Tuesday, September 16, 2014
New and Improved...........is not always the best idea!
We all know of the catastrophies of companies changing their products or names to make their "brand" more current, attractive, upscale or different.
There is a restauant in Houston that I've loved for well over 20 years that decided to
go upscale with a new building, a new interior, a new location. Same name.
It used to be funky, fun, Mexican and every time I went there it transported me to the interior of Mexico.
Today I ate at the new improved, upscale restaurant. I could have been dining on any type cuisine because there was almost no decor to even indicate that it is a Mexican restaurant. What a disappointment.
Today was Mexican independence day. Six of us had lunch there. The food, thankfully, is still delicious, but the service is now stilted, not effusive and welcoming as in all the past years.
I enjoyed the meal with friends. But, I left feeling cheated that I did not have an authentic Mexican experience, as they used to say, but just a dining experience in a big restaurant that could have been anywhere and served anything.
SAD. Hope the owner makes it!
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5 comments:
Sometimes it pays to leave well enough alone. If it aint broken don't fix it.
I actually told a client or two that very thing in past years about their restaurants. One listened, another did not and did not survive.
I wonder if what you are describing is a typical US dining experience as far as Mexican food is concerned. Friends invited me to a Mexican restaurant in Barcelona, Spain last Tuesday to celebrate Independence Day and if it had not been for the menu, I never would have guessed that it was a Mexican place. The food ( Chiles enogadas and mancha manteles ) was excellent and that is all that seemed to matter to everyone. Since I arrived in Spain I ate Hindu and now in Andalucia have eaten a German meal and English breakfast this morning and of course Spanish food. None had any type of specific ethnic decoration. The English place had some English signs outside and dark wooden furniture ( maybe Pub style.....I am not sure ), but that was pretty much it. I have no way of comparing, but here it seems that tourist places are more decorated than local ones, even if they serve ethnic food. Once again I think it's a cultural thing . But I am really glad that even in the absence of decoration and style the quality of food has remained the same. My limited experience with Mexican food in the US ( mostly in the Northern Midwest, especially in Minneapolis and in Iowa ) is that there is lots of atmosphere, but often variable quality of food, even within the same restaurant from one occasion to the occasion.
Hi Droelma - I can assure you it is not typical to not have any identifying indication of Mexican cuisine in Mexican restaurants, be it in building finishes, photography or accessories of some kind.
I was a restaurnant designer for 20 years all over the USA and Mexico. Many, many projects were Mexican and Tex-Mex concepts. i admit I never did any in the Midwest but did in many other areas of the country.
European restaurants are much more conservative as are parts of the US which explains no indication of cuisine. I guess my comments were based on this restauranteurs previous restaurant that was so welcoming and now is so uninviting.....sadly.
What I hate is the sameness of all US cities and it's never ending chains. One has to trust their gut instinct when in a strange city and selecting a place to eat. Sometimes a storefront, which looks down & out can serve the most incredible food.
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