Anyone Attending The SNS AGM?

[link01]

Basically what Parsad is saying is that the unwashed masses have no taste buds. Haha :)

 

It has nothing to do with the tastes (or lack there of) of the great unwashed.

 

 

i dont know. judging from eberts love letter to sns, the comments from many like-minded fans, & even numerous random snippets of sns love that can be found on the blogoshpere, i'd say it has SOMETHING to do with the tastes of the average joe, whether it be the food, the atmosphere, or the overall value perception of a combination of the 2 plus other factors.

 

but i'm in total synch with you about mcdonalds. i find myself frequenting it much more than my appreciation or the lack thereof would justify. whatever it is, i'm sure other people have the same relationship to other restuarants.

 

 

 

[bargainman]

What was the old saying that Ray Croc (sic?) used to tell the kids at business school?  when he asked them what business McDonalds was in they'd always answer "the hamburger business" of course.  But he'd answer back "We're not in the hamburger business, we're in the real estate business".  His point of course being that a big part of it was about finding the right locations, not making the best burger.  On the other hand as others have said, some people do really seem to like the burgers.  And if Ebert says it's better than In-n-out, it must be at least reasonably good! :-)

[rkbabang]

On the other hand as others have said, some people do really seem to like the burgers.  And if Ebert says it's better than In-n-out, it must be at least reasonably good! :-)

 

That is the assumption I'm going under, but it is impossible for me to tell.  I've lived in Massachusetts my entire life, so I've never tried SNS, In-n-out, Whataburger, or some others I've seen SNS compared to.  I'll have to start keeping an eye out for a SNS whenever I travel, or just hope they expand to New England some day.  I don't usually eat much fast food when on vacation, and I've certainly never planned a vacation for the purpose of eating a burger.

 

--Eric

 

[tooskinneejs]

"No one (OK, almost no one) will tell you that McDonalds is their favorite food or even their favorite burgers"

 

Ah, the [glow=red,2,300]McDonald's phenomenon [/glow] rears it's head.  I believe that a lot of people like to say that McDonald's food is terrible, while the truth is that they really love it.  My guess is that they think it's cool to say it's terrible because others do or they are embarrassed to admit they like the place because of the popular myth that "the food is the worst in the business."

 

Over countless years I've heard people say that McDonald's food isn't good, yet almost everytime I'm at a McDonald's (I, for one, am a huge fan), the place is doing great business.  Now, you might counter this point by saying that the McDonald's locations are probably busy not because people like the food but because it's at a convenient location.  However, I don't buy this at all.  Often times the McDonald's is in very close proximity to another burger joint - say, Wendy's for example (which most people claim to be the best of the fast food places) - and yet the Wendy's parking lot will be practically empty while the McDonald's lot is quite full.  If people really had such disdain for McDonald's they'd cough up the extra 50 cents to buy their meal at the Wendy's, right?

 

I think this is a case of actions speaking louder than words; people say they don't like McD's, but in they go.  Come on y'all, fess up and admit you really love the place. 

[Parsad]

No it's perfectly true!  I prefer A&W hamburgers to McDonalds, yet because McDonalds is so ubiquitous and cheap, I often go into there.  It's also partly because of the nostalgia associated with my father taking me to McDonalds as a little boy.  I get cravings for the occasional Big Mac or Filet-of-Fish because of those sentiments.  That's what Steak'n Shake has over Ebert and a lot of other people, and that's why Sardar started the kid's programs.  Cheers! 

[rkbabang]

For what it is, the convenience and the price, McDonalds is certainly pretty good food.  I prefer Wendy's burgers myself, but I will often go to McDonalds instead.  1) McDonalds is cheaper, 2) it is faster, 3) the fries are better, 4) convenience, because I really like their new iced coffee (black/no sugar) and no other fast food restaurant has a similar offering. Therefore if I eat at Wendy's I first need to stop at Dunkin' Donuts to pick up an iced coffee. Much more convenient to simply go to McDonalds.  Also when it isn't just me, my kids love the ckicken McNuggets, so it is hard to convince them to eat at Wendy's rather then McD's.

 

It is the whole package, not just the mediocre burgers, which aren't that bad, but not that good either.

Of course there's the nostalgia of having loved it as a child, but that isn't everything, because I loved Burger King as a child and I just find the place disgusting now. The food is just so sub-par and the restaurants frequently filthy that I can't even eat there. I'm not sure if the food was always that bad and my tastes have changed or if it has declined over the years.  But I do know the restaurants themselves used to be clean and presentable when I went there as a child, so something has gone wrong with the company.  Not to mention their horrible advertising with that creepy king creature thing as a sure sign something is not right. Anyway nostalgia alone isn't enough to get me to go there.

 

--Eric

 

[bookie71]

The key is a McDonald's burger tastes the same in Anchorage as in Frankfort as in Tokyo.  When my oldest daughter returned from her year in India as an exchange student, she grabbed a McDonald's burger and fries at the Franfort airport and thought she was in heaven. Said it tasted the same as home (Anchorage)

[UhuruPeak]

Calonego: I was in Dallas area

 

Sanj:  Yes, kid program at SNS is fantastic idea, I almost wanted to bring my son so he'd get his little hat on:).  Now, I'll disagree with you on Chick-Fil-A, which has better (read "healthier looking") food than McD in our opinion.

 

Now about location - I agree that it is one of McD's strengths (another one, that many have confirmed in this thread already, is their outstanding kid's program), but the 3 or 4 SNS I know all are in busy areas with lots of other restaurants / fast foods around.  Not so true for the DQs I know, which are often farther from competition

 

 

 

I am well aware that a product doesn't need to be good to do well, and a certainly doesn't need to be appealing to me to be a good investment.  Still, I am disappointed for the second time by their food.  As much as I'd like to become a believer and regular patron (did I mention I really like these little hats they give to kids?), I just don't see myself bring the family there much at all.  I like Sardar and I want him to succeed; I want Sanjeev and others to make oodles of money on SNS.  I just think SNS still has a ways to go before the taste is where it needs to be.

 

 

[Parsad]

I am well aware that a product doesn't need to be good to do well, and a certainly doesn't need to be appealing to me to be a good investment.  Still, I am disappointed for the second time by their food.  As much as I'd like to become a believer and regular patron (did I mention I really like these little hats they give to kids?), I just don't see myself bring the family there much at all.  I like Sardar and I want him to succeed; I want Sanjeev and others to make oodles of money on SNS.  I just think SNS still has a ways to go before the taste is where it needs to be.

 

Already have Uhuru...thanks!  ;D  I totally agree with you though about the work ahead.  To get to the desired 1500+ franchises over the next decade or two, Sardar has a ton of work in front of him.  Over time, the food quality like the rest of the execution within the business will get better.  The culture is being developed at head office, and from their it trickles down to the owner/operators and then the franchisees.  Sardar is ultra-competitive.  The boy just doesn't know how to quit.  He is going to get the quality, execution and reputation on par with the best in the industry, if not exceed them.  All we have to do is take a look at a broken-down franchise like Western Sizzlin and see what he is converting that to over time...and he's far more turned on by the prospects of a franchise like Steak'n Shake.  But I certainly like the sound of oodles of money!  Cheers!

[calonego]

Uhuru -

 

They have changed some things and had an issue with bun quality in Michigan... but I wasn't aware of a problem in Texas.

Certain things are preference, like the thin fries or sugar in the shakes, but other issues like poor staffing, etc are not. What in particular did you find wrong with the buns in Dallas?

[Grenville]

Just saw this when looking at reviews on Yelp for locations in Atlanta.

 

Updated - 3/16/2009

I went here last night to get a couple milkshakes through the drive-thru. When I got home, I saw the shakes weren't even close to full....

 

Highly annoyed, I sent feedback on the SnS web site. Less than 24 hours later, I got a response with an apology, an assurance that the issue will be addressed, and a gift certificate to cover the cost of the milkshakes. I thought that was nice of them, so I will keep my four-star review. :)

 

Update: 3/17  The first mail was from the corporate hq customer service manager. That was followed up yesterday by an email from the Atlanta-area District Manager with an explanation of their procedures, an apology and two free shakes (redeemable by printing out the email and bringing it to the SnS)

 

I wish more places cared about customer service like this.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/steak-n-shake-atlanta-4#hrid:qyvHJH-qPzhwtcg8xP6K0Q/src:search/query:steak and shake

 

 

[Parsad]

Good stuff!  One disgruntled customer tells their story to a hundred people, so it is only the right thing to do for any business.  Cheers!

[UhuruPeak]

Calonego,

 

 

Agreed about personal preferences, certainly!  What I didn't like about the bun?  the top was a little hard, and would break when applying pressure.  I like the crispy bread you get in Europe, the one that leaves crums every where (when ordering a real hot dog for example, or just to slice and eat with a meal).  If not crispy, I like my bread/bun to be soft;  this in-between at SNS gives the impression that it is a few days old already (I am sure it was not, just perception).  Then, I guess I just didn't care for the texture feel in the mouth.  I had a hard time enjoying the food after that.

 

 

Hey, perhaps it was exactly what the company expected me to see in my plate - just not what I was hoping for.