I am a curse to Fresh Mex fast casual restaurants

I love Fresh Mex food. You know, the places where you can get a burrito filled with whatever you want? Problem is, I am picky, too. I don't like Chipotle because their meats are too spicy (except for the carnitas -- but who wants to eat pork every day?). I don't like Q'doba because, well, I just don't like the food there -- the rice and beans taste funny to me. So I'm always on the lookout for new to the area Fresh Mex restaurants.


Salsarita's opened up about a year and a half ago down the street a bit from where I work. I went there at least three times a week. And, I always brought new folks with me. I wanted them to enjoy it too. Now, it was never really crowded, but I was hopeful that maybe it was more of a dinner place and that's why it was so empty around lunchtime. About six months later, it closed. No warning, one day it was there, the next day it was gone. And, there are no other Salsarita's in the area. Sigh.

Then, in November, another Fresh Mex place opened near my work -- Panchero's. Their claim to fame is freshly-made tortillas. They were great! I felt that I had finally found a place to replace Salsarita's in my lunchtime repertoire. I had the burrito, I had the burrito bowl, I had the tacos. All were delicious and the toppings were great, especially the grilled corn salsa. Again, I brought my co-workers, my friends, my family. I was even two stamps away from a free burrito. Then, they were gone. Vanished overnight. The entire place cleaned out, closed down. They had only been open two months. I checked and there are two more Panchero's in the area but both are at least a 40-minute drive from me.

How can Chipotle's continue to thrive and grow and these other franchisees wither and die? Were they both bad locations? Neither one had a lot of walk-by traffic. But I couldn't help thinking that if it was an established brand, such as Chipotle, that both locations would have done well. We'll just have to see what goes into those locations (yeah, the Salsarita's still sits empty). And I'll keep looking for new Fresh Mex.

Why so blue, menu?

Have you ever been to Joe's Crab Shack? It is a casual, table-service restaurant featuring beachy food and drinks and an eclectic, kitschy, "found objects" decor. I like their food, and their decor, and I used to like their menu, too. It had a beachy look which matched everything else in the restaurant. There were fun graphics of driftwood, the ocean, sunsets, etc.

Then, a few months ago, Joe's Crab Shack changed their menu. The look... not the offerings. It is now blue. A sky blue, maybe a little lighter. And that is about it. No fun graphics. And they have just about removed any photos of the food. Uh, I don't know if they did any testing of this menu or if there was a real reason for it but, psst, blue is a proven appetite suppressant. I am not making that up, go ahead Google "blue color" and "appetite". People have done studies on it. There is even a blue light blub that you can get for your refrigerator if you are dieting. So I'm just astounded that a restaurant would remove all the fun from their menu, plus all the appetizing photos, and replace it all with plain blue. I can only imagine that Joe's Crab Shack is starting to see a decline in same store sales, and all the marketing folks are blaming it on the economy, or the war, or the price of gas, because of course it can't be the new menu we designed. That would be crazy!

Disney's Victoria and Albert's Restaurant Bans Children... so what?

There has been quite a lot of press recently from the announcement that Walt Disney World's Victoria and Albert's restaurant, a 5-star designated restaurant, has decided to "ban" children under 10 from dining there. Now, I should reveal that I am a current Disney Cast Member although I have nothing to do with the restaurants or any decisions they make. However, when I heard that announcement I thought it was a good decision.

For those who have never dined at Victoria and Albert's (I have, twice), it is a very high-end restaurant with an ever-changing prix fixe daily menu that runs over $100 per person, even without any drinks. It is comprised of several courses served over a 2-hour period. They also have a strict dress code requiring gentlemen to wear a jacket (and if you don't, the "community" jacket will be provided for you to wear that night). I am quite sure they do not have a children's menu and I believe when they have made reservations in the past, they have always discouraged guests from bringing their children. Apparently, some guests didn't take the hint and must have brought their children. And some of those children must have acted up and other guests must have taken notice. And so, the recent "ban" was enacted.

This could only happen in Walt Disney World, I believe. I would hope that when parents are in their hometown, they would not think of bringing their 4-year-old with them to an exclusive, expensive, 5-star restaurant, no matter how well-behaved they believe their child to be. I know I wouldn't dream of taking my 4-year-old to a place like that. And now, the ban makes sure of that at Victoria and Albert's.