Chain Restaurants in Alpharetta

Every Friday, Roots in Alpharetta features an article on food and dining in a series I like to call Foodie Friday.

“Alpharetta only has chain restaurants”

Ever heard this one? I call it a “suburban legend” perpetuated by unknowing city folks who almost never venture OTP. And when they do get out this way, all they know of this area is Northpoint Parkway.

Yes, there are a lot of chain and franchise restaurants out here. Yes, most are wastelands of culinary muck; but not all. Obviously some people like these places because they stay in business.

So let’s run with this myth for a bit and explore the chain and franchise idea in the burbs. If I’m going to generalize then I’m going to break things into groups. There are exceptions to my rules of course, which I’ll note. Yet I think these generalizations are mostly true.

Corporate Owned Chains

These are the big national chains, many of which are publicly traded companies. You’ve got Darden which owns Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Longhorn and a few others. Brinker has Chili’s, Macaroni Grill and Maggiano’s. Rounding out my list is DineEquity which owns Applebees and IHOP. Of these groups, I tend to like the Brinker restaurants the best. I abhor Applebees, IHOP and Olive Garden.

The root problem these guys face, in my opinion, is that the employees just don’t give a crap. It is a transitional job and turnover is high. You’ll get a consistent experience for the most part… consistently mediocre.

Franchise with Large Franchisees

These are the big chains with other big companies owning hundreds of franchised restaurants. Usually this is fast food where one large company will own every store in a vast geographic area. Think McDonalds. And for the most part, I think you get the same experience as the national chains (or perhaps worse).

There are exceptions of course. I really like the Hardee’s location in downtown Alpharetta. They are owned by a large franchisee based in Colorado.

Franchise with Independent Ownership

This is the owner/operator model of a franchise. Chick-Fil-A is the perfect example, where an owner typically has one or a small number of stores. They are very hands-on with day-to-day operations. I believe you should not discount these types of restaurants by lumping them into the above categories. Typically the owner has a large piece of their net worth tied up in the restaurant. At that point, it is like a small family-run restaurant only with the menu dictated by others.

And while we’re on the topic of franchises… There are a lot of restaurants in the burbs that are technically franchises yet have a very thin presence here. The Counter in Roswell and Tacone Flavor Grill on Windward are perfect examples. Both are California-based chains. The nearest other locations are hundreds or thousands of miles away. Might as well be a local joint!

The Local Chain

This seems to be a growing category, especially in the Atlanta area. These are places like our ubiquitous Mexican restaurants. Another example might be Figo Pasta, a chain of casual Italian restaurants with only eight locations (all in metro Atlanta). Or how about Tin Drum with only six Atlanta locations. I’d throw the Raving Brands restaurants (Doc Green’s and formally Shane’s Rib Shack) into this mix as well. I find most of these places boring and predictable. They seem more focused on fast growth and franchisee recruitment than providing a quality and unique experience. And unfortunately trendy outdoor shopping centers like Avenue Forsyth and Atlantic Station seem to be prime locations for this category.

Locally Owned

So right out of the blogging starting gate, I’ve probably lost all credibility as a food writer by talking about chain restaurants. I’m glad to get it out of the way though. Eating at locally owned and operated restaurants is always the way to go. You want to do business with the guy who’s personally invested his heart, time, personal fortune and reputation. He’s got skin in the game, something which the manager of the chain restaurant doesn’t have. If, God forbid, his restaurant fails, the local guy is more than likely broke. The chain restaurant manager just finds another job. In the end, this is what it all boils down to.

Yet if you like a chain restaurant, by all means eat there! But do try to support the local guy. And remember the local guy may be operating a small franchise!

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