707 replies to this topic

[aastra]

This post is for zoomer. Check out pages 3-5 of this thread. Then buzz me went you want to resume the argument.

[zoomer]

I’ll be back! Or whatever the Terminator said..

[Rob Randall]

Did that 2008 article say there was a McDonalds on Fisgard?

 

EDIT: Yes, TC says in the old Monday Magazine/Serious Coffee building from 2001 to 2004. What they called a "special point of distribution" restaurant. Totally forgot about that.

Edited by Rob Randall, 16 August 2020 - 07:18 AM.

[Mike K.]

Right!

[m3m]

My favourite forgotten McDonald’s is the one at the corner of Fort and Foul Bay

[Redd42]

There also was a mini McDonalds in the Vic West Mall where the Save On is.

[zoomer]

Ok, back to Aastra and I believe his disagreement with my post on SSP.  It appears he wants to get into a no holds barred cage match. In that thread I said in part that Victorians have:

 

 

 

a disdain of large companies, chain restaurants, anything large scale really. When we have colleagues visit from Edmonton they all want to go to Earl’s, Cactus Club or Milestones without fail. We snobbishly judge them - those places are for tourists who don’t know better. BTW, I swear Edmonton is the most meat and potatoes city ever when it comes to liking basic food. Even finding a restaurant large enough to handle larger work groups (more than 8!) is a near impossibility, usually means going to a pub right after work and having them put a few tables together. Unlike other Canadian cities I’ve been too most of the restaurants here a little holes in the wall, with limited seating. The smaller the better, it’s deemed as more authentic - Victorians don’t like to see anything get too big and successful because then it’s a sign of being a capitalist sellout.... [more random words followed by] but that’s enough wild generalizations and anecdotal stories for one day, lol.

 

I am right, or am I wrong?  Really hard to find data to support these generalizations, but I believe it to be true, and indicative of an island and Victoria mindset, for better or for worse.  I'm sure every city claims to be fiercely supportive of local business, restaurants and breweries - but it seems like this is a city where people will proudly and loyally order a local beer instead of a bud light or Molson Canadian - more so than many other Canadian cities.  I admit to living in a downtown bubble that distorts my sense of reality. I'm not sure what bubble Aastra lives in, I just hope it's COVID proof, we need sharp wits like his to make it through the pandemic.  

[RFS]

Downtown is definitely like that. Theres a sort of cliquey bar and restaurant culture downtown that you describe, but outside of downtown I suspect we are basically in line with similar markets across canada. Alberta in general has more chain casual restaurants, things like Montana's and East Side Mario's but i think that has more to do with incomes and a younger population

[zoomer]

Yah I think so RFS and for young folks, chains like Earls, Browns, Cactus Club have a cool factor because they're half bar/half restaurant filled with beautiful young people.  Or at least that what it appear like when I press my face up against the glass. 

 

It's really hard to find a good restaurant in downtown Edmonton - although it's slowly getting better.  Most people's idea of a good time is to avoid downtown all together and drive to a chain restaurant that is conveniently located in a nice strip mall off a free flow highway and where parking is free and plentiful. 

[sebberry]

Yah I think so RFS and for young folks, chains like Earls, Browns, Cactus Club have a cool factor because they're half bar/half restaurant filled with beautiful young people.  Or at least that what it appear like when I press my face up against the glass. 

 

They don't let me past 'cool and beautiful people only' sign either, so don't worry.  There's always White Spot.  

[aastra]

I present my case:

 

During the 1990s-2000s era when the media was claiming Victorians were rejecting corporate fast food because they were so enlightened and healthy, the number of McDonald's locations went from under ten to over twenty.

 

We know why the McDonald's at Blanshard/Cormorant closed. No mystery there. The other ones that closed didn't have drive-throughs, isn't that right? Also, the McDonald's across from Hillside Mall downsized seating space significantly to become all about the drive-through.

 

Victoria is lighter on Tim Hortons but heavier on Starbucks. Does that really smell like anti-corporate health-consciousness?

 

I don't know how we can argue the Wal-Mart thing. Victorians loved the original Wal-Mart and they love the Uptown Wal-Mart even more.

 

There are four 7-11 stores downtown. Plus two downtown Burger Kings. We might also want to remember that there used to be a 7-11 in every neighbourhood back in the day.

 

I suggest the 1970s Burger King saga fostered this odd false impression about Victorians and their disdain for fast food chains. McDonald's, A&W, and Kentucky Fried Chicken were already secure in Victoria when the battle against Burger King was launched. I don't understand why Burger King was identified as the "fast food" enemy but the others were not. Seems more political than legitimate to me.

 

Discuss.

[aastra]

Way back in this thread we established that Victoria doesn't look so health-conscious and enlightened when you check the number of fast food locations per capita against other Canadian cities.

[aastra]

Always forget about Burger Chef...

 

 

Why are we called drive-to restaurants? Glad you asked. It's because you drive to a Burger Chef restaurant, but you don't have to eat in the car. You can sit down and enjoy delicious Burger Chef food in comfort and warmth.

[Rob Randall]

^So that would have been on what is now the Arena/curling club parking lot.

[Mike K.]

You know, it's funny. Cactus/Earl's/Brown's/Keg/Milestones/McDonald's/Burger King/7-11/Spaghetti Factory/Subway and Starbucks are some of the busiest food/dining establishments in downtown, but nobody ever goes there.

 

Victorians are funny. They claim to love seafood so much, that if Red Lobster ever showed up it would shutter in months because nobody would ever go there. But the minute they end up in Edmonton, or Denver, or Fresno or St. Louis, the first stop is a Red Lobster.

[lanforod]

Red Lobster would be jam packed if they showed up here. I'd be there at least once a month.

[marks_28]

Ok, back to Aastra and I believe his disagreement with my post on SSP.  It appears he wants to get into a no holds barred cage match. In that thread I said in part that Victorians have:

 

 

I am right, or am I wrong?  Really hard to find data to support these generalizations, but I believe it to be true, and indicative of an island and Victoria mindset, for better or for worse.  I'm sure every city claims to be fiercely supportive of local business, restaurants and breweries - but it seems like this is a city where people will proudly and loyally order a local beer instead of a bud light or Molson Canadian - more so than many other Canadian cities.  I admit to living in a downtown bubble that distorts my sense of reality. I'm not sure what bubble Aastra lives in, I just hope it's COVID proof, we need sharp wits like his to make it through the pandemic.  

 

I find this to be very true. When I'm out with friends, we have ended up at one of Earls/Cactus Club/Moxies etc just a handful of times in the majority of my life here. Thinking back, the times we have it is with someone or some people who aren't from here. Also, the couple of years spent in Vancouver, I remember being surprised at how often other friends would suggest a chain restaurant and how popular restaurants like Earls and Boston Pizza were. I don't think I'd EVER suggest BP for a night out with friends..

 

Not sure if this is a healthy eating thing, but maybe just a disdain for chain restaurants, and preference for something local? Who knows, but I definitely agree with this sentiment. 

[zoomer]

Way back in this thread we established that Victoria doesn't look so health-conscious and enlightened when you check the number of fast food locations per capita against other Canadian cities.

It seems it was only 12 year old data comparing the number of McDonalds per capita between Winnipeg, Victoria and Burnaby - not established!!

Of course many Victorians love fast food and chains, but less so than other cities, I’m sticking by that until proven otherwise. The real stat that matters is the percentage of the overall dining/beverage dollars greater Victoria residents spend on local vs. chain. That takes out the tourist factor and takes into account that perhaps Victorians spend more of their income eating out than other cities.

Try to find the number and variety of local restaurant we have compared to other cities with a population under 1 million and we’re ahead - and I don’t think it’s just the tourists keeping them in business for 12 months, although like for all the summer months are the most profitable.

Disclaimer: The one or two times I was spotted in Earls at the same time as Mike was because an in-person disciplinary hearing was required. It seemed like neutral ground vs. a hearing at the VV World Headquarters.

[zoomer]

I find this to be very true. When I'm out with friends, we have ended up at one of Earls/Cactus Club/Moxies etc just a handful of times in the majority of my life here. Thinking back, the times we have it is with someone or some people who aren't from here. Also, the couple of years spent in Vancouver, I remember being surprised at how often other friends would suggest a chain restaurant and how popular restaurants like Earls and Boston Pizza were. I don't think I'd EVER suggest BP for a night out with friends..
 
Not sure if this is a healthy eating thing, but maybe just a disdain for chain restaurants, and preference for something local? Who knows, but I definitely agree with this sentiment.

Yah, it’s always (my circle only) the out of town folks who want to go to the chains - don’t you want to try something different that you can’t get back home I ask them? I get it, if you’re spending hard earned dollars you want that familiarity and predictability in food/experience. No matter what Keg, Earl’s you go to, it’ll feel like a similar experience. As for Boston Pizza - why? Like White Spot, Denny’s, heck most of those chains - it’s a truly depressing experience. At that point just order in food or stock up on frozen meals.

[Jackerbie]

^ Also maybe worth noting that Victoria brags about having the highest concentration of restaurants in Canada and second highest in North America (i.e. most per capita). Whether that's actually true is another question