Originally Posted by
YVR Cockroach
Someone posted a few years earlier that these low-end restaurants popped up to cater to people who would normally hardly ever eat out because it wasn't really in their budget. Their clientele was marginal (as in ability to afford eating out) at best and with this recession, the clientele ave traded down (or arguably up, for some) to home cooking.
The thing is that these places are no longer low-end, price-wise. The average family of 4 is going to get out of there for under $100, but often, not a lot less. If they bring in a coupon and don't order beverages, or skip the pie, there is no profit.
It costs a fortune to keep one of those restaurants open. The ones that closed immediately were probably the ones that had the worst leases, not the worst sales.
In any case, this is only one of the "mid range places that serves you frozen food off a SYSCO truck" that is going to fall. I don't even know what their pies are like anymore. But I enjoyed them 30+ years ago!