Six Flags and Cedar Fair Merger

Raven-Phile said:
Maybe it's the novelty of In-N-Out, and the whole not being close to home thing, but I definitely give them one up in that comparison.

Really the only "novelty" of In-N-Out is the fact that they are only in a few states such as California, Utah, Nevada and Arizona while at the same time they have turned down many other places who wanted them to open up shop. In-N-Out within the last few years turned down the chance to expand to Denver & Albuquerque ( both of which are BIG surprises ), Indianapolis, Dallas, Houston, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Baltimore, St. Louis, Cincinatti, New Orleans..etc...

Denver's 9 News did a report on all of this not all that long ago and considering a chain to say to a market who really wanted them and knowing that they could make money there only to say "thanks but no thanks" in this economy is a surprise. This is like say Cedar Fair saying to Six Flags "....hey we will give you Kings Island for FREE no questions asked" only to have Six Flags say NO !!!

IN and out Burger is not franchising, so all stores are company owned. They follow a smal growth strategy(20-25 new stores/year) Considering the failures you see in overexpanding(cedar fair, six flags for example), I think it is a rather smart way to do business

This deaf dumb bald man, sure killed a great theme park.

Hey, I resemble that remark!

Mike

We have a 5 Guys here in Huntington, WV, near the movie theater. The food was pretty good, but it would be better if the prices were lower. I think it was about $15 for a cheeseburger, fries, and a medium drink (about the same as a meal at a CF park).

How much is a large potato, a half pound of burger, a bun, and some Coke syrup anyways?

LostKause said:
I think it was about $15 for a cheeseburger, fries, and a medium drink (about the same as a meal at a CF park).

Yup...and if it's anything like ours here, there's a line out the door at lunchtime.

How much is a large potato, a half pound of burger, a bun, and some Coke syrup anyways?

If only it were that simple. :)

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5 guys has been here for a while - the talk of the town around here is our latest "upscale burger experience" - EO Burgers. Haven't been there yet, but according to that online menu, large fries clock in starting at $5. (again, eerily similar to CF pricing)

Juggalotus said:
Google and M$ are fairly successful, not drowning in debt.

People who refer to Microsoft as "M$" are douchebag anti-fanbois.

In-N-Out controls their own expansion, they don't turn down offers per say. Their approach to expansion works, but it drives some people, especially investment bankers bonkers.

egieszl said:
In-N-Out controls their own expansion, they don't turn down offers per say. Their approach to expansion works, but it drives some people, especially investment bankers bonkers.

Last night I was talking to a friend of mine in Phoenix and somehow In-N-Out was brought up. He more/less said the same as you, that they control their own expansion and they don't turn down offers BUT according to him, this only applies to California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah. Outside of those four states, In-N-Out for one reason or another won't touch though I have seen online postings from those who say that In-N-Out is coming to Austin, Texas even though the In-N-Out fans scream online that will NEVER happen.

Another chain that is similar to In-N-Out as far as expansion goes is Meijer. No problem expanding in the states of Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky but outside those 5 states, Meijer won't even consider, even nearby states like Pennsylvania. Wikipedia doesn't say why that is. My guess is that Meijer ( and perhaps In-N-Out ) watching other regional chains go "national" only to lose something along the way.

Lord Gonchar said:

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5 guys has been here for a while - the talk of the town around here is our latest "upscale burger experience" - EO Burgers. Haven't been there yet, but according to that online menu, large fries clock in starting at $5. (again, eerily similar to CF pricing)

We've recently had a couple of places open up around here - one being a place called Brown Bag Burgers, and the other is Michael Symon's B-Spot.

What I like, particularly, about B-Spot, is the *warning, we cook with lard* disclaimer. :)

These burger joints seem to be popping up everywhere. 5 Guys have several locations here now, and we have a few local operators that have jumped on board with similar concepts. It's funny, one has the better burgers, one has the best fries, and another offers shakes. I wish i could pick up the best from all three and roll em into one! And poor Steak n Shake is back-pedaling like crazy! Lunch time lines are not out the door there, like they used to be...

Speaking of Sears, they are in trouble. They recently appeared on that list of "well known companies that are about to disappear" that rolls around every year or so. The trouble, they say, is a fuddy duddy image that they will never recover from. Even with leaders like Craftsman and Kenmore, Sears will always and forever be Your Dad's store. Maybe a re-invention toward the Sears Hardware Store concept and away from fashion and jewelry will help. (when was the last time you fellas bought your girl a nice diamond from Sears, huh?... see?)

As for Six Flags and Cedar Fair? I said it years ago when the companies started scooping up parks willy nilly - it's an insidious plot to close all the amusement parks in the world and leave us with no where to go for fun! Mark my word!

I thought 5 Guys burgers were pretty good....but their fries were downright awful. Seriously, if you check their website, they make their fries soggy ON PURPOSE! I'm not a huge fan of Steak-n-Shake, but they do know fries are supposed to be crispity-crunchety on the outside...

Hopman said:
Oh yeah, and on an unrelated note a new Five Guys shop opened in Manchester, NH today. OMG!!! Makes In-N-Out look like McDonald's!!!

Five Guys is OK but nothing all that great. I actually like a McDonald's angus burger better. If you want a great burger and if you are in the Cleveland area, go to B Spot;, Michael Simon's burger joint. Fantastice burgers and brats, and the rosemary fries (cooked in lard) are outstanding. Plus, my favorite, you can get great milkshakes spiked with booze. :)

Oh, rollergator, I couldn't disagree more! I think the 5 Guys fries are the bomb, and I love the fact that they load you up - 1 fry for 2 diners is plenty. They remind me of medium sized CP fries !

Pete- where is that B Spot? East or West? Is it fast food concept? or more cafe sit-down style? Mr Simon is one of my heros, and THOSE fries sound too good to be true. Road trip!

edit: never mind - i went to the website myself and all my questions were answered except one - I wonder if I can get to Cleveland by dinner time?

Chriscub said:
Another chain that is similar to In-N-Out as far as expansion goes is Meijer. No problem expanding in the states of Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky but outside those 5 states, Meijer won't even consider...

I'm actually going to theorize that this is a strategic decision around their supply chain. The greatest savings achieved in the big retail game is realized in how efficiently and quickly it can move merchandise. Having your own distribution centers (DC's) that reach an economy of scale that makes them worth owning is what makes them work.

Holy cow! I'm sorry for threadjacking!!!!

The 5 Guys near me was only $10. You gotta remember: the small fries could easily be split between two people. Plus, last time I went to SFNE, I payed $20 for a burger/fries/soda.

I was also surprised at the prices mentioned here for 5 Guys. I'm pretty sure I only pay $8 and some change for a burger, small fries and a large drink.

Jeff: Supply chain is probably the most logical answer.

The one company I know of that has a "rule" like that is Bob Evans Restaurants: they won't open a restaurant that they can't get a truck to in less than a full working day. Not sure if that is from Columbus or from Rio Grande.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I really can't remember how much my Five Guys meal was, so I could be wrong there.

That said, I'd gladly pay $15 at Steak 'n Shake for a meal, so maybe it was the food at Five Guys that I didn't enjoy. I do remember feeling that the rice wasn't worth it. To speak positively about the chain, I did appreciate that the food was fresh, not frozen.

I like cheeseburgers, a lot. Like a lot of people, I am somewhat of a cheeseburger Cono Sur. Everyone likes different things, as far as cheesburgers go, but I especially like Steak n' Shake, Sonic, and Checkers / Rally's.

Five Guys?

In-N-Out?

These sound like bad porn flicks. Doesn't anyone eat White Castle Anymore?

Mike, who has yet to have either of the first two mentioned above..or the Five Napkin Burger in New York City!

Nobody *admits to* eating at White Castle. Lots of people eat there, but nobody admits to it. :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.