PR: Boombozz/Hurstbourne to switch to burgers

now will you all concede it's a chain?

Yeap. I hope there are no changes in the Louisville operations.

I've been lurking on the forum for over a year now, and I guess you could call this the thread that broke this particular camel's back.

You all seem like a nice bunch of people, truly, but sometimes I just don't understand your values, which appear firm on the outset but are really somewhat shaky when you peel back the layers and take a closer look. Some of you are so "anti" that you've lost track of what it is that you're actually against.

Many of you don't like chain businesses. Many of you don't like franchise operations. Most of you prefer to support local, independent businesses that support our economy (and by extension many of you tend to dislike those who come in from out of town to do their business here).

There's nothing wrong with any of that; y'all can spend your money however you please and are free to have whatever opinions you wish. What isn't so good is when you can't be consistent about your opinions. To those of you who support Tony but also claim to wholeheartedly support "independent" and "local" businesses, how do you reconcile the fact that Tony's company now operates in Indianapolis in conjunction with a business deal with Naptown Pizzerias, LLC? Tony BoomBozz is no longer independent. With eight stores set to open in the Indy area, Tony BoomBozz is no longer local.

I think it's nice to have strong community values, but what about the people who live in Indy and eat at these stores? If they had the same values, they wouldn't dare set foot in a single restaurant, because --- *gasp* --- some of their money would be going to a dude in Louisville, KY. The horror!

You can put all of the words and labels aside, but you can't go around and say you support a certain ideal, support someone who lives up to that ideal, but then turn a blind eye when they stop. It just looks foolish.

To everyone who continues to support Tony in his ventures (which absolutely includes myself!), rock on and keep buying his food. But if you're also going to post about how important it is that we stick with local stuff and how evil the chains are, then you need to hit the brakes and sort out exactly where you stand on the issues.

But really, in the end, politics and food don't mingle well. Now I'm off to get some pizza.

Related:
http://www.chainleader.com/article/CA66 ... l?nid=3453

Sean,
Not everyone on this forum is all anti-chain or all pro-local, there are representatives at both extremes and also many in the middle.

Personally, I prefer local spots. The main reason for me is that I feel I'm getting something prepared with more care (not an assembly line process) and almost always better tasting with higher quality ingredients. Basically, I go to locals the majority of the time because I feel I'm getting a better product and a better value. I wouldn't patronize a local spot just because they're local, if they're not good I'm not going back.

On the other hand, I'm not anti-chain. I patronize chain fast food places when I feel they are meeting a need that I need fulfilled. If I'm hungry and can get a double stack for .99 cents in under 2 minutes at the drive-thru, that is a service I sometimes need. Also, if I can get a large coffee at Mcd's for a buck that I think is pretty good then that's a decent value from my perspective.

I agree with you that sometimes folks on here seem kind of silly in their chain v non-chain discussions. That's one of the reasons when I found the Indy thing on the Boombozz website I thought I'd post it make things even more interesting

Anyway, welcome to the forum and feel free to throw in your 2 cents whenever you want.

Just to throw my two cents in the mix. I would venture to say that most ( and not most of the places mentioned on the forum) but most of the locallly owned places in louisville, use inferior products, off the shelf sauces, meats, etc... than the better chains. That is not to say that I don't support local places and all our cities wonderful quirky independents, Just saying that you have to go on a place to place quality test and though most are independent, we sure have our share of really bad local owned places that care nothing about the quality of food, and serve out of the can. I could name a few famous places in town, but do not wish to start any ill will. GO LOCAL but don't be closed to the decent chains. By the way we are doing high end catering now and look for a mention of us on the society page of the Voice for a review of one of our Christmas Parties.... Peace and Happy New Year.

I've been lurking on the forum for over a year now, and I guess you could call this the thread that broke this particular camel's back.

Some interesting points/comments Sean. It's hard to disagree with a lot of what you said, it's also hard to agree with everything you said. But that's cool. Glad to see you come out of lurker mode...Looking forward to reading more of your posts.

Just to throw my two cents in the mix. I would venture to say that most ( and not most of the places mentioned on the forum) but most of the locallly owned places in louisville, use inferior products, off the shelf sauces, meats, etc... than the better chains. That is not to say that I don't support local places and all our cities wonderful quirky independents, Just saying that you have to go on a place to place quality test and though most are independent, we sure have our share of really bad local owned places that care nothing about the quality of food, and serve out of the can. I could name a few famous places in town, but do not wish to start any ill will. GO LOCAL but don't be closed to the decent chains. By the way we are doing high end catering now and look for a mention of us on the society page of the Voice for a review of one of our Christmas Parties.... Peace and Happy New Year.

Huh..??

Huh..??

I think I can summarize Susanne's post like this: A restaurant's size or status --- whether it's a local place or a national chain --- doesn't necessarily dictate the quality of the ingredients they buy, their preparation skill, etc. Have an open mind and judge places with your tongue.

Huh..??

I think I can summarize Susanne's post like this: A restaurant's size or status --- whether it's a local place or a national chain --- doesn't necessarily dictate the quality of the ingredients they buy, their preparation skill, etc. Have an open mind and judge places with your tongue.

I am just reminded of visit Becky and I made to the very picturesque Mississippi River town of Redwing MN. It was January and we were down on the river photographing the hundreds of Bald Eagles that winter over in the area. For lunch we stopped into this quaint little local restaurant on Main Street and being the middle of the winter in MN I ordered what else...Chili. When the chili came out it was so horribly "semi-homemade" that it was comical. I am quite certain the recipe consisted of (in it's entirety) : 2 parts Campbell's Tomato soup, 1 part canned kidney beans and one part unseasoned ground beef. It was hilariously awful...I should have asked if Sandra Lee was in the kitchen.

I am just reminded of visit Becky and I made to the very picturesque Mississippi River town of Redwing MN. It was January and we were down on the river photographing the hundreds of Bald Eagles that winter over in the area. For lunch we stopped into this quaint little local restaurant on Main Street and being the middle of the winter in MN I ordered what else...Chili. When the chili came out it was so horribly "semi-homemade" that it was comical. I am quite certain the recipe consisted of (in it's entirety) : 2 parts Campbell's Tomato soup, 1 part canned kidney beans and one part unseasoned ground beef. It was hilariously awful...I should have asked if Sandra Lee was in the kitchen.

Steve-
I lived and worked in Redwing in the 1990's and the bald eagle population/concentration during winter is amazing. as you know, the birds congregate in the area since the Mississippi seldom freezes solid like the remainder of the river in that stretch ....nuclear power plants are enviro friendly afterall.
I hope your sad chili adventure wasn't at the Stags Head restaurant as I recall the food and beverage options were pretty damn good back then.
'Winger

The nerve of Tony!! How dare he decide to expand his OWN business with his OWN money without consulting the members of this forum. At times one would think that the 10 to 15 active persons on this site control the whole restaurant business in Louisville. Good luck Tony on your new business venture.

Good luck with the new venture, Tony. We'll try your burgers out when you are up and running.

I am just reminded of visit Becky and I made to the very picturesque Mississippi River town of Redwing MN. It was January and we were down on the river photographing the hundreds of Bald Eagles that winter over in the area. For lunch we stopped into this quaint little local restaurant on Main Street and being the middle of the winter in MN I ordered what else...Chili. When the chili came out it was so horribly "semi-homemade" that it was comical. I am quite certain the recipe consisted of (in it's entirety) : 2 parts Campbell's Tomato soup, 1 part canned kidney beans and one part unseasoned ground beef. It was hilariously awful...I should have asked if Sandra Lee was in the kitchen.

Steve-
I lived and worked in Redwing in the 1990's and the bald eagle population/concentration during winter is amazing. as you know, the birds congregate in the area since the Mississippi seldom freezes solid like the remainder of the river in that stretch ....nuclear power plants are enviro friendly afterall.
I hope your sad chili adventure wasn't at the Stags Head restaurant as I recall the food and beverage options were pretty damn good back then.
'Winger

Bill,

Now that I think about it, the restaurant was actually right down the road in Lake City. I can't recall the name of it, some kind of "Mariners" theme if my memory serves me. BTW, we counted over 300 Bald Eagles that day.

I have recently found out that Panera bread uses Creation Garden for their produce!

Nice!

At times one would think that the 10 to 15 active persons on this site control the whole restaurant business in Louisville.

While I can appreciate where you're coming from (some of us do tend to be a little "full of it" on occasion), I think it would be a mistake to discount the fact that this forum does have some influence on local dining habits (most of it positive).

To support this statement I'll toss out the recent thread on the "Chili Pot". Here we have a small restaurant tucked away in a part of town not particularly known for it's number of dining choices...The owner finds the forum and posts a little "give us a try" note. Soon the reviews start coming in and the next thing you know even ol' Marty from the CJ is hopping on the bandwagon (you don't actually believe he could have found the place on his own do you ?). The end result is that from all indications the place is doing quite well and a lot of the people rolling through the door are saying "I read about you on Hotbytes.

I have no doubt that there are restaurateurs in this city who loath the "10 or 15 active persons" on this forum...we can be an odd little lot at times...but there is no doubt in my mind that that at the same time many of them are thankful that this forum is around. I hope that someday many of the "lurkers" (which according to Robin account for about 90% of the visitors to this site) will come out of the weeds and actively participate. Until then I guess we'll have to be content with "10-15 active persons" pulling this train.

At times one would think that the 10 to 15 active persons on this site control the whole restaurant business in Louisville.

While I can appreciate where you're coming from (some of us do tend to be a little "full of it" on occasion), I think it would be a mistake to discount the fact that this forum does have some influence on local dining habits (most of it positive).

To support this statement I'll toss out the recent thread on the "Chili Pot". Here we have a small restaurant tucked away in a part of town not particularly known for it's number of dining choices...The owner finds the forum and posts a little "give us a try" note. Soon the reviews start coming in and the next thing you know even ol' Marty from the CJ is hopping on the bandwagon (you don't actually believe he could have found the place on his own do you ?). The end result is that from all indications the place is doing quite well and a lot of the people rolling through the door are saying "I read about you on Hotbytes.

I have no doubt that there are restaurateurs in this city who loath the "10 or 15 active persons" on this forum...we can be an odd little lot at times...but there is no doubt in my mind that that at the same time many of them are thankful that this forum is around. I hope that someday many of the "lurkers" (which according to Robin account for about 90% of the visitors to this site) will come out of the weeds and actively participate. Until then I guess we'll have to be content with "10-15 active persons" pulling this train.

Well said, Steve - and a great example of the power of this type of media.