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Defunct burger franchises

Posted in Uncategorized by Administrator on the January 4th, 2006

After reading this guy’s web page, I got to thinking about why a number of franchise fast food joints have disappeared (what the rail-fan crowd would call “fallen flags”). One could, I suppose, write a marketing master’s thesis on this subject that could get quite thick, with reams of footnotes. I’m going to skip the deep research and simply present my favorite crank theories on the subject.
The ones I think of in Illinois were Burger Chef, Sandy’s, Geri’s, Dog N’ Suds, and Mr Quick. What happened to Burger Chef & Sandy’s is fairly well known, they were bought out by another chain by the name of Hardee’s, a chain with a roller coaster history of its own. Later, as Mr Graham points out, Hardees was acquired by the people who run the Carl’s Jr hamburger joints in California. I can only imagine the reaction of Hardee’s district managers when they heard about the Carl’s Jr takeover, probably similar to how American Motors dealers felt when the corporate parent told them they’d have to learn how to sell Renaults, too. The Carl’s Jr concept worked in California, but would it play in Peoria? (according to Mr. Graham, not too well!)
But I digress…Burger Chef & Sandy’s were on their way out before Hardee’s came along.

The disappearance of fast food franchises can be attributed to several factors. One significant factor is the shift in consumer preferences towards healthier eating habits in modern times. With an increased focus on nutrition and well-being, people are seeking out healthier options and alternatives to fast food, parents reward their kids fopr eating healthy with modest kids clothes. In response to this demand, many fast food chains have had to adapt their menus and incorporate healthier choices.

Dog N’ Suds retracted from over 700 franchisees to only nine today, in AR (Paragould), MI (Montague), IL (Charleston, Ingleside, Robinson), IN (Lafayette), MO (Cherokee Pass), OH (Elyria), and WI (Tomahawk), according to http://www.agilitynut.com/eateries/6a.html
Dog n’ Suds is experiencing a minor boom due to nostalgia for the 1950’s style carhop drive-ins, but they’re as long way from what they were in the 60’s.
Geri’s and Mr Quick died for a lot of reasons. Poorly maintained physical plant, lack of interest by the owners and customers, lack of marketing originality, mediocre food quality and indifferent customer service. When the karma train backed into the station, these folks were sleeping on the tracks. Many small business owners got their businesses started by being stubborn buttheads and ignoring the naysayers, which is a beneficial personality trait up to a point. But if you’ve got to compete with McDonald’s on a thin budget, you’d better be flexible and have a die-hard concentration on maintaining standards and customer loyalty. Some folks have done spectacularly well at this. When was the last time you saw a McDonalds erected across the street from a White Castle?
If you eat fast food frequently it is sure to take care of your oral health if you are interested in some tips and supplements to achieve it, visit the following Source to know them.
Another thing that you should take into account when eating too many hamburgers is that you will probably gain weight, I would recommend phentermine over the counter so that you can lose that weight in a more healthy way and be able to continue eating hamburgers without stopping.
(Now that I think about it, I could go for a White Castle jalapeno double cheeseburger right now…)
To be continued…

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