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CHAIN RESTAURANTS – PART DEUX
The article on chain restaurants resulted in some very interesting comments from a number of readers. Just below
I have put the entire message from a good friend who I think raises issues that concern us all in regard to at least
part of the food business.
"Heretic. Several do not even have kitchen exhaust for they do not even cook or serve food but
something called processed food is heated. There food- by products are notoriously unhealthy with
sugars, preservatives, and salts. There drink choices are heavily marketed syrup products. There
success in selling high cost, low nutritional value food products is there well capitalized marketing
campaigns targeting the ignorant and unwashed. They also export local revenues away from the
communities that need them recirculated like most local restaurants due.
For Ex a Worcester Company owned Burger King grosses $3 M pays $25,000 water/sewer, $25,000
property taxes, and $300,000 in wages for a 24 hour operation and sends the rest to HQ. When they
need a plumber, etc. corporate sends it out of HQ.
Local restaurants generally offer healthier food and return to the local economy."
But I would suggest in the interest of fair play there should be some clarification. Boards of Health are local and
different cities and towns have different requirements. Some firms may indeed avoid exhaust fans because they
are sticking to the letter of the law. My experience is that the inspectors are more concerned about frying
machines because of fire than anything else. The comments about sugars, preservative and salts are true of most
restaurants and grocery stores including such a variety as Wegman's, Trader Joe's, Stop and Shop and Whole
Foods. The smart consumer does not buy them. The uneducated may not realize the problem. The example
about Burger King overlooks that most chain restaurants are franchises and the owners are local. They do send a
portion of the money off to the home office, but a fair amount sticks with the owner. That is business. Some local
restaurants do return to the local economy, but as for healthier it depends on the restaurant. Most serve French
Fries and have sandwich options with multiples of meats and cheeses. I am not sure that those are any healthier
than the larger concerns. They still sell the soft drinks in large sizes. A few years back local upscale restaurants
were promoting pork belly-pure fat and many steak houses start their offerings at a pound or more per serving.
Yes they are more often to have a vegetarian option on the menu. But Macaroni and cheese with numerous
cheeses is not necessarily a healthy choice.
I would like to make it clear that I was not recommending chain restaurants as a daily option but as a reasonable
possibility for a meal that with careful selection can be acceptable at a price that is relatively reasonable. I was
more concerned with flavor. I found plusses and minuses.
Another reader pointed out that she often eats only part of her order and saves the rest for another meal. That
works if you have self-control, but we are a nation that has been told to eat everything on our plate so it seems
wrong not to consume it all. There is also the attitude that big is better which is seldom true-so all you can eat
offers appeal to people who seem to think it is cool to stuff as much food as possible in as short a time as possible.
I would point out that buying local is a good idea, but remember that in January in New England the chains and the
local restaurants are buying the same tasteless unripe tomatoes you are getting ion your market. I means that we
as the consumer must learn to make the choices best for ourselves