This is an interesting question, I think; one I have pondered occasionally for a year and a half.
I was driving down Preston Highway in the sprawling metropolis of Louisville, Ky., and I saw a Wendy's location that was no longer a Wendy's. I didn't think then and I still don't think now I have seen an empty Wendy's restaurant that failed at a given location.
I have seen McDonald's that have been turned into Mexican restaurants, Chinese restaurants and auto parts stores. I have seen Burger Kings that became lots of similar things. I have seen Bob Evans' distinctive building re-used after closure, like a home-cooking eatery and a Chinese restaurant.
But, how often do you see a Wendy's building sitting empty that closed its doors or took off for for a new location? How often do you see what obviously used to be a Wendy's being used for something else? As far as I can think, almost never.
I can think of a few explanations for this, but I have no idea which is true:
1. Wendy's picks good locations.
2. Wendy's food may be better than other fast food franchises.
3. Wendy's may have quality control measures that keep one location from going bad.
4. Wendy's may somehow transform a closed location so it is unrecognizable as a former Wendy's.
There may be more reasons I haven't thought of yet. For that matter, the real answer also may be some combination of the above
(A related, but tangential side-note: The "combination of factors" answer always strikes me as a possible cop-out, like saying there were more home runs hit in baseball during the 1990s because of a combination of factors, like smaller ballparks, better training measures for players, unseasonable weather, the dilution of pitching because of expansion and oh yeah, a few players taking nutritional supplements. Sometimes it's the real explanation, but usually that means the person asking the question couldn't find the real answer.)
Back to the point: Why aren't there more empty former Wendy's scattered around the country? Or, have I just miscounted?
1 comment:
Really interesting question ... I think ripe for a research project.
Also, I don't think "a combination of factors" is a cop-out per se. It's only a cop-out if it's said as a way not to have to explain things. If you show how several factors were involved and that it would be too simplistic and inaccurate to attribute it to just one factor, then I think it's entirely appropriate and, in fact, necessary.
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