Macaroni Grill Closes!!

The Romano's Macaroni Grill in the Village Crossing on Touhy and Carpenter/Central is shuttered tighter than a child's grip on an ice cream cone. It's one small victory for food lovers everywhere.

I went to that same location a couple months back because my boss gave me a $25 gift card to Macaroni Grill. Needless to say I havent been back since my use of the gift card... Food was bland and not too mention portions are small for bland food!

/polster

So, lousy, and not enough of it?

... and a pizza hut just closed on division and ashland.

I always hate to see a restaurant fail because, no matter how it missed the mark, someone put a lot of heart, soul and guts into making a go of it. Macaroni Grill seemed a particularly snakebit enterprise for many reasons, not the least of which was its name, a bizarre non-sequitur. After a couple of visits to their Deerfield outpost, I figured they wouldn't be around long. Sadly, I was right.

On the other hand, there are many, many eateries whose continued existence (not to mention prosperity) remain a total mystery to me.

It's actually a chain (owned by Brinker, along with Chili's, On the Border, etc.) with locations in all but 7 or 8 states.

Sad to say, there are many places where it's probably the best, and maybe only, Italian food in town. However, thankfully, Chicago is not one of them.

and in a perfect world, mediocrity would not be tolerated or rewarded.

I have to say, having traveled to places on business where Macaroni Grill is one of the better dinner options and having eaten there, I never thought it was that bad. As a rule, I always order simply and have had some very nicely prepared pasta dishes there.

Now, Olive Garden is another story. you may as well eat spaghetti from a can.

jazzfood wrote:and in a perfect world, mediocrity would not be tolerated or rewarded.

That would be one sort of perfection, I suppose. But please consider that tolerance for mediocrity (NOT reward or celebration of mediocrity) actually is a strong sort of perfection for a functional society. Unlike in Lake Wobegon, in the real world it is mathematically impossible for everyone to be above average, and if you believe the Bell Curve Boys, it is pretty well a mathematical certainty that the largest section of any population will be mediocre, with equal portions below and above the median line. If we punished the mediocre, did not allow them to thrive to SOME degree, by refusing to tolerate them, then I would propose that society would rapidly implode. Even that ultimate elitist Plato, in The Republic, made it clear that the Guardians (the clear intellectual and physical and -- Plato no doubt believed -- morally superior minority) would rule over a vast number of mediocre hoi polloi (the "Great Lie" of the Republic, to inculcate the idea that some are made of silver, some of gold, and so be it). That said, I completely understand the argument that the single most devastating element of white male (and to a growing exent, white female) privilege in America is the freedom to be mediocre and still succeed (or at least not utterly fail to succeed) in business and in life. As more or less a mediocre individual (at least within the standards of my profession), I have been the beneficiary of that injustice. Yet I still certainly do support advancement through meritocracy. And don't get me wrong, with my limited resources (money, time and energy), I do go out of my way to find and support the most excellent in every field of pleasure and enjoyment in life (music, food, art ... all of it). But it is really short-sighted to insist that mediocrity be destroyed through intolerance; I will tolerate it, I just won't patronize it (or is that all you meant?)

Immediately after making this post, I opened my mail to find that I "have been chosen as a candidate for inclusion in the 2008 Edition of Who's Who in America". As if to make my point for me; but, in case it's not clear: read the above with a healthy tone of irony.

As usual I agree with Will. Having family equidistant from the Olive Garden at the Town Center and Macaroni Grill at Village Crossing, I have pleaded for the latter while lobbying for the other.

That said, I always thought the name riffed off the classic joke:

Q: Why don't Mexicans have barbeques?
A: Because the beans fall through the grill.

-ramon

Chowhound is worried?

i didn't realize that's what i meant.

I am not ashamed to admit that I CRAVE olive garden's salad and breadsticks, their main dishes obviously not at all.

YourPalWill wrote:I have to say, having traveled to places on business where Macaroni Grill is one of the better dinner options and having eaten there, I never thought it was that bad. As a rule, I always order simply and have had some very nicely prepared pasta dishes there.

Now, Olive Garden is another story. you may as well eat spaghetti from a can.

I'll agree that Macaroni Grill has its place, but a town with a plethora of authentic mom & pop Italian (or Italian/American) restaurants is not it.

gleam wrote:Chowhound is worried?

Depending on the situation, I would be too.
As that poster said, the signs were already down -- to me that's a good sign that the property has a new lessee and they're moving fast to replace it with the next new (cough) concept.

On the other hand, if it was the fifth restaurant in the area to fold with no signs that other things are moving in, it's bad news for the tax base, the property values, rodent control, etc.

Take the Golf Mill area, which I've posted about a couple of times. Over the last decade or so, a whole bunch of chain restaurants have closed, to be replaced by independents (I forgot about the Chi-Chi's in the mall that became King's Buffet, now closed because they're rehabbing the east entrance to the mall). Things don't stay vacant around there for long: much as the mall itself is habitually a ghost town, the chow scene around there is pretty vibrant.

On the other hand, I have no idea what the Skokie commercial real estate market's like around there.

Well, there's a BW3, a Corner Bakery, a Chuck E. Cheese's, and a Chili's all in that same mall, so there's lots of great places to eat right there!

JoelF wrote:On the other hand, if it was the fifth restaurant in the area to fold with no signs that other things are moving in, it's bad news for the tax base, the property values, rodent control, etc.

This is not the case. There is a vibrant restaurant scene (albiet it mostly chains) in the area and this is the first, and only, one to fold. Perhaps it's bacause the somewhat better, but at least independantly owned, Graziano's is located just down the street.

stevez wrote:Perhaps it's bacause the somewhat better, but at least independantly owned, Graziano's is located just down the street.

Graziano's is the one with the slide before the movies at the Crown Village 18, where you can't tell whether what they're showing you is mashed potatoes and gravy or ice cream with butterscotch sauce. Or, if it's something else, I'll be damned if I know what it is.

In any case, my guess is we'll see another Brinker "concept" in that space. Though I did notice a dead On the Border the other day on Dempster (and as far as I'm concerned, the only good On the Border is...)

The McDonald's on Western just north of Pratt is gone, gone, gone. This makes me happy because: you can never have too few McDonald'ses. This makes me sad because: it is very likely going to be replaced by more hideous cinderblock condos. I just have a feeling.

Suzy Creamcheese wrote:The McDonald's on Western just north of Pratt is gone, gone, gone. This makes me happy because: you can never have too few McDonald'ses. This makes me sad because: it is very likely going to be replaced by more hideous cinderblock condos. I just have a feeling.

Yeah, I was really surprised to see it there one week and then reduced to rubble behind a green construction fence the next. Anyone know if McDonald's is returning to this spot (with an upscaled suburban/Starbucks-esque version, perhaps) or if a condo or other retail outlet will take its place? I'm actually quite curious about the lot's future.

--Dan

fastfoodsnob wrote:Anyone know if McDonald's is returning to this spot

Not a bad guess. Down here there's a brand new McDonald's going up right next to a recently shuttered McDonald's. I remember reading somewhere that in some cases it was cheaper for them to trash it and start over rather than renovate. They have developed a, um, "new" architectural concept that they're rolling out.

This teardown/rebuild thing has happened several times locally in recent years... the McD's that sits in the fork of Clark and Ashland in Edgewater; the McD's on Broadway, also in Edgewater... probably some others I'm not remembering...

with a little digging on the web, I just found this that suggests it will in fact be another McDonald's:

6900 N WESTERN AVE

Description: Erect a 1-Story McDonald's Restaurant with drive through as per plans.
...
The owners of this address received a permit on 02/26/2007

Sorry, folks...

germuska wrote:...with a little digging on the web, I just found this that suggests it will in fact be another McDonald's:

6900 N WESTERN AVE

Description: Erect a 1-Story McDonald's Restaurant with drive through as per plans.
...
The owners of this address received a permit on 02/26/2007

Sorry, folks...

Actually, I'm quite pleased. That was the closest McDonald's to me, and sometimes I really need my Filet-O-Fishes right away. Thanks for doin' the legwork! If they put up old-school Checkers-style tandem drive-thru lanes, I'll be even more impressed.

--Dan

YourPalWill wrote:I have to say, having traveled to places on business where Macaroni Grill is one of the better dinner options and having eaten there, I never thought it was that bad. As a rule, I always order simply and have had some very nicely prepared pasta dishes there.

That has been my experience as well. It's a safe choice when on the road with less adventuresome colleagues, or when you're exhausted and it's within a mile of the hotel. I find that Chili's is that way as well as long as I stick to the high-calorie salads and don't try anything else.

But I'd never eat at a Macaroni Grill in a big city with any kind of signficiant ethnic population. (I've been known to go to the Chili's on 75th/Lemont for a salad when I just don't feel like cooking and really want a salad.)

germuska wrote:This teardown/rebuild thing has happened several times locally in recent years... the McD's that sits in the fork of Clark and Ashland in Edgewater; the McD's on Broadway, also in Edgewater... probably some others I'm not remembering...

Dempster/Skokie and York/Ogden a few years ago, Ogden Ave. in Downers Grove last year.

My cousin used to work for McDonalds' corporate. The teardowns are supposedly part of their long-term plan for many locations, it can be more efficient to gut a 20+ year old place and start depreciation from scratch than it is to rehab it.

As a casual observer and frequent lurker on the LTHForum, I was amused at this thread.

Not because I disagree with its underlying sentiment, but because a thread that got started a month or two back (that I admit my cursory search effort could not unearth - what is wrong with the search function of this MB?) produced so many old-time and/or charter LTH members who became so very chippy and provincial about a less active member starting a thread critiquing things he (or she) did NOT like in the way of restaurants.

What's good for the goose isn't necessarily always good for the gander, as they say...

Of course, as the old dialog goes...

- "They say he's one of Them."

- "Who's 'Them'?"

- "I don't know. Only 'They' know who 'Them" are."

Cheers to all of you, especially "Them".

Grizzly wrote:Cheers to all of you, especially "Them".

I'll admit that I was delighted a few years back (and posted as much over at eG) when 4 chain restaurants in my town all closed within a few months of each other. First was the Applebee's at the corner of Lake-Cook and Waukegan. A few months later, Brinker closed 3 outlets all at once: Macaroni Grill, On the Border and Chili's, all on Lake-Cook road between Waukegan and I-294.

For me, the satisfaction really was a case of NIMBY. I understand that in certain circumstances, one of these places may be a welcome destination. Hell, I've been to towns that had me wishing for an On The Border. But having them so close to my home was essentially useless. The last thing a hungry Chicagolander needs is chain versions of Mexican or Italian food.

But sadly, looking back, I don't believe that what closed them was really a statement about quality from my neighbors. I think it was more just a case of food apathy, which is fairly rampant up here in the northern suburbs. It's not that people wouldn't go out for this food. They barely go out for any food. What folks up north seem to want most for dinner is a broiled, piece of fish with no head or other parts visible anywhere near it or a skinless chicken breast and some steamed vegetables. And they want to be "in the scene."

Many self-described foodies I know play it very safe and simply will not venture beyond places like Nite n Gale, Forty-One North Grill and the like. Mention something even a little off the beaten path to them and they make a face. Fine, that only makes my wait at the good places shorter. A good friend recently told me about his excellent experience at Cheesecake Factory. Ugh.

One funny aside is that in all my years posting and hosting at eG, the post I linked above drew more ire than any other single thing I ever posted. I received several pm's from other members bashing me for my chain hatred. I also received at least 6 e-mails from folks who were too timid to discuss the issue on the thread itself. Instead, I was informed several times by total strangers, via sometimes hostile e-mail, how great Chili's ribs were and what a complete jerk I was for being happy that it had closed.

In each reply I took the time to remind the recipient that all I'd done to precipitate the closings was not eat there. And while I do tend to eat quite a bit, I doubt that my business alone could have saved the places. It wasn't until after these places had closed, that I started the thread but to a rabid and unrequited Chili's-rib-lover, I was now public enemy #1.

FWIW, to my knowledge, none of the spaces have re-opened as restaurants. The Applebee's became some sort of financial institution and is now a Ritz Camera, iirc. The 3 Brinker properties remain vacant. Apparently, folks up north don't eat much. Who needs restaurants -- even chains -- when you've got your vitamin supplements and your microwave, right?

=R=

Grizzly wrote:what is wrong with the search function of this MB?

Gleam knows.

Use Google to search LTH. Eatchicago provides a technique to make it very routine.

The only time I ever search LTH with its own built in search is for stuff that is so new that Google hasn't indexed it yet.

Full Text Search of the sort that people have come to take for granted a la Google is actually pretty serious mojo. For anyone who isn't a hardcore database developer, it comes down to relying on what the hardcore database developers provide, and they all do it a little differently. Since phpBB (upon which LTHForum runs) is (a) free and (b) designed to work with any database you throw at it, it would be challenging for the developers to provide a good universal full-text search strategy.