THE MORNING RANT - Brand-Damaging Management Strategies: Chipotle, Reese’s, Red Robin

The revenue and product strategies employed by executives at companies in charge of Reese’s Peanut Butter products and Chipotle Mexican Grill have received unfavorable media coverage recently.

The grandson of the inventor of Reese’s Peanut Butter cups accused Hershey of substituting cheaper products in the Reese’s roster of candies. Specifically, Brad Reese alleged that “the company has replaced milk chocolate with compound coatings and peanut butter with peanut butter style crème across multiple Reese's products, a move he alleges has eroded the Reese's brand and jeopardized consumer trust.”

Meanwhile, the CEO of Chipotle seemed to say that because its customer base is somewhat affluent, the burrito purveyor is in a position to aggressively increase prices without consumer resistance.

“Chipotle CEO wants more customers who make over $100K — which means price hikes are coming” [NY Post – 02/09/2026]

“We learned that 60% of our core users are over $100,000 a year in average household income,” he added. “That gives us confidence that we can lean into that group in a more meaningful way, whether it’s the solo occasion and/or group occasions to really drive meaningful transaction performance in the year.

Corporate “Kamala-speak” makes my ears hurt. Will ”driving meaningful transaction performance” allow them to be unburdened by what has been. Where do they learn to talk this way? Anyhow, there was significant backlash to Chipotle’s CEO.

First though, I want re-visit a subject to which I keep returning - the corporate management practice that is destroying brand equity and driving away customers from too many once-great brands. As I documented in a recent piece titled, “MGM Resorts & Panera Bread Learn that Slashing Headcount, Reducing Quality, and Gouging Customers Is Not a Viable Long-Term Strategy.” A corporation can target its loyal customers for revenue mining and temporarily increase its profits. It can also slash employee headcount and customer service, thereby reducing labor expense to produce a short-term increase in profits. It can even reduce its product size and cheapen the product’s quality to reduce cost of goods sold, also giving a short-term boost to gross profit. But in every case, these actions tell customers that rather than being valued, the corporation sees customers as marks to be exploited. A great many customers may get hoodwinked once, providing the short-term profit boost that was being sought, but then never come back, thus destroying the company’s long-term prospects. A downward spiral of alienated customers, declining revenue, deteriorating facilities, and degraded reputation ensues.

Back to Chipotle, “Not the Bee” tweeted this analysis: “People can be mad about this all they want, but every restaurant chain follows the same arc…great quality/great price until they gain success, then slowly lower quality and raise prices until you reach a saturation point. It’s us consumers that have to start rejecting it.”

People can be mad about this all they want, but every restaurant chain follows the same arc…great quality/great price until they gain success, then slowly lower quality and raise prices until you reach a saturation point. It’s us consumers that have to start rejecting it. https://t.co/zkRWNxnOxA
— Not the Bee (@Not_the_Bee) February 8, 2026

A guy named Christian (@RENEGADEARTH494) responded on Twitter with a similar, albeit coarser, explanation: “And you want to know where it went wrong?? When it went from ‘How can we deliver a better product at a better price’ to ‘How can we financially engineer a way to maximize the extraction of resources from our customers and simultaneously decrease our financial commitment to the business.’ AKA… how can we f*** these people over and dress it up just good enough to market it as a business strategy? You make burritos… focus on making burritos. No one gives a sh*t about your core customer calculations. They just want a burrito that is as good as it used to be.” I really wish these words were being taught in our elite business schools, rather than whatever is causing executives to see employees as a pestilence and customers as prey.

Finally, a gentleman named Aakash Gupta provided an explanation at Twitter/X on how Red Robin regrettably took many of those actions discussed above, and ended up destroying the once high-flying restaurant chain. Headcount was slashed, cleanliness and quality suffered, and customers never came back. Every word of this piece is worth reading, but he summarized management’s destruction of Red Robin with this line, ”So Red Robin was now serving worse food, slower, in a dirtier restaurant, at a lower price point. That combination is how you enter a death spiral.”

Red Robin is a case study in how to kill a restaurant chain from the inside out. In 2015, the stock hit $92.90 per share. Revenue peaked in 2017 at $1.4 billion across 573 locations. Families loved the place. Bottomless fries. Birthday parties. “Gourmet” burgers when that word still meant something in casual dining. The brand had real equity.
Then management panicked about rising minimum wages and made the single worst decision in the company’s history: they fired all the bussers.
January 2018. CEO Steve Carley cut bussers across every location, eliminated expeditors, and replaced kitchen managers with generic “back-of-house” roles. The logic was pure spreadsheet thinking. Labor costs were rising, so remove labor. The savings looked great in quarterly earnings. The second and third order effects were catastrophic.
Tables stopped getting cleared. Wait times ballooned. Walkaways increased 85% year over year. 75% of the dine-in traffic loss came during peak hours, the exact window when the restaurant makes money. Ticket times out of the kitchen jumped a full minute on average. Customers who waited 20 minutes for a table and another 20 for a burger stopped coming back. Red Robin’s own CEO at the time, Denny Marie Post, admitted the damage was self-inflicted.
And here’s the compounding problem. While Red Robin was gutting its own service model, it simultaneously launched a “Tavern Double” value menu at $6.99 to drive traffic. Orders of the cheap burgers jumped from 9% to 15% of all orders, which cratered the average check. So Red Robin was now serving worse food, slower, in a dirtier restaurant, at a lower price point. That combination is how you enter a death spiral.
Meanwhile, 16% of locations were in malls. Mall traffic was already declining. Those locations saw 5.5% sales drops versus 3% at standalone stores, dragging the whole system down. Management acknowledged the problem quarter after quarter and did nothing about it for years.
Five CEOs in 10 years. Think about that. The one leader who provided stability, Michael Snyder, was with the chain from 1979 to 2005. After that, it was a revolving door. Every new CEO launched a new turnaround plan. Every plan was abandoned by the next CEO. The North Star plan. The First Choice plan. New menu rollouts. Loyalty program reboots. None of it addressed the core issue: they’d trained an entire generation of customers to think of Red Robin as the place where the service is terrible.
The contrast with Chili’s makes the failure even clearer. Kevin Hochman took over Chili’s in 2022 and did the opposite of what Red Robin did. He simplified the menu, invested in operations, launched a $10.99 “3 for Me” deal that went viral on TikTok, and let the food speak for itself. Chili’s just posted 31% same-store sales growth. Red Robin’s comparable revenue was down 1.2% for all of 2024.
Both chains were in roughly the same position three years ago. One chain invested in the customer experience. The other spent a decade cutting it. Red Robin’s $65M market cap and Chili’s $3.3B market cap tell you which approach works.
The stock went from $92 to $3.61. That’s what happens when you optimize for the quarterly earnings call instead of the customer walking through the door.

[buck.throckmorton at protonmail dot com]

Posted by: Buck Throckmorton at 11:00 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 FIRST!!!!!

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March 20, 2026 11:01 AM (Zz0t1)

2 Heh.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March 20, 2026 11:01 AM (Zz0t1)

3 Sawdust in the right amounts makes a nice filler. Cheap too.

Posted by: Stateless at March 20, 2026 11:03 AM (Sco7b)

4 “We learned that 60% of our core users are over $100,000 a year in average household income,” he added. “That gives us confidence that we can lean into that group in a more meaningful way, whether it’s the solo occasion and/or group occasions to really drive meaningful transaction performance in the year.

I know, back before I retired, I would often ask myself, "Where can I go and get a meal which will provide the highest margin for the restaurant. I really want to use the highest possible percentage of my stored life to buy cheap food expensively."

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at March 20, 2026 11:04 AM (ExV1e)

5 Rhesus pieces.

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at March 20, 2026 11:04 AM (Kt19C)

6 A major in "fast food customer analysis" would likely go a long way towards facilitating the screwing over of customers.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 20, 2026 11:04 AM (AkEZC)

7 The grandson of the inventor of Reese’s Peanut Butter cups accused Hershey of substituting cheaper products in the Reese’s roster of candies.

Not cheaper, more toxic and more lucrative. Is he not in the club, do we have to explain everything?

Posted by: Hershey's at March 20, 2026 11:04 AM (ScG/9)

8 This is the Boomer mentality. I want mine, NOW!

All the other crap one hears about my generation is just that, crap. But this is the actual contribution of the Baby Boom. "We care about other people." And "I got it at five-finger discount." The latter is the truth.

Posted by: Eeyore at March 20, 2026 11:05 AM (AlhUl)

9 Morning. Hang the Spreadsheet Jockeys. From their Jockeys.

Posted by: JSpicy at March 20, 2026 11:05 AM (C7Yya)

10 Read the content. Rookie mistake...

Posted by: Martin Tell at March 20, 2026 11:06 AM (sFNX2)

11 Shrimp must be cheap now, Del Taco and Pollo Loco have offers.

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at March 20, 2026 11:06 AM (Kt19C)

12 So is Brad Reese right? They taste the same to me.

Posted by: SH (no more socks) at March 20, 2026 11:07 AM (sX1BW)

13 So Red Robin was now serving worse food, slower, in a dirtier restaurant, at a lower price point. That combination is how you enter a death spiral.

Did he mean a "higher" price point? IOW, did they make their food more expensive while reducing quality? And wth is the difference between a "price point" and a "price"? If you can't speak in plain English, you're in the wrong business. Try tollbooth attendant.

Posted by: Archimedes at March 20, 2026 11:07 AM (Riz8t)

14 CEO Steve Carley"

Yeah, that guy was funny. Big fat guy who ran an "exercise" company...

Posted by: man at March 20, 2026 11:07 AM (XuXeR)

15 The Chipotle thing hurts my head because I've been a regular customer and fan of Chipotle burritos for years now... Their prices did go up during covid and haven't come back down. I've not noticed any recent price increases but now I'll be on the lookout

BTW... One thing I've noticed about Chipotle is that if you're a random customer they will "downsize" your portions (make a small burrito)... but because I'm a regular customer at my local store the staff there recognizes me and they actually make me a very big burrito stuffed to the gills with fillings... so it that sense it pays to be a regular

Random observations: MBAs suck donkey balls

Posted by: LinusVanPelt at March 20, 2026 11:07 AM (xT8gx)

16 Yeah, but are we maximizing cross-platform synergies with a view to holistically capturing the marketing space? Are we???

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, Bay Area Housekeeping Consultant at March 20, 2026 11:07 AM (skR0U)

17 A corporation can target its loyal customers for revenue mining and temporarily increase its profits.

can it target them for bitcoin mining?

*shifty eyes*

asking for a friend

Posted by: irgc at March 20, 2026 11:08 AM (v3pYe)

18 I haven't eaten at a Chipotle in at least a decade. A burrito stuffed full of rice wasn't my thing.

Then they started killing people.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March 20, 2026 11:08 AM (Zz0t1)

19 I blame Adobe for this.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at March 20, 2026 11:08 AM (ufSuS)

20 Chipotle's HQ is in California. Seems like any corporate HQ that resides on the west coast has the same sort of customer philosophy... they'll pay what we charge because we're awesome.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 20, 2026 11:08 AM (AkEZC)

21 Shrimp must be cheap now, Del Taco and Pollo Loco have offers.

It seems to have become a worldwide commodity. Vietnam, Equador, Thailand, and India all have large production facilities, to say nothing of China.

Posted by: Archimedes at March 20, 2026 11:08 AM (Riz8t)

22 Luckily I have good taste, so I'm not affected by most of this, if any of it. But especially Red Robin which has used lean 90-10 burger from day one. Now, unless their reduction in quality was to us 85-15 or 80-20 burger that actually tastes good... Second look at Red Robin ?

I don't know. What I do know is burgers with no fat taste like shit no matter how much other crap you pile on top of it.

Posted by: deadrody at March 20, 2026 11:08 AM (vgB0v)

23 Subsidized adulteration of products and brands is the name of the game.

Posted by: t-bird at March 20, 2026 11:08 AM (PM/iv)

24 But this is a standard MBA-type tactic - Toyota did it in the '90s, and Warren Buffett habitually does this with consumer-goods companies (like See's Candies).

Take something with a reputation for high quality, lower its quality and its costs, and watch the profits flow in - for a while.

Wall Street loves it - for a while - and if you have stock options, you can make big bucks cashing out before consumers realize it's no longer the same product.

Posted by: The ARC of History! at March 20, 2026 11:09 AM (u6/wt)

25 I will say this about Chipotle. Hillary went there, AND SHE CARRIED HER OWN TRAY! HER OWN TRAY!!

It is a mystery why this act of solidarity with ~~the hoi polloi~~ the common voter didn't catapult her into the White House.

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, Bay Area Housekeeping Consultant at March 20, 2026 11:09 AM (skR0U)

26 Shrimp must be cheap now"

Yeah. Harvests are up and costs down. You know, there might be a relationship between costs, supply, and demand.

Hmmm

Posted by: man at March 20, 2026 11:10 AM (XuXeR)

27 Shorter Chiplotle's CEO: "It's an intelligence test"

Posted by: t-bird at March 20, 2026 11:10 AM (PM/iv)

28 Take something with a reputation for high quality, lower its quality and its costs, and watch the profits flow in - for a while.

Wall Street loves it - for a while - and if you have stock options, you can make big bucks cashing out before consumers realize it's no longer the same product.

-----------------

Take it public, destroy it, buy it back cheap, resurrect the brand, take it public again.

Posted by: SH (no more socks) at March 20, 2026 11:10 AM (sX1BW)

29 Panera's problem is they chased away the MILFs and got a shit ton bus riders hanging around. I used to like looking at the MILFs. All gone.

Posted by: pudinhead at March 20, 2026 11:10 AM (pZ64F)

30 Greed usually destroys.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March 20, 2026 11:10 AM (Zz0t1)

31
It's worth remembering that hiring tranny mascots and promoting sodomy are not the only ways to destroy a business. There are many options. In all cases, it begins with trying to keep someone happy other than their customers. The customers are eventually viewed as an impediment.

Posted by: Semi-Literate Thug at March 20, 2026 11:10 AM (azNOR)

32 To give Panera their due, they've admitted they screwed up bigly and are trying to make changes. I only buy their sourdough bread, so I don't know how they're faring.

Posted by: Archimedes at March 20, 2026 11:11 AM (Riz8t)

33 "we can lean into that group in a more meaningful way"
I hadn't seen "lean into" used for that particular act before, but I'm stealing it.

Posted by: gKWVE at March 20, 2026 11:11 AM (DDhhw)

34 are we maximizing cross-platform synergies with a view to holistically capturing the marketing space?"

That's a solid B+ in Marketing Class...

Posted by: man at March 20, 2026 11:11 AM (XuXeR)

35 Isn't the term "price point' redundant?

Posted by: Mr. Pedantic at March 20, 2026 11:11 AM (9CBNQ)

36 The customers are eventually viewed as an impediment.

-------------

Sort of like voters.

Posted by: SH (no more socks) at March 20, 2026 11:11 AM (sX1BW)

37 To give Panera their due, they've admitted they screwed up bigly and are trying to make changes. I only buy their sourdough bread, so I don't know how they're faring.
Posted by: Archimedes at March 20, 2026 11:11 AM (Riz8t)

I've only eaten there a couple of times. The resulting level of gas afterwards each time led to me never going back.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March 20, 2026 11:12 AM (Zz0t1)

38 In all cases, it begins with trying to keep someone happy other than their customers"

Hey, we have "stakeholders", too!

/

Posted by: man at March 20, 2026 11:12 AM (XuXeR)

39 I'd like to "lean into 21-year old Sophie Marceau in a more meaningful way". Bigly.

Posted by: Archimedes at March 20, 2026 11:13 AM (Riz8t)

40 Used to be a fan of Red Robin. Would occasionally buy their seasoning salt to use at home.

However, the last time we went there, everything that article mention happened.

We haven't been back, even for carry out.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March 20, 2026 11:13 AM (Zz0t1)

41
Smash and I have pretty much stopped eating at restaurants. We're healthier for it too. I'm driving next week from north alabama, to texas a&m to be a judge at the 7th to 12th grade state science fair finals, and I'm bringing my camp stove and grill with me to eat both cheeper and healthier. Fuck fast food and restaurants with their crappy food, high prices, and default 24% tips.

Posted by: BifBewalski - at March 20, 2026 11:13 AM (QVmho)

42 burgers with no fat taste like shit

I think if the beef is raised lean, the burgers can come out fine. Bison burgers for instance.
Rendering the fat from some steer who spent his life standing around a pasture waiting to die, on the other hand, would probably not leave much left.

Posted by: gKWVE at March 20, 2026 11:13 AM (DDhhw)

43
Speaking of PR failures, when I see Chipotle mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind is food poisoning. The idiocy that caused that was years ago, but the association persists. Way to go.

Posted by: Semi-Literate Thug at March 20, 2026 11:14 AM (azNOR)

44 Chipotle has those shitty paper straws too

Posted by: NCKate at March 20, 2026 11:14 AM (uQzkA)

45 The most notable example of this sort of hollowing out of a formerly top tier brand is Levi's Jeans. They went from gold to garbage. However, the longest standing example I know of was Sears. They went from the biggest retailer around to trash. They did take a long time to die, though.

Posted by: Archimedes at March 20, 2026 11:14 AM (Riz8t)

46 Chuck Norris died.

We need a thread just for that.

Posted by: CTHillary, dead but dreaming at March 20, 2026 11:15 AM (Vpqw1)

47 We need to fund an MBA program where these kinds of actions are taught as being negative.

Posted by: NR Pax at March 20, 2026 11:15 AM (lXoJ5)

48 I guess the second option is shrinkflation.

Chocolate bars in my part of Canada look like Halloween candy. Nickel sized peanut butter cups coming soon.

Followed by the pill food sci-fi always promised us.

Posted by: Stateless at March 20, 2026 11:15 AM (Sco7b)

49 So, how's Cracker Barrel doing these days after their "woke" remake?

Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 20, 2026 11:15 AM (AkEZC)

50 The most notable example of this sort of hollowing out of a formerly top tier brand is Levi's Jeans. They went from gold to garbage. However, the longest standing example I know of was Sears. They went from the biggest retailer around to trash. They did take a long time to die, though.
Posted by: Archimedes at March 20, 2026 11:14 AM (Riz8t)

Well, that and Levi Strauss being a full bore communist didn't help things, either.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March 20, 2026 11:15 AM (Zz0t1)

51 A $65 Million market cap means that a hedge fund is going to buy Red Robin and sell the real estate. Unless their business model is to rent, in which case, kiss it goodbye!

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at March 20, 2026 11:16 AM (n9ltV)

52 I know of was Sears. They went from the biggest retailer around to trash. They did take a long time to die, though.
--------------
They were great with tools. Then they weren't.

Posted by: pudinhead at March 20, 2026 11:16 AM (pZ64F)

53 It's only a matter of time before Red Robin starts building their restaurants under Sweeney Todd's Hair Emporium franchises.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2026 11:16 AM (ESVrU)

54 7 Not cheaper, more toxic and more lucrative.

toxic lucrative is best lucrative

Posted by: anachronda at March 20, 2026 11:16 AM (v3pYe)

55 Posted by: Eeyore

You mare a broken record.
Not everything can be blamed on an age group.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 20, 2026 11:16 AM (MZJrA)

56 Well my work here is done. Eh??

Posted by: the Viking Enshittificator at March 20, 2026 11:16 AM (DDhhw)

57 Chuck Norris died.

We need a thread just for that.
Posted by: CTHillary, dead but dreaming at March 20, 2026 11:15 AM (Vpqw1)

You know what they say........start your own blog and you can run it however you'd like.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March 20, 2026 11:16 AM (Zz0t1)

58 Shrimp must be cheap now"

Yeah. Harvests are up and costs down. You know, there might be a relationship between costs, supply, and demand.

In other news, we are purifying more sewage than ever!

Posted by: China at March 20, 2026 11:16 AM (upeQk)

59 So, how's Cracker Barrel doing these days after their "woke" remake?

I think they're trying the old "We know that you know we screwed up bigly, but we still won't admit we screwed up bigly" ploy.

Posted by: Archimedes at March 20, 2026 11:16 AM (Riz8t)

60 The only good restaurants are now small family owned places or chains or chains that have strong franchisees where the franchisee have limited establishments.

Posted by: SH (no more socks) at March 20, 2026 11:17 AM (sX1BW)

61 yum yum shit
yummy shit pebbles
in my mouth

Posted by: Aliassmithsmith... the anal behind anal sex at March 20, 2026 11:18 AM (2/L4W)

62 Chili's biggest f*ck up was dumping the Mushroom Swiss Burger.

They brought it back rather quickly, however.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March 20, 2026 11:18 AM (Zz0t1)

63 Me and The Missus had dinner at Cracker Barrel t'other evening and it was pretty much the same as it's always been, food-wise. I had the fried catfish and it was pretty tasty.

Posted by: Bad Andrew at March 20, 2026 11:18 AM (DgMqy)

64 Pei Wei really fell off.

Posted by: mr tmz at March 20, 2026 11:18 AM (rJ48h)

65 Posted by: Aliassmithsmith at March 20, 2026 11:18 AM (2/L4W)

That's my job. Poo in your own loo!

Posted by: the Viking Enshittificator at March 20, 2026 11:18 AM (DDhhw)

66 Posted by: Archimedes at March 20, 2026 11:13 AM (Riz8t)

This Sophie Marceau?

https://is.gd/MRL8LJ

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at March 20, 2026 11:18 AM (n9ltV)

67 gloop gleeg flugbog

Posted by: Aliassmithsmith... the anal behind anal sex at March 20, 2026 11:19 AM (2/L4W)

68 Yeah I saw Chuck Norris died. RIP.

Roundhouse kicking his way to heaven. God has a new warrior up there today.

Posted by: LizLem at March 20, 2026 11:19 AM (gWBY1)

69 Posted by: Aliassmithsmith at March 20, 2026 11:18 AM (2/L4W)

You DICK!!!!

Posted by: Jeff Spicoli at March 20, 2026 11:19 AM (Zz0t1)

70 We have a new franchise called 'First Watch." Obviously, this started with sailors. Pretty good sandwiches and soups at normal pricing. We will see if it lasts.

Posted by: pudinhead at March 20, 2026 11:19 AM (pZ64F)

71 Chipotle seems to have a bad reputation with some folks, but I remain a fan... I think their food is good and I've never had any issues. Plus it seems like they pay their employees (low-skill workers) a pretty decent wage and also include a benefits package...

Okay, I'll stop my ads for Chipotle now

Posted by: LinusVanPelt at March 20, 2026 11:19 AM (xT8gx)

72 Posted by: Archimedes at March 20, 2026 11:11 AM (Riz8t)

I rarely go to Paneras but a friend took my there and I had a half Cobb salad that was quite good.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at March 20, 2026 11:19 AM (PFs9e)

73 The first time I heard "lean" as buzz word was when a business decision I made was challenged by lateral drone. He assembled a group of toadies and tried to dictate to me that we would have a "lean-in session." I told him what he could do with his struggle session BS. If you don't like something, be honest.

Posted by: Martin Tell at March 20, 2026 11:19 AM (sFNX2)

74 This Sophie Marceau?

https://is.gd/MRL8LJ

*fans self*

Posted by: Archimedes at March 20, 2026 11:20 AM (Riz8t)

75 On a recent trip to Lowe’s, I pointed to the KitKat bars on the rack at checkout.

“It’s been years since I had one of those. Wanna split one?”

What an unpleasant surprise that was. I spat that not-chocolate mush into the parking lot storm drain.

Seriously - WTF was that crap? It was NOT chocolate.

Posted by: weew at March 20, 2026 11:20 AM (GbT0k)

76 We have a new franchise called 'First Watch." Obviously, this started with sailors. Pretty good sandwiches and soups at normal pricing. We will see if it lasts.
Posted by: pudinhead at March 20, 2026 11:19 AM (pZ64F)

We have one of those near by. Had breakfast there once. It was 'SPENSIVE. The meal was decent, but pretty overpriced.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March 20, 2026 11:20 AM (Zz0t1)

77 >>> Shrimp must be cheap now, Del Taco and Pollo Loco have offers.
Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at March 20, 2026 11:06 AM (Kt19C)

Hey, I love the del taco street tacos. Still affordable and can get them at 1 am with fries.

Posted by: LizLem at March 20, 2026 11:21 AM (gWBY1)

78 This Sophie Marceau?

https://is.gd/MRL8LJ
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at March 20, 2026 11:18 AM (n9ltV)

What knockers!

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March 20, 2026 11:21 AM (Zz0t1)

79 It is getting a bit blatant how many retailers are flat out saying "We're going to intentionally price the filthy poors out of the market because we don't want them coming into our establishments and shitting them up."

Posted by: XTC at March 20, 2026 11:21 AM (3wOGw)

80 The grandson of the inventor of Reese’s Peanut Butter cups accused Hershey of substituting cheaper products in the Reese’s roster of candies. Specifically, Brad Reese alleged that “the company has replaced milk chocolate with compound coatings and peanut butter with peanut butter style crème across multiple Reese's products, a move he alleges has eroded the Reese's brand and jeopardized consumer trust.”

When your business is chocolate, when you're know only for chocolate, it's beyond stupid to start using garbage in place of chocolate.

Posted by: Archimedes at March 20, 2026 11:22 AM (Riz8t)

81
RIP Mr. Norris

'Good Guys Wear Black'

Posted by: Flyin' Green Dildo at March 20, 2026 11:22 AM (DDJSl)

82 Price point works. People instinctively categorize restaurants by how much they want to pay for a decent meal, ten bucks, twenty five, fifty.

Posted by: From about That Time at March 20, 2026 11:22 AM (sl73Y)

83 It is getting a bit blatant how many retailers are flat out saying "We're going to intentionally price the filthy poors out of the market because we don't want them coming into our establishments and shitting them up."
Posted by: XTC at March 20, 2026 11:21 AM (3wOGw)

You mean, Starbucks opening their bathrooms up to homeless crack junkies wasn't a good business plan?

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March 20, 2026 11:22 AM (Zz0t1)

84 It is getting a bit blatant how many retailers are flat out saying "We're going to intentionally price the filthy poors out of the market because we don't want them coming into our establishments and shitting them up."

I hadn't thought of that, but I think you're on to something.

Posted by: Archimedes at March 20, 2026 11:22 AM (Riz8t)

85 Speaking of stupid brands . . .

Jaguar Abandons Woke Ads That Killed Its Sales In Favor of Campaign Invoking 1960s Simplicity

-
I suspect they'll find a brand is a lot easier to damage than to rehabilitate especially where, as here, they insult their base in favor of a bunch weirdo perverts.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Damn It Feels Good to Be a Trumpster! at March 20, 2026 11:22 AM (ndZc7)

86 Lone Wolf McQuaid is still the best thing he's ever done.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at March 20, 2026 11:23 AM (ufSuS)

87 70 We have a new franchise called 'First Watch." Obviously, this started with sailors. Pretty good sandwiches and soups at normal pricing. We will see if it lasts.
Posted by: pudinhead at March 20, 2026 11:19 AM (pZ64F)

First Watch has actually mostly attracted an "Upper Middle Class Hipster" clientele, and the franchise started in California.

Posted by: XTC at March 20, 2026 11:23 AM (3wOGw)

88 There is an efficient frontier for products, cheap and low quality, middle pricing and medium quality, high price and high quality.

You can only really do higher price increases if you have a captive audience or if you are overcrowded(more customers than you can serve assuming things are run efficiently can indicate charging too low a price relative to quality).

Firing labor without consideration means they don't understand that throughput capacity and quality come from labor.

Posted by: Red Turban Someguy at March 20, 2026 11:23 AM (okun6)

89 85 Speaking of stupid brands . . .

Jaguar Abandons Woke Ads That Killed Its Sales In Favor of Campaign Invoking 1960s Simplicity

-
I suspect they'll find a brand is a lot easier to damage than to rehabilitate especially where, as here, they insult their base in favor of a bunch weirdo perverts.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Damn It Feels Good to Be a Trumpster! at March 20, 2026 11:22 AM (ndZc7)

=====

I was assured that the collapse in sales was only because Jaguar stopped manufacturing and that it was actually a huge advertising success.

Why would they change course?

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at March 20, 2026 11:23 AM (gYVzu)

90 There's gotta be some clever quip involving Chuck Norris and the grim reaper but I can't think of it...

I liked Chuck Norris. RIP

Posted by: LinusVanPelt at March 20, 2026 11:23 AM (xT8gx)

91 “We learned that 60% of our core users are over $100,000 a year in average household income,” he added.

Has he noticed $100,000 inst even that much money anymore, especially in large cities? Plus going out to even place like Chipotle has become something of a luxury.

Posted by: Ripley at March 20, 2026 11:23 AM (GUOwU)

92 Wife and I occasionally go to Chili's. Not as much since they changed the skillet queso.

Posted by: Darth Randall at March 20, 2026 11:24 AM (njVrr)

93 "CEO of Chipotle seemed to say that because its customer base is somewhat affluent."

Affluent people go to Chipotle? Seriously?

Posted by: Elric The Blade at March 20, 2026 11:24 AM (iFTx/)

94 Hmmm ... I wonder how Chipotle acquired the statistics to claim 60% of its customers earn more than $100k per year? ... Was this information a gift, or did Chipotle hire an organization to gather and parse the data ... Probably easier to gather, now that fewer people pay with cash.

Posted by: Kathy at March 20, 2026 11:24 AM (zuKcR)

95 93 "CEO of Chipotle seemed to say that because its customer base is somewhat affluent."

Affluent people go to Chipotle? Seriously?

Posted by: Elric The Blade at March 20, 2026 11:24 AM (iFTx/)

=====

Well, richer people than those who regularly go to Taco Bell.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at March 20, 2026 11:24 AM (gYVzu)

96 First Watch has actually mostly attracted an "Upper Middle Class Hipster" clientele, and the franchise started in California.
----------------
I live in NOVA and its packed with UMCHs (aka Yankees). So it should do well.

Posted by: pudinhead at March 20, 2026 11:24 AM (pZ64F)

97 You mean, Starbucks opening their bathrooms up to homeless crack junkies wasn't a good business plan?

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March 20, 2026 11:22 AM (Zz0t1)

I happily pay more for coffee just to avoid going into a Starbucks.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at March 20, 2026 11:24 AM (n9ltV)

98 However, the longest standing example I know of was Sears. They went from the biggest retailer around to trash.

The sad part is that there were people telling the Powers That Be at Sears that this new fangled internet was going to be important and they could deliver goods with it. In an alternate world, Amazon would have stayed a bookseller and not much else.

Posted by: NR Pax at March 20, 2026 11:25 AM (lXoJ5)

99 So Red Robin was now serving worse food, slower, in a dirtier restaurant, at a lower price point. That combination is how you enter a death spiral.

Did he mean a "higher" price point? IOW, did they make their food more expensive while reducing quality? And wth is the difference between a "price point" and a "price"? If you can't speak in plain English, you're in the wrong business. Try tollbooth attendant.

Posted by: Archimedes at March 20, 2026 11:07 AM (Riz8t)

No, he meant lower. They were serving crappier food for less money. Which meant that not only were people leaving, the ones who DID go back were spending less.

Posted by: Washington Nearsider: Gotterdammerung at March 20, 2026 11:25 AM (G1ktt)

100 100

Posted by: NR Pax at March 20, 2026 11:25 AM (lXoJ5)

101 Lone Wolf McQuaid is still the best thing he's ever done.
Posted by: Thomas Bender at March 20, 2026 11:23 AM (ufSuS)

I'm gonna go with being the first American to win the world karate championship.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March 20, 2026 11:25 AM (Zz0t1)

102 I suspect they'll find a brand is a lot easier to damage than to rehabilitate especially where, as here, they insult their base in favor of a bunch weirdo perverts.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Damn It Feels Good to Be a Trumpster! at March 20, 2026 11:22 AM (ndZc7)
---
Weird how they always claim to be "inclusive" and cater to the oddball 5%, but then take a perverse pleasure in excluding the normal 95% of their customer base.

Has that ever worked out in the long run?

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2026 11:25 AM (ESVrU)

103 79 It is getting a bit blatant how many retailers are flat out saying "We're going to intentionally price the filthy poors out of the market because we don't want them coming into our establishments and shitting them up."

Posted by: XTC at March 20, 2026 11:21 AM (3wOGw)

Costco's model. Even modest entrance fees get a different customer base.

Posted by: Red Turban Someguy at March 20, 2026 11:25 AM (okun6)

104 Oh yeah, Cracker Barrel.....I placed a take-out order from there, curbside pickup. After waiting 15 minutes for someone to acknowledge me (they never did), I went inside to find a line of diners who were about to cause a riot. My order wasn't even being made yet. They were running at least an hour behind (both for take-out and inside dining). There was the DEI woman manager yelling back at the customers (a lot of "that's not my job or problem), and a mousy, miserable looking teen at her side. When somebody's order did come out, it was completely wrong. I just shook my head, called the 800 number, and gave them hell. They canceled the order and gave me a $100 gift card, which I will probably never use.

We live in interesting times.

Posted by: Kareem of Wheat at March 20, 2026 11:25 AM (9CBNQ)

105
The new business plans are all BOHICA plans: SURPRISE!

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at March 20, 2026 11:26 AM (P8t9A)

106
I happily pay more for coffee just to avoid going into a Starbucks.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at March 20, 2026 11:24 AM (n9ltV)

Agreed. Haven't had that shit they call coffee in a LONG time.

I've become a big fan of 151 Coffee.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March 20, 2026 11:26 AM (Zz0t1)

107 @101

>>I'm gonna go with being the first American to win the world karate championship.

Well, that and being buddies with Bruce Lee

Posted by: Thomas Bender at March 20, 2026 11:27 AM (3p/pn)

108 Affluent people go to Chipotle? Seriously?
>>>>>Posted by: Elric The Blade at March 20, 2026 11:24 AM (iFTx/)

Well, not "Lambo" wealthy. Those are special people who never even walk where the rest of us scum go.

Posted by: Same Old at March 20, 2026 11:27 AM (4oSCo)

109 I walked into a Chipotle once, stood there for a minute and turned around and never went back. Too disorganized and weird for me. Round Robin was a dump from the first time I ever went there, their food was terrible. I guess I went there after they didn't care anymore.

Posted by: Jamieson at March 20, 2026 11:27 AM (BCuCF)

110 Good morning, friends!

At the end of the day, the goal of every CEO is to make money. Someone on the team needs to be bold enough to define risk / reward, and offer solutions that don’t degrade the customer experience They need to remember Chipotle is hospitality, it is not manufacturing. The value proposition is different.

USAA needs to heed this warning, and they need to get in front of their issues with growing their offshore footprint while shrinking in the US. They forgot who their customer base is, and they are allowing rumors to rapidly become truth. It’s a perfect storm for organizing on top of everything else.

Posted by: Piper at March 20, 2026 11:27 AM (hftzA)

111 Costco's model. Even modest entrance fees get a different customer base.
Posted by: Red Turban Someguy

We gave up on Costco and decided to give Sam's Club a try since I could get a cheap membership through work. The difference in quality was noticeable the first time I went there.

Posted by: NR Pax at March 20, 2026 11:27 AM (lXoJ5)

112 Gang bangers have taken over Ruth's Chris so now there's a "racist" dress code.

Posted by: NCKate at March 20, 2026 11:27 AM (uQzkA)

113 If I want to eat out for something quick I normally just get it from the take out from the local deli. I like independent places and the guy who owns it works hard , is really interesting and a nice guy. He came to the U.S. and is of Asian background but speaks Spanish fluently and can go on a good rant about Islam and illegal immigration. They serve a lot of Latinos so they have good nachos and tacos, enchiladas etc on their menu.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at March 20, 2026 11:27 AM (PFs9e)

114 You mean, Starbucks opening their bathrooms up to homeless crack junkies wasn't a good business plan?

But it annoyed the normies so it was totally worth it.

Posted by: Oddbob at March 20, 2026 11:27 AM (Fs0KI)

115 Costco's model. Even modest entrance fees get a different customer base.
----------------
To make it pay, you'd better have a freezer.

Posted by: pudinhead at March 20, 2026 11:27 AM (pZ64F)

116 USAA needs to heed this warning, and they need to get in front of their issues with growing their offshore footprint while shrinking in the US.

I've been with them for almost 40 years and the latest news about them has me thinking that I may have to part ways with them.

Posted by: NR Pax at March 20, 2026 11:28 AM (lXoJ5)

117 It's real chocolate! Just look at the fifth ingredient:

Kit Kat (U.S.) Ingredients for Standard Milk Chocolate:
Sugar, wheat flour, cocoa butter, nonfat milk, chocolate, refined palm kernel oil, lactose (milk), milk fat, contains 2% or less of: soy lecithin, Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (emulsifier), yeast, artificial flavor (vanillin - 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde), salt, sodium bicarbonate.

Posted by: KitKat at March 20, 2026 11:28 AM (egaJw)

118 Good article. Thanks.

We just circle around over the decades, especially in more urbanized areas.

Many cities built high-rise apartments for those of lower incomes many years ago near corner store conveniences. For the most part, they eventually became slums with many razed in the name of safety. "Townhouses" (my "row houses") rebuilt in their place at least once in 25 years, often more often in more years. They, too, became slums in many cities and towns.

Back to the rebuilding of multi-floor apartments & condos. Back to some 'corner stores' in the community (with lots of cellphone outlets, some chain restaurants, fewer occupant owned stores & businesses.).
--
Nothing is really new but for Door Dash and similar contracts used by the "middle." Convenient food delivery, other package deliveries, and so on.

Pricing is ever increasing for all forms of transportation, including gig workers, which are often "migrants" in those communities.

The current concept is leaning to Community Hubs. (See Baltimore and others.) Benevolent Control. The masters' ways of appearing benevolent while controlling the masses. You get the markets - food, housing, health - you deserve.

Posted by: L - No nic, another fine day at March 20, 2026 11:29 AM (NFX2v)

119
Sawdust in the right amounts makes a nice filler. Cheap too.
Posted by: Stateless

Your idea interests us and we'd like to subscribe to your newsletter.

-- SYSCO

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at March 20, 2026 11:29 AM (P8t9A)

120 MBA's do this to you, and you pay them extra to do it.
This didn't happen when English majors ran the place.
Cigarette makers did all right until some smart-ass got himself off with the "nicotine delivery device" concept. Made him important!

Not to be the "I won't watch football" guy, but I haven't been into a Chipotle since they got busted for making people sick with shit under the cook's fingernails. I'm not rich enough to afford that.

Also, people I knew couldn't learn to say it. Around here, they still call it "Chi-pultee's." We speak low-class Spanish.

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at March 20, 2026 11:29 AM (zdLoL)

121 There's gotta be some clever quip involving Chuck Norris and the grim reaper but I can't think of it...

I liked Chuck Norris. RIP
Posted by: LinusVanPelt at March 20, 2026 11:23 AM

To amend an old Chuck Norris/Fred Thompson line,

When Chuck Norris and Death pass each other on the street, they just nod respectfully at each other.

Posted by: RedMindBlueState at March 20, 2026 11:29 AM (kgE5c)

122 106 I've become a big fan of 151 Coffee.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March 20, 2026 11:26 AM (Zz0t1)

I'm just barely 29 enough to remember when that would mean pouring some 151 into your coffee.

Posted by: XTC at March 20, 2026 11:29 AM (3wOGw)

123 We gave up on Costco and decided to give Sam's Club a try since I could get a cheap membership through work.

Costco is one of the few places I go, because they haven't noticeably deteriorated like so many places I've seen. As long as you go there for certain things, e.g. produce and meat, they're great IMHO.

Posted by: Archimedes at March 20, 2026 11:30 AM (Riz8t)

124 I agree that something is off about today's Reeses peanut butter cups. Trader Joes has dark chocolate covered peanut butter cups that I can't stop eating once I open the jar.

Posted by: Chairman LMAO at March 20, 2026 11:30 AM (cWLG3)

125 I'm just barely 29 enough to remember when that would mean pouring some 151 into your coffee.
Posted by: XTC at March 20, 2026 11:29 AM (3wOGw)

*fistbump*

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March 20, 2026 11:30 AM (Zz0t1)

126 I am morally opposed to rice in a burrito. Cheap filler.

Posted by: Pug Mahon at March 20, 2026 11:30 AM (PSEDc)

127 117 It's real chocolate! Just look at the fifth ingredient:

The quality is better with the Japanese ones because they reeeeally love Kit Kats over there. And Japanese companies tend to listen to their customers.

Posted by: NR Pax at March 20, 2026 11:30 AM (lXoJ5)

128 >>> So, how's Cracker Barrel doing these days after their "woke" remake?
Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 20, 2026 11:15 AM (AkEZC)

Saw a new ad of theirs recently and liked it. About celebrating a grandpa's birthday by eating with all the family at Cracker Barrel. The ad makers understood the assignment.

The best ad I've seen lately is Burger King, of all franchises! Their CEO openly admitting on camera they screwed up. They heard you about the reduced quality and the creepy king mascot. They've fired the king and returned the crown to you, because at BK the customer rules. Really, really solid messaging!

https://www.instagram.com/
reel/DV7EApAjp1g/

Posted by: LizLem at March 20, 2026 11:30 AM (gWBY1)

129 Chuck Norris didn't die, he's just checking up on God.

Posted by: Archer at March 20, 2026 11:31 AM (wvc0i)

130 These executives live and die for metrics, but customer satisfaction never seems to be high on the list.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at March 20, 2026 11:31 AM (0U5gm)

131 I think if the beef is raised lean, the burgers can come out fine. Bison burgers for instance.
Rendering the fat from some steer who spent his life standing around a pasture waiting to die, on the other hand, would probably not leave much left.
Posted by: gKWVE at March 20, 2026 11:13 AM (DDhhw)

Bullshit. Fat is what gives beef it's rich flavor. No fat, no flavor, PERIOD!

Posted by: Dr. Pork Chops & Bacons at March 20, 2026 11:31 AM (g8Ew8)

132 Free trade is mutually beneficial - US exported our manufacturing and technology expertise to China and in exchange, US imported Chinese management expertise. Win/Win!

Posted by: Chuck Martel at March 20, 2026 11:31 AM (Dv3i1)

133 It's an interesting thought... places, retailers jacking up prices in order to keep the riff raft out. I mean, there's a certain endearment to Waffle House and the nightly hoodrat riots, but it's not someplace I'd consider eating at unless there were no other options at the time.

Ages ago a couple bars started to do "cover charges" for patrons. I suspect it was much the same idea as raising prices at fast food dives.

Probably won't work.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 20, 2026 11:31 AM (AkEZC)

134 I've become a big fan of 151 Coffee.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March 20, 2026 11:26 AM

I'm just barely 29 enough to remember when that would mean pouring some 151 into your coffee.
Posted by: XTC at March 20, 2026 11:29 AM

Honestly? That was my first thought as well.

Posted by: RedMindBlueState at March 20, 2026 11:31 AM (kgE5c)

135 Norris was in zero blockbuster movies, never won an Oscar, and yet he was an icon; I suspect because, in part, he was a real person and had a sense of humor. Karate kick St. Peter's gate open, dude.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Damn It Feels Good to Be a Trumpster! at March 20, 2026 11:32 AM (ndZc7)

136 110 Good morning, friends!

At the end of the day, the goal of every CEO is to make money. Someone on the team needs to be bold enough to define risk / reward, and offer solutions that don’t degrade the customer experience They need to remember Chipotle is hospitality, it is not manufacturing. The value proposition is different.

USAA needs to heed this warning, and they need to get in front of their issues with growing their offshore footprint while shrinking in the US. They forgot who their customer base is, and they are allowing rumors to rapidly become truth. It’s a perfect storm for organizing on top of everything else.

Posted by: Piper at March 20, 2026 11:27 AM (hftzA)

When expressed in terms of quality or capacity manufacturing and hospitality are not that different at this decision-making level, but oftentimes it's unclear to the C-Suite how labor is impacting capacity(how many customers you can serve) or how it impacts quality.

A restaurant can serve X people when staffed appropriately isn't that different from an Oil Well producing X barrels, but turning the former into comprehensible data is harder.

Posted by: Red Turban Someguy at March 20, 2026 11:32 AM (okun6)

137 >>>”So Red Robin was now serving worse food, slower, in a dirtier restaurant, at a lower price point. That combination is how you enter a death spiral.”

I noticed the bean counter enshittification was going on years ago and haven't been back, same as for Outback, Panera, Olive Garden, and any number of other joints.

Death to bean counters.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at March 20, 2026 11:32 AM (sYb91)

138 One thing I've noticed about Chipotle is that if you're a random customer they will "downsize" your portions (make a small burrito)...

Gotta hand it to them, that's a great way to minimize repeat business. No new regular customers.

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at March 20, 2026 11:32 AM (ExV1e)

139 Fat is what gives beef it's rich flavor. No fat, no flavor, PERIOD!

Posted by: Dr. Pork Chops & Bacons

Elk meat is superior to beef in every way (but cost) and it is entirely grass fed. People just have gotten used to corn fed beef from steers that just stand around in feed lots.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at March 20, 2026 11:33 AM (0U5gm)

140 Case in point, it's like a blog I frequent that decides to monetize its comments section.

Posted by: Big Fat Meanie at March 20, 2026 11:33 AM (qwx/I)

141 Chuck Norris died? RIP. But it's just in time for the season of resurrections!

Posted by: Elric The Blade at March 20, 2026 11:33 AM (iFTx/)

142 What kind of fucking asshole calls restaurant patrons "users"?

I guess the same dumbfuck that uses the word salad "that gives us confidence that we can lean into that group in a more meaningful way", instead of the more precise and concise "we know we can fuck the customers harder".

Another restaurant off the list. They can plop down on the stoop and eat a bag of dicks along with Uncle Julio's.

Posted by: Cock of the Walk at March 20, 2026 11:33 AM (NKpYE)

143 I've never been impressed with Chipotl E. Coli.

Posted by: Bert G at March 20, 2026 11:33 AM (VARTN)

144
I hadn't seen "lean into" used for that particular act before, but I'm stealing it.
Posted by: gKWVE

May we interest you in a slightly worn, but solid alternative -- LEAN FORWARD?

-- MSNOW

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at March 20, 2026 11:34 AM (P8t9A)

145 We gave up on Costco and decided to give Sam's Club a try since I could get a cheap membership through work.

I kind of did the opposite. Costco had better meat and produce but Sam's was better on stuff that I buy in bulk like canned goods and paper products so I went back to Sam's.

Posted by: Oddbob at March 20, 2026 11:34 AM (Fs0KI)

146 I am morally opposed to rice in a burrito. Cheap filler.

Posted by: Pug Mahon at March 20, 2026 11:30 AM (PSEDc)

This guy gets it.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at March 20, 2026 11:34 AM (sYb91)

147 Anyone need a primer about the 3 "P"s of life insurance?

Posted by: Jonathan Lawson of Colonial Penn at March 20, 2026 11:34 AM (oftw2)

148 I was assured that the collapse in sales was only because Jaguar stopped manufacturing and that it was actually a huge advertising success.

Why would they change course?
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at March 20, 2026 11:23 AM (gYVzu

Maybe the problem was the ads weren't woke enough to align with the true average consumer.

That's it. THAT was the problem.

Posted by: Stateless at March 20, 2026 11:34 AM (Sco7b)

149 148 Maybe the problem was the ads weren't woke enough to align with the true average consumer.

That's it. THAT was the problem.

Posted by: Stateless at March 20, 2026 11:34 AM (Sco7b)

=======

"Holy shit! Get Jaguar back on the phone!"
-the fired ad agency

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at March 20, 2026 11:35 AM (gYVzu)

150 Where do they learn to talk this way?

You mean...
Where did they teach you to talk like this? In some ~~Panama City~~ Harvard "sailor wanna hump-hump" ~~bar~~ business school?

Posted by: GWB at March 20, 2026 11:35 AM (RxVz+)

151 127 The quality is better with the Japanese ones because they reeeeally love Kit Kats over there. And Japanese companies tend to listen to their customers.
Posted by: NR Pax at March 20, 2026 11:30 AM (lXoJ5)

And they have flavors like Matcha and Sakura.

Posted by: XTC at March 20, 2026 11:35 AM (3wOGw)

152 Jaguar Abandons Woke Ads That Killed Its Sales In Favor of Campaign Invoking 1960s Simplicity

60's Jags were a lot of things but simple is not among them.

Posted by: From about That Time at March 20, 2026 11:35 AM (sl73Y)

153 These executives live and die for metrics, but customer satisfaction never seems to be high on the list.

How exactly would one quantify "growing negative customer perceptions"? It would be difficult, and the MBA crowd probably wouldn't be interested, given that they'll be long gone by the time the TSHTF.

Posted by: Archimedes at March 20, 2026 11:35 AM (Riz8t)

154 Went to a Red Robin before it went to hell as described in the article.

Long wait, slow service, no free fries, it sucked.
Cannot imagine how bad it is now.

Posted by: Operator Error at March 20, 2026 11:36 AM (q4fV5)

155 Moe's >> Chipotle

Posted by: banana Dream at March 20, 2026 11:36 AM (3uBP9)

156 I've always been amazed at Sbarro's meatballs. Don't have a Sbarro's around me but I hope and pray their meatballs are still delicious.

Posted by: pudinhead at March 20, 2026 11:36 AM (pZ64F)

157 Well, that and Levi Strauss being a full bore communist didn't help things, either.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March

Interesting thing about Levi’s is they have very different tiers of jeans, even in the same style. You can get Selvedge denim, still made in the US Levi’s. They are the parent brand for Beyond Yoga, which I am wearing right now, and that entire line is still made in the US.

Posted by: Piper at March 20, 2026 11:36 AM (hftzA)

158 I bought lots of Reese's peanut butter candy for the Halloween brats with the intention of freezing the leftovers, but the quality has taken a marked nosedive. I dumped it all. Waxy brown "chocolate" and substandard PB. Reese's PB cups used to be like crack!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at March 20, 2026 11:36 AM (kpS4V)

159 I am morally opposed to rice in a burrito. Cheap filler.

So what are we supposed to do with all our maggots, Smart Guy?

Posted by: Chipotle's Accountants at March 20, 2026 11:37 AM (egaJw)

160
60's Jags were a lot of things but simple is not among them.
Posted by: From about That Time at March 20, 2026 11:35 AM (sl73Y)

Owning a Jaguar was like playing Microsoft Flight Simulator and setting the reliability factor to zero.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March 20, 2026 11:37 AM (Zz0t1)

161 153 "These executives live and die for metrics, but customer satisfaction never seems to be high on the list."

How exactly would one quantify "growing negative customer perceptions"? It would be difficult, and the MBA crowd probably wouldn't be interested, given that they'll be long gone by the time the TSHTF.

Posted by: Archimedes at March 20, 2026 11:35 AM (Riz8t)

Lower traffic/sales volume/backlog.

Posted by: Red Turban Someguy at March 20, 2026 11:37 AM (okun6)

162 Have no idea how Chilis is successful. They changed menu items that had been there forever with worse versions. Lets not add new menu items, lets change them and make them shittier.

Posted by: resist_we_much at March 20, 2026 11:37 AM (cpys8)

163 I kinda think all fast food is cheap dogshit and the higher-end restaurants aren't much better.

Everyone is following the same play book: cheaper ingredients, cheaper preparation (including lots of pre-cooked reheating), smaller portions, shittier service, and a nice fat side dish of woke DEI lard.

I think Covid was the inflection point for this. It's rare that I go to a restaurant now and think "wow this was really good."

Posted by: Elric The Blade at March 20, 2026 11:37 AM (iFTx/)

164 With no exceptions (that I'm aware of) restaurants (along the entire spectrum from fast food to high-end dine-in) have degraded in the quality of the experience since covid... Prices way up; level of service way down; portions smaller; etc etc

Me no like because dining out used to be one of my favorite things to do.... but I don't go out nearly as much as I used to because the experience just isn't as enjoyable as it used to be

Posted by: LinusVanPelt at March 20, 2026 11:37 AM (xT8gx)

165 Sock be gone

Posted by: 2009Refugee at March 20, 2026 11:37 AM (8AONa)

166 Cracker Barrel, Red Robin, and so on can't get enough workers to cook, serve, bus and work the registers. Even when they're really trying, they're tanking.

Waiting to see what's the future of Wawas and similar operations in the future since they've become dependent on food delivery services (and gas) too.

Good diners and many independent, smaller restaurants are a bit more profitable as they can hide undocumented workers in the kitchens and other background operations, and they're not as reliant on Door Dash, etc.

Posted by: L - No nic, another fine day at March 20, 2026 11:37 AM (NFX2v)

167 146 I am morally opposed to rice in a burrito. Cheap filler.

Posted by: Pug Mahon at March 20, 2026 11:30 AM (PSEDc)

This guy gets it.
Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at March 20, 2026 11:34 AM (sYb91)
---
Rice absolutely belongs in a burrito, better than using lettuce, or BEANS, as a filler.

Posted by: Chairman LMAO at March 20, 2026 11:37 AM (cWLG3)

168 The best ad I've seen lately is Burger King, of all franchises! Their CEO openly admitting on camera they screwed up. They heard you about the reduced quality and the creepy king mascot.

They totally screwed the quality but I liked the creepy king commercials. Especially the one where he breaks into the McDonald's vault to steal the recipe for scrambled egg on an English muffin.

Posted by: Oddbob at March 20, 2026 11:37 AM (Fs0KI)

169 Drake (the snack company) did the same thing...

Years ago, Funny Bones were my absolute favorite, no contest compared to Devil Dogs, Yodels, or Ring Dings, and just fuck Hostess in general...

Of course, I stopped eating that shit for many years, but just a couple ago, I was shocked to see Funny Bones in Wegmans, and I grew excited...so much so that customers reported my behavior to the manager (j/k)...

So Get them them, get home, open them up, take a bite... and what the fuck is this shit I just put in my mouth?

The chocolate coating went from a dark, thin, tasty, and soft dream to a shit-colored hard shell...The chocolate cake that used to be moist and delicious was now dry, crumbly, and tasteless. The thick peanut butter inside was replaced by some foamy stuff.

In retrospect, I'm not surprised. Isn't that the way these things always happen? A product or service starts off great, and then just slowly declines until it dies.

Made me sad though. I really loved those things.

Posted by: SSBN 656 (G) at March 20, 2026 11:38 AM (dmDsy)

170 USAA needs to heed this warning, and they need to get in front of their issues with growing their offshore footprint while shrinking in the US.
---
I've been with them for almost 40 years and the latest news about them has me thinking that I may have to part ways with them.

Posted by: NR Pax at March 20, 2026 11:28 AM

I'm getting ready to cut sling with them as well; I got some insurance quotes last week and despite almost 30 years with USAA, I discovered that I'm paying almost double for the same coverage I can get from State Farm, Allstate, etc.

Posted by: Bert G at March 20, 2026 11:38 AM (VARTN)

171 We need to fund an MBA program where these kinds of actions are taught as being negative.
Posted by: NR Pax at March 20, 2026 11:15 AM (lXoJ5)

It's only negative if you care about the business.

If I'm the CEO, and I get paid mostly in stock options, then I want the stock to go up as much as possible, as fast as possible. If it kills the company in long run... I'll already be taking my cut from another business.

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at March 20, 2026 11:38 AM (ExV1e)

172 These executives live and die for metrics"

This. I chuckle when someone says that they're there to make $.

"Metrics" has become a layer in between. Making money is too much like work...

Posted by: man at March 20, 2026 11:38 AM (XuXeR)

173 And they have flavors like Matcha and Sakura.
Posted by: XTC at March 20, 2026 11:35 AM (3wOGw)
---

And soy sauce and durian!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at March 20, 2026 11:38 AM (kpS4V)

174 Affluent people go to Chipotle? Seriously?
>>>>>Posted by: Elric The Blade at March 20, 2026 11:24 AM (iFTx/)

Well, not "Lambo" wealthy. Those are special people who never even walk where the rest of us scum go.
Posted by: Same Old at March 20, 2026 11:27 AM (4oSCo)
_____

Cars & Coffee?

Posted by: Elric The Blade at March 20, 2026 11:38 AM (iFTx/)

175 Even the crack isn't as good as it used to be. The CIA needs to get on this.

Posted by: Big Fat Meanie at March 20, 2026 11:38 AM (qwx/I)

176 Interesting thing about Levi’s is they have very different tiers of jeans, even in the same style. You can get Selvedge denim, still made in the US Levi’s. They are the parent brand for Beyond Yoga, which I am wearing right now, and that entire line is still made in the US.
Posted by: Piper at March 20, 2026 11:36 AM (hftzA)

I'm a Duluth Trading guy. Levi's lost me when he want full on anti 2nd Amendment.

It's all part of my "I won't fund those that hate me" attempt at life.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March 20, 2026 11:39 AM (Zz0t1)

177 Interestingly, I had a Reese's peanut butter cup this morning. They're tiny, like half the size I remember them.

Posted by: Elric The Blade at March 20, 2026 11:39 AM (iFTx/)

178 How exactly would one quantify "growing negative customer perceptions"? It would be difficult, and the MBA crowd probably wouldn't be interested, given that they'll be long gone by the time the TSHTF.

Posted by: Archimedes at March 20, 2026 11:35 AM (Riz8t)

Lower traffic/sales volume/backlog.

But by the time it shows up in those numbers, you've already entered the death spiral. There is a phase delay between destroying the quality and the inevitable customer resentment.

Posted by: Archimedes at March 20, 2026 11:39 AM (Riz8t)

179 For a while Moe's had "blue corn" chips that were not really blue corn, had food coloring die, lots of die, and would make your poop interesting colors. True fact.

10/10 - would poop blue again.

Posted by: banana Dream at March 20, 2026 11:39 AM (3uBP9)

180 Jaguar Abandons Woke Ads That Killed Its Sales In Favor of Campaign Invoking 1960s Simplicity

60's Jags were a lot of things but simple is not among them.

Posted by: From about That Time

Oh, I don't know. Push starting a car with Lucas electronics seems simple enough.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at March 20, 2026 11:39 AM (0U5gm)

181 Shrimp must be cheap now"

Yeah. Harvests are up and costs down. You know, there might be a relationship between costs, supply, and demand.
-------
Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it.

Posted by: Bubba at March 20, 2026 11:40 AM (XeU6L)

182 The True Classic jeans are a little more expensive but they're great. Nice space for my bulge, and accentuates my middle aged not-butt.

Posted by: Big Fat Meanie at March 20, 2026 11:40 AM (qwx/I)

183 But by the time it shows up in those numbers, you've already entered the death spiral. There is a phase delay between destroying the quality and the inevitable customer resentment.

And, as has been pointed out, once you enter the death spiral, it can be very difficult to pull out of it.

Posted by: Archimedes at March 20, 2026 11:40 AM (Riz8t)

184 166 Cracker Barrel, Red Robin, and so on can't get enough workers to cook, serve, bus and work the registers. Even when they're really trying, they're tanking.

Waiting to see what's the future of Wawas and similar operations in the future since they've become dependent on food delivery services (and gas) too.

Good diners and many independent, smaller restaurants are a bit more profitable as they can hide undocumented workers in the kitchens and other background operations, and they're not as reliant on Door Dash, etc.

Posted by: L - No nic, another fine day at March 20, 2026 11:37 AM (NFX2v)

Wawa is currently in the middle of an expansion initiative.

They've been building them all over South Central PA (which was an area that they'd intentionally stayed out of for their entire lifespan up until they finally put one in Lancaster a few years ago, and 2 years ago decided to fully expand)

Posted by: XTC at March 20, 2026 11:40 AM (3wOGw)

185 Interestingly, I had a Reese's peanut butter cup this morning. They're tiny, like half the size I remember them.

Posted by: Elric The Blade

Fun size doesn't seem all that fun these days.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at March 20, 2026 11:40 AM (0U5gm)

186 I went to Taco Bell recently. After buying and eating a burrito and taco, I decided to make my own at home going forward.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at March 20, 2026 11:40 AM (d6BF2)

187 "What's so fun about them being tiny?" - Bart Simpson

Posted by: no one of any consequence at March 20, 2026 11:41 AM (d6BF2)

188 Have no idea how Chilis is successful. They changed menu items that had been there forever with worse versions. Lets not add new menu items, lets change them and make them shittier.
Posted by: resist_we_much at March 20, 2026 11:37 AM

They replaced their Skillet Queso with some pasteurized shit cheese thing. Customers revolted immediately. They brought it back within 3 months.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March 20, 2026 11:41 AM (Zz0t1)

189 60's Jags were a lot of things but simple is not among them"

"Simple"?

Try "starting and running "

But nice to look at...

Posted by: man at March 20, 2026 11:41 AM (XuXeR)

190 >>> Interestingly, I had a Reese's peanut butter cup this morning. They're tiny, like half the size I remember them.
Posted by: Elric The Blade at March 20, 2026 11:39 AM (iFTx/)

They have a whole variety of cup sizes you can buy though, from mini to giant.

Posted by: banana Dream - You got the A, B, C, the D. That's the biggest. at March 20, 2026 11:41 AM (3uBP9)

191 I know what's Beyond Yoga. I am a graduate.

Posted by: Mongolian School of Contortion at March 20, 2026 11:41 AM (oftw2)

192 @181 I try to buy only raw wild caught (western hemisphere) shrimp. That includes red shrimp from Argentina if it's a good deal.

Posted by: Chairman LMAO at March 20, 2026 11:41 AM (cWLG3)

193 But by the time it shows up in those numbers, you've already entered the death spiral. There is a phase delay between destroying the quality and the inevitable customer resentment.

Posted by: Archimedes at March 20, 2026 11:39 AM (Riz8t)

There is a delay but the delay isn't so long that a business can't pivot. Many of these large business deaths are decades-long, and many others initially make bad decisions before reverting.

These bad decisions start with people looking at top-line numbers without understanding what is driving them, and don't get fixed if they never give people in the C-suite who understand what's going on.

There's also the perverse incentive to make changes for the sake of change for career promotion at the middle levels, nobody ever gets credit for keeping a good system running smoothly.

Posted by: Red Turban Someguy at March 20, 2026 11:42 AM (okun6)

194 A restaurant can serve X people when staffed appropriately isn't that different from an Oil Well producing X barrels, but turning the former into comprehensible data is harder.
Posted by: Red Turban Someguy at March

We can make it all numbers to numbers, and a labor analysis is the same equation no matter your business (as is your breakeven). Where you have differences is the customer base and the risk tolerance. Is your customer buying oil going to care if you outsource travel admin functions? Nope. If you are USAA and you do that, will your customers care? USAA is learning this answer is yes.

Posted by: Piper at March 20, 2026 11:42 AM (hftzA)

195
Kit Kat (U.S.) Ingredients for Standard Milk Chocolate:
Sugar, wheat flour, cocoa butter, nonfat milk, chocolate, refined palm kernel oil, lactose (milk), milk fat, contains 2% or less of: soy lecithin, Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (emulsifier), yeast, artificial flavor (vanillin - 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde), salt, sodium bicarbonate.
Posted by: KitKat

Hmmmmmmm...

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at March 20, 2026 11:42 AM (P8t9A)

196 169 Drake (the snack company) did the same thing...

Posted by: SSBN 656 (G) at March 20, 2026 11:38 AM (dmDsy)

Even Tastykake, which was to be the gold standard, has had a decline in quality. They're still better than Hostess or Drake, but they're not as good as they used to be.

Posted by: XTC at March 20, 2026 11:42 AM (3wOGw)

197 I have never eaten at a Chipotle, but for fast food Moes seemed o.k.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at March 20, 2026 11:43 AM (PFs9e)

198 Elk meat is superior to beef in every way (but cost) and it is entirely grass fed. People just have gotten used to corn fed beef from steers that just stand around in feed lots.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at March 20, 2026 11:33 AM (0U5gm)

And that's also bullshit. First, you're comparing apples to oranges. Second, cows in feed lots are fed food mixes that promote much much leaner beef.

Again, no fat, no taste.

Posted by: Dr. Pork Chops & Bacons at March 20, 2026 11:43 AM (g8Ew8)

199 Gas stations have become the fast food go to now. Not that 99% of it is healthy, but I still can't believe how much cooked(to an extent) food there is nowadays.

Posted by: Joe at March 20, 2026 11:43 AM (Uy/WF)

200 Waiting to see what's the future of Wawas and similar operations "

Buc-ee's says "hold my brisket"

That's your dining out future.

Posted by: man at March 20, 2026 11:43 AM (XuXeR)

201 Remind me to strangle the college grad snot nose that thinned out the Q-tips. Not the cotten, the stick. It was the only reason to pay the premium.

Posted by: connected and litigious at March 20, 2026 11:43 AM (cS1cw)

202 130 These executives live and die for metrics, but customer satisfaction never seems to be high on the list.
Posted by: Thomas Paine

Because they think of customers as living wallets who are hoarding money that belongs to them.

Posted by: NR Pax at March 20, 2026 11:43 AM (lXoJ5)

203 It seems nearly everything in the world of food has been ruined by MBA's and/or Private Equity. Almost anything that is a corporate chain is garbage.

Only a handful of places seem to get it. Like "In and Out", it's like the most simple thing ever and its always crowded and making plenty of money.

Posted by: Seaside at March 20, 2026 11:44 AM (05SdX)

204 Chipotle and rice in their burritos?

No thanks.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at March 20, 2026 11:44 AM (d6BF2)

205 My father once said that owning a British sports car was helpful, as it taught you patience and a philosophical outlook on life.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at March 20, 2026 11:44 AM (0U5gm)

206 Even Tastykake, which was to be the gold standard, has had a decline in quality. They're still better than Hostess or Drake, but they're not as good as they used to be.
----------
Let's talk Moon Pies.

Posted by: pudinhead at March 20, 2026 11:44 AM (pZ64F)

207 Well, the welfare customers can afford the chipotle away

Posted by: Avi at March 20, 2026 11:44 AM (T4qa/)

208 I mean, there's a certain endearment to Waffle House and the nightly hoodrat riots, but it's not someplace I'd consider eating at unless there were no other options at the time.

My Aikido teacher is starting the prep work for me to test as Second Degree Black Belt. I suggested dropping me off at the nearby Waffle House at 3 AM and pick me up at 6. I swear that he pondered it for a moment.

Posted by: NR Pax at March 20, 2026 11:45 AM (lXoJ5)

209 Today
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is demanding answers to economic questions surrounding the Iran war, ticking off a list of queries about the impact on food, energy and retail costs.
“I write today with grave concern that President Trump is weakening an already fragile economy, and will continue to do so,” Warren wrote in a letter obtained by CNBC.
11/15/24
LONDON: Progressive US Sen. Elizabeth Warren has criticized the Biden administration’s failure to punish Israel after Washington delivered an ultimatum last month on improving aid deliveries to Gaza.

Posted by: r hennigantx at March 20, 2026 11:45 AM (gbOdA)

210
"we can lean into that group in a more meaningful way"
I hadn't seen "lean into" used for that particular act before, but I'm stealing it.
Posted by: gKWVE at March 20, 2026 11:11 AM (DDhhw)

When they say "lean into", they really mean "lean on".

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at March 20, 2026 11:45 AM (y9nCu)

211 polyricinoleate"

Our friend, the Castor Bean...

Posted by: man at March 20, 2026 11:45 AM (XuXeR)

212 The ARNP I support ordered Chipotle for delivery for lunch on Wednesday. I got a chicken bowl. It was small. It was cold. They left the guac out entirely. The chips were stale. And they used a fat free sour cream that reduced to a silicone like slime on the tiny shreds of limp lettuce. But there were plenty of onions!

Never again.

Posted by: nurse ratched at March 20, 2026 11:45 AM (W2Pud)

213 No one gives a sh*t about your core customer calculations. They just want a burrito that is as good as it used to be.” I really wish these words were being taught in our elite business schools,

Well in my business class that I teach at the University where I don't teach anymore except for when I need beer money, the first day, first question I pose to the student is: "Why are we here?"
Answer: To learn how to make a profit!
PROFIT!!!
This is a 300-level class and I estimate half the students are not familiar with that word in any meaningful way.

Posted by: Diogenes at March 20, 2026 11:45 AM (2WIwB)

214 @210 "lean into" is the new "circle back."

Posted by: Chairman LMAO at March 20, 2026 11:46 AM (cWLG3)

215 Doritos has a line of "naked" chips. No food coloring to make them orange. Still has the chemically created cheese flavoring, but not the coloring.

A step in the right direction? Or a marketing stunt?

Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 20, 2026 11:46 AM (AkEZC)

216 I've had very lax welcomes and frighteningly enthusiastic welcomes at Moe's. A few hours after the lunch slam you get the lax. The scary excited always comes when there are corporate trainers on site.

Posted by: banana Dream at March 20, 2026 11:46 AM (3uBP9)

217 I think it's at least in part the nature of chains. A mom and pop shop with owners present cares about the business in a way that no distant CEO or board is ever going to.

Posted by: bear with asymmetrical balls at March 20, 2026 11:46 AM (CrUNC)

218 we can lean into that group in a more meaningful way,

Three ways to go with this:
1) "Our customers can afford lawyers, so we should probably avoid causing E. Coli outbreaks from here on out."
2) "We can afford to use slightly higher quality ingredients because our customers can afford it."
3) Misreading the numbers because their only remaining customers live in places where $100,000 salary is considered low income.

Posted by: GWB at March 20, 2026 11:46 AM (RxVz+)

219
Wawa is currently in the middle of an expansion initiative.

They are closing and selling off locations at which gasoline / diesel cannot be sold. All new locations will sell those fuels.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at March 20, 2026 11:46 AM (P8t9A)

220 76. Warning regarding the restaurant, First Watch.

Take a look at the nutrition files they have online for their menu. It's actually a really nice feature to let you decide what to order if you have food allergies or are restricting things like sodium.

The sodium levels in almost their entire menu are outlandish. We actually used this for a nutrition seminar I participated in. Our instructor was bug eyed at the sodium levels.

I have to watch sodium due to high blood pressure. The only thing I can eat there is the oatmeal or one egg. The rest of it is typically twice to three times what I can eat in one meal.

Posted by: jen the original at March 20, 2026 11:46 AM (i4hcN)

221 I gave it up but as long as the beer and alcohol industries don't go down this path, the Horde will pull through.

Posted by: Stateless at March 20, 2026 11:46 AM (Sco7b)

222 CEO and management isn't in business to cater to customers or make customers' lives better. They are in business for one reason and one reason only: to make as much money for themselves as they can. No exceptions.

And the easiest way to do that is not to spend time and money building a brand. The easiest way is to take an existing brand, loot it, pocket the fat stock options, and then move on to the next. So that's what happens.

Posted by: Elric The Blade at March 20, 2026 11:47 AM (iFTx/)

223 This gutting of customer service is hitting hotels and airlines too. Last United flight and Mariott stay were poor experiences.

United CEO salary? $33 million.

Posted by: Random PJ at March 20, 2026 11:47 AM (+jscL)

224 There is iron in Dances with Socialists's words...

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, Bay Area Housekeeping Consultant at March 20, 2026 11:47 AM (skR0U)

225 194 A restaurant can serve X people when staffed appropriately isn't that different from an Oil Well producing X barrels, but turning the former into comprehensible data is harder.
Posted by: Red Turban Someguy at March

We can make it all numbers to numbers, and a labor analysis is the same equation no matter your business (as is your breakeven). Where you have differences is the customer base and the risk tolerance. Is your customer buying oil going to care if you outsource travel admin functions? Nope. If you are USAA and you do that, will your customers care? USAA is learning this answer is yes.

Posted by: Piper at March 20, 2026 11:42 AM (hftzA)

That's part of what makes translating to numbers difficult. There's important quality attached to some labor that isn't necessarily obvious to the people running things at the top level. Usually helps to have people who have worked their way up from a much lower position otherwise the executives will do this kind of thing without realizing it.

Posted by: Red Turban Someguy at March 20, 2026 11:47 AM (okun6)

226 208 Our local Waffle Houses are pretty much calm, cool, and collected. Arkansas has Constitutional Carry and nobody likes getting shot.

Posted by: bill in arkansas, not gonna comply with nuttin, waiting for the 0300 knock on the door at March 20, 2026 11:47 AM (gm9Sb)

227 My father once said that owning a British sports car was helpful"

Especially to mechanics. Now where did I put that whitworth spanner set?

Posted by: man at March 20, 2026 11:47 AM (XuXeR)

228
Best Chuck Norris film, Code of Silence.

Hire Andrew Davis as your director and Henry Silva to be your villain and you end up with gold.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at March 20, 2026 11:48 AM (y9nCu)

229 For the record, everyone in the c suite is not an idiot. I wasn’t. J is there now, and he isn’t. Well sometimes he is, but not at work. 😂 There are decisions that don’t feel good, but they support long term viability. There are also decisions made where you wonder if a magic 8 ball was consulted. Also, you can only cut headcount so many times to achieve your numbers- I had a 1 trick pony VP with this, and he look amazing for a few years. Until he didn’t, and in aerospace, your ability to screw up is very limited. He is probably running a chipotle now. lol.

Posted by: Piper at March 20, 2026 11:48 AM (hftzA)

230 I used to work part-time at Wawa. They actually treat their employees ok (they're "employee owned") and pay pretty well. And there's a fast-track to management if one desires. I'm just curious to see where the saturation point is, you can't go more than 3 miles in the Philly region without finding a store.

The city of Philadelphia excepted, of course. They shut down most of the city stores due to "reasons".

Posted by: Kareem of Wheat at March 20, 2026 11:48 AM (9CBNQ)

231 @220 That's a tell that they don't use fresh ingredients.

Posted by: Chairman LMAO at March 20, 2026 11:48 AM (cWLG3)

232 Chipotle is following the restaurant life cycle. I used to enjoy getting food at the Macaroni Grill, but there are none open near me any more. I can’t remember the name of the restaurant chain, but they used to have excellent glazed meat loaf. They over expanded, and slashed quality and then stores.

I prefer Freebird’s to Chipotle, mainly because of Chipotle’s past history of food-borne illnesses and the commercials that end with a huge blob of unappetizing guacamole splatted on top of their food.

Posted by: Advo at March 20, 2026 11:48 AM (DPn/g)

233 J C Christopher's >> First Watch

Posted by: banana Dream at March 20, 2026 11:49 AM (3uBP9)

234 Today
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is demanding answers to economic questions surrounding the Iran war, ticking off a list of queries about the impact on food, energy and retail costs.
“I write today with grave concern that President Trump is weakening an already fragile economy, and will continue to do so,” Warren wrote in a letter obtained by CNBC.

Cost of the war must be today's democrat talking point...Patty Murray is also flapping her gums on the same thing.

Posted by: Diogenes at March 20, 2026 11:49 AM (2WIwB)

235 I've noticed the change in Reese's. That makes it easier for me to give it up.

Chipotle has never been a favorite. I'll eat there if I don't have other options available. I've always thought it expensive for what you get.

Posted by: ChupaMe at March 20, 2026 11:49 AM (TmXpO)

236 Funny enough, I like all 3 brands.

That said, I eat Chipotle the most b/c of value and always having the ability to adapt to my allergies. Red Robin had always done that, but one day, I went in and the "allergy fryer was broken"...the only side I could get with my burger was a salad that was effectively the veg on my burger. Took a while before I went back...and it took a deal to lure me back.

Reese's came out with a plant-based cup...that was really good and pricey. No idea why they'd change the regular cup, b/c they already had a distinguishing pricey cup vs their norm brand for anyone who wanted it.

Chipotle tip - always get a bowl. Skip the 350 calorie tortilla, and load up on what's protein or veg (they always double my veg and beans for me since I do no dairy)...you'll get more that way...

Posted by: Nova Local at March 20, 2026 11:49 AM (tOcjL)

237 Oligachy!!

Posted by: Bernie Sanders at March 20, 2026 11:49 AM (skR0U)

238
Because they think of customers as living wallets who are hoarding money that belongs to them.
Posted by: NR Pax

Smells like gubmint!

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at March 20, 2026 11:49 AM (P8t9A)

239 Oh no RIP Chuck Norris
I met a kenyan last summer who loves america and Chuck Norris so much that he named his son Chuck Norris

Posted by: LASue at March 20, 2026 11:50 AM (mFhj8)

240 Today
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is demanding answers to economic questions surrounding the Iran war, ticking off a list of queries about the impact on food, energy and retail costs.
“I write today with grave concern that President Trump is weakening an already fragile economy, and will continue to do so,” Warren wrote in a letter obtained by CNBC.

It always amazes when the Democrat commies suddenly become 'budget conscious.'

Now do the Ukraine War, bish.......

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at March 20, 2026 11:50 AM (Zz0t1)

241 few hours after the lunch slam you get the lax"

See the kitkat label above. Plenty of "lax"...

Posted by: man at March 20, 2026 11:50 AM (XuXeR)

242 "Sen. Elizabeth Warren is demanding answers"

Sen. Elizabeth Warren can go fuck herself with a Tomahawk

Posted by: Cock of the Walk at March 20, 2026 11:50 AM (NKpYE)

243 New thing, at least here, is a bunch of biscuit themed breakfast places popping up.

Posted by: banana Dream at March 20, 2026 11:50 AM (3uBP9)

244 This gutting of customer service is hitting hotels and airlines too. Last United flight and Mariott stay were poor experiences.

United CEO salary? $33 million.

Posted by: Random PJ

Airlines are in the process of making flying an S&M adventure. Standard seat width is 17 1/2 inches, which means that apparently everyone who flies has a 34 inch waist or less. And as for leg room, as long as you are under 5' 8", you should be fine.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at March 20, 2026 11:50 AM (0U5gm)

245 My advice to you all is, prepare & eat your own food at home.

Posted by: Don Black at March 20, 2026 11:50 AM (ZxPkt)

246 215 Doritos has a line of "naked" chips. No food coloring to make them orange. Still has the chemically created cheese flavoring, but not the coloring.

A step in the right direction? Or a marketing stunt?
Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 20, 2026 11:46 AM (AkEZC)

A way to stay in stores...some stores have outlawed all products with artificial coloring already (hi Aldis) and more are doing so.

Posted by: Nova Local at March 20, 2026 11:51 AM (tOcjL)

247 I remember my first time eating at a Chipotle's. They want *how much* for something that's almost all rice, beans, and tortilla? You're aware this stuff is *poverty food*, right?

But people pay. Wish I had thought of it myself.

Posted by: DaveL at March 20, 2026 11:51 AM (Mnq4Y)

248 218 we can lean into that group in a more meaningful way,

Three ways to go with this:
1) "Our customers can afford lawyers, so we should probably avoid causing E. Coli outbreaks from here on out."
2) "We can afford to use slightly higher quality ingredients because our customers can afford it."
3) Misreading the numbers because their only remaining customers live in places where $100,000 salary is considered low income.
Posted by: GWB at March 20, 2026 11:46 AM (RxVz+)

If they want to make sure that nobody who makes less than 100K can ever afford to step in there, they're going to have to triple their prices.

Nobody's going to pay $36-45 for a single burrito.

Posted by: XTC at March 20, 2026 11:51 AM (3wOGw)

249 Best Chuck Norris film, Code of Silence.

Hire Andrew Davis as your director and Henry Silva to be your villain and you end up with gold.
Posted by: IllTemperedCur at March 20, 2026 11:48 AM (y9nCu)

Oh, that reminds me...

Did Chuck Norris leave the hospital, or did he (much more likely) make the hospital itself leave?

Posted by: SSBN 656 (G) at March 20, 2026 11:51 AM (dmDsy)

250
Bernie Sanders

I long for the day when a witness he is questioning responds, simply,

"Why don't you shut your fat, stupid mouth?"

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at March 20, 2026 11:51 AM (P8t9A)

251 BUSTED!

Posted by: runner at March 20, 2026 06:15 PM (GD0B3)

252 OK, what happened?

Posted by: Eeyore at March 20, 2026 06:15 PM (AlhUl)

253 Feels like The site was avoiding me since the morning rant.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 20, 2026 06:16 PM (MZJrA)

254
WTAF?

Posted by: Blonde Morticia at March 20, 2026 06:16 PM (n7rxJ)

255 * Taps on screen *

Is this thing on?

Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 20, 2026 06:16 PM (AkEZC)

256 Ahhhhhh. Thats the stuff...

Posted by: Obligatory at March 20, 2026 06:16 PM (zZu0s)

257 hahah, the site was ghosting the commenters!

Posted by: runner at March 20, 2026 06:16 PM (GD0B3)

258 Holy smokes. Why down for so long?

Posted by: Tuna at March 20, 2026 06:16 PM (lJ0H4)

259 Hooray!

Posted by: frammish at March 20, 2026 06:16 PM (noE7F)

260 /off sock

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at March 20, 2026 06:16 PM (zZu0s)

261 Gasp! Gasp!

I can breathe again!!!

Posted by: mindful webworker survived the outage at March 20, 2026 06:17 PM (jrd4M)

262 I even went to a site to find in Ace was up and had dozens of 0 hits

Posted by: Skip at March 20, 2026 06:17 PM (Ia/+0)

263 I am scared to refresh :/

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at March 20, 2026 06:17 PM (PYyV9)

264 I'm gonna hang out here.

Posted by: Ben Had at March 20, 2026 06:17 PM (+nEug)

265 What magic is this?

Posted by: Thanatopsis at March 20, 2026 06:17 PM (LdBR/)

266 It's Alive!

Posted by: davidt at March 20, 2026 06:17 PM (Q+gd/)

267 Right after cbd put up a post on the blackout blog. cbd should bring his post here.

Posted by: neverenoughcaffeine at March 20, 2026 06:17 PM (2NHgQ)

268 I'd say the servers shit the bed and pixy finally had time to get it ha ck up. He has a day job, you know.

Thanks Pixy.

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at March 20, 2026 06:17 PM (zZu0s)

269 It's Back!

Posted by: Boss Moss at March 20, 2026 06:17 PM (tW/dz)

270 And we're back?

Posted by: Stu Podaso at March 20, 2026 06:17 PM (M0V4/)

271
. . . that was the longest five and a half hours of my life!

Posted by: a.moron at March 20, 2026 06:17 PM (X5Jzz)

272 yeaaaa!

Posted by: bob (moron incognitus) at March 20, 2026 06:18 PM (koMdH)

273 So, anything going on today?

Posted by: Methos at March 20, 2026 06:18 PM (vSvIl)

274 So who forgot to set their alarm clock?

Posted by: Sock Monkey * considering the imponderables at March 20, 2026 06:18 PM (cqXG5)

275 I am scared to refresh :/
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor

Don't be!

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 20, 2026 06:18 PM (MZJrA)

276 I don't know where to be!

Posted by: IS Roth at March 20, 2026 06:18 PM (9DzmY)

277 And we're back?
Posted by: Stu Podaso at March 20, 2026 06:17 PM (M0V4/)

WE'LL DO IT LIVE!!!

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at March 20, 2026 06:18 PM (zZu0s)

278 Newd.

Posted by: Boss Moss at March 20, 2026 06:19 PM (tW/dz)

279 So, anything going on today?
Posted by: Methos

Mullahs are going to Disneyland.

Posted by: Sock Monkey * considering the imponderables at March 20, 2026 06:19 PM (cqXG5)

280
So, anything going on today?
Posted by: Methos

============

Yes: I doubled my productivity.

Posted by: Blonde Morticia at March 20, 2026 06:19 PM (n7rxJ)

281 This is what happens when your site uses technology that was invented during the age of modems. It ages. And breaks. Like us.

Posted by: Vengeance at March 20, 2026 06:19 PM (TKiRY)

282 anybody got the blackout site link for next time?

Posted by: davidt at March 20, 2026 06:19 PM (Q+gd/)

283 This thing on?

Posted by: Weasel at March 20, 2026 06:19 PM (62ILr)

284 250
Bernie Sanders

I long for the day when a witness he is questioning responds, simply,

"Why don't you shut your fat, stupid mouth?"
Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at March 20, 2026 11:51 AM (P8t9A)

------------------------

By my analysis, this was the comment that killed the blog.

Posted by: bob (moron incognitus) at March 20, 2026 06:19 PM (koMdH)

285 Fucking hamsters.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 20, 2026 06:19 PM (AkEZC)

286 Fucking Large Hadron Collider effects from 10 September 2008 startup.

Posted by: Count de Monet at March 20, 2026 06:19 PM (wVcYX)

287 Gave me time to finish my latest cover for the Champions Classics adventure run. Here's a quick peek if you want to see, a comparison between the original image I did an homage to and my cover:

https://tinyurl.com/4rs2cbk2

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at March 20, 2026 06:20 PM (PYyV9)

288 The hampsters got out of the cage and were having an morning orgy.

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at March 20, 2026 06:20 PM (LkMIg)

289 A day without Ace is a day without sunshine.

Posted by: Tuna at March 20, 2026 06:20 PM (lJ0H4)

290 The hamsters were observing a brief moment of silence for Chuck Norris.

Posted by: Stu Podaso at March 20, 2026 06:20 PM (M0V4/)

291 11:51 jumps to 6:15

Posted by: Skip at March 20, 2026 06:22 PM (Ia/+0)

292 Chuck Norris. RIP

I blame Trump. Only Trump and Bruce could challenge Chuck as an equal.

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at March 20, 2026 06:22 PM (LkMIg)

293 >11:51 jumps to 6:15
---------
Proof there's a time machine... ?

Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 20, 2026 06:23 PM (AkEZC)

294 Nood Norris

Posted by: Methos at March 20, 2026 06:26 PM (vSvIl)

295 "and wth is the difference between a "price point" and a "price"?"

If you're thinking how to price a product, sometimes you think about "price points"

14.99 17.99 19.99 21.99

vs. a price of 20.07 or 20.84.

or maybe for food its under $10 or under $15

So its very close to PRICE but not quite a price. Its a target area.

This can be important if you are planning a product, like food, where you can start with a $12.99 target and maybe get really close and decide to say, lower the fries size in the combo to small to hit the target.

Posted by: Harun at March 20, 2026 06:30 PM (IuIym)

296 I think there’s a message there for political leaders on both sides of the aisle here, somewhere.

Posted by: epador at March 20, 2026 06:45 PM (pNp3t)

297 Peanut Butter powder
Black Chocolate powder
Pure Heavy Cream
Pure Coconut Oil
Sugar or Honey to taste (ok to consider inclusive or)
Pure Whey Powder
Balance with clean water and ice in a master blender to make a shake, ice cream and never miss a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup again.

For extra credit consider a great coffee liqueur or chocolate liqueur mixed in. Without PB some RumpleMintz works nicely.

Posted by: epador at March 20, 2026 06:54 PM (pNp3t)

298 I just thought my local Red Robin turned to sheet.
Good to know it was corporate f ups and not my neighbors.
I just get a microwaved burger with tots at Sheetz.
Fast, friendly and not very good. Still better than Red Robin.

Posted by: Elect me because i'm dyslexic and racist at March 20, 2026 09:35 PM (bexpN)

299 As far as service and customers go, let's not forget the ever-increasing government regulations on labor that keep making employees harder to hire and more expensive. Minimum wage being champion at this.

So many service and food industries are suffering from just too few people. McDonalds is mostly self-service now, and those who are working there are doing two or three jobs each. I remember when I would go into a clothing store and two people would jump me asking if I needed help. Now I go into someplace like Macy's or Home Depot and you can't see an employee visible anywhere.

Posted by: MartynWW at March 20, 2026 11:54 PM (M9zxq)

300 Great topic, Buckster! Just watched a Hooters documentary where the original two stores kept their original recipe for everything food and service while they watched all their franchises die by changing everything.

I am a dumb engineer working for a highly profitable, durable good OEM and we are now run by accountants who have never ran a business unit within the company... We will see how it goes in our 100th year. At least they were smart to move out of MPLS to save an annual $250M in corporate tax(10%). We machine our own parts, but we will see.

Posted by: Danimal28 at March 21, 2026 08:43 AM (mNOhh)

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