Conglomerate
The other day while I was researching Starfish Sushi, I discovered that Raving Brands, the company behind Moe’s, Doc Green’s, and several other fast-casual restaurants, had purchased my favorite breakfast spot, The Flying Biscuit.
I’m a Moe’s fan; AM and I take their food to every Braves game we attend. I also like Doc Green’s, despite the whole you-could-make-this-yourself argument. I could, but all those ingredients wouldn’t be cheap, and as an inexpensive, moderately healthy family-friendly restaurant, Doc Green’s does quite well. Mama Fu’s I could give or take, but I know some people who swear by it, and Planet Smoothie is quite the institution nowadays. There’s one on almost every corner. In fact, there are very few corners that don’t have at least one of the Raving Brands franchises.
What’s RB going to do with the sign? And the shingles? And the power lines?!?
The last would be the first reason I’m disappointed that the Biscuit sold out. I love the Flying Biscuit because it’s an Atlanta trademark and because every table has quirky hand-painted crockery full of sugar cubes, and the chairs don’t match, and sometimes the tables wobble, and the french toast is delicious. I love it because it’s not a chain with a pre-packaged menu designed for mass appeal. Or at least, it wasn’t.
I wonder what Raving Brands will do to my restaurant to suck away its personality, or how they’ll tweak the menu. Will they keep the fried green tomatoes? The love cakes? Are they going to throw in verbiage on the menu so you know you can add meat to any menu item for a mere $1.99? The Flying Biscuit is NOT ABOUT MEAT. IT IS ABOUT VEGANS AND VEGETARIANS AND EVERYTHING IS FREE RANGE.
Right. Taking a breath.
I don’t even want to think about what it’s going to feel like to walk into the fifteenth Flying Biscuit franchise in the city, to sit at the new, uniform cafeteria-style tables, and grab my silverware from a bin beside the soda fountain. That’s not the Flying Biscuit. It doesn’t remotely resemble the Flying Biscuit. I know RB will keep the name because that’s what they bought more than anything else, but for myself, I wish they’d change it. Even then, I don’t know that I’d go, really.
If Little Szechuan ever succumbs to the Power of the Conglomerate, I swear I’m done with loving restaurants.