The only determining factor today is cleanliness. The food at most places, if they are managed halfway decently, is usually good. But too many places let their restaurants get older and a bit dingy looking. I’m usually forgiving because I like tasty food and don’t really worry about if the carpet is not as vibrant as it used to be. Applebees is the worst at this. My wife? Won’t go back. She’s not alone. And Darden is not universally the worst. It depends on local management. When I lived in Woodstock GA, all of the Darden places were spotless and always full. The only chain casualties there were Ruby Tuesday and OCharley. And they let those places get rundown thinking people would come anyway. They didn’t. Keep it clean and fresh, and people will continue to come. I’m not sure why it’s so hard for some places to figure out.

Dave and busters is fun, has great marketing, sports on TVs and a bar. And they always seem to be changing up things inside. Overpriced as shit though. But it’s enough to survive.

Also, quote function 1, k 0

A piece from an article in 2023.  Not Fox News.

DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) - O’Charley’s closed its Dothan location Sunday, a sign on its door confirms.

The message gave no reason, but the Nashville-based restaurant chain has scaled back dozens of locations in the past few years.

Those closures come as experts point to decreased casual restaurant traffic, increased competition, and labor issues.

O’Charley’s is not the only restaurant of its kind to close in Dothan, so have TGI Fridays and Ruby Tuesday in recent years and, before, Hooter’s failed to make it.

Decreased casual restaurant traffic.  Can be due to a lot of things. You could point to pricing, but that's not limited in any way to the sit down dining chains.  It costs too much at Wendy's, Five Guys and just about anywhere you want to eat.

Increased competition.  See my post above.  We have well over 300 restaurants in Dothan, which is about 100 too many.  Many restaurants, including big chains, will close because the population here simply won't support it.

Labor issues.  Has anybody been paying attention lately? We've gotten to the point where just filling out a staff has become a near impossibility.  And the work ethic of those willing, or having to work, has deteriorated so much, it's sometimes better to not even have them

Here at our firm, we've been going through years of constant turnover.  Don't get me started with the lack of character and work ethic of those that have come and gone.

The article above mentioned Hooters closing here.  Sad day, but that place has been gone so long, the building is falling in.  There are still numerous big chain restaurants here that seem to be thriving.  I still maintain that if you bust ass to make the dining experience enjoyable, you'll succeed.

It's a value thing. No one wants to wait, spend that amount of time and pay for that return from a full service place. Food is average, overpriced, service is awful, and it sounds like a small thing but im with K - the insides are dingy as shit now.

Quick Service is a different animal because it's gonna be quicker, cheaper and more convenient. Even at their worst, it's not much time or money lost. Low risk low reward. I am just not going to waste 50-70 mins of my life shaking my head at Applebees or TGIF wishing I had not walked in the door. I think that is where everyone is.

FSRs got way too saturated into cities when economic booms happened, mostly driven by their owners as Wes mentioned. Thats great as long as the labor market is good and people want to spend money like there is no tomorrow. But eventually people get tired of that, especially when economic times get more uncertain. You're seeing that perfect storm right now - bad economy/spending power, crappy restaurants, oversaturation, poor mgt form the top.

A piece from an article in 2023.  Not Fox News.

DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) - O’Charley’s closed its Dothan location Sunday, a sign on its door confirms.

The message gave no reason, but the Nashville-based restaurant chain has scaled back dozens of locations in the past few years.

Those closures come as experts point to decreased casual restaurant traffic, increased competition, and labor issues.

O’Charley’s is not the only restaurant of its kind to close in Dothan, so have TGI Fridays and Ruby Tuesday in recent years and, before, Hooter’s failed to make it.

Decreased casual restaurant traffic.  Can be due to a lot of things. You could point to pricing, but that's not limited in any way to the sit down dining chains.  It costs too much at Wendy's, Five Guys and just about anywhere you want to eat.

Increased competition.  See my post above.  We have well over 300 restaurants in Dothan, which is about 100 too many.  Many restaurants, including big chains, will close because the population here simply won't support it.

Labor issues.  Has anybody been paying attention lately? We've gotten to the point where just filling out a staff has become a near impossibility.  And the work ethic of those willing, or having to work, has deteriorated so much, it's sometimes better to not even have them

Here at our firm, we've been going through years of constant turnover.  Don't get me started with the lack of character and work ethic of those that have come and gone.

The article above mentioned Hooters closing here.  Sad day, but that place has been gone so long, the building is falling in.  There are still numerous big chain restaurants here that seem to be thriving.  I still maintain that if you bust ass to make the dining experience enjoyable, you'll succeed.   

The first problem is that he doesn’t know what in the fuck he’s talking about, no matter what the subject is.

He tries to act like he’s an authority on Dothan. I was born in Dothan and by God still pay taxes in Dothan. I know a lot of people in Dothan and all kidding aside, they have no idea who he is.

Other than the cable acces advertisements that air at 3 a.m. for people inside the circle, he is relatively unknown outside of his immediate family.

I recommend going to Carey and Hamner Google reviews and stating just how fucked up someone’s representation will be if they hook up with them. Just because they are cheap is not a good reason to sign up with these motherfuckers. I recommend stating this very clearly. But maybe leave the motherfuckers off of the end.

well......damn