The Illogicalness of Some Businesses
Feb. 20th, 2025 05:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nyykiBack in the annuls of time, it being spring break in the seventh year of the seventh decade of the nineteenth century of the Common Era, I had two major experiences on the same day. My dad and step-monster took me and my brother to Northpark 1 &2 to see the film everyone in school was talking about, Star Wars. After that, which was the first showing of the day, they took us to a place that was growing in popularity – we waited in line in a hallway at what was before a barbecue place and many things before that, because its location at Greenville Avenue and Meadow Road wasn’t a prime spot, and I was shown the greatness that was the only location of Chili’s. The menu was simple – their burger was the Oldtimer, with or without cheese, a chili burger called the Chili’s Trip, a burger with all the fixings and chili called the Terlingua Pride, a basket of hand cut fries, a bowl of chili, or their soft tacos. It was also inexpensive too, and it was crazy busy. I watched and purchased their wares many times, first reveling in the Addison location so we wouldn’t have to drive so far, then followed as their menu expanded (still miss their burger called the Alpine), the spread of the gourmet burger concept expanded out, and also saw things like the original location having to be demolished because of the expansion of Greenville from two lane asphalt to a proper divided roadway with curbs and drainage and much later the closing of that location completely.
The first to go were the handcut fries, and that was a minor loss. I didn’t notice exactly when the soft tacos went away. And they developed this tendency to shuffle their menu, which is fine I guess for folks who like a lot of novelty, but not so much useful when I wanted the classics.
My roommate went there today to grab us lunch. They do a thing called “Three for Me” that consists of an entrée, an appetizer, and a drink. My recent go-to from that menu is their “Just Bacon” burger, which isn’t just bacon because it has cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, condiments, and I think maybe onions, their bowl of chili which costs a buck extra, and a drink, my recent go-to being two parts sweet and sour to one part club soda. Imagine my surprise when my roommate called me to tell me they didn’t serve chili anymore.
In one fell swoop they took out three of their historic menu items. The enchilada soup I had was decent, but it didn’t have the level of stick-to-itness of a nice bowl of beefy chili with some cheese and tortilla strips.
And what’s the point of being called Chili’s when they don’t sell it? I know in the big scheme of things this is a minor deal and definitely FWP, but still, the logical disjunction about it is sort of staggering.
The first to go were the handcut fries, and that was a minor loss. I didn’t notice exactly when the soft tacos went away. And they developed this tendency to shuffle their menu, which is fine I guess for folks who like a lot of novelty, but not so much useful when I wanted the classics.
My roommate went there today to grab us lunch. They do a thing called “Three for Me” that consists of an entrée, an appetizer, and a drink. My recent go-to from that menu is their “Just Bacon” burger, which isn’t just bacon because it has cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, condiments, and I think maybe onions, their bowl of chili which costs a buck extra, and a drink, my recent go-to being two parts sweet and sour to one part club soda. Imagine my surprise when my roommate called me to tell me they didn’t serve chili anymore.
In one fell swoop they took out three of their historic menu items. The enchilada soup I had was decent, but it didn’t have the level of stick-to-itness of a nice bowl of beefy chili with some cheese and tortilla strips.
And what’s the point of being called Chili’s when they don’t sell it? I know in the big scheme of things this is a minor deal and definitely FWP, but still, the logical disjunction about it is sort of staggering.
no subject
Date: 2025-02-22 03:51 am (UTC)So many great places have closed. I was hoping to make it back to The Last Blackeyed Pea at some point, too. I miss Judge Beans (also formerly down the street from White Water/Wet N Wild) the Greenville Snuffers, and the original Addison TGI Fridays.
no subject
Date: 2025-02-22 04:37 am (UTC)Yeah, the plague pretty much put a nail in the coffin for Barbec's. It sucks, because I can't get what was called either "Barry's Special" or "Puppy Chow" by the staff -- hashed browns with cheese and onions mixed with two scrambled eggs and corned beef hash -- add a couple of their biscuits and it's enough energy to do heavy labor for the rest of a day. There's been a move by CVS to put a location there, but the city's balking because they don't think the intersection can handle having a drive-thru there.
I miss Judge Bean's -- the last one I knew of was replaced by Taste of Texas over on Beltline in Irving. Snuffer's is still mostly Snuffer's, though they don't use as much garlic salt on their burgers anymore. Still, their cheddar fries are a gooey basket of awesomeness.
It doesn't help that I live in a sort of food desert, and the closest Greek and Indian places are a ways away, which can be a problem because for some reason DPS and TxDot get kind of horsey if I try to drive anywhere -- damned ableists (and forget me getting to fly a plane or even a helicopter).