The Orlando area – at least where I travel – hasn’t seemed to be hit too bad by the financial mess we’re in. Unfortunately, I think we’ve just been delayed a little. Over the past couple of months I’ve seen a number of large franchise businesses completely shut down, but one surprised me: Boston Market.
Boston Market (a roasted chicken sorta place) just shut down its location in front of a major Orlando university (UCF) and governmental research center. Their prices aren’t crazy, the food is pretty good, seems like a healthy alternative, so why did they shut down? Do we blame the economy? Maybe! People with less money may go out to eat less. If the food, service, and location are good, we have to look at prices: Makes sense… So what is a business to do? If the variable that’s killing you is your prices, CHANGE IT!
So I know what you’re thinking…That’s easier said than done, right? Well, let me introduce you to the company that I believe put this store out of business: El Corral. Here’s the short version: Go to this place, sit on outdated furniture, get great chicken and rice, spend $4.99! There’s not much more to say about this place…It’s great food at a great price; just don’t get there late for lunch or be prepared to wait! They don’t have a corner lot, a web site, a billboard…just what looks like an old defunct Pizza Hut building and a sign.
Several other places have shut down in the same area. Pizzeria Uno’s just closed their doors a week-or-so ago. But this was another place that I would spent $14 on a so-so meal ($3+ was for a coke!). Same thing with Bennigan’s. We have a beautiful local mall getting ready to close it’s doors too…I would imagine that if it were affordable to lease space, they wouldn’t be in this mess…
So what’s the point here…The point is that if you can’t find a way to cut costs, then you’re not looking hard enough. You can either cut your costs or cut your losses!