THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 26, 1994 TAG: 9406280514
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BROWN H. CARPENTER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940626 LENGTH: Long
Welcome to America's chain restaurants, where prices are low, the aura is casual, the munchies are many and the entrees are trendy.
{REST} Indeed, the nation is in no mood to scale back its appetite for fancy salads, exotic pasta combinations, Cajun spices, grilled chicken breasts or steak.
The chains are growing, says Wendy Webster, spokesperson for the National Restaurant Association in Washington, D.C. She describes them as ``a step above midscale'' in the dining-out pecking order, with an emphasis on casual atmosphere.
``They have the capital required to buy up sites at low prices and low interest rates,'' Webster says. ``And they have broad recognition. Just moved to Norfolk? The chains offer an assurance of consistency. That's important to many people.''
Webster also says the chains offer good value for American families, who are increasingly eating away from home with their children. The chains offer kids' portions, puzzles and crayons to keep the little ones occupied while Mom and Dad enjoy a beer or a glass of wine.
Hampton Roads is part of the trend. In recent months, The Black-eyed Pea and Pargo's have established residence in the Lynnhaven Mall area of Virginia Beach, unfazed by the presence of such culinary stalwarts as Bennigan's, Spinnaker's, Chi-Chi's, The Olive Garden, Applebee's and Friday's.
Two new steak stores (industry cognoscenti call the restaurants ``stores'') are now ensconced at the Beach: the Outback and the Longbranch Steakhouse and Saloon. They join such aged beef eateries as Steak and Ale, Lone Star and Ponderosa.
And Italian meals are in no short supply. Olive Gardens bloom in Norfolk, Chesapeake and the Beach. Pizza Uno is new near Janaf Shopping Plaza in Norfolk. The Spaghetti Warehouse occupies a site in downtown Norfolk. The Italian Oven has moved into Loehmann's Plaza at the Beach, Mozzarella's is a fixture in Chesapeake's Greenbrier Mall, Ragazzi's has a beachhead in the Kempsville area and Pasta Grande is springing from the starting gate.
Pasta Grande? It's locally owned and already has two stores: One in the Airport Hilton in Norfolk and a second that recently opened at 5001 Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach.
``Our Virginia Beach location offers a unique concept,'' says Terry Lavey, one of the general partners. ``We serve meals family-style. Like Sunday dinner at home. There are no dinner portions for just one person. The portions serve two or three.''
So you take home what you can't eat. Pasta Grande (it means ``big'' in Italian) gives you a shopping bag strictly for that purpose. And if just two of you arrive and aren't that hungry, the chef will dish out small portions of three menu items for you to divide, Lavey says.
If this idea catches on, Pasta Grande may be off and running. The rival Italian Oven chain is. ``Fast growing? You betcha,'' exclaims Linda Sample, the company's director of marketing. In five years, the Oven, with headquarters in Latrobe, Pa., has grown from zero to 64 restaurants, mostly in the East. Development agreements are in the works for 300 more locations, Sample says.
The Oven's menu stresses simplicity and familiar Italian fare: light pizzas, strombolis and pasta dishes. Entree prices average about $6. The Spaghetti Warehouse, unusual with its central city locales, is similar in outlook, but highlights its variety of spaghetti entrees instead of pizza.
A local who has stuck to more traditional chain fare is Steve Dokos, owner of the two Cheers restaurants in Chesapeake and Newport News, the Season's Cafe in Williamsburg and the Beacon Street in Fairfax County. They're all the same type of ``upscale casual'' place despite the different names, Dokos says.
The ``Cheers'' trademark was actually owned by a Virginia man; Dokos contracted to use it in his business. But he's limited to using it in the state; the Beacon Street name allows him to expand outside Virginia. As for the name ``Season's,'' that was a stipulation by Colonial Williamsburg, he says.
Bob Farrand, Dokos' vice president for operations, says the four restaurants ``try to look and operate like a chain but with a much higher food standard.'' Farrand spent seven years working for Bennigan's and offered some insights on chains.
``Steaks are a trend now, so we have been upgrading our beef for the past year,'' he says. ``There's a little backlash to the healthy trend. Americans eat healthy at home but once or twice a week they splurge a little bit. We offer meals that are entertaining and fun.
``Most chain dinners are between $8 and $10,'' Farrand says. ``We try to add five items to the menu every year but we don't overhaul it. It's basic American grill fare. We don't react to every food trend, but we do emphasize what people are looking for.''
Recognizing the desire for spicy food, the Cheers people have contracted with a Baltimore spice merchant to blend mixtures exclusively for Dokos' restaurants.
Another trend Cheers embraces is the smaller menu - from 82 to 58 offerings in recent years, Farrand says. Years ago, enormous menus were the style in most chain restaurants but, Farrand notes, Chili's, one of the nation's fastest growing companies, keeps its menu small.
A real believer in chain restaurants is Morrison's Inc., of Mobile, Ala. It owns Morrison's cafeterias, plus Ruby Tuesday, L&N Seafood Grill, Mozzarella's, Silver Spoon and Sweetpea's stores. Only the Morrison's, Ruby Tuesday and Mozzarella's are in Hampton Roads for now.
``At one point we were opening a restaurant every 10 days,'' boasts Mark Williams, field marketing director for the Morrison's company.
Ruby Tuesday, the flagship chain, was established in Knoxville, Tenn., in 1972 by University of Tennessee students. The stores now number 275; about 30 are scheduled to open this year.
Sweetpea's, with just three stores so far, is the newest chain brainstorm from Mobile. It's something of a trend within the trend - old-fashioned home cooking.
Similarly, the growing Black-Eyed Pea restaurants take take a ``nostalgic approach'' to food, Williams says.
What stands out on the Pea's menu is what isn't listed: pasta. No noodles here. Instead, try a stuffed spud with your pot roast, chicken fried steak or crispy catfish and down it all with an old-fashioned milkshake. And come with an appetite. This is not a place to count calories.
Older eateries
As for the old chains, the ones with the hanging ferns, ceiling fans, wall bric-a-brac, clever appetizers and hodgepodge cuisine, they're bearing up reasonably well. You can experience this ambience locally at Bennigan's, Friday's, Annabelle's, Ruby Tuesday, Darryl's, Cheers and Tripps.
The popularity of Mexican food endures, as well. Note the staying power of Chi-Chi's and Carlos Murphy's, which has become all Carlos and no Murphy. And there are old stalwarts, such as Shoney's.
A look at Bennigan's menu shows the old and new trends in chain chow. Those reliable Fried Mushrooms remain entrenched among appetizers, just up the page from the newer Buffalo Wings. Fish and Chips (British) is listed with the Spicy Shrimp Primavera (Cajun-Italian). A Reuben (deli) sandwich is on one page; Chicken Teriyaki (Japanese) on the opposite.
While Bennigan's is de-emphasizing Mexican, Friday's still has mucho from South of the Border - and from everywhere else. Big menus are still available at Friday's. Even pizza is offered.
But the item that seems to run through all the chains is chicken salad:
Order it Thai, Cajun or Chinese-style at Friday's; fried at PoFolks; Southwestern at Chi-Chi's; Frisco-style at Chili's; Charleston-style at Bennigan's; with cashews or melon at Spinnaker's.
Or order it Oriental or New Orleans-style at Pargo's; grilled at Annabelle's; marinated at Carlos Murphy's; blackened or Santa Fe-style at Applebee's; with almonds at Tripps; as Chicken Palermo Salad at The Olive Garden; or as chicken fajita salad at Ruby Tuesday . . .
by CNB