Food quality: getting worse by the day
Apr 26, 2016, 8:30 am
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: About 45 miles NW of MCO
Programs: Acapulco - Gold, Panama - Red, Timothy Leary 8 Mile High Club
Posts: 29,248
Are we confusing quantity with quality? I can still go to plenty of buffet restaurants and gorge myself on nothing but meat.
I suggest ordering chicken wings. I order a dozen, I get 12 and I haven't noticed that they're getting any smaller.
I suggest ordering chicken wings. I order a dozen, I get 12 and I haven't noticed that they're getting any smaller.
Apr 26, 2016, 9:01 am
#18
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: n.y.c.
Posts: 13,988
Apr 27, 2016, 9:23 am
#20
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,438
Is this just a couple restaurants, or do you feel like the overall culinary scene in Boston (assuming you're there...) is falling apart?
I feel like options where I live are actually getting better. Kansas City used to be a one-trick pony: barbecue. Now we have a wide variety of more modern, cosmopolitan choices that aren't centered around a huge hunk of smoked meat. We're not piling up Michelin stars yet, but a lot of national magazines are beginning to rate KC as a Top 20 (U.S.) type of food destination. Much of the credit goes to non-barbecue development. Quality here is light-years better than it was 20 years ago.
Of course we also have some restaurants that rest on their laurels. There are some older, widely-recognized barbecue places in town where quality is nowhere near what some newer places are doing. They bring people in because of name recognition only.
I feel like options where I live are actually getting better. Kansas City used to be a one-trick pony: barbecue. Now we have a wide variety of more modern, cosmopolitan choices that aren't centered around a huge hunk of smoked meat. We're not piling up Michelin stars yet, but a lot of national magazines are beginning to rate KC as a Top 20 (U.S.) type of food destination. Much of the credit goes to non-barbecue development. Quality here is light-years better than it was 20 years ago.
Of course we also have some restaurants that rest on their laurels. There are some older, widely-recognized barbecue places in town where quality is nowhere near what some newer places are doing. They bring people in because of name recognition only.
As to the OP, I think it would be helpful to identify the specific restaurants or chains in question. There are some American chains I don't think are bad at all (Cheesecake Factory, for one), and some that are awful (On the Border). I would think it would be hard to extrapolate that food in general is getting worse without narrowing down the types of places first.
Apr 27, 2016, 9:53 am
#21
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Madison, AL
Posts: 195
The quality of the food at most of the major chain restaurants has been in a gradual decline for several years. I think it is a combination of making the product with less expensive and lesser quality products combined with ingredients and preservation methods that allow the food to be precooked and kept for weeks before being delivered and served at the restaurant. Most of those type places do not have real cooks any more. The only preparation is heating the precooked food by boiling a bag in hot water, or heating it in a microwave or convection oven. Unfortunately, the costs to the restaurants that still use fresh and quality ingredients and have real chefs make it very difficult to compete with the chain restaurants on the price of a meal and those places then start having to find ways to make the meal less expensive, usually resulting in a decrease in the quality.
Another partial reason for the change is the staggering amount of state and local laws that make it extremely difficult and expensive to prepare food on site. In some locations, is almost impossible and the food has to be prepared in a large commercial type kitchen someplace else and shipped to the restaurant.
Another partial reason for the change is the staggering amount of state and local laws that make it extremely difficult and expensive to prepare food on site. In some locations, is almost impossible and the food has to be prepared in a large commercial type kitchen someplace else and shipped to the restaurant.
Apr 27, 2016, 10:25 am
#22
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Gold 1MM, AS MVP, UA Silver, WN A-List, Marriott LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 52,575
At least in 2016 you can select organic, locavore, or just well-regarded local restaurants with a reputation for using excellent ingredients and preparing creative dishes.
The Chilis of the world may be gradually getting worse, but we are no longer beholden to Chilis! @:-) If we traded a slight decrease in quality at chains for an increase in breadth and creativity of startups, I'm kind of okay with it.
Apr 27, 2016, 10:39 am
#23
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London & Sonoma CA
Programs: UA 1K, MM *G for life, BAEC Gold
Posts: 10,225
Another partial reason for the change is the staggering amount of state and local laws that make it extremely difficult and expensive to prepare food on site. In some locations, is almost impossible and the food has to be prepared in a large commercial type kitchen someplace else and shipped to the restaurant.
Apr 27, 2016, 11:00 am
#24
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
when diners / consumers / buyers / etc accept it... and not just in US. i think dining cultures in france and japan are pretty unique.
lhrsfo, dont forget / leave out many other interests, including but not limited to: government, those who lobby the government to either benefit themselves or have the government negatively impact their competitors, those who contract with the government
lhrsfo, dont forget / leave out many other interests, including but not limited to: government, those who lobby the government to either benefit themselves or have the government negatively impact their competitors, those who contract with the government
Last edited by Kagehitokiri; Apr 27, 2016 at 11:12 am
Apr 27, 2016, 12:49 pm
#25
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Gold 1MM, AS MVP, UA Silver, WN A-List, Marriott LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 52,575
It'd be interesting to break this down a bit further.
If you live in a city that has quite a few Michelin stars, have the restaurants in that class gotten better or worse over time?
If you live in a city that has a vibrant streetfood or food truck scene, has that level of eatery gotten better or worse?
Have your mom & pop sidewalk cafes gotten better or worse?
(Not exactly food...
) how has your local craft brew, wine, or cocktail scene evolved?
And finally: what about just access to good fresh groceries, farmer's markets, local meats, etc.?
My $0.02 is that things have improved over time across most categories...only thing I can't really comment on is the Michelin star level. (Michelin won't give my favorite burnt-ends shack any stars...total hose job.
)
If you live in a city that has quite a few Michelin stars, have the restaurants in that class gotten better or worse over time?
If you live in a city that has a vibrant streetfood or food truck scene, has that level of eatery gotten better or worse?
Have your mom & pop sidewalk cafes gotten better or worse?
(Not exactly food...
) how has your local craft brew, wine, or cocktail scene evolved?And finally: what about just access to good fresh groceries, farmer's markets, local meats, etc.?
My $0.02 is that things have improved over time across most categories...only thing I can't really comment on is the Michelin star level. (Michelin won't give my favorite burnt-ends shack any stars...total hose job.
)
Apr 28, 2016, 4:13 am
#26
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,438
It'd be interesting to break this down a bit further.
If you live in a city that has quite a few Michelin stars, have the restaurants in that class gotten better or worse over time?
If you live in a city that has a vibrant streetfood or food truck scene, has that level of eatery gotten better or worse?
Have your mom & pop sidewalk cafes gotten better or worse?
(Not exactly food... ) how has your local craft brew, wine, or cocktail scene evolved?
And finally: what about just access to good fresh groceries, farmer's markets, local meats, etc.?
My $0.02 is that things have improved over time across most categories...only thing I can't really comment on is the Michelin star level. (Michelin won't give my favorite burnt-ends shack any stars...total hose job.)
If you live in a city that has quite a few Michelin stars, have the restaurants in that class gotten better or worse over time?
If you live in a city that has a vibrant streetfood or food truck scene, has that level of eatery gotten better or worse?
Have your mom & pop sidewalk cafes gotten better or worse?
(Not exactly food...
) how has your local craft brew, wine, or cocktail scene evolved?And finally: what about just access to good fresh groceries, farmer's markets, local meats, etc.?
My $0.02 is that things have improved over time across most categories...only thing I can't really comment on is the Michelin star level. (Michelin won't give my favorite burnt-ends shack any stars...total hose job.
)Don't know what constitutes the lowest of the low end, but my recent meals at some American places haven't been bad at all, utterly defying my expectations that I would probably get crap.
One example - a place called Molly's Kitchen near the Anaheim Convention Center. Just a non-descript restaurant in a nearby hotel (think it might have been the Best Western, don't remember) and I was expecting an enormous, American-sized portion of mediocre food. Couldn't have been more surprised - it was a normal sized portion, tasted fine, and the service was excellent.