How do you feel about resturant chains? Personally, I like a double decker from Taco Bell every now and then (and yes, I'm aware I'm the only one who still orders those). Yet a lot of people *cough* Choad *cough* think negatively of them.

What about an auto repair chain (Dobbs, Midas, Jiffy Lube)? Do you think they will not care for your car as well as an independent shop or a dealership mechanic? Do you have an unfavorable opinion of the people who work there?

The reason I ask is because my husband apparently thinks that he is too good to work at Midas. And I have no idea why he would have an unfavorable opinion of the shop, considering they are offering him one hell of a job (In my opinion; based on his experience and age).

So basically, what do you think of chains and do you think that the quality of service they provide to you is not as good as an independent business?

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Mediocrity at its most average.

Franchises are the little feifdoms of the corporate beast. They offer consistency, a blanket mission statement and standardised methods and you can learn a lot from them by working at one, as to how they stay alive in small markets.

They are what they are and they offer viable employment and better benefits than most mom and pop places could pony up for.

I've worked at some chains... Mountain Jack's.. (gone, too bloated with useless methods) Red Lobster... Dominos... (I was the Deliverator for a year) others...

It's probably not everybody's idea of a career, but they do have a lot to bring to the table as far as what they can offer loyal employees - in an unstable market. I'd take it in a heartbeat.

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I wanted my half in the middle and I wound up on the edge.

I love restaurants like Denny's or pizza places like Pizza Inn and Pizza Hut or fast-food places like McDonald's, Taco Bell, Burger King, Jack In The Box, KFC, Sonic, and Dairy Queen. I especially love Schlotzky's.

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Legend, oh legend, the third wheel legend...always in the way.

Maybe he's just a Car-X man.

I had an uncle who made a living for years as a mechanic, but he always hated Midas. He worked there for a couple months or something and just absolutely hated something about them. Maybe your husband just has bad feelings towards Midas. I know I'd never take my car there despite their clever advertising.

Eh, because a chain is a chain, people can say something bad about one store and all stores in the chain suffer by association. Having said that, most chains are not the toppest of the top-notch.

When it comes to food, while I love small restaurants, locally owned, I can't deny that I also indulge in Pizza Hut once in a while, or when I was still living in the South, Waffle House.

As far as mechanic services... well, back in NC I would not have taken my car to a dealership or a chain repair shop because I knew a good mechanic. But honestly, a bad mechanic is by far worse than most chains.

Depends on the chain. Applebee's was disappointing until I learned to lower my expectations below reason, but Outback has always pleased me. Cracker Barrel is another one which I'm usually happy with.

I haven't eaten fast food in a long time; it's fairly disgusting and bad for you to boot.

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peddling the funny around since 09/24/2002

I like their Veggie Patch Pizza.

Granted, it's all I like there, but...

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I has a flavor!

hotel chains are marvelous. If you get in with one of the bigger chains (Sheraton/Westin) you get deals all over the world. Which means that there's a lot more opportunity for travel.

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Okay, Lindsay, are you forgetting that I was a professional twice over - an analyst and a therapist. The world's first analrapist.

Oh no, it tastes very good.

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Legend, oh legend, the third wheel legend...always in the way.

quote:

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How do you feel about resturant chains? Personally, I like a double decker from Taco Bell every now and then (and yes, I'm aware I'm the only one who still orders those). Yet a lot of people *cough* Choad *cough* think negatively of them.

What about an auto repair chain (Dobbs, Midas, Jiffy Lube)? Do you think they will not care for your car as well as an independent shop or a dealership mechanic? Do you have an unfavorable opinion of the people who work there?

The reason I ask is because my husband apparently thinks that he is too good to work at Midas. And I have no idea why he would have an unfavorable opinion of the shop, considering they are offering him one hell of a job (In my opinion; based on his experience and age).

So basically, what do you think of chains and do you think that the quality of service they provide to you is not as good as an independent business?

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Yeah, gotta agree here. Those giant martinis with the huge olives... man I could use one now. A few of those at the bar along with a Bloomin' Onion...

Then the cocoanut shrimp. Another martini, a few Foster's at the table. Then an entree, which I never remember 'cause I'm usually blasted by then...

But my girlfriend tells me the entrees are good.

Maybe I'll never know. But it's always a challenge to try to remember the food.

Hey, maybe the way to eat at a chain is to get drunk first? Does The Olive Garden serve liquor?

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Bringing you comics, once a year. Whether you want them or not.

I think the chain/franchise versus independent argument is different for different types of business.

When eating out, I mostly eat indy, though I just can't stay away from the evil artery-hardening yumminess of KFC, and my two favourite Mexican places (one fast food, the other a proper restaurant) are both franchises. My wife and I generally can't stand franchise delivery pizza (everything on them is either heavily-processed or artificial) and all our favourite places are little family-run independents.

Regarding car care, a chain/franchise usually gives you a minimum guarantee of quality. Usually, a chain garage won't suck. That said, they are rarely excellent, either, but typically are mediocre. In the ten or so years since I got my first car, I've found one absolutely shit chain mechanic and no outstanding ones. Indy mechanics can be anything, a true lottery. All you can do is take a gamble or go on the recommendations of friends. After many years we finally have a really good mechanic (actually an auto-electric place, but they do servicing and repairs too) and it's an indy.

As for your hubby and Midas... is it just that Midas is a chain, or does he have something against Midas specifically? After my experiences with a QuickFit franchise I will never leave my car with another QuickFit eve again. Maybe something similar has happened to him, or if he is in the industry maybe he has heard stories about their quality of service or the way they treat their staff.

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This signature has performed an illegal operation and has been shut down.

I just want to say first off that Nathan took the job, and he says he's more excited about it than he thought he would be.

Secondly, I don't think it's really Midas in particular. A friend we lived with in Indianapolis worked at Midas and got fair wages for his qualifications, and it seems that they do pretty good service, especially with all their guarantees. I think that the reason he's unhappy is because he has been working for a dealership for the past year or so and thinks that he's taking a step down.

Lastly, I'd like to say that this particular Midas is being redesigned in the way that it runs which is why he was offered the head tech position. They are trying to produce better quality and the owner sees him as such an asset to the company with his experience he is trying to get Nathan the best rate of pay possible.

In my opinion, I would stick with this job and I've told Nathan that. Otherwise, it's like saying "Fuck You" to someone who did everything possible for you. The owner is quite thrilled to have Nathan as part of the team, which, if I were getting that much respect from my manager/employer/etc. I would be in no hurry to find another position.

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Mediocrity at its most average.

Restaurant chains are almost entirely mediocre when it comes to food (except high-end places like Mortons or Ruth's Chris, etc), but you know what you're going to get when you walk in the door no matter where you are in the country/world, so they serve a purpose. For the most part, I only hit chain food when I'm travelling. Yesterday, I hit the only fast food chain I truly LOVE--Tommy's Hamburgers in Los Angeles. There are about 20 of them and they've been serving the same basic menu of chili burgers, chili fries, chili dogs, and chili tamales since the 1940's--very yummy and worth deviating from my normal health conscious diet.

While this debate was going on, I was driving through northern California and I saw a row of independent hotels that I'd never, ever, ever, ever consider staying in and I realized that hotel chains are probably the best use of the franchise system. If you have a shitty meal for $10, you get over it quickly, but if you rent a shabby room you either have to make a scene or feel icky for an entire night. So, pick your price and comfort level and you know you'll have a decent night in the chain hotel of your choice.

Franchise auto repair? I've never had a problem with it. When I had older cars, I happened to find a great mechanic, so I used indies too.

As far as working for a franchise goes, I've never held anyone in low esteem for working for a chain--somebody has to, and I do recognize that they tend to offer better pay and benefits than non-chain enterprises.

My only input is that chains kill small businesses.

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I dumb :D

On the other hand, a lot of chains started as small businesses.

It really depends on the people who are running and working in the individual location and the standards they may or may not be held to. The franchise can guarantee some level of conistency but not always excellence or innovation. So I know in a pinch I can always get a good cup of coffee at Dunkin' Donuts but if I want something interesting I'll go to a small coffee shop.

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...Trot and Cap'n Bill were free from anxiety and care. Button-Bright never worried about anything. The Scarecrow, not being able to sleep, looked out of the window and tried to count the stars.

I'd think working for a big corp might offer upward mobility that wouldn't exist in a small shop.

Might.

From the consumer's side, I'd say some chains are OK for certain purposes, and others blow goats for a living. It's hard to generalize about something so pervasive.

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What others say about boorite!

1. Chicka - glad Nate took the job, I'd hope he's gonna have better prospects at a big chain than an independant mechanics where you've got to wait till one guy gets fired or retires to get a promotion.

2. Agreed - different business chains are better than others. I love the odd Dominos or Boigar King, but I'd rather suck Satan's scaly cock than eat Maccy D's. Holiday Inn saved my ass when I needed a place to stay, and it was worth the extra 40 bucks than stay in a roach motel.

3. *Hopefully* good small business eventually will grow to become successful big businesses without dicking off customers/nations/the planet. But we have a ridiculous amount of choice nowadays, so look closely. The cornershop might not be the best choice. Exxon probably started with one guy sticking a pitchfork in the ground looking for crude and selling it at the market. Judge each firm on merit, not on their size. Saying that, I'll buy what i can locally when I can.

[/2p]

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Please replace the handset, and try again.