Fast Food Restaurants Remodeling Everywhere.

ThatGuy · Post by **ThatGuy** » Fri Dec 06, 2019 1:42 pm

That's not really what I was saying. If they did pay $15 an hr someone might actually care. The way it is, why would you? I can see where this probably going to go, so that's all I have to say on the matter.

damonhynes · Post by **damonhynes** » Fri Dec 06, 2019 1:42 pm

ChadJK wrote: Wed Dec 04, 2019 9:43 am
You don't want your job replaced by a machine then make a case for it. Acting annoyed that someone chose to order via human rather than machine isn't much of a case for keeping the humans around.

You want to know the last place where a fast-food cashier thanked me for my patronage? Culver's. Not a kiosk in sight.

damonhynes · Post by **damonhynes** » Fri Dec 06, 2019 1:43 pm

ThatGuy wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 1:42 pm That's not really what I was saying. If they did pay $15 an hr someone might actually care. The way it is, why would you? I can see where this probably going to go, so that's all I have to say on the matter.

That's cool. Peace. :-)

jessep28 · Post by **jessep28** » Fri Dec 06, 2019 2:08 pm

I was a teenager working retail at one point, and my attitude may not have been the best when I was under stress or we were short handed. I try to cut them a break in most situations.

garyomaha · Post by **garyomaha** » Fri Dec 06, 2019 4:26 pm

damonhynes wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 1:42 pm You want to know the last place where a fast-food cashier thanked me for my patronage? Culver's. Not a kiosk in sight.

That reminds me of something that happened to me years ago and I still remember it, and take it into account when I'm looking for a place to eat. Went into a Taco Bell, walked up to the counter, and the cashier just looked at me, saying nothing. I gave him my order and some cash. He handed me a receipt and my change. No counting back, no "thank you," and definitely no smile. So I thanked him.

Come to think of it, that's just about what I'd expect in terms of an exchange with a kiosk.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Tue Dec 10, 2019 7:39 pm

The BK north of 108th & W Maple is getting a $150k renovation.

nativeomahan · Post by **nativeomahan** » Wed Dec 11, 2019 12:54 pm

The kiosk thing reminds me of the self checkouts at the grocery stores, which only slowly have become more intuitive and less a pain in the a$$ to use. Sadly, I end up using the self checkout machines 75% of the time because few of the manned checkout lanes are ever open.

mrsticka · Post by **mrsticka** » Wed Dec 18, 2019 6:41 pm

A $15 minimum wage isn't all it's cracked up to be. Seattle has one and yet hundreds of thousands of people are homeless because they can't afford a house or an apartment because the rent is outrageously high. You'd think a $15 minimum wage would be more than enough for a place to live, but that's clearly not the case in Seattle. Those people do have jobs. They work their rears off, but are still homeless.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Tue Jan 28, 2020 7:20 pm

The BK on N 204th is getting a $125k renovation.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Tue Jan 28, 2020 7:25 pm

The McD's on 178th & Welch is getting a $115k renovation.

Post by **Brad** » Fri Feb 14, 2020 5:00 pm

I assumed the Valentino‘s pizza carry out on 51st and Leavenworth wasn’t long for this world. However, it appears they remodeled the exterior. Looks better than it did.

garyomaha · Post by **garyomaha** » Fri Feb 14, 2020 8:09 pm

I hope they will be around for a while -- they're the closest Val's to us. Not only that, but it appears that they recently expanded the available menu for that location to include a lot more non-pizza items. (I'm so old, I remember when the location was a Goodrich!)

mrsticka · Post by **mrsticka** » Wed May 13, 2020 1:27 am

On Monday, when Lincoln allowed restaurants to reopen, I tried going to up to the McDonald's on Cornhusker, but they still had their dining room closed. I had to still do takeout. I hope they reopen their dining room soon.

Post by **nebugeater** » Wed May 13, 2020 5:50 am

mrsticka wrote: Wed May 13, 2020 1:27 am On Monday, when Lincoln allowed restaurants to reopen, I tried going to up to the McDonald's on Cornhusker, but they still had their dining room closed. I had to still do takeout. I hope they reopen their dining room soon.

In Douglas / Sarpy where restaurants have been allowed to open for a little longer I have not seen any fast food places open their seating areas yet. My sampling is driving to and from work daily. Have any opened the inside seating that anyone has seen?

Padre · Post by **Padre** » Wed May 13, 2020 8:25 am

My guess is that it won’t be soon. They got most of their business from the drive thru even before this. I wouldn’t think it would be a priority for them.

GrandpaaSmucker · Post by **GrandpaaSmucker** » Wed May 13, 2020 11:31 am

Padre wrote: Wed May 13, 2020 8:25 am My guess is that it won’t be soon. They got most of their business from the drive thru even before this. I wouldn’t think it would be a priority for them.

I was thinking right along the same lines you are. The fast food restaurants are in no hurry to invite the old and the bored people to come in and hang out for an hour or two and only spend 5 or 6 bucks. Dine in is almost more trouble then its worth for fast food places. The easy fast profits are in the drive thru. I bet more then a few fast food operators have wondered and fantasized how they could make this not eating inside a forever thing!

garyomaha · Post by **garyomaha** » Wed May 13, 2020 2:24 pm

GrandpaaSmucker wrote: Wed May 13, 2020 11:31 am I bet more then a few fast food operators have wondered and fantasized how they could make this not eating inside a forever thing!

Sure worked for Hot 'N Now.

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Wed May 13, 2020 3:17 pm

GrandpaaSmucker wrote: Wed May 13, 2020 11:31 am
Padre wrote: Wed May 13, 2020 8:25 am My guess is that it won’t be soon. They got most of their business from the drive thru even before this. I wouldn’t think it would be a priority for them.
I was thinking right along the same lines you are. The fast food restaurants are in no hurry to invite the old and the bored people to come in and hang out for an hour or two and only spend 5 or 6 bucks. Dine in is almost more trouble then its worth for fast food places. The easy fast profits are in the drive thru. I bet more then a few fast food operators have wondered and fantasized how they could make this not eating inside a forever thing!

Honestly would be win-win. Less money to construct, less land required. Just imagine how small McDonalds and BK and others could be if they cut out the dining area. Drive thru customers would benefit from the human resources recouped by not having a dining room, as long as they have a walk up window for people who don't have their vehicle. There was/might still be a BK without a dining area at 42nd and D. Haven't been there in a while, but it was as recently as 2014. The Popeyes on 30th and Fort also has a really small dining area, Jim's rib haven, what was Time Out Foods, all have really small dining areas. I honestly like that idea of cutting back the dining areas of the type of food business that does a majority of their business from drive thru. I bet they are liking that idea too.

Padre · Post by **Padre** » Wed May 13, 2020 4:37 pm

I wondered about the Chipotle they are building on Saddle Creek. It seemed a lot smaller than the average Chipotle, and they have a drive thru. Be curious to see how it does.

GrandpaaSmucker · Post by **GrandpaaSmucker** » Wed May 13, 2020 6:04 pm

garyomaha wrote: Wed May 13, 2020 2:24 pm
GrandpaaSmucker wrote: Wed May 13, 2020 11:31 am I bet more then a few fast food operators have wondered and fantasized how they could make this not eating inside a forever thing!
Sure worked for Hot 'N Now.

Actually Hot N Now broke an important rule of Fast Food Marketing by leaving out mass advertising. Fast Food places like McDonalds and Burger King only survive selling their lousy tasting burgers and fries because of advertising. Millions and millions of dollars worth of advertising has programmed the McDonalds and Burger King crowd to go there despite the fact that the burgers are cheap and the fries taste like wood. Hot N Now tried to copy McDonalds and Burger King without much advertising. It worked for a couple of years but eventually the sheeple realized their burgers and fries were lousy and Hot N Now did not have the advertising to drive the people to keep coming. Not very eloquently stated I know but all pretty much the truth.

GrandpaaSmucker · Post by **GrandpaaSmucker** » Wed May 13, 2020 6:17 pm

Buffets-

I got an E-mail the other day from Pizza Ranch inviting me to come in. They said they still have the buffet but instead of helping yourself they have an employee who takes the food from the buffet and gives it to you. The Golden Coral in Council Bluffs opened back up and it is the same way where an employee serves you the food from the buffet as you walk around. Sounds good and I would like to hit them both but that won't be happening anytime soon. I have not ate any restaurants either inside or by drive thru in 8 weeks now and I can see it won't be cool for at least another month if not more. This thing can't last forever and when it is over I look forward to eating out everyday for the rest of my life! I been eating great at home and I'm not suffering at all it just ain't my style.

bbinks · Post by **bbinks** » Thu May 14, 2020 10:16 am

garyomaha wrote: Wed May 13, 2020 2:24 pm
GrandpaaSmucker wrote: Wed May 13, 2020 11:31 am I bet more then a few fast food operators have wondered and fantasized how they could make this not eating inside a forever thing!
Sure worked for Hot 'N Now.

HNN was a great concept until the higher ups at Taco Bell and PepsiCo tried to reinvent the wheel.

mrsticka · Post by **mrsticka** » Sun May 17, 2020 11:49 pm

Mickey D's dining room still ain't open. Stagburn it!

bbinks · Post by **bbinks** » Mon May 18, 2020 1:18 pm

mrsticka wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 11:49 pm Mickey D's dining room still ain't open. Stagburn it!

Are any fast food dining areas open yet?

ChadJK · Post by **ChadJK** » Mon May 18, 2020 2:04 pm

bbinks wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 1:18 pmAre any fast food dining areas open yet?

As others have said. If fast food restaurants could do away with dining rooms entirely they would. Even before the pandemic the drive-thru was most of their revenue. I'm sure they'll use the pandemic and their "concern" for their employees and customers safety to keep the dining rooms closed as long as possible. Less cleaning, less maintenance, no refills, and less labor.

mrsticka · Post by **mrsticka** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 10:10 pm

According to Google Maps, out of all the Burger Kings throughout the Omaha area, only 2 have reopened for dine-in: 120th and West Center and the one on Giles off I-80.

And 5 locations here in Lincoln have reopened for dine-in–11th and Cornhusker, 27th and Superior, 60th and Havelock, 25th and O and 40th and Old Cheney.

Why 5 BKs in Lincoln reopened, but only 2 in Omaha, I don't know.

It's not much, but I guess it's a start for now. Hopefully, the other locations will follow suit as will McDonald's, Wendy's, Arby's and the others.

ChadJK · Post by **ChadJK** » Sun Jun 14, 2020 8:19 pm

I did speak with someone higher up at Runza and she admitted that their dining rooms are still closed primarily for financial reasons. They just don't want to spend the money to have an employee on staff doing nothing but sanitizing booths and tables as people come and go. Especially for a restaurant that rarely has more than 3 or 4 people on the clock. That's a 25-33% increase in labor cost just to meet COVID-19 guidelines for dining rooms (though, you probably don't need a dedicated person at non-peak times). They are "hoping to" reopen their dining rooms in July which tells me they're hoping the restrictions on restaurant dining rooms go away in July.

Post by **BRoss** » Tue Jun 16, 2020 7:55 pm

mrsticka wrote: Sat Jun 13, 2020 10:10 pm According to Google Maps, out of all the Burger Kings throughout the Omaha area, only 2 have reopened for dine-in: 120th and West Center and the one on Giles off I-80.

It's probably more than that. I went through the drive through of BK at 168th and Dodge last week and their dining room was open. Nobody was in there, but they had signs saying it was open.

mrsticka · Post by **mrsticka** » Wed Jun 17, 2020 12:00 am

HR Paperstacks wrote: Tue Jun 16, 2020 7:55 pm
mrsticka wrote: Sat Jun 13, 2020 10:10 pm According to Google Maps, out of all the Burger Kings throughout the Omaha area, only 2 have reopened for dine-in: 120th and West Center and the one on Giles off I-80.
It's probably more than that. I went through the drive through of BK at 168th and Dodge last week and their dining room was open. Nobody was in there, but they had signs saying it was open.

Maybe nobody knows yet? I guess you can't expect everybody to find out overnight.

bbinks · Post by **bbinks** » Wed Jun 17, 2020 2:33 am

Can it still be called fast food when it takes 20 minutes to get through the line? I've skipped the line in the past and done to-go. Still seeing the same car that was at the end of the line still in the line when I leave.

Post by **nebugeater** » Wed Jun 17, 2020 6:06 am

ChadJK wrote: Sun Jun 14, 2020 8:19 pm I did speak with someone higher up at Runza and she admitted that their dining rooms are still closed primarily for financial reasons. They just don't want to spend the money to have an employee on staff doing nothing but sanitizing booths and tables as people come and go. Especially for a restaurant that rarely has more than 3 or 4 people on the clock. That's a 25-33% increase in labor cost just to meet COVID-19 guidelines for dining rooms (though, you probably don't need a dedicated person at non-peak times). They are "hoping to" reopen their dining rooms in July which tells me they're hoping the restrictions on restaurant dining rooms go away in July.

July must not be totally accurate. The Runza in Gretna had signs up on Tuesday that the dining room was open. May have been there Monday but didn't see them. I went through the drive-through on Sunday and I know they were not up then.

bbinks · Post by **bbinks** » Thu Jun 18, 2020 9:47 am

108th & Emmet is open for inside dining too

mrsticka · Post by **mrsticka** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 5:52 am

I went to the Burger King in Havelock last night. It was nice to dine-in for a change as opposed to walking up there, getting my food, then walking back home. But anyway, some of the tables were blocked off.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 10:42 am

I’m not in any massive hurry to dine in at any restaurant right now.. Although I admit I miss, badly, being able to relax with a cup of coffee and my laptop inside the cafe at a Starbucks after work..

But maybe by the end of July or early August, I’ll break the barrier and dine in...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

Post by **nebugeater** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 3:41 pm

SInce seated dining has opened back up I have been to Lighthouse Bar and Grill near Tiburon, Caddy's parkside grill at Mahoney, and DJ's near 180th & Q. In each of these cases, I felt like there was less risk than going into a grocery store. The spacing was great. Nothing at the table was shared from guest to guest or to be reused, single print menus. No condiments at the table and brought out if asked in single-use containers. Of all that is going on this was low on my risk scale.

jessep28 · Post by **jessep28** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 5:33 pm

I went in and grabbed a sandwich for takeout at the Culver's on 27th and Superior in Lincoln on Saturday. It was pretty busy up front, and the patio area was busy. The dining room wasn't too occupied though. I think that most people were trying to eat outside.

I have an irrational hatred of drive thru windows, so I like being able to at least go into a lobby and order something to go.

ChadJK · Post by **ChadJK** » Wed Jun 24, 2020 9:10 am

I just find takeout to be inferior. You're expected to pay the full retail price for takeout from what is, pandemic aside, usually a full-service restaurant. However, you're not getting the ambiance, you're not getting the service, your food doesn't go right from stove to plate, and you end up at home with food that has cooled, congealed, and gotten soggy all for almost as much as you'd pay to eat in the restaurant. Why would I do that? I suppose if you've always been a big fan of takeout that you just expect food to look and taste that way that it's no big deal. You're used to flaccid fries and soggy breading. For me, paying full price for food that by the time I eat it is the quality of leftovers... no thanks.

Granted, some foods hold up better than others. Pasta is a pretty safe bet, for example.

bigredmed1 · Post by **bigredmed1** » Wed Jun 24, 2020 1:53 pm

I have had several outstanding meals from LaVoltaire, the Report Inn Pub, and Hiro 88.

mrsticka · Post by **mrsticka** » Thu Jun 25, 2020 3:26 am

There's a new place on 48th and Holdrege across the street from Burger King (ironically enough) called HF Crave. They reopened to dine-in a month ago. I'd heard some great things about them regarding the food there. They have pretty good burgers. I was not disappointed.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Thu Jun 25, 2020 6:25 am

ChadJK wrote: Wed Jun 24, 2020 9:10 am I just find takeout to be inferior. You're expected to pay the full retail price for takeout from what is, pandemic aside, usually a full-service restaurant. However, you're not getting the ambiance, you're not getting the service, your food doesn't go right from stove to plate, and you end up at home with food that has cooled, congealed, and gotten soggy all for almost as much as you'd pay to eat in the restaurant.

Granted, some foods hold up better than others. Pasta is a pretty safe bet, for example.

Chinese would be another.. Pizza too- as I suspect pandemic or not, most people order pizza for delivery/carry out vs dining in anyway..

But on balance, I agree with what you’re saying here...

Ciao..LiO...Peace