Patty Meltdown

Backyard Burgers has closed their second location in Central Texas Marketplace. The original location in the little wedge of land where Valley Mills and Bosque meet closed quite a few months ago. That was probably a better location that TCM but there was very little competition in the Marketplace.

Backyard Burgers never cracked my top five burger list and failed in spite of numerous ads and coupons over the last several months. While this was not a big loss, it does demonstrate that many marginal restaurants are on the edge of survival.

The news that Chuy's will locate across Highway 6 in Legend's Crossing is exciting news for the Waco foodscene. Chuy's is an Austin legend with outposts in Dallas and Roundrock. They will be crowded from day one and will give Don Carlos some competition as the best Mexican food in Waco. They are known for their annual Green Chile Festival.

As a follow up to my January Post, a second location of Zeb's will open on Hewitt Dr. in the next few days. This is a great addition to my neighborhood and probably a shorter drive for many customers.

I continue to be amazed at the popularity of Waco's Red Lobster franchise. It is poorly managed and offers average seafood. In a recent experience there, we were told a 30 minute wait at 9:00 PM. with 4 empty prepared tables in view and 4 more tables empty but not bused. I glanced at the list and saw only 4 names ahead our ours. This is typical of this location.

It seems unlikey (in this economy) that we will ever get the competition (Joe's, Rockfish, Pappadeaux's) needed to force them to improve. Why worry about service and quality when you are packed?