Campaigning for Restaurants

Recently I’ve had a couple conversations with different friends that have sparked an idea in my noggin.  What restaurant are you so intent on having in your area that you would consider opening a franchise?  Is there an eatery on your list that lights up your life enough to the point you would research the possibility of opening a franchise in your town? 

Some background: my first conversation was with a friend who also used to call the great city of Cincinnati home at one time.  (I’m not sure he would attest to it’s “greatness”, though, but since this is MY blog & I deem it great, then great it is!)  While there, he also was blessed to discover Penn Station. 

I believe I’ve paraded the fine attributes of Penn Station to you, my loyal readers, but if not, then let me do so now.  It’s a philly cheesesteak kind of place, but they do so much more than that.  My fave was the Chicken Teriyaki sandwich (yes, on bread!) in the form of a kids meal: great portion-perfect size sandwich with chicken, mushrooms, onions, cheese & teriyaki sauce all fresh & chopped up together on the grill & laden onto chewy grilled bread with a side of freshly made real potato fries, topped off with homemade lemonade.  A-Mazing! 

Anyway, my friend moved to the great wild west and wanted to bring those flavors with.  Unfortunately, Penn Station has no desire to branch out that far.  How does he know?  He called the home office, just to see.  Incredible.

The second conversation was with a co-worker who is an avid lover of Chic-Fil-A.  As anyone who regularly reads this blog knows, we’re fans of poultry, so you know I’d be all for establishing a Chic-Fil-A venue in my hometown.  That’s tasty stuff, y’all.  It just so happens that there IS such a venue afterall, though it’s not available to the public.  Just to the good people of Mutual of Omaha.  Seriously.  It’s in their company’s foodcourt.  But even when you call the number of the branch inside their foodcourt, you simply get a recording that puts an end to any hope you, NOT a Mutual of Omaha employee, had of somehow coercing the kind person on the other end to give up some of that greasy poultry goodness.  Anyway, my co-worker has lived in areas where Chic-Fil-A is readily available and thus knows what is missing when it’s not (available, that is).  He’s checked it out, but apparently Chic-Fil-A’s priority for establishing franchises does not include our area right now.  Bummer. 

I love that people I know are so invested in their favorite places that they’ll take the steps to check out the possibility of getting one in their area.  I really do love that.  I’m pretty sure I never, ever want to get into the restaurant business so there’s no place I’d take that step for.  But if any of you out there are wanting to open a Cosi, McAlister’s Deli, or Souplantation / Sweet Tomatoes, I’d totally back you.  I’ll be your campaign manager and first/best customer!!