PostJul 13, 2021#3026
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A fast food chicken joint isn't going to really excite anybody here, but I do think that's a small win.
Downtown needs more of this, like it or not. Still waiting for a Chipotle/Qdoba. I didn't think downtown would be in play for a Chik-fil-a, but that'd be a great option for downtown workers and out-of-towners with unadventurous taste.
Downtown needs more of this, like it or not. Still waiting for a Chipotle/Qdoba. I didn't think downtown would be in play for a Chik-fil-a, but that'd be a great option for downtown workers and out-of-towners with unadventurous taste.
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KFC will be fine. It's not exciting, but their food is fine and it will be useful. Better than C**** Fil A any day of the week. Better food. Better prices. Less bull crap.
Dear Lord.dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑Jul 13, 2021"Chick Fil A looked at it but single lane drive thru wasn’t enough for them"
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KFC is really only good in countries other than America, to be honest.
Still waiting on Zaxby's and Bojangles to enter STL, since they're far better than CFA any day of the week. I'd franchise them myself if I had the finances.
Still waiting on Zaxby's and Bojangles to enter STL, since they're far better than CFA any day of the week. I'd franchise them myself if I had the finances.
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Say what you will about the urban aspects of this decision, but it is correct. Any Chick-Fil-A during dinner rush has at least 25 cars in line, and that's even with them moving the line pretty fast. If they moved into that space there would be a constant clusterf*** of cars outside that garage entrance all the time.
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Bigger issue is the location of the Smoothie King drive thru lane - my very poor illustration shows the inside of the Park Pacific Garage
as you can see drivers enter from olive and line up straight to go down to Smoothie King (exit to Pine) but at times the line for SK is very long and even spills to Olive
and the drive thru for other store front also comes in from Olive and makes a left and gets out on tucker. so if you have a very high volume place like Chick Fil A, it can get messy
as you can see drivers enter from olive and line up straight to go down to Smoothie King (exit to Pine) but at times the line for SK is very long and even spills to Olive
and the drive thru for other store front also comes in from Olive and makes a left and gets out on tucker. so if you have a very high volume place like Chick Fil A, it can get messy
Agreed. My youngest works at Chick Fil A, it’s nonstop madness even though they churn them through quickly.GoHarvOrGoHome wrote: ↑Jul 14, 2021Say what you will about the urban aspects of this decision, but it is correct. Any Chick-Fil-A during dinner rush has at least 25 cars in line, and that's even with them moving the line pretty fast. If they moved into that space there would be a constant clusterf*** of cars outside that garage entrance all the time.
Any idea where this exhausts? When I lived above a jimmy johns our back stairwell seemed to smell of yeast/ bread which was kinda nice but a garage smelling of grease….. I don’t know bout that 
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Not sure where the vent is, I assume on Olive side because of the other end where Papa Johns is at theirs exhausts on the sidewalk at Pine and you can smell it
The bigger chains include expensive exhaust handling equipment that eliminates smoke or grease odors, which also eliminates most of the pleasant odors as well, because many municipalities require it.imran wrote: ↑Jul 14, 2021Any idea where this exhausts? When I lived above a jimmy johns our back stairwell seemed to smell of yeast/ bread which was kinda nice but a garage smelling of grease….. I don’t know bout that
So what's that food smell when you drive by a chain restaurant you ask? In many cases, the answer is, it's artificial... Yes, they actually pump out fake food scents.
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Did you forget to use bluefont? Ill take a KFC, but a CFA would be chosen by about 6-7 out of 10 people. Plus they run their restaurants like well oiled machines.symphonicpoet wrote: ↑Jul 14, 2021KFC will be fine. It's not exciting, but their food is fine and it will be useful. Better than C**** Fil A any day of the week. Better food. Better prices. Less bull crap.
CFA and Portillo's are about the 2 most well oiled fast food shops around. And generate huge sales. For that reason, why cant STL get a Portillo's? The enormous numbers of Chicagoans and Illinoisans alone would make it profitable.
I've been saying the same thing for years regarding a Portillo's in STL. Same goes for Imo's in Chicago. Both would kill it just due to relo's.pappysoulard wrote: ↑Jul 15, 2021Did you forget to use bluefont? Ill take a KFC, but a CFA would be chosen by about 6-7 out of 10 people. Plus they run their restaurants like well oiled machines.symphonicpoet wrote: ↑Jul 14, 2021KFC will be fine. It's not exciting, but their food is fine and it will be useful. Better than C**** Fil A any day of the week. Better food. Better prices. Less bull crap.
CFA and Portillo's are about the 2 most well oiled fast food shops around. And generate huge sales. For that reason, why cant STL get a Portillo's? The enormous numbers of Chicagoans and Illinoisans alone would make it profitable.
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I could see Portillo's eventually open one or two over on the east side of the river. Maybe one in Edwardsville and one in Belleville or O'Fallon. The next closest store is Springfield, IL, so they have been slowly working their way down I-55.
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Admittedly, I have 0 experience in the fast food/restaurant business, but I would never suggest Portillo's is well-run (from a consumer's perspective):pappysoulard wrote: ↑Jul 15, 2021CFA and Portillo's are about the 2 most well oiled fast food shops around.symphonicpoet wrote: ↑Jul 14, 2021KFC will be fine. It's not exciting, but their food is fine and it will be useful. Better than C**** Fil A any day of the week. Better food. Better prices. Less bull crap.
- It takes forever to get your order - especially considering a bulk of their orders are probably a 1 or 2 ingredient sandwich
- There always appears to be extra staff standing around doing nothing
- The pickup window is beyond stupid - just creates a mass gathering of unorganized customers waiting to barely hear their numbers being called
- No self serve refills (pre-pandemic)
- Location by me is 50's themed - can't stand the soundtrack they play LOUDLY
- In-house dining orders are still put in a plastic bag on a tray - just wasteful
- Seemingly antiquated drive-through ordering system, especially since my location is ~2 years old
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I would think their first store would go either to Chesterfield Valley or Brentwood, given the enormous amount of traffic.Laife Fulk wrote: ↑Jul 16, 2021I could see Portillo's eventually open one or two over on the east side of the river. Maybe one in Edwardsville and one in Belleville or O'Fallon. The next closest store is Springfield, IL, so they have been slowly working their way down I-55.
You can't assign what happens at the downtown Chicago Ontario Street location to all Portillos. Yes, that one has all of the things going on that you described (and more): but it's an extremely busy tourist trap filled with out of towners mixed with locals and nearby workers. I also can't imagine the volume they move through there. Other Portillos aren't the madness that location is.Bart Harley Jarvis wrote: ↑Jul 16, 2021Admittedly, I have 0 experience in the fast food/restaurant business, but I would never suggest Portillo's is well-run (from a consumer's perspective):pappysoulard wrote: ↑Jul 15, 2021CFA and Portillo's are about the 2 most well oiled fast food shops around.symphonicpoet wrote: ↑Jul 14, 2021KFC will be fine. It's not exciting, but their food is fine and it will be useful. Better than C**** Fil A any day of the week. Better food. Better prices. Less bull crap.
- It takes forever to get your order - especially considering a bulk of their orders are probably a 1 or 2 ingredient sandwich
- There always appears to be extra staff standing around doing nothing
- The pickup window is beyond stupid - just creates a mass gathering of unorganized customers waiting to barely hear their numbers being called
- No self serve refills (pre-pandemic)
- Location by me is 50's themed - can't stand the soundtrack they play LOUDLY
- In-house dining orders are still put in a plastic bag on a tray - just wasteful
- Seemingly antiquated drive-through ordering system, especially since my location is ~2 years old
I agree that Portillos would do great down here. I've always said that Lou Malnattis or Giordanos would make a killing down here if they placed 2, 3 or 4 locations in the right place. 1 metro east, 1 downtown, CWE or mid county, 1 in Chesterfield/St. Charles. IIRC Malanttis even lists St. Louis as an opportunity on their franchise region page.
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Not sure why you assumed the "location by me" is the River North one. It's not. Davenport, IA. And the issues I mentioned I've noticed at all of the locations I've visited (maybe 5 different locations?)dweebe wrote: ↑Jul 16, 2021You can't assign what happens at the downtown Chicago Ontario Street location to all Portillos. Yes, that one has all of the things going on that you described (and more): but it's an extremely busy tourist trap filled with out of towners mixed with locals and nearby workers. I also can't imagine the volume they move through there. Other Portillos aren't the madness that location is.Bart Harley Jarvis wrote: ↑Jul 16, 2021Admittedly, I have 0 experience in the fast food/restaurant business, but I would never suggest Portillo's is well-run (from a consumer's perspective):pappysoulard wrote: ↑Jul 15, 2021CFA and Portillo's are about the 2 most well oiled fast food shops around.
- It takes forever to get your order - especially considering a bulk of their orders are probably a 1 or 2 ingredient sandwich
- There always appears to be extra staff standing around doing nothing
- The pickup window is beyond stupid - just creates a mass gathering of unorganized customers waiting to barely hear their numbers being called
- No self serve refills (pre-pandemic)
- Location by me is 50's themed - can't stand the soundtrack they play LOUDLY
- In-house dining orders are still put in a plastic bag on a tray - just wasteful
- Seemingly antiquated drive-through ordering system, especially since my location is ~2 years old
I apologize and did not mean to make you angry.Bart Harley Jarvis wrote: ↑Jul 16, 2021Not sure why you assumed the "location by me" is the River North one. It's not. Davenport, IA. And the issues I mentioned I've noticed at all of the locations I've visited (maybe 5 different locations?)dweebe wrote: ↑Jul 16, 2021You can't assign what happens at the downtown Chicago Ontario Street location to all Portillos. Yes, that one has all of the things going on that you described (and more): but it's an extremely busy tourist trap filled with out of towners mixed with locals and nearby workers. I also can't imagine the volume they move through there. Other Portillos aren't the madness that location is.Bart Harley Jarvis wrote: ↑Jul 16, 2021Admittedly, I have 0 experience in the fast food/restaurant business, but I would never suggest Portillo's is well-run (from a consumer's perspective):
- It takes forever to get your order - especially considering a bulk of their orders are probably a 1 or 2 ingredient sandwich
- There always appears to be extra staff standing around doing nothing
- The pickup window is beyond stupid - just creates a mass gathering of unorganized customers waiting to barely hear their numbers being called
- No self serve refills (pre-pandemic)
- Location by me is 50's themed - can't stand the soundtrack they play LOUDLY
- In-house dining orders are still put in a plastic bag on a tray - just wasteful
- Seemingly antiquated drive-through ordering system, especially since my location is ~2 years old
The RIver North Portillos location is a disaster. I think part of the problem is their kitchen is way too small for that facility. I'm not saying they don't have their problems and need an outsider to streamline their ops. But the newer Springfield Il and one I've been to in Tampa seems to be better.
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I will say taking forever is not my experience with Portillo's. Hell even their drive-thru in River North goes fast considering the amount served and that includes inside. I mean they have 3 lines usually running back to the entrance. I will concede the order pickup can get clustered but again, Ive never waited more than 10 or so mins after order placement.Bart Harley Jarvis wrote: ↑Jul 16, 2021Admittedly, I have 0 experience in the fast food/restaurant business, but I would never suggest Portillo's is well-run (from a consumer's perspective):pappysoulard wrote: ↑Jul 15, 2021CFA and Portillo's are about the 2 most well oiled fast food shops around.symphonicpoet wrote: ↑Jul 14, 2021KFC will be fine. It's not exciting, but their food is fine and it will be useful. Better than C**** Fil A any day of the week. Better food. Better prices. Less bull crap.
- It takes forever to get your order - especially considering a bulk of their orders are probably a 1 or 2 ingredient sandwich
- There always appears to be extra staff standing around doing nothing
- The pickup window is beyond stupid - just creates a mass gathering of unorganized customers waiting to barely hear their numbers being called
- No self serve refills (pre-pandemic)
- Location by me is 50's themed - can't stand the soundtrack they play LOUDLY
- In-house dining orders are still put in a plastic bag on a tray - just wasteful
- Seemingly antiquated drive-through ordering system, especially since my location is ~2 years old
Cant comment on the Davenport location, but the drive-thru in River North churns through a crazy number of people. And I have never seen the place dirty, or employees standing around when it was busy. In fact, I would say their assembly line behind the counter is always busting their ass.
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I was in Springfield, IL about a month ago and noticed that Portillos.
It really would be cool if we could get some more Chicago staples down here in St. Louis. Portillo's, Lou Malnati's, stuff like that.
It really would be cool if we could get some more Chicago staples down here in St. Louis. Portillo's, Lou Malnati's, stuff like that.
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Looks like the old Dubliner space is getting a gut job. Don’t think they have found a tenant though.
There is a tenant-- relocating and expanding pretty significantly. I'm not authorized to disclose much more right now, but I'm pretty sure people will be excited about it.GoHarvOrGoHome wrote: ↑Jul 21, 2021Looks like the old Dubliner space is getting a gut job. Don’t think they have found a tenant though.
you had my curiosity but now you have my attentionKingb4 wrote: ↑Jul 22, 2021There is a tenant-- relocating and expanding pretty significantly. I'm not authorized to disclose much more right now, but I'm pretty sure people will be excited about it.GoHarvOrGoHome wrote: ↑Jul 21, 2021Looks like the old Dubliner space is getting a gut job. Don’t think they have found a tenant though.