come to.
anyways, second, i don't think you can always assume the quality of a non-chain is better than a chain. if you order a burger from, let's say, a reasonably priced sit down place or deli, there is a good chance that it is still made from frozen patties, packaged and stored the same way as a chain. i think you can actually make that case for most foods- unless its a really "good" restaurant, the chain vs. the non chain equivalent make food in similar ways (this is something that the book fast food nation points out).
so if there isn't that much of a difference in quality and if money is an issue, it's not the worst choice to go for the chain. if it costs less to go to a hooters than a croxleys for wings, then hooters it is. besides debates on the difference in how the wings taste, they are both made the same way- from frozen wings. (ps- croxley's any day). the quality of one over the other is probably negligible anyways.
finally, thinking about chains as something "you can get from anywhere" seems odd to me because most of us live here. i understand why this argument works with people from out of town (i had a friend whose family always wanted to go to olive garden when they visited nyc and it made me want to shout ARE WE IN CRAZY LAND HERE). but to me, chains are an option just like any other restaurant. including other NYC chains.
overall though, i agree with the above post that going to chain restaurants is really a default for risk adverse people/convenience- but think it's really only an issue if you are only eating at chains alll the time. i personally dislike most chains, but am not against going to them once in a while.
anyways just thought i'd play devil's advocate and point out that there can actually be more considerations in choosing between a chain/non-chain than JUST the fact that you could be eating somewhere else.
again, great post- way to get the discussion going! :)
Thanks for the response!
ReplyDeleteAs to your Subway argument, I agree. I think Subway was the place I probably praised the most in the post. You know the calorie count, so it is a good bet. That's not to say that you could not find a place just as good, but that Subway is a good go to stop in the chain portion. You will also notice from the post that category 1 is not the most offensive in my opinion. We face the chain/non-chain decision more often at lunch time than choosing between Olive Garden and Il Bastardo for dinner. So completely writing off a place like Subway, or Wendy's, does not make much sense because there is a good place for it every now and then. But I would argue that going to Olive Garden once a week in NYC for dinner would not be my cup of tea, since I could experience that weekly dinner anywhere in the country.
I agree that there are other things to look at aside from just chain versus non-chain and that quality is not determined by that distinction. Of course a lot of chains are quality because they are drawing large crowds and remain open, so there must be something quality that they are providing, whether it be good food, good service, a familiar atmosphere, or all of those things combined. I think overall though, I focus a lot on the restaurant experience, and I think that if you are looking for that NYC restaurant experience, there are a lot of great places to go to that that are not chain restaurants. Now, your experience at this non-chain may be awful. I hear that. But it will probably be more unexpected than at TGIF's, when you know the waitress is coming over in those damn overalls with all the flair singing happy birthday songs with all the other staff.
And I can see in your argument, why not just add chains to the list of many options that we can go to in NYC since they provide quality food and good deals? And I am not saying not to do that. I am telling those that maybe are not as prone to exploring to understand that there are several places to choose from beyond chains, and to live it up in NYC while you can.
So moving on from those points and to add yet another point for discussion is the consideration of how frequently you dine out. Alot of people get lunch out everyday - of course it includes a Subway and Chipotle run. And tons of people order in from various establishments on Seamless web, or grab dinner out quite often. I think for those that pack a lunch more often, and save going out for an occasion, or even not an occasion, but just do not go out as frequently - I would advise making those meals special, and finding somewhere really unique to this city.
I think your comment highlights a final point - everyone is coming to NYC with a different background, and a different experience. I lived outside the city, and we enjoyed lots of meals in Manhattan, but also went to TGIF's and Pizzeria Uno. And so now that I am here, I feel satisfied that I have gotten my fill of TGIF's for life. But everyone has a different story, a different standard of food they are looking for, and different needs - and that is why I encourage all to e-mail me when you need a restaurant suggestion and tell me your background so I can cater to YOUR needs.
Have a delicious night!
NYCMenuGirl
When I want a quick, cheap lunch, I find that nothing beats street meat. Some people think the concept is gross, but I think it's great! And you can can usually get a gyro sandwich for $3.50 or $4, and chicken or lamb over rice for $5. It's a hot meal and it's delicious!
ReplyDeleteStreet meat! There are so many great NYC carts. Some of them even have websites. And yes, they are definitely cheap!
ReplyDeleteI will have to do a street meat cart tour one day, and I will let you know how it goes! Thanks for reminding us that indeed, you do not even have to step inside somewhere to find something great to eat in this city.