What does it take for an eatery to succeed?

irvinehomeowner

Well-known member
So we've all seen many places come and go in Irvine, most of these are usually food establishments. I think for Irvine, it's very hard to succeed given such high rent, fickle consumers and similar options everywhere.

For example, the BYO pizza shop. Some are successful like Blaze and Pieology (now with 2 locations in Irvine) but others just don't seem to stick (like Pizza 90).

Then there are boba tea shops, so many all over Irvine but their success depends on weird factors. When I lived in Woodbridge, there used to be a Lollicup, but it closed and at the time, it was the only boba tea shop in that area. Now, in that same vicinity, there are 3, TasteTea, Cha and the infamout Omomo that has ridiculously long lines every day. In the Arbor Village Center, there are 6 boba tea/drink shops and there is even a Tapioca Express across the street. How do those places survive (well, being in a non-TIC retail center probably helps)?

Then there are Korean BBQ joints. I Can BBQ, All That BBQ, Shik and KangHoDang are always packed, but Korea House is almost always empty. The owner of All That told me that he researched the most profitable businesses in Irvine and even though he had never done a KBBQ before, that's the one he chose.

So a pretty expensive AYCE place like KBBQ can find success in Irvine, but continental buffets like Hometown Buffet can't. Although Souplantation is always crowded and not very cheap (does anyone remember Soup Exchange in the Crossroads center?). Seems like only expensive AYCE meat places can survive in Irvine (Texas De Brazil and Agorra).

And what about fast food? There used to be 3 Burger Kings in Irvine... now there are none. Two of them are now The Habit, and the other is Del Taco. Along with Del Taco, Carl's Jr and McDonalds have been in Irvine forever... even Jack and Taco Bell have a presence, but why not Burger King?

And Diamond Jamboree... AKA Irvine Asia... has seen quite a bit of turnover. Why couldn't Yogurtland survive there but Afters can (although Afters may not be there much longer as I never see it crowded).

And then all the old school places are gone. No more Claim Jumpers, Marie Callenders, IHOP (although the airport one is hanging on) and Denny's in Old Town Irvine seems to survive on the hotel occupants (same for Knowlwoods). But breakfast places like Snooze and Stacks can thrive (btw, is Republic of Breakfast open yet?).

In another life, I would have liked to open an eatery but it just seems so hard to build a following. I'm still puzzled by how Omomo generated such hype because whatever they did, it doesn't look like it's slowing down. I always see that line when I go to CVS (too lazy to move our scripts to a closer one and that one is 24-hour).

I would do something like the BYO Pizza/Chipotle/Poke style... but I don't think schnitzels are high in demand. :)

I know IC said he tried to open a boba tea shop... and qwerty would become either a Taco Bell franchisee or open QwerburgerTown. An old school IHB member used to own a frozen yogurt shop... not sure where they are now.

If you had the capital and time, what kind of place would you open?
 
Popeyes Chicken in Irvine. We need one here. Closest one is on the border line of lake forest and Mission Viejo. The other one is is Santa Ana. So one in Irvine will probably do really well.
 
Man...is this the million dollar question for restauranteurs everywhere.  I think you will get a different answer from each person you ask.

IMO, I think there are a few things:  Location, know your customers, be adaptable, consistency, and having something unique to offer.

I will take a couple of my favorite restaurants and a few of my not so favorite:

New favorite:  Hai Di Lao

Incredible service, free kids meals (a couple of red bean bun and some fruit/cookies), a limited "buffet" area with desserts and snacks, snacks and refreshments for those waiting, good food, and a bunch of extras.

Obviously HDL is a higher-end eatery but you can clearly see that they are thinking about their customers.  For example, keep the kids entertained and happy so that the parents can actually eat and order more!  Great for the customers and their bottom line.

We were at HDL on Sunday and the kids were entertained with ipads and snacks while the dads were watching the NBA game on TVs while the moms were chatting and just hanging out.  It was such a great outing.  We tip extra every time.

Old favorite:  Tasty Garden

Lots of good choices, fairly consistent in quality, TVs, free drink refills, and good location.  Service can be hit and miss but overall friendly.  The place is somewhat "grungy" and food getting expensive.  But still a good place to go to for groups.

Classic:  In 'n' Out

You know what you are getting every time...good burgers at a decent price.  Some fun games for the kids and good/clean eating areas. 

The bad places:

Chef Hong in DJ:

Food is okay but way way overpriced.  The decor is austere so kids get bored.  Nothing to do there but to "eat".  Service is okay. 

Noodle 101:

Used to be a favorite but their grungeness and poor service really make the place a place to avoid now.  They even added their own tip in our last visit (4 people) without telling us.  Food is great but the rest of the package is poor.

Peets in OH

This is a hard one to add because we still go there on occasion and it is very popular on weekends but the coffee is just so inconsistent.  One day it will be great while another day, it is bad.  Not really that acceptable considering the alternatives and the price level.

I will also compare a restaurant like HDL and the new Tim Ho Wan: 

HDL uses the yelp waitlist to perfection and provides snacks/games for guest waiting.  THW still can't figure out the yelp system and thus causes people to wait in line just to sign up for the wait list.  I think they will figure out it out but it's not off to a good start.

Another thing is being able to keep it up when you actually got something:  Example is Omomo

It is certainly a hit now but the lines are really hurting its long term prospect.  Omomo is succeeding despite incredibly poor store layout and lack of use of technology.  The place could be much more popular/successful.

As for what I would open, I would probably do a coffee shop with Taiwanese food but running an eatery is not fun at all...a lot of licenses, inspection, long hours, and lots of cleaning.  I think the best model to follow is to build up a business...and then sell it when it is popular.



 
@IHO

some of those things that you talked about is a national trend issue:  BK for example has been falling nationwide largely because its quality has been poor.  It went in and out of private control and has not done well.  MC, Claim Jumpers, and a lot of older chain stores are simply not doing well.  People are looking for different types of food.

We don't really like any of the KBBQ joints in Irvine but other people do.  We go to Buena Park for KBBQ

Souplantation is great for families and very cheap...you can get dinner for a family of four for like $35 dollars, which is a bargain these days.  We also go there because it is a good way to get some veggies into my kids :)

Yogurtland is doing well in a lot of other places and I am not sure what Yogurtland left because it wanted to leave...sometimes management has different ideas.  Somi Somi is doing fantastic while Afters is doing meh.

People are willing to spend more money on good quality food..rather than less money on what they think is just okay food.
 
The focus should be on what you are passionate about not about how much money you make. If you are passionate about something, your customers will feel it and they will love it. If you're in it just to make a buck, your customers will feel that too.

 
eyephone said:
Burger King's parent sets goal of 40,000 stores within next 10 years?that's more than McDonald's has now
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/15/bur...-surpass-40000-stores-in-the-next-decade.html

For the record I?m not endorsing Burger King. Last time I went to Burger King was to buy the kid?s meal with a Pok?mon toy. But I plan on trying the vegan burger at Buter King.

They already have it had Carl's...not sure of the taste though.

Also, Del Taco is using the Beyond product.
 
Compressed-Village said:
Popeyes Chicken in Irvine. We need one here. Closest one is on the border line of lake forest and Mission Viejo. The other one is is Santa Ana. So one in Irvine will probably do really well.

I dunno. Last time I had Popeyes (I think it was at Barstow), it wasn't very good. Check the Fried Chicken thread for better options.
 
irvinehomeowner said:
I'm still puzzled by how Omomo generated such hype because whatever they did, it doesn't look like it's slowing down.

I think its a combination of the drinks being tasty and grammable.
 
Compressed-Village said:
Popeyes Chicken in Irvine. We need one here. Closest one is on the border line of lake forest and Mission Viejo. The other one is is Santa Ana. So one in Irvine will probably do really well.

My guess is that the rent is cheaper at those locations.
 
On meatless options, the 2 contenders are Beyond (used at Carl's and Del Taco) and Impossible (Burger King)... but Nestle is jumping in with their Awesome burger (which McDonalds uses overseas).

I've had the Beyond products and Veggie Grill and they are pretty good. Haven't tried the ones at Carl's and Del Taco yet.

The thing that gets me is they are so expensive as "fast food" items, I think the burger is like $8 and a taco is $2.50... yikes... I might as well have real meat. :)
 
Happiness said:
The focus should be on what you are passionate about not about how much money you make. If you are passionate about something, your customers will feel it and they will love it. If you're in it just to make a buck, your customers will feel that too.

Not disputing what you mentioned. But I think his question was like for fun.
Let?s be honest who would go to a general forum and ask for advice starting a restaurant?
 
woodburyowner said:
There is still a Burger King on Irvine Center Dr in the 24 hour fitness shopping center.

Oh yes. Forgot about that one... that was the one I went to a few years back when I was looking for a BK.
 
irvinehomeowner said:
woodburyowner said:
There is still a Burger King on Irvine Center Dr in the 24 hour fitness shopping center.

Oh yes. Forgot about that one... that was the one I went to a few years back when I was looking for a BK.
Now that recreational pot is legal, I think there will be a huge surge in sales for BK's famous mystery meat tacos.
 
What it takes to succeed in a TIC managed location?

Given the leverage by TIC and other property management firms to percentage rent models, I think it boils down to the old Getty quote.  "When you owe the bank $100 dollars that's your problem.  When you owe the bank $100 million dollars, that's the bank's problem"


 
Happiness said:
irvinehomeowner said:
woodburyowner said:
There is still a Burger King on Irvine Center Dr in the 24 hour fitness shopping center.

Oh yes. Forgot about that one... that was the one I went to a few years back when I was looking for a BK.
Now that recreational pot is legal, I think there will be a huge surge in sales for BK's famous mystery meat tacos.

No different than Jack's or Taco Bell's.

Now they are re-purposing it as "Beyond" meat and charging you double for it. :)
 
We don't have Popey's, but I can accept Jollibee's as alternative.

I'd pay regular price at Jollibee's but only go to El Pollo Loco when I have coupon.

I wouldn't eat at Burger King even with coupon.  Would rather go to Chick Fil A, In and Out, and McD's (for breakfast or fish sandwitch).
 
I just got back from BK.
Ate a whopper, sm fry and sm drink with a $5 coupon.

It was ok.
 
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