We Do Actually Eat In West Ashley

[toddbarwick]

Todd, these are great points...right on the money. With Mt. P securing the area's second Carrabba's and most of the others in the north area, WA gets completely overlooked for higher-end chains. The local restaurants are fantastic, no doubt, but sometimes, I want a "Chicken Bryan". WA is also indeed inundated with Mexican and Asian restaurants, most that are nowhere near the quality of like a PF Chang's or On the Border.

The land costs provide an excellent explanation, but land is also very expensive in Mt P, correct? WA isn't the only region in the city that has high real estate prices. Maybe WA doesn't get fair credit because it is definitely more diverse than Mt P (since Mt P is considered more "yuppie" than WA)? The real estate costs make sense, but this explanation should be the case for most of the metro.

[toddbarwick]

I

[islanders]

Gee thank you. You are too kind. Perhaps I'll call Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers and inquire about dietary foods.......

I was not referring to the lack of nationally known casual dining chain restaurants when I stated that there is no where to eat in West Ashley. Of course we do have MANY fine locally owned restaurants.

[islanders]

What

[islanders]

By the way, there isn

[bigmikekul]

As a local WA restaurant owner, let me toss my 2 cents in on this debate: I've heard that some of you have issues with consistancy and cleanliness at our local establishments, but I would contend that you would be: 1)more likely to overlook these faults at Carraba's than at my restaurant.

2)more likely to never step foot into my place again and you'd tell your freinds what a sh*tty meal you had, but you'd be back at Olive Garden the following Friday night, reasoning that they just had an off night, and hey- you just can't beat never-ending pasta bowls!

At a small local restaurant you're more likely to get:

Better regional food

Meals cooked from scratch

More sincere service

Food cooked and served by your neighbors

An interest in you as a guest, not as a number (or a "head" in restaurant speak)

Diversity of cuisine

At a national chain restaurant you'll get:

The same thing everybody else eats nationwide

To pay for their national advertising campaigns

To wait an hour to be seated for, arguably, unexciting and uninspired food

To avoid the uncomfortable feeling of entering an unfamiliar place

To support environmentally unfriendly building practices (look it up!)

To drive there, because it won't be built anywhere near your neighborhood

To directly contribute to suburban sprawl and traffic congestion

My restaurant does not gaurantee you won't get an overcooked hamburger, but if you tell me about it (instead of suffering in silence and never coming back) I'll make sure that it's taken care of- whether it's taken off your bill or recooked to your liking.

Neighborhood restaurants are a two-way street. We're free to cook anything we want, take chances with unusual ingredients, and invent new dishes (no, southwestern eggrolls at Chilies are NOT a new dish). Because we don't work with panel tested, laboratory approved recipes we will occasionaly put too much salt in your pasta. Because our salad dressings don't come off a truck, they might be a little different than last time. Our guests influence our food and cooking styles. They let us know when something is innapropriately seasoned, and we fix it and make it better. Their reward? Better food every visit, special little bites sent out by the chef, and a sense of belonging in my place.

This is not to say that National Chain restaurants don't have their place. Every time I fly or drive or shop, I only eat at Chili's, Don Pablo's, Red Robin, or Olive Garden. I eat there because I can expect at least satisfactory food and sanitation in an unfamiliar place. If I'm staying the weekend in Dallas, the restaurant nearest my hotel is TGI Friday's. In the airport, we always go to Chili's. Same goes for when we are at the Mall.

If I have the opportunity to familiarize myself with my surroundings I will always look for respected and recommended local places. There is a reason that Outback's corporate chef doesn't have his own show on the food network. Ditto for why Applebees never wins best neighborhood restaurant in the City Paper reader's poll even though they are "America's Favorite Neighbor

[toddbarwick]

Again, no one is saying that WA doesn't have any good restaurants. That is exactly the opposite. However, the only sit-down chains WA can claim equate to the quality of "Ryans, Applebee

[toddbarwick]

Just a joke

[toddbarwick]

What

[toddbarwick]

As a local WA restaurant owner, let me toss my 2 cents in on this debate: I've heard that some of you have issues with consistancy and cleanliness at our local establishments, but I would contend that you would be: 1)more likely to overlook these faults at Carraba's than at my restaurant.

2)more likely to never step foot into my place again and you'd tell your freinds what a sh*tty meal you had, but you'd be back at Olive Garden the following Friday night, reasoning that they just had an off night, and hey- you just can't beat never-ending pasta bowls!

At a small local restaurant you're more likely to get:

Better regional food

Meals cooked from scratch

More sincere service

Food cooked and served by your neighbors

An interest in you as a guest, not as a number (or a "head" in restaurant speak)

Diversity of cuisine

At a national chain restaurant you'll get:

The same thing everybody else eats nationwide

To pay for their national advertising campaigns

To wait an hour to be seated for, arguably, unexciting and uninspired food

To avoid the uncomfortable feeling of entering an unfamiliar place

To support environmentally unfriendly building practices (look it up!)

To drive there, because it won't be built anywhere near your neighborhood

To directly contribute to suburban sprawl and traffic congestion

My restaurant does not gaurantee you won't get an overcooked hamburger, but if you tell me about it (instead of suffering in silence and never coming back) I'll make sure that it's taken care of- whether it's taken off your bill or recooked to your liking.

Neighborhood restaurants are a two-way street. We're free to cook anything we want, take chances with unusual ingredients, and invent new dishes (no, southwestern eggrolls at Chilies are NOT a new dish). Because we don't work with panel tested, laboratory approved recipes we will occasionaly put too much salt in your pasta. Because our salad dressings don't come off a truck, they might be a little different than last time. Our guests influence our food and cooking styles. They let us know when something is innapropriately seasoned, and we fix it and make it better. Their reward? Better food every visit, special little bites sent out by the chef, and a sense of belonging in my place.

This is not to say that National Chain restaurants don't have their place. Every time I fly or drive or shop, I only eat at Chili's, Don Pablo's, Red Robin, or Olive Garden. I eat there because I can expect at least satisfactory food and sanitation in an unfamiliar place. If I'm staying the weekend in Dallas, the restaurant nearest my hotel is TGI Friday's. In the airport, we always go to Chili's. Same goes for when we are at the Mall.

If I have the opportunity to familiarize myself with my surroundings I will always look for respected and recommended local places. There is a reason that Outback's corporate chef doesn't have his own show on the food network. Ditto for why Applebees never wins best neighborhood restaurant in the City Paper reader's poll even though they are "America's Favorite Neighbor

[digital_sandlapper]

As a local WA restaurant owner, let me toss my 2 cents in on this debate: I've heard that some of you have issues with consistancy and cleanliness at our local establishments, but I would contend that you would be: 1)more likely to overlook these faults at Carraba's than at my restaurant.

2)more likely to never step foot into my place again and you'd tell your freinds what a sh*tty meal you had, but you'd be back at Olive Garden the following Friday night, reasoning that they just had an off night, and hey- you just can't beat never-ending pasta bowls!

At a small local restaurant you're more likely to get:

Better regional food

Meals cooked from scratch

More sincere service

Food cooked and served by your neighbors

An interest in you as a guest, not as a number (or a "head" in restaurant speak)

Diversity of cuisine

At a national chain restaurant you'll get:

The same thing everybody else eats nationwide

To pay for their national advertising campaigns

To wait an hour to be seated for, arguably, unexciting and uninspired food

To avoid the uncomfortable feeling of entering an unfamiliar place

To support environmentally unfriendly building practices (look it up!)

To drive there, because it won't be built anywhere near your neighborhood

To directly contribute to suburban sprawl and traffic congestion

My restaurant does not gaurantee you won't get an overcooked hamburger, but if you tell me about it (instead of suffering in silence and never coming back) I'll make sure that it's taken care of- whether it's taken off your bill or recooked to your liking.

Neighborhood restaurants are a two-way street. We're free to cook anything we want, take chances with unusual ingredients, and invent new dishes (no, southwestern eggrolls at Chilies are NOT a new dish). Because we don't work with panel tested, laboratory approved recipes we will occasionaly put too much salt in your pasta. Because our salad dressings don't come off a truck, they might be a little different than last time. Our guests influence our food and cooking styles. They let us know when something is innapropriately seasoned, and we fix it and make it better. Their reward? Better food every visit, special little bites sent out by the chef, and a sense of belonging in my place.

This is not to say that National Chain restaurants don't have their place. Every time I fly or drive or shop, I only eat at Chili's, Don Pablo's, Red Robin, or Olive Garden. I eat there because I can expect at least satisfactory food and sanitation in an unfamiliar place. If I'm staying the weekend in Dallas, the restaurant nearest my hotel is TGI Friday's. In the airport, we always go to Chili's. Same goes for when we are at the Mall.

If I have the opportunity to familiarize myself with my surroundings I will always look for respected and recommended local places. There is a reason that Outback's corporate chef doesn't have his own show on the food network. Ditto for why Applebees never wins best neighborhood restaurant in the City Paper reader's poll even though they are "America's Favorite Neighbor

[Spartan]

As a local WA restaurant owner, let me toss my 2 cents in on this debate: I've heard that some of you have issues with consistancy and cleanliness at our local establishments, but I would contend that you would be: 1)more likely to overlook these faults at Carraba's than at my restaurant.

2)more likely to never step foot into my place again and you'd tell your freinds what a sh*tty meal you had, but you'd be back at Olive Garden the following Friday night, reasoning that they just had an off night, and hey- you just can't beat never-ending pasta bowls!

At a small local restaurant you're more likely to get:

Better regional food

Meals cooked from scratch

More sincere service

Food cooked and served by your neighbors

An interest in you as a guest, not as a number (or a "head" in restaurant speak)

Diversity of cuisine

At a national chain restaurant you'll get:

The same thing everybody else eats nationwide

To pay for their national advertising campaigns

To wait an hour to be seated for, arguably, unexciting and uninspired food

To avoid the uncomfortable feeling of entering an unfamiliar place

To support environmentally unfriendly building practices (look it up!)

To drive there, because it won't be built anywhere near your neighborhood

To directly contribute to suburban sprawl and traffic congestion

My restaurant does not gaurantee you won't get an overcooked hamburger, but if you tell me about it (instead of suffering in silence and never coming back) I'll make sure that it's taken care of- whether it's taken off your bill or recooked to your liking.

Neighborhood restaurants are a two-way street. We're free to cook anything we want, take chances with unusual ingredients, and invent new dishes (no, southwestern eggrolls at Chilies are NOT a new dish). Because we don't work with panel tested, laboratory approved recipes we will occasionaly put too much salt in your pasta. Because our salad dressings don't come off a truck, they might be a little different than last time. Our guests influence our food and cooking styles. They let us know when something is innapropriately seasoned, and we fix it and make it better. Their reward? Better food every visit, special little bites sent out by the chef, and a sense of belonging in my place.

This is not to say that National Chain restaurants don't have their place. Every time I fly or drive or shop, I only eat at Chili's, Don Pablo's, Red Robin, or Olive Garden. I eat there because I can expect at least satisfactory food and sanitation in an unfamiliar place. If I'm staying the weekend in Dallas, the restaurant nearest my hotel is TGI Friday's. In the airport, we always go to Chili's. Same goes for when we are at the Mall.

If I have the opportunity to familiarize myself with my surroundings I will always look for respected and recommended local places. There is a reason that Outback's corporate chef doesn't have his own show on the food network. Ditto for why Applebees never wins best neighborhood restaurant in the City Paper reader's poll even though they are "America's Favorite Neighbor

[pompusmaximus]

Yeah as a person who has lived in West Ashley all of my life I agree with the above post. There is so much chain crap in west ashley it makes me sick. I hate to say it but West Ashley is the prime example of McSuburbs..atleast Mt. Pleasant has prettier sprawl

[lsgchas]

For those persons who live in the Bee's Ferry Road area of West Ashley they may be able to identify with what I'm saying. Granted - this is a relatively "new" part of West Ashley, but if you want to dine out your fare is limited to a Zaxby's, Sonic, Subway or O'Charley's. Yes - I know that there are a few local establishments on Highway 61. It just seems that the restaurant growth in West Ashley has not kept up with the population growth. Thanks for letting me comment! :-)

That guy is trying to pull the knife out of his back. LOL. Just kidding :-)

[Charleston native]

Hey, my apologies, Chas. Native--I just realized that it was not you but another West Ashleyite that started this topic with the original "NO restaurants in WA" post. Whatever happened to that guy anyway?