Hopz
Senior Cook
Andy M. said:
Tyler Florence and Applebees
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GB
Chief Eating Officer
I do not think that Applebees is reading this board so I really do not think they will notice that the first 30 posts here said anything at all. What I do think they will notice is that their restaurants are usually full of customers who love to go there.Hopz said:
I am not among the Applebees fans. I really can't stand the place. BUT there are plenty of people who love it and that is who Applebees is catering to.
Constance
Master Chef
I think you're probably right about that, Tom. Whatever they're doing, they're doing it right. The place is packed all the time. We are right off the interstate, which helps, but the locals are pouring in also.
The only chains we had before were burger and pizza joints, and a combination Taco Bell/Kentucky Fried chicken, so it's nice to have a place where you can sit down and have a beer and a nice lunch.
You all mentioned Hooter's...we ate there once, at the restaurant in Union Station in St. Louis, and the food was gawdawful. I did get a T-shirt, though, which looked pretty cute on me at the time.
The only chains we had before were burger and pizza joints, and a combination Taco Bell/Kentucky Fried chicken, so it's nice to have a place where you can sit down and have a beer and a nice lunch.
You all mentioned Hooter's...we ate there once, at the restaurant in Union Station in St. Louis, and the food was gawdawful. I did get a T-shirt, though, which looked pretty cute on me at the time.
The question that occurred to me, first and foremost is, why not open his own restaurant? Forgive my ignorance, if he already has his own restaurant(s) - but knocking a restaurant or a career decision/move, is not for everyone to decide what is in one's own best interests. I would wait and see what is brought to the table w/o criticism. I wish him success.
Hopz
Senior Cook
GB said:
What I said was I hope they noticed the trend ... of 30 out of "X" people not liking their product... not that they read the board. But- hey, we all have computers right- no reason they can't see these results... but I digress.
Now why do you suppose they spent the money to hire Tyler, make the commercials and etc unless they have excess capacity? Or want to increase sales, or attempt to convince (sell us) on the idea thet they are a good place to eat?
I hope they end up with a better product. I hope Tyler Florence helps. I hope I never have to eat there again, until they do make improvements...
GB
Chief Eating Officer
LOL I think you are missing my point. I was not really thinking that you wanted them to read the board.Hopz said:
The trend you are pointing out is that 30 poeple on this board had bad things to say about Applebees. That is not indicitive of the population in general. Applebees does very well. They have a very large customer base who would disagree with the 30 people here who have said they do not like it.
Aurora
Senior Cook
Remind me again please. Why is it OK to express opinions which bash Appleby's or restaurants in this forum but it is not OK appropriate to express opinions about FoodTV shows?
GB
Chief Eating Officer
There is a difference between expressing an opinion (for example, I do not like Applebees) and bashing a FoodTV personality (for example, Rachel Ray is a no talent hack).
It is perfectly fine to express opinions about FoodTV.
It is perfectly fine to express opinions about FoodTV.
OP
OP
my op wasn't a bash by any standards, just my opinion. We all have opinions and can share them freely. It is a forum(public space), if it is disagreable, take it with a grain of salt. If someones opinion is a bash, it is still an opinion.
My whole notion was wtf. Tyler is an adult and can make his own decisions, I just though it a very unlikely duo. Once again, jusy my opinion.
My whole notion was wtf. Tyler is an adult and can make his own decisions, I just though it a very unlikely duo. Once again, jusy my opinion.
Aurora
Senior Cook
TATTRAT said:
This is an opinion? Calling a restaurant's fare "garbage" is not an opinion it's bashing.
I agree that opinions are free however posts like this are just assassination. This is nothing empirical or constructive about it.
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I've read all the posts so far and think I'll jump in. My husband and I appreciate good food. We've traveled here and in Europe and lived in the Washington, DC area for 30 years, which was filled with incredible restaurants.
Now we live in a very rural part of western Kentucky where the locals think good dining is barbecue with all the fixins' and some Mountain Dew. However, in a nearby larger town, about 30 minutes away, more sophisticated and upscale restaurants have been popping up like mushrooms after a rain. There are several who could easily rival anything we enjoyed in Washington, DC, so the populace is being exposed to class and quality.
In this same town, there is the typical "strip" near the interstate, complete with Appleby's, TGI Friday's, Olive Garden, etc. What my DH and I lovingly call cookie cutter restaurants. We don't particularly like any of them but, at the same time, we don't dislike them. They're just places where one can get usually mediocre food.
Unless there's nowhere else to eat when we travel, we'll choose one of these types of restaurants and not expect a lot. Actually, though, we will be more likely to ferret out a mom-and-pop place somewhere off the beaten path if we have the time. We've rarely been disappointed with these places.
As for Tyler Florence, it will be interesting to see how everything plays out. Remember Martha Stewart joined forces with K-Mart. I don't see doing that has elevated K-Mart, but neither do I see it tarnishing Martha's image. Even prison didn't seem to do that.
Now we live in a very rural part of western Kentucky where the locals think good dining is barbecue with all the fixins' and some Mountain Dew. However, in a nearby larger town, about 30 minutes away, more sophisticated and upscale restaurants have been popping up like mushrooms after a rain. There are several who could easily rival anything we enjoyed in Washington, DC, so the populace is being exposed to class and quality.
In this same town, there is the typical "strip" near the interstate, complete with Appleby's, TGI Friday's, Olive Garden, etc. What my DH and I lovingly call cookie cutter restaurants. We don't particularly like any of them but, at the same time, we don't dislike them. They're just places where one can get usually mediocre food.
Unless there's nowhere else to eat when we travel, we'll choose one of these types of restaurants and not expect a lot. Actually, though, we will be more likely to ferret out a mom-and-pop place somewhere off the beaten path if we have the time. We've rarely been disappointed with these places.
As for Tyler Florence, it will be interesting to see how everything plays out. Remember Martha Stewart joined forces with K-Mart. I don't see doing that has elevated K-Mart, but neither do I see it tarnishing Martha's image. Even prison didn't seem to do that.
OP
OP
Aurora said:
I was reiderating a post prior. And the reputation is NOT all that good. even by industry standards. It is mediocracy at its most mediocre. Fast turn and burn corperate food.
As far as "assination", I think that is a big overstatement. It was not meant to be constructive, I was agreeing with someone.
Sorry if the thread is bothersome to you. I, as stated before on a few occasions now, was simply suprised that a decent caliber chef had joined with the chain. That is all.
Anne
Senior Cook
I was surprised to read about this, too. Tyler is a first class chef, so he can only improve Appleby's or any other restaurant he signs with. Have you seen his new tableware? It's being advertised in a lot of magazines this month. It's nice for him that he can get his name out there, and I'm sure it's paying him good money.
mudbug
Chef Extraordinaire
I wondered why this thread was so long before reading it and now I know. First thing that sprang to mind was what KatieE said about Martha. Now there's some serious endorsement boogie going on.
C'mon everybody, with the popularity of the Food Network (even though it's worse now than it used to be, IMO) all the TV chefs are cashing in.
Just saw a Paula Deen magazine at Safeway yesterday, for pete's sake.
C'mon everybody, with the popularity of the Food Network (even though it's worse now than it used to be, IMO) all the TV chefs are cashing in.
Just saw a Paula Deen magazine at Safeway yesterday, for pete's sake.
Aurora
Senior Cook
TATTRAT said:
If all "fast turn and burn corporate food" is garbage then why not list McDonalds, Denny's, Chili's, Subway, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Cattleman's, etc. These are all corporate restaurant chains.
I've re-read all posts prior to your "garbage" post and there are no other posts that say that Appleby's food is "garbage". This is an original word used by you to describe the food of the chain. There is a subsequent post in which GB (an administrator) bashed the chain by calling it "trash". This is a gross generalization which is not constructive or objective. This type of discussion makes it appear that there is very selective application of rules and inconsistant moderation in this otherwise excellent forum.
Comments like "I found the food bland" or "the menu was not very imaginative" or "Service is always very slow" or "quality is inconsistant to my taste" are opinions. Absolute generalizations without basis or proper attribution of quotes is just bashing in my opinion.
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GB said:
Now, GB ... if I lived in Massachusetts - I would be touting Ninety-Nine as the best place in the state to eat for "roadhouse fare" - but I don't - and there are no 99's around here - so around here we have Steak and Ale (not near as good, or as cheap, but a little more ambiance). Heck - most folks in TX don't know what a New England roadhouse is!
Franchise (chain) restaurants have one thing in common ... they may not be the best food in town (depending on your taste buds and what you are looking for) but they want you to able to count on getting the same dish/flavor no matter where you get it - be it Boston, Phoenix, San Francisco or Fargo, North Dakota.
This actually reminds me of a commercial for a TV show I saw the other night ... the kid asks his Mom... "Do we have to have quisine every night? Can't we just have food once in a while?"
Not everybody is looking for quisine every night ... some people are like my Dad - they just want food that will taste the same everytime they order it in a restaurant with the same name no matter where it might be.
I still don't know what the "sin" is from Applebees wanting to up the quality of their food. Based on consumer evaluations - YOU think their food is trash ... so is getting a little help to improve it bad???
Some people think their food is crap - they try to inprove it by getting a celebrity chef to help improve it ... and some people complain about that!
And, just for grins to pick up on something Aurora said: Comments like "I found the food bland" or "the menu was not very imaginative" or "Service is always very slow" or "quality is inconsistant to my taste" are opinions.
Anybody here old enough to remember the original McDonald's menu?
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Aurora, I'm first going to address your comment about GB's comment and moderating on the boards. I am sorry you are upset with the comment that was made but just because we are Admins or Helpers does not mean we are not entitled to an opinion on things. We don't get paid to do this job, we do it because we love this place and the people here. Saying someplace is "trash" is strongly worded, yes, but is not a violation of policy here. It is not a swear word, nor is it attacking any member, discussing religion or politics. Saying
Can we please keep this discussion civil and on topic? This is the kind of degeneration that results in threads being locked or pulled.
does not make your point, nor does it refute GB's comment. It bashes the staff here and THAT is not tolerated. If you are so upset with a post there is a Report Post button you can use on each and every post. You are also welcome to PM any member and tell them appropriately that you find their words offensive.
Can we please keep this discussion civil and on topic? This is the kind of degeneration that results in threads being locked or pulled.
Aurora
Senior Cook
Alix said:
You are kidding, right? I'm not upset about anything. I didn't criticize anyone. My observations are just that. I cannot believe that anyone would be offended by anything I wrote. I like this forum too, but it seems inconsistant that a thread is closed because people state their opinions about a FoodTV personality and the thread is closed but it's OK for a moderator to bash a restaurant chain. I doesn't make any difference if the moderators are compensated or volunteers. The rules should be applied uniformly and consistantly. That's all I'm saying. If you want to ban someone for their opinion and constructive criticism so be it. There is no denegration here.
skilletlicker
Head Chef
Isn't "New England Roadhouse" a euphemism for brothel?Michael in FtW said:
Thanks to Mr. Babcock for demonstrating what bashing really is. I wouldn't have considered Aurora's comment, as quoted by Alix, to be in the same category.Rob Babcock said:I think tyler florence is a no talent hack. He's smarmy & obnoxious, and seeing his goofy mug on the menu would likely cause me to turn it over and walk out!
There appears to be some confusion about my post. I will attempt to clarify and then I will hope that this thread gets back on topic.
As moderators we have pretty cut and dried guidelines for editing. If we were to remove all the reference to what people feel is "trash" or "garbage" there would never be a discussion about Spam, or Cheez Whiz or recipes with Campbells Soup in them.
When a thread degenerates into name calling and member bashing then we pull the plug. When we had the influx of members arrive from Food TV there were some very strong feelings and we made a no tolerance policy at that time. It is not going to change for the simple reason that people STILL have very strong feelings about that time.
While you think this is a direct correlation to that moderation, we do not. GB stated his personal opinion of Applebee's. He didn't slam it for pages, he didn't rant. He said that he thinks Applebee's is trash. Again, not a violation of any rule. I'm sorry that some of you feel it is contradictory, and I wish I could explain it better, but this is the best I can do. I will add that since my post things have not gotten back on topic, rather they have gone further from the point. If anyone feels the need to question our moderating any further can we please confine that to PM's? I only responded here because I felt that since the comment was made publicly so should the response be.
It was my understanding that Tyler Florence was hired to repair a reputation that was pretty poor. I know Applebee's here is not considered to be very good food. Our family has had a couple of hospital trips after visits to Applebee's. Perhaps TF can change all that.
As moderators we have pretty cut and dried guidelines for editing. If we were to remove all the reference to what people feel is "trash" or "garbage" there would never be a discussion about Spam, or Cheez Whiz or recipes with Campbells Soup in them.
When a thread degenerates into name calling and member bashing then we pull the plug. When we had the influx of members arrive from Food TV there were some very strong feelings and we made a no tolerance policy at that time. It is not going to change for the simple reason that people STILL have very strong feelings about that time.
While you think this is a direct correlation to that moderation, we do not. GB stated his personal opinion of Applebee's. He didn't slam it for pages, he didn't rant. He said that he thinks Applebee's is trash. Again, not a violation of any rule. I'm sorry that some of you feel it is contradictory, and I wish I could explain it better, but this is the best I can do. I will add that since my post things have not gotten back on topic, rather they have gone further from the point. If anyone feels the need to question our moderating any further can we please confine that to PM's? I only responded here because I felt that since the comment was made publicly so should the response be.
It was my understanding that Tyler Florence was hired to repair a reputation that was pretty poor. I know Applebee's here is not considered to be very good food. Our family has had a couple of hospital trips after visits to Applebee's. Perhaps TF can change all that.
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