Text 4282, 95 rader
Skriven 2013-09-04 23:40:02 av Dale Shipp (1:261/1466.0)
   Kommentar till text 4251 av Michael Loo (1:123/140)
Ärende: Re: chains 102
======================
 -=> On 09-03-13  20:50,  Michael Loo <=-
 -=> spoke to Dale Shipp about chains 102 <=-

 DS> David's isn't a chain.  But he does have two other locations, one in
 DS> Forest Hill and one in Gambrills.

 ML> I've always sort of wondered how many links makes a chain.
 ML> I've seen cited anywhere between 2 and 10 for the minimum.

To me, the cut point is when they start franchising.  When we first went
to Five Guys in Laurel, it was still a family owned business.  I think I
recall that the Laurel branch was number five.  But now, they have
spread all over the place.  There are two of them in Columbia now that I
know of.  That makes them a chain in my mind.

 ML> If it were myself, I would say any group that has a central
 ML> warehouse that is shared among stores. If there's a big
 ML> store and a small store, and the big one serves as the depot,
 ML> that's a borderline case. I also wonder whether there are
 ML> in the general view different criteria for national, regional,
 ML> or local chains.

We once had a restaurant near the Columbia Mall called Z'Tejas.  It
served pretty good southwest food (aka New Mexico/Arizona) -- definitely
not Tex-Mex.  They had a few other places in the southwest.  They pulled
out of Columbia some years ago -- saying that the Columbia location was
too far from their supply chain.  According to their web page, they now
have a total of eleven locations in Arizona, Utah, Texas and California.
We miss them -- they were quite good.  We have also been to the one in
Phoenix (really in Scottsdale).  To me, it is up in the air as to
whether or not they should be considered to be a chain.
 
 DS> Not sure what other stores are going to be in the new center.  They
 DS> are making noises that David's will be the "grocery store", even though
 DS> it is not a normal grocery store -- but serves a niche market.

 ML> I thought the prices disqualified David's from being a
 ML> neighborhood grocery; also the limited selection; also the
 ML> cultish feel to it.

Gail and I agree with that, and have said so to each other many times
over the past 5+ years.  It is an excellent market for the people who
want the type of items they carry -- but they are definitely not a
general market grocery store.

 ML> On the other hand, a substantial number of
 ML> people shop at places like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Fairway,
 ML> Dean & Deluca, Central Market, or Metropolitan Market as their
 ML> main grocery, despite these places having largely the same
 ML> issues.

I think that Whole foods is less of a niche market than David's.  They
are building one for downtown Columbia to open more than a year from
now.  We have been in them, and think that they are decent and worth
going to.  David's is a place that we go to only for a very few items,
perhaps couple of times per year.   There is a Trader Joe's here in
Columbia.  We went there when it opened, and have never had the desire
to return.  I recall going to one with you someplace that seemed much
better than the one here.  The other three you mentioned are news to me,
never seen nor heard of them.


MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
 
      Title: Ratatouille
 Categories: Cajun, Vegetable
      Yield: 4 servings
 
      4    Medium onions, sliced
      4    Green peppers, seeded/cubed
      1    Sm. unpeeled eggplant,cubed
    1/2 ts Thyme
      1    Zuchinni, cubed
    1/2 c  Minced parsley
      3    Garlic cloves, chopped fine
      4    Tomatoes, peeled/seeded/chop
           Salt, to taste
           Pepper to taste
 
  Saute sliced onions and green peppers in 1/2 cup of olive oil in a
  casserole dish until golden brown.  Add vegetables and herbs.  Mix
  gently. Bring remaining olive oil to a boil and pour over vegetables.
  Cover casserole tightly and simmer at low heat for 30 minutes. Season
  with salt and pepper. Serve hot or cold. This recipe is from Willy
  Coln, who owns a famous restaurant in Gretna, just across the river
  from New Orleans.
 
MMMMM


... Shipwrecked on Hesperus in Columbia, Maryland. 23:23:21, 04 Sep 2013
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