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Great American Restaurants, Inc. (GAR) - Owners of Artie's, Best Buns, Carlyle, Jackson's Mighty Find Food, Mike's American, Ozzie's Good Eats, Silverado, and Sweetwater Tavern


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His name is Brandon, and Brandon's Little Food Truck is his "day" job. It can occasionally be found at Court House in Arlington, where I will definitely be taking lunch at some point soon.

Well, here's to Brandon, for being the kind of culinary ambassador any company would be proud to have in their employ, and to GARG, for being the kind of company that can inspire that kind of loyalty.

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Since I grew up in the restaurant business, owning/running a restaurant was always a goal of mine. And no matter how far I got away from the restaurant business, my life always boomerang back to the restaurant industry. When I was younger, I planned to expose myself to as many different types of restaurant operations as possible, from fine dining to casual high volume, and to few other in between. In my quest to achieve that, I wanted to work for GAR. Few years back, I ended up working for Sweetwater Tavern in Merrifield, VA location. I was a server and I only ended up working for about 6 months or so, but the insights that experience provided for me are still very useful to this day. Chef Brandon, mentioned above, is spot on. From what I witnessed, everything was made in house, down to the dressings and sauces. The quality of the proteins are higher than one might expect from seeing their prices. Also the professionalism of everyone, from employees to management, is top level as well. Even though I may not visit and enjoy their food often, or agree with how repetitive their menus are, I`m in awe of their organizational set up, professionalism, quality (for the price range), and how well they treat everyone. ( and their sales figures) I haven't work there in years, nor do I keep in touch with anyone from my brief time there, but I`m still loyal to the organization in a sense that I strive to have a similar organizational environment.  

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Since I grew up in the restaurant business, owning/running a restaurant was always a goal of mine. And no matter how far I got away from the restaurant business, my life always boomerang back to the restaurant industry. When I was younger, I planned to expose myself to as many different types of restaurant operations as possible, from fine dining to casual high volume, and to few other in between. In my quest to achieve that, I wanted to work for GAR. Few years back, I ended up working for Sweetwater Tavern in Merrifield, VA location. I was a server and I only ended up working for about 6 months or so, but the insights that experience provided for me are still very useful to this day. Chef Brandon, mentioned above, is spot on. From what I witnessed, everything was made in house, down to the dressings and sauces. The quality of the proteins are higher than one might expect from seeing their prices. Also the professionalism of everyone, from employees to management, is top level as well. Even though I may not visit and enjoy their food often, or agree with how repetitive their menus are, I`m in awe of their organizational set up, professionalism, quality (for the price range), and how well they treat everyone. ( and their sales figures) I haven't work there in years, nor do I keep in touch with anyone from my brief time there, but I`m still loyal to the organization in a sense that I strive to have a similar organizational environment.

Such a great post and really important points. Full agree here. I think of another now-villified food service company in much the same way: Starbucks. Though I prefer nearly any independent's coffee, and recognize the threat SBUX poses to the independents I favor, they have the consistency and professionalism that many shops lack. in addition, they quite literally paved the way for what the US coffeehouse industry is today.

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I love the GAR restaurants.  Good food, friendly and efficient service, nice ambiance.  What is not to like.  Maybe not the most creative food in the world, but when I go there I'm pretty confident I'll have a good meal for a decent price.  It is part of my rotation.  Their burgers are terrific as are the short ribs.  My husband likes the salad (he likes the dried cranberries and walnuts) and the trout which also has walnuts--maybe redundant but it is not a big deal.  I guess to each his own.  Not a Michelin restaurant, but still pretty terrific in my opinion.

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GAR pays attention to the details.  I find them to be extremely consistent, but not spectacular.

Are they regional / national, or still just local?

Still just local (when you have three restaurants doing over $10 million in revenue, there's no real need to expand geographically).

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Oh, Don, never underestimate the power of greed. :-)

Great American has existed for 40 years and has 14 restaurants.  You can take shots at their culinary aspirations or creativity but to say they are looking for easy cash grabs is unfair.  They shoot for consistency and have brought anything and everything in hospitality that is reduce-able to a science to a science.  In this regard they have an undeniable track record of success.  Celebrity Chefs "strike while the iron is hot" and members here don't flinch.  #doublestandard

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Great American has existed for 40 years and has 14 restaurants. You can take shots at their culinary aspirations or creativity but to say they are looking for easy cash grabs is unfair. They shoot for consistency and have brought anything and everything in hospitality that is reduce-able to a science to a science. In this regard they have an undeniable track record of success. Celebrity Chefs "strike while the iron is hot" and members here don't flinch. #doublestandard

I don't at all knock the right and ability of any business to pursue growth. At the end of the day, any business selling anything will succeed if it resonates with a big-enough market that values its products/services. Restaurants are no exception.

My "shot" if any, and was tongue-in-cheek, was on Don's statement about $10MM and 3 locations "being enough." I realize by calling it "greed" it can be interpreted as a slam on GAR. The truth is I don't know GAR; don't think I've ever dined at one. And, whether I or any one person likes or doesn't like a restaurant is irrelevant to its success unless such like or dislike is emblematic of the bigger trend.

There is no "easy cash grab" in this country. It's hard to make (legal) money. It's hard to build and maintain a profitable business. That GAR has done that with actually 14 restaurants over 40 years is of great credit to their owners, whether or not I or anyone else is a fan of the food. They get even more credit (if not my business) from me given the positive reports here about how they actually operate with respect to ingredients and staff. Come to think of it, maybe I will try one.

Wouid ask you the same question Don poses though. Celebrity chefs have been harshly criticized here quite a bit over the years with Spike Mendelsohn (sp?) and Todd English both being prime examples. I'd agree with many that I have no interest in their food or even admiration for them as chefs, but surely have much respect for their business acumen and success.

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Great American has existed for 40 years and has 14 restaurants.  You can take shots at their culinary aspirations or creativity but to say they are looking for easy cash grabs is unfair.  They shoot for consistency and have brought anything and everything in hospitality that is reduce-able to a science to a science.  In this regard they have an undeniable track record of success.  Celebrity Chefs "strike while the iron is hot" and members here don't flinch.  #doublestandard

Boy do I agree on this.  I started eating at Fritzbee's, which I believe was their first chain.  I recall it as okay, maybe better than average.  That was decades ago.

Under GAR as an operator they have done spectacularly in creating uber popular local restaurants....many steps above the "norm"  

They have incredible systems in place.  They work.  They work to maintain a tremendous level of consistent positive output, restaurant after restaurant, each one doing well on its own.   Give them credit.  They are what they are...no more no less.  Frankly I've had tons of fine meals at different GAR restaurants over the years.  They are not the most epic unforgettable dining experiences I've ever encountered.  They don't try to be.  On the other hand I've never spent $200/300/400 and up on a meal for two there and walked away somewhat disappointed from the expectations.

Interestingly I've spoken with a fair number of ex GAR employees from various management ranks and roles.  These people mostly wanted to break out on their own and/or get out and away from the very tight systems in place.  None of them have discredited GAR.  That has been entirely consistent.  That is a surprising accolade in my book, with no real substantive complaints.  That is rare.  More power to GAR for what they have accomplished over many years.

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Ex-cuuuuse me? 

I'll take a stab at this because I'm pretty sure I'm on the same wavelength as Mr/s Pizzaandbrew.

The food world in general goes ga-ga over celebrity chefs.   They focus on food preparation, taste, presentation, creativity, etc.  They seek the trendy flavors; the up-and-coming kitchen stars.

Generally, no where near as much attention is given to the F-O-H servers and staff that complete the experience.   This site is no exception.

Now - I'm not saying that means you (we) NEVER talk of such things...but, with GAR as the prime example...they take a simple approach:

- Decent food that is, more than anything, designed to be served consistently.

- More than anything else, a focus on consistent, high-level service with attention to detail.

For that, they are seen as really just in it for the profit, not for some higher calling.

Can any of us name the GAR person that oversees the serving staff across the 14 restaurants and is responsible for their service quality?   I can't.   Yet I guarantee that person has as much passion for their job - hospitality - as anyone in this business.  And they arguably have more of an influence over the DC dining scene, in just raw numbers, than maybe anyone else in town.

I think it was Kibee(?) that posted in another thread how service at a chain steak place saved the day vs. crappy service at a more trendy place.   I know for me, over time I've leaned more and more toward the service aspect vs the food excitement.   I also think I'm like most Americans in this regard - I've joked that if I owned an ambulance service I'd just park outside the old O'Donnells in the early evening.  They weren't there for the food plated with tweezers...they were there because they knew that for their $25/plate they'd get a consistent meal served by a trained wait staff.

Some places do provide both good food and service.  They don't have to be mutually exclusive.  And I think there's more correlation between good service and long-term success vs. good food and long-term success.  Is Edan's pizza, or Pavroit's (sp?) charcuterie as good if the server can't get it to the table, is inept and cops an attitude?  For my $, no, it isn't.  A bright star isn't doing much good with a wet balnket over it.

So I guess the net is - why is Chef Fancypants sainted when GAR's FOH leader is more likely to be vilified as being only a profiteer?  Can't both be important artisans?  Can't both be lauded with similar gusto?

edited to add:  I also think Pizzandbrew is hinting at the fact that many celebrity chefs will take advantage of their celebrity and crank out mass-produced product maybe without the individualized care that made them famous.   Or, they replicate their formula so that it can be mass produced, all the while taking their cut.   So who's really the profiteer in these situations?  Why do they get a pass and GAR may not?  I'd argue that GAR is doing what their doing without the "flash power" of a celebrity chef name, which is all the more impressive; they only have their restaurant's reputations...which are built on hospitality.

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edited to add:  I also think Pizzandbrew is hinting at the fact that many celebrity chefs will take advantage of their celebrity and crank out mass-produced product maybe without the individualized care that made them famous.   Or, they replicate their formula so that it can be mass produced, all the while taking their cut.   So who's really the profiteer in these situations?  Why do they get a pass and GAR may not?  I'd argue that GAR is doing what their doing without the "flash power" of a celebrity chef name, which is all the more impressive; they only have their restaurant's reputations...which are built on hospitality. 

I liked your post, but I want to hear pizzaandbrew explain the comment for himself.

I know of no food writer/critic/impresario/host/moderator (I don't know what the hell I am) in the United States who has set an example in giving *less* of a free pass to "celebrity chefs" than I have. While I don't hold "celebrity" against them, I act as if they're just like anyone else, and have done so consistently for my entire career. In fact, I don't even mention the celebrity chef unless it's his or her one-and-only restaurant. Here is a partial list of restaurants that don't even mention the "celebrity chef" associated with them here: DBGB, Graffiato, We The Pizza, China Chilcano, Pomme PalaisMXDC, Central, Fiola Mare, Oyamel, G Sandwich, Kapnos, Pepe, Aggio - the list goes on, and on, and on, and unless it's the "celebrity chef's" flagship, no mention is made of anyone except the *Chef de Cuisine*, or have people not noticed this? If there's any exception to this on the entire website, please let me know because it's a mistake. In fact, now that Central is Michel's last restaurant, I'm probably going to rename it "Central Michel Richard" which I've resisted doing since its inception, and that's only because that's its actual name, and is now his flagship.

I go to GARG restaurants perhaps six times a year, most recently to Mike's, and before that to Sweetwater Tavern - mainly because it's often convenient to go with Matt in a pinch. Hell, I used to go out with the former GM of Mike's, so I think I'd know pretty well how GARG operates (and I agree: I've never heard one single ex-employee have anything negative to say; furthermore, I can assure people that many prospective employers actively look for ex-GARG managers when hiring, and that top managers at GARG's top restaurants make a *shitload* of money.). I can also tell you that I find it extremely amusing that all you need to do to confuse the waitrons there is to "do something unusual" - hold onto your menu, for example, or take one off the table. At that point, the wait staff becomes like little robots who have bumped into a piece of furniture and go into an infinite loop - GARG handles the 90% of cases which go smoothly, and figures they'll handle the other 10% on a case-by-case basis (at the Merrifield Sweetwater Tavern, for example, they have one manager working *per aisle* on busy nights). Lots of restaurants do this to a certain degree. ThinkFoodGroup! goes with the "free dessert" route to pacify disgruntled customers, figuring that will work the majority of the time (and it does). There are many ways to skin a cat, and GARG doesn't have a monopoly on them. BTW, the beer at Sweetwater Tavern is *terrible*, surpassed at being bad perhaps only by Gordon Biersch, and their bread plate is nothing like it used to be. Salt? You *bet* they rely on it as a mask - this isn't dining out as something special; it's eating for when you don't want to cook.

It always perplexes me when a food persona wags his finger and makes a sweeping generalization about *those* members on *your* website, when in fact that very person has been a member for longer than just about anyone. You can name the first ten restaurant writers in the DC area that you can think of, and you can bet they're all members of donrockwell.com. This is like someone stuck in a traffic jam screaming, "God, these drivers are assholes!" This is not some slam against pizzaandbrew, btw, who I consider to be a valued member here that I've had many a friendly conversation with; just that this one statement - which comes across to me as a sweeping generalization - needs some clarification. Hell, just inserting the word "some" would have prevented me from writing this post, and I might even agree with him (I am baffled, for example, at the near-unanimous adoration of Kapnos here, but the only way for me to prevent it would be to try and impose my will on our members, and that is not the way I operate).

No restaurant forum in existence fosters individual opinion more and groupthink less than this one - we have people ranging from Kibbee Nayee (who lambasts GARG to a point that I don't understand) to pizzaandbrew (who has toed the line for Matchbox for years). I'm not going to inflict my thoughts on *any* of these people, unless they adversely affect the free speech of others - and they don't.

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...

The food world in general goes ga-ga over celebrity chefs. They focus on food preparation, taste, presentation, creativity, etc. They seek the trendy flavors; the up-and-coming kitchen stars.

Generally, no where near as much attention is given to the F-O-H servers and staff that complete the experience. This site is no exception.

...

edited to add: I also think Pizzandbrew is hinting at the fact that many celebrity chefs will take advantage of their celebrity and crank out mass-produced product maybe without the individualized care that made them famous. Or, they replicate their formula so that it can be mass produced, all the while taking their cut. So who's really the profiteer in these situations? Why do they get a pass and GAR may not? I'd argue that GAR is doing what their doing without the "flash power" of a celebrity chef name, which is all the more impressive; they only have their restaurant's reputations...which are built on hospitality.

I'm a big fan of jayandstacey's but have to comment, and disagree some, on the above. To some extent, you may as well have written that you "support the troops" or are in favor of cute puppies. The kinds of lines which automatically induce head nods, smiles and even competition to see whose agreement is strongest. It struck me as a bit sanctimonious in a way I'm sure you didn't intend. I'll explain.

On celebrity chefs, of course true that many people (not sure exactly to whom "food world" refers) get excited about and talk or write about their new ventures. But, I think celebrity chefs also take a ton of abuse in print and on air, in virtually all media and very much on this website. I mentioned Todd English and Spike upthread. Just two great examples of several. Can check the debate that ensued around the chef/owner of Chef Geoffs. Or, how about Pete Wells' skewering of Michel Richard's venture into Manhattan last year? You get the point. I think it a paper tiger to say this community, or any serious restaurant journalist, media or other group, just mindlessly applaud whatever so-called celebrity chefs do. So the starting assumption seems wrong.

The "FOH servers and staff" line seems just misplaced at best, or unfair at worse. The DC, Baltimore, NY and PHL parts of this website are about restaurants. It's probably safe to say that a healthy percentage of readers and posters here form an affinity group with interest in food, dining out, and value for money. Some weight service more heavily than others. Some only note service when it isn't good. Check the last three serious reports, all done by regular joes, on the Grill Room. DanielK, PoolBoy and I all praised, and criticized, aspects of service. Posters here don't write about taxi drivers that much either simply because it's not the main focus of the interest that brings them here. Bottom line, I think you really underestimate how often "FOH staff" are discussed here and, to put that community up as victimized relative to universally heralded "celebrity chefs"...here? Well, that just seems detached from the reality I perceive.

If anything, the best community you might have referenced with some kind of higher-road mission might have been back-of-house since bussers, dishwashers and prep cooks all work extremely hard, receive much less attention anywhere and are foundational to any restaurant experience that diners have than servers and hosts/hostesses who deal directly with the public.

Finally, I already mentioned this in my own reply to pizzaandbrew but the whole notion of a "profiteer" strikes me as a bit bogus in competititive markets. Different for highly regulated or near-monopoly markets but restaurants are as competitive an industry as any in America.

Very simply, any restaurant or restaurant operator has the full right to pursue growth and profit, as long as legally pursued. For potential customers like us, who want to spend carefully and love whatever food, we properly vote with our business. I think valid and very useful to constructively criticize food quality, overall experience, and value for money but just silly to get angry at any entrepreneur who is successful. It's so, so hard to achieve that kind of success. We should respect and admire such accomplishments, separate and apart from how we might feel personally about their menus, kitchen execution, or service efficiency.

This post won't get as much applause as yours but it's maybe a bit fairer and more reflective of the reality?

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All fair points.   We're not as opposite as would seem in a forum where brevity is a necessity.

I certainly didn't mean to say that celebrity chefs always get positive attention, rather that they get disproportionate amounts of attention relative to the service side.   And that doesn't mean the service side doesn't get any attention....except, as pointed out, the bus/wash/prep folks rarely get any love at all.

An example comes to mind:  Two big, new restaurants are going to open in DC next week.   One is Bryan Voltaggio's and the other is GAR venture.  Both will get attention, but:

1. Which is likely to get more attention?

2. Which is more likely to provide a decent overall experience on day 1?

3. Which is more likely to survive for the long term?

I chose Voltaggio becuase he's highly regarded, successful and seems to know the buisnes as well as anyone.   Arguably, questions 2 and 3 are a wash - with maybe a long-term edge to GAR (Voltaggio has closed at least one spot recently).   But #1 will clearly go to Voltaggio, will it not?

I suppose one could follow my line of argument and say therefore that McDonalds is consistent and they train the emplyees, so therefore is on a par... that's not the case.  I'm not saying the food at a GAR is as good or exciting or any of that.  This site should always have a sharp interest in the food.

Yet, I can't think of any examples of someone who's become famous or 'celebrity' for their restauarant hospitality prowess.  I've seen passing mention (on this site FAR more than any other) of excellent hosts, waiters, etc.   But none (AFAIK) have crossed into celebrity.  Have they?

.

.

.

.

Should they?

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Yet, I can't think of any examples of someone who's become famous or 'celebrity' for their restauarant hospitality prowess.  I've seen passing mention (on this site FAR more than any other) of excellent hosts, waiters, etc.   But none (AFAIK) have crossed into celebrity.  Have they?

.

.

.

.

Should they?

I would argue that Danny Meyer has become a celebrity due to his hospitality. Others: Duke Ziebert, Mel Krupin, Leo Steiner - any of the old-school restaurant impresarios that "worked the room" and catered to celebrities. While I won't name names, I'd argue that they have modern-day counterparts who have used this website to become "known" in the DC restaurant industry (which is fine with me - this community has different uses for different people).

Once, I was having lunch at Per Se, and Tony Bourdain happened to be there (he was doing a book signing down on a lower level). About an hour later, Thomas Keller (who was also there) paraded Bourdain out in front of the entire dining room, and acted like he was showing him the restaurant, when in fact, he was showing him *to* the restaurant. While I "get it," it also made me want to barf. Nevertheless, that's what diners want to see because it makes them feel important.

Celebrity Chefs rely heavily on PR, and because of that, information about them is plentiful and accessible - PR reps will be happy to talk about them for as long as you'd like; places like GARG (while having their own, much more subtle, versions of PR) are content to anonymously walk into the bank and deposit their formidable paychecks. There are also hybrid models, such as Passion Foods, who rely both on mega-volume, but also on very savvy PR and their own figurehead in Jeff Tunks. Do any of you *not* know who Derek Brown is? Can you name where he works, or what, exactly, he does? Derek is someone I consider to be a friend, so God love him, but he's been mentioned by The Washington Post probably ten, twenty, perhaps one-hundred times more than this website has, and has even been nominated for a James Beard Award. That is manipulation via PR and shrewd politics (*), and there's nothing wrong with it - in fact, once I find the right person, I'm thinking about doing the same thing for this community as a basic means of survival. PR Reps, if you're reading this, you know where to reach me - I am in the process of interviewing.

You will notice in our Film forum that I publicize the Director more than I do the Stars. This is entirely consistent with the way I've always done things around here, and is most certainly not an accident.

(*) As I was saying ... post-2-0-09004000-1427293122_thumb.png <--- This is not a newspaper; it's a PR outlet.

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Yet, I can't think of any examples of someone who's become famous or 'celebrity' for their restauarant hospitality prowess.  I've seen passing mention (on this site FAR more than any other) of excellent hosts, waiters, etc.   But none (AFAIK) have crossed into celebrity.  Have they? 

As a restaurateur?  Danny Meyer.

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GAR had a simple formula that made them money at the time and still does, Mahi-Mahi and Mashed Potatoes. They made it seem like the greatest thing on a plate. A 'tropical' sounding fish that at the time was not a common household name and paired it with something everyone most likely knows and loves, mashed potatoes. They made a killing off it.

They originally placed restaurants in neighborhoods that were on the fringe, half way between really decent to sketchville. And by doing so they made those with money feel like they had this little oasis right around the corner that could easily be situated in downtown DC. Smart thinking, smart planning and an audience that was and still is willing to pack the place. A recipe for $$$$$.

Congrats to them on their business model because in fact most people who are in this business know how hard it is to make money. I for one still root for the little guy who makes enough to pay his bills, and put food on the table for his family and puts out a product that they labor over and can say "That's good eats."

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As a restaurateur?  Danny Meyer. 

Haven't heard of this one.  Was he on Iron Chef a while back?

:)

I'd heard of Duke Ziebert, Mel Krupin and Leo Steiner - and in fact when I was racking my brain for examples, I thought of some of the 80s DC "bar stars" as being more out there as hosts vs. chefs.

But I can also name as many chefs with white-dyed hair that is spiked.  Or that are giant humans.  Or that can be seen in syndicated TV shows on 2 channels simultaneously.

Put another way, I feel that somewhere in GAR is someone who knows hospitality as well as anyone on the planet.   An artist who knows not only how to be hospitable but how to get whole staffs to be - and I disagree that a slight departure from the script results in confusion.  I get that GAR chooses to keep that person (or system, or app) quiet - but why is this so universally the case?

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...

Put another way, I feel that somewhere in GAR is someone who knows hospitality as well as anyone on the planet. An artist who knows not only how to be hospitable but how to get whole staffs to be - and I disagree that a slight departure from the script results in confusion. I get that GAR chooses to keep that person (or system, or app) quiet - but why is this so universally the case?

In pro baseball, there are clubhouse managers. They make sure players have the food they like. They ensure all the unis are hung and clean. They often arrange the buses, flights and hotels. The famous, star players typically love that guy, claiming they could never do what they do if not for him. But, do we know their names? No.

Academy Award winning films have large crews. Some of the more obscure roles, like costume design or choreography, are relegated to a different day to get their Oscars while others aren't even eligible for such awards. Can we name the makeup person for uber-popular films like Birdman or Million Dollar Baby from ten years ago? No.

The most admired military generals and admirals led huge armies and changed the course of history. We all know the names MacArthur and Nimitz. But their adjutant officers? Mess hall chiefs? No.

You seem to be struggling with something definitional here, Jay. I don't imagine GAR does anything to keep their head of operations or customer experience "quiet." You can probably look up the name on their corporate website. You can start a thread here about that person. They would surely deserve it.*

But that's all the nature of fame. Only the few are so noted. The rest of them (and all of us) are important too, critical even. And, hopefully, those not famous are still valued in the ways that most matter--internally, by bosses, with compensation, family, etc--but they're not famous. And, maybe most are perfectly okay with that? Fame and public attention are not the only ways to covey love, value, recognition and appreciation. I guarantee you the clubhouse manager for the Washington Nationals feels appreciated. Yet no one knows his name. For reference, there are two. Rob MacDonald and Mike Wallace, the latter no relation to the famous one from 60 Minutes.** Sonetimes, the media does its job exceedingly well, shining a little light in corners usually kept dark. Same as this website. :-)

* Tom Rush is likely your man and no doubt great at his job.

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Maybe I just miss the old days where the host was the star and the chef was the director - behind the scenes; important but not in my face. (nothing against chefs...)

Maybe guys like Tommy took it a bit too far.  :)

Film is an anagram of Milf.

I guess we've gone a bit off-topic.

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Film is an anagram of Milf.

I guess we've gone a bit off-topic.

I sometimes struggle to keep myself between the navigational bouys.  :)

GAR's oysters are most enjoyable.  I wonder how much of a force they are in the oyster market, how they buy, etc.  It would make for a neat biopic story, I think (unless it would just mirror the same story written about Legal Seafoods or McCormick and Schmicks...)

Shoot - I kind of did it again.

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....

* Tom Rush is likely your man and no doubt great at his job.

All good points - I suppose someone in every group effort has to take disproportionate credit.  Or blame, as the case may be.  The chef just tends to be the face of the group.

Tom seems pretty young.  Good on him.  I find the whole GARG thing fascinating.

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manipulation via PR and shrewd politics (*), and there's nothing wrong with it - in fact, once I find the right person, I'm thinking about doing the same thing for this community as a basic means of survival. PR Reps, if you're reading this, you know where to reach me - I am in the process of interviewing.

slightly off topic, but this tangent is worth commenting on. why hire a media pimp when your reputation is strongly respected in the area, and you already attract most of the local "food community" to your site? i don't mind seeing an ad or whatever you need to do to keep this thing going. i am certainly aware of the downside of not budgeting PR, but you built this thing and we are all here already... as a member of this community i can't figure out the benefit of investing in this? you've displayed more than thinly veiled distaste for the relationship between PR and media, why play the game?

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slightly off topic, but this tangent is worth commenting on. why hire a media pimp when your reputation is strongly respected in the area, and you already attract most of the local "food community" to your site? i don't mind seeing an ad or whatever you need to do to keep this thing going. i am certainly aware of the downside of not budgeting PR, but you built this thing and we are all here already... as a member of this community i can't figure out the benefit of investing in this? you've displayed more than thinly veiled distaste for the relationship between PR and media, why play the game?

Lary, if I gave you a short answer, it would sound glib; a longer answer is what it would take, and I've got to find the time to write it. Thank you for your vote of confidence, however.

(Short answer: That, and four bucks will buy me a cup of coffee.) :)

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slightly off topic, but this tangent is worth commenting on. why hire a media pimp when your reputation is strongly respected in the area, and you already attract most of the local "food community" to your site? i don't mind seeing an ad or whatever you need to do to keep this thing going. i am certainly aware of the downside of not budgeting PR, but you built this thing and we are all here already... as a member of this community i can't figure out the benefit of investing in this? you've displayed more than thinly veiled distaste for the relationship between PR and media, why play the game?

It's a great question. I'd guess the answer to why all depends on whether contentment/indifference or interest in growth is the bigger goal. Profit or non-profit? Can sometimes be difficult to land on one and stay there for a host of reasons, Of course, also true that GAR has been a business since founding, not so much here.

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Academy Award winning films have large crews. Some of the more obscure roles, like costume design or choreography, are relegated to a different day to get their Oscars while others aren't even eligible for such awards. Can we name the makeup person for uber-popular films like Birdman or Million Dollar Baby from ten years ago? No.

I haven't worked in LA for over a decade, but costume design and make-up are prominently featured in the awards show. Choreography is no longer honored ( a sign of the times). Those relegated to second class citizen status are the scientific and technical members. Sorry to interrupt, but the Academy leaving people behind is a bit of a sore spot for me.

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Very nice!

It's so weird when you read a snippet of a lyric out of context, without the music and the proper inflections, pauses and delivery by the singer.......I couldn't place it. What song is it?!?! Is it even a Grateful Dead song?!?!?

Now that I know where it's from, I can't not read it the way it's delivered when it's sung!   (can't not is sort of awkward, I realize)

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Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleloo

Lyrics: Robert Hunter

Music: Jerry Garcia

 On the day that I was born Daddy sat down and cried (note 1)

I had the mark just as plain as day, I could not be denied

They say that Cain caught Abel rolling loaded dice

Ace of spades behind his ear and him not thinking twice

Chorus

Half step, Mississippi uptown toodleloo (note 2)

Hello baby I'm gone goodbye

Half a cup of rock and rye

Farewell to you old southern skies

I'm on my way, on my way

If all you got to live for is what you left behind

Get yourself a powder charge and seal that silver mine

Lost my boots in transit babe, pile of smoking leather

Nailed a retread to my feet and prayed for better weather

[chorus]

They say that when your ship comes in, first man takes the sails

Second takes the after deck, third the planks and rails

What's the point of calling shots, this cue ain't straight in line

Cue ball's made of styrofoam and no-one's got the time

[chorus]

Across the Rio Grand-eo

Across the lazy river

[etc]

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to be fair, this only easily works when you have a menu of ~15 dishes. I suppose for a larger menu it *could* be a fun software development exercise, if you could have a database of all the ingredients in each dish, then you could just print off a new menu of safe dishes with a simple database query. But in a larger enterprise it would be a lot harder to keep track of one-off requests, and also sub-ingredents-- for example, it turns out people with shellfish allergies should not have worstershire sauce. etc.

I'm getting off-topic, but I think this is how G.A.R.G. prints out their gluten-free menu - it's just a subset of their full menu, and the dishes are probably "tagged" with ingredients. I suspect it wouldn't take much to do some boolean operations, and customize the menus however they like.

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I'm getting off-topic, but I think this is how G.A.R.G. prints out their gluten-free menu - it's just a subset of their full menu, and the dishes are probably "tagged" with ingredients. I suspect it wouldn't take much to do some boolean operations, and customize the menus however they like.

I don't believe that is the case. My wife is in the gastroenterology biz and asked very specific questions of the server regarding their "gluten-free" menu. The server, without prompting, said the gluten free items come from " a small area of the kitchen that was created just for this menu. Different refrigerators, prep area, cooking pans, everything" and went into detail. We discussed this once the server left and thought there would be no reason to do what he described merely for those who eat "Paleo" or define themselves as "gluten-intolerant". Frankly, with their sales volume, there is no reason to do this at all. Our guess was that one of the principals must have a child or grandchild that has been diagnosed with Celiac's disease.

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(meanwhile GAR continues to do a great job with service in the FOH.   They truly deserve a lot of credit.)

My brother once told me about a Mechanical Engineering class of his at Vanderbilt. The goal of the class project was to invent a device that would drop 60 marbles into a container in 60 seconds, with the highest possible score being 60 points if the 60th marble was deposited into the receptacle exactly as the 60th second went by. But, the constraint was that if your marbles were empty *before* 60 seconds passed, you'd get a zero on the project. You could only touch the device one time, at the beginning of the minute. For example, after a minute, if 10 marbles had been deposited, you'd get 10 points.

One of the students invented this rocking device that deposited almost one marble per second, and got the highest grade in the class with 55 points (at the end of 60 seconds, there were 5 marbles left in the device).

And one of the students ended up founding GARG, or so the rumor goes: He taped one marble to the device so it wouldn't come out, and when the minute began, the device flipped upside down and immediately dumped out 59 marbles. The 60th marble stayed taped to the device a minute later when the buzzer went off.

(He got a zero.)

GARG is closer to Starbucks and McDonald's than people think - it's mechanized service, using humans instead of machines. I understand that from an ownership standpoint, that's fantastic, and they handle 90+% of all problems with aplomb; but those 10% that they don't handle well are absolute clusterfucks - if you ever want to see an army of ants that are confused, try holding onto your menu at a GARG restaurant, or taking the bill when it arrives and putting it down by your side, or anything that will throw off the visual clues the servers rely on. I'm not saying this is bad, mind you - it's a well-designed strategy, it takes care of the vast majority of diners, it obviously works well for the company, and GMs at GARG make a SHIT-TON of money, like, you wouldn't believe how much money. This is one company that I can actually see a young FOH employee staying with for their entire career, and I can't say that about any other company that I can think of. GARG FOH employees are in high demand.

As for the food, it is remarkably consistent given the volume, but it isn't as consistent as people say it is. I'm also envisioning dining at a GARG restaurant 20 years into the future, and when the bread basket arrives, it will contain four croutons (I hate to say this, but Komi just popped into my mind).

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I like the GARG and if they are considered robotic then maybe I like robotic.  I'm going to Coastal Flats tomorrow and look forward to their delicious bacon cheeseburger.  I've been going to GARG restaurants since Carlyle was called Carlyle Grand Cafe.  All the dinners haven't been winners, but many of them have and I have to say I am impressed by their food quality, friendly and efficient service, and price points.  Do I wish all restaurants were like GARG.  No!  I like variety but I am really glad that GARG is in business and doing well.

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I absolutely agree on that.  On the user side, especially if meeting others and trying to choose a restaurant OT is a terrific app.  Choose a date and a neighborhood or several and one can easily and quickly discern where and what is available and at what time.  Best app out there for that and similar situations. As you describe above when user saturation hits a point when its relied upon so much...not being a part of OT is a big disadvantage   (but then there is Great American Restaurants).  They are the exception to that rule, still not using OT and evidently doing quite well without it.

Your second paragraph is quite telling.  OTOH I've recently seen at least one restaurant using OT and a second reservation system.  OT more expensive the other less expensive.  An interesting decision.  The other reservation system more prominently visible, OT less visible. 

I thought many GAR restaurants don't accept reservations.  I personally don't understand the appeal of GAR joints, although I'm not quite as vocal as Kibbee about that fact.

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2 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

I thought many GAR restaurants don't accept reservations.  I personally don't understand the appeal of GAR joints, although I'm not quite as vocal as Kibbee about that fact.

Mostly off of calls they put you on a list and give you times and waiting times.  I believe that secondarily they or at least some take some reservations, subject to the first part..being on a waiting list with estimated times.

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I also like the food and service at GAR.  Carlyle is part of my regular rotation.  Coastal Flats is my preferred restaurant at Tysons.  However, a couple of things are not good.  Don't ever get their sometimes-offered fried oyster appetizer.  It's terrible!

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On 6/25/2019 at 5:44 AM, Destruya said:

Neisha and Rango's will likely take more of a hit than BJ's, simply because BJ's has plentiful covered parking and direct access *from* said parking, which is a rarity for a restaurant in Tyson's Corner that isn't inside a mall.  I keep meaning to try both of them, especially Rango's seeing as Tequila Grande is on borrowed time in Vienna, and I never get around to it.

It's funny, though - whenever I mention *any* GAR restaurant to someone in this area I get either a passively complimentary ambivalence or a straight out "it's a GAR chain restaurant, **** that place."  Almost never any in-between, and I've even seen more than one person be completely oblivious to the fact that a restaurant *is* part of the chain, and turn into a frothing speaking-in-tongues lunatic once they figure out it is.

A moderate handful of people surveyed, most popular answer on the board is..."the menus are way too similar between restaurants." 🙄

If I had to levy a single critique of Patsy's, it's the lack of chicken tenders on the menu, and also the fact that Silverado is by far the best value of all of them because they give you free chips and salsa, and it's *good* chips and salsa.  Too bad it's in a wholly unattractive strip mall in the middle of a really confusing cluster of roads in Annandale.

Don't know if this is still true or not, but it used to be that Silverado had the highest profit margin of any of them -- probably due to lower rents & smaller size for said wholly unattractive strip mall location.

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I don't know why these restaurants are treated as separate entities. The only things that are really different are the names.

Try to order a salad without sun-dried cranberries. I know, I've asked. Sorry, that's the way it comes. I say I don't like gummy bears or ju-ju-bes in my salad, and I'm told I can pick them out. Try to figure out what a short-smoked salmon is. Every GARG restaurant has it on the menu. Jambalaya pasta? I prefer my jambalaya with rice. Drunken rib-eye? It's prepared in salt-forward sludge masquerading as marinade.

There's no real difference in these restaurants, even down to the deafening din that characterizes the ambience.

Why do we even break them out separately in the Dining Guide, while clumping all of the Clyde's restaurants together?

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8 hours ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

I don't know why these restaurants are treated as separate entities. The only things that are really different are the names.

Try to order a salad without sun-dried cranberries. I know, I've asked. Sorry, that's the way it comes. I say I don't like gummy bears or ju-ju-bes in my salad, and I'm told I can pick them out. Try to figure out what a short-smoked salmon is. Every GARG restaurant has it on the menu. Jambalaya pasta? I prefer my jambalaya with rice. Drunken rib-eye? It's prepared in salt-forward sludge masquerading as marinade.

There's no real difference in these restaurants, even down to the deafening din that characterizes the ambience.

Why do we even break them out separately in the Dining Guide, while clumping all of the Clyde's restaurants together?

Hah.  All above is true.  BTW:  I like the training and service.  Staff there does a great job.  Staff with high grade individual skills do better.   Great training.  Other employers covet the training GAR gives to employees.  I don't blame them.  Training is very hit or miss per establishment. 

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I think GAR food is very good and very consistent.  There aren't any WOW dishes there, but solid, tasty fare, plus the aforementioned great, chipper service and acceptable price points.  I regularly go to the Tysons Coastal Flats (to meet friends for lunch) or Carlyle for Saturday dinner out.  Their burgers are terrific as are the short ribs and trout...plus the crab fritters.

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In my email just now:

To Our Guests and Friends,

In the last week Great American Restaurants has had to face unimaginable challenges with more uncertain times ahead during this national health crisis. And in these times of uncertainty, many of our guests, friends and neighbors have asked what they can do to help financially support the 1,700 GARStars we had to make the difficult decision to lay off due to the pandemic that has drastically impacted our industry. We are beyond appreciative and blown away by this outpouring of love and support.

Therefore, we have set up the Great American Restaurants Employee Relief Fund to help support these 1,700 wonderful people. The Norton Family will match every contribution two for one. That means that if you donate $100, the Norton Family will add $200 to the Relief Fund. Your support means more to us than you will ever know. Every contribution counts - no matter how small - it will make a profound impact on the livelihoods of these outstanding people.

We will get through this together and look forward to seeing you back in our restaurants soon.

With gratitude and appreciation,

Great American Restaurants and The Norton Family

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