Chains To Abide

[Robin Garr]

Friche's

Is this a chain I've never heard of, or do you mean "Frisch's"?

J Gumbo's has a pretty sizeable regional footprint. I have no idea how many outlets they actually have, but I think it's on the upside of 20+. How many do you guys have Ronnie?

Thats one of the reasons I like them so much is the product is consistently good whether I get it here or Columbus, OH. I wholly think that's due to the cental kitchen that Ronnie heads up in Butchertown.

We have 35 restaurants right now (which is pretty staggering, honestly). We are mostly in the Ohio, KY, IN area, but we are starting to spread out a bit. But we still cook everything right here on Washington Street the exact same way we cooked it 8 years ago when we were Gumbo A Go-Go. We learned that lesson very early on the hard way.

That said, it's really hard to conceptualize us a chain. All of our restaurants are independently owned and operated. It's more like we are a group of small businesses that all sell the same food. I dunno, maybe that's a "chain."

Thanks for the nod, Dan.

I never knew that. Ive been here in Louisville five years now and havent tried J. Gumbo's. I will make sure to go by one this weekend!

Friche's

Is this a chain I've never heard of, or do you mean "Frisch's"?

Yes. That's it. Spelling be damned. Not really feeling like myself today, as I really try to avoid the grammar and spelling police that patrol here from time to time.

Chipotle- I hate Qdoba and expected this to be on par with them. I was shocked that not only was it tolerable, it was actually really good.

Hooters- although the only thing I like there are the naked wings. Even their sides are horrible. But I can't stay away from the wings.

Cracker Barrel- I know. I know. Hangs head in shame.

Mr. Gatti's- okay, I'm pining away for the Mr. Gatti's of my youth. Not Gattiland or their buffet. But the actual Gatti's that were in every neighborhood of the city when I was a kid in the 80's, with those fugly brown tables, the sit-down Ms.Pacman arcade game, waiting for your order number to flash on the TV screen, with a pitcher of beer for the adults and a pitcher of Coke for the kids, and the best pizza I've ever eaten in my life. Gatti's is the only pizza I ever liked. I still occasionally order a carry-out from there but it's just not the same.

Mimis I went there a couple times many years ago, found it to be Bob Evans with more parsley garnish...went there with a friend yesterday expecting the same. They have completely redesigned the menu. http://www.mimiscafe.com/Lunch.aspx Apparently Bob Evans sold the chain to Le Duff and they have frenchified the menu. Sort of. I trotted over to the Facebook page and the blue hairs I associate with Mimi's are ferklempt, so that maybe is a good sign. I got the Le French Quarter burger. It's a patty melt, but a very tasty patty melt with avocados and flavorful extras. The onion straws on the side were spectacular. My dining buddy got a Bleu Cheese, Walnut & Strawberry Salade and declared it delish. Nothing on this menu is really French, a lot of it is the old Mimi's food with a new name, but it was actually good. Yes, I just said that out loud.

I frequent:

Chipotle - one of my all-time favorites
P.F. Chang's - A big favorite of my wife's
Panera Bread - Go-to quick lunch on a Sunday afternoon
Lee's Chicken - only place I know of in Louisville to get gizzards
Five Guys - you can find betters burgers at some spots, and better fries at others, but IMO it's hard to find another shop that does both better.
Taco Bell - my when-the-wife's-not-around guilty pleasure. It's not Mexican, it's Taco Bell.
Chick-Fil-A - chicken, breaded in crack, fried in ambrosia. I'd pay two or three times what they charge for it.

As for chains I wish we had here...I can't think of any at the moment. Chipotle and Five Guys were at the top of the list when we moved here six years ago, but now that those have come, I'm a pretty happy camper. Maybe Pei Wei? It's a counter-service version of P.F. Chang's, owned by the same company. It's not bad.

Chuy's. When I want some cheap mexican food I used to go the el caporal sol aztecas places but chuy's does it WAY better and for a better price. I haven't been to the el tarasco sol aztecas places since.

Mimis They have completely redesigned the menu. http://www.mimiscafe.com/Lunch.aspx Apparently Bob Evans sold the chain to Le Duff and they have frenchified the menu.

There's just something wrong with a Fast Casual French restaurant! The word Fast does not exist in France as far as anything doing with food goes.

One chain I would love to see here is Jim & Nicks. They are very, very good at what they do.
http://www.jimnnicks.com
Looking forward to a visit at the Germantown Pkwy location while visiting the Rents next week in Memphis.

[Robin Garr]

Maybe Pei Wei? It's a counter-service version of P.F. Chang's, owned by the same company. It's not bad.

Jeff, how would you compare Pei Wei with Yang Kee Noodle at Oxmoor, if you've been there? I've long suspected that Yang Kee is a Pei Wei knockoff, although with a local indie ethos, which is a good thing ...

I would say Pei Wei is really good, but not as good as my beloved Yang Kee Noodle. I don't know which came first, but I will always hit up a PW if I am in a town that has one. I would not frequent one here, though, since YKN is King!


Doug,

We'd love to have you. My location at UL is closed Saturday for a private Christmas party, but will be open Sunday (12.22) 11am-11pm. You may want to call ahead at the other locations to check their hours this weekend.

Thanks

Ronnie

Mimis They have completely redesigned the menu. http://www.mimiscafe.com/Lunch.aspx Apparently Bob Evans sold the chain to Le Duff and they have frenchified the menu.

There's just something wrong with a Fast Casual French restaurant! The word Fast does not exist in France as far as anything doing with food goes.

Fast food and convenience food are starting to conquer France as well.

Maybe Pei Wei? It's a counter-service version of P.F. Chang's, owned by the same company. It's not bad.

Jeff, how would you compare Pei Wei with Yang Kee Noodle at Oxmoor, if you've been there? I've long suspected that Yang Kee is a Pei Wei knockoff, although with a local indie ethos, which is a good thing ...

I'd say they're similar. YKN may be a bit better, though I haven't tried more than two or three items on the menu at either place. IMO, YKN's big disadvantage is that it's in a mall. I'm in the mood for Asian food far more often than I'm in the mood to deal with getting in and out of a mall. If Pei Wei located somewhere not-in-a-mall, it'd get my business on the strength of that alone.

[Robin Garr]

I'd say they're similar. YKN may be a bit better, though I haven't tried more than two or three items on the menu at either place. IMO, YKN's big disadvantage is that it's in a mall. I'm in the mood for Asian food far more often than I'm in the mood to deal with getting in and out of a mall. If Pei Wei located somewhere not-in-a-mall, it'd get my business on the strength of that alone.

Thanks for the analysis, Jeff. I do like Yang Kee, so that may be a factor in my willingness to endure some mall traffic in order to go there. In my mind, it's an advantage that Yang Kee is not only near an entrance but also has its own entrance and is very close to the center of the mall, so you can zip in to Oxmoor from either end, park pretty close, and go to the restaurant without any need for a half-mile walk through the mall.

Of course, it's also quite close to the Apple Store, which sometimes requires a pilgrimage.

Fast food and convenience food are starting to conquer France as well.

Interesting article Charles, the average length of lunch has certainly dropped considerably from when I lived there! I can't imagine them having lunch like that anymore. We used to regularly have a 4 course lunch with a bottle of wine. It made the afternoon go very slowly but....