Same chain different location (big difference)

[dj230]

Anyone notice this?

I went to one restaurant that was pretty good (Gyu-Kaku),  a Japanese bbq restaurant where you grill your own food. 

Long story short, I went to another location closer to my place, was completely different, quality of food, the type of grill, atmosphere (air conditioning), everything felt like a complete different restaurant.

I haven't gone out to restaurants much, curious if this is the norm in Thailand. 

If anyone is wondering the Gyu-Kaku in Singha Complex is really good, 500-600baht a person, worth the money in my opinion, its buffet style, grill isn't gas/electric but charcoal, quality of food was surprisingly really good, a lot better than any Korean/japanese bbq I've had in Toronto for a fraction of the price. 

[KaptainRob]

20 hours ago, dj230 said:

Anyone notice this?

I went to one restaurant that was pretty good (Gyu-Kaku),  a Japanese bbq restaurant where you grill your own food. 

Long story short, I went to another location closer to my place, was completely different, quality of food, the type of grill, atmosphere (air conditioning), everything felt like a complete different restaurant.

I haven't gone out to restaurants much, curious if this is the norm in Thailand. 

If anyone is wondering the Gyu-Kaku in Singha Complex is really good, 500-600baht a person, worth the money in my opinion, its buffet style, grill isn't gas/electric but charcoal, quality of food was surprisingly really good, a lot better than any Korean/japanese bbq I've had in Toronto for a fraction of the price. 

It all comes down to individual managers and how well the regional supervisor does his job.  Big difference between 2 Coffee Clubs, one on Suk4, the other on Suk11 - chalk and cheese.  Same with Wine Connections, KFC ...  TiT.

[billywillyjones]

43 minutes ago, KaptainRob said:

It all comes down to individual managers and how well the regional supervisor does his job.  Big difference between 2 Coffee Clubs, one on Suk4, the other on Suk11 - chalk and cheese.  Same with Wine Connections, KFC ...  TiT.

Yup it's largely about management at the local level and this can also be an indication of central management and its oversight.

[Shark]

like @KaptainRobsaid TiT, don't expect consistency as even the shop itself can be different from hour to hour.... from day to day, TiT and enjoy the ride, never a dull moment.

[Marc26]

On 11/29/2021 at 12:08 AM, dj230 said:

Anyone notice this?

I went to one restaurant that was pretty good (Gyu-Kaku),  a Japanese bbq restaurant where you grill your own food. 

Long story short, I went to another location closer to my place, was completely different, quality of food, the type of grill, atmosphere (air conditioning), everything felt like a complete different restaurant.

I haven't gone out to restaurants much, curious if this is the norm in Thailand. 

If anyone is wondering the Gyu-Kaku in Singha Complex is really good, 500-600baht a person, worth the money in my opinion, its buffet style, grill isn't gas/electric but charcoal, quality of food was surprisingly really good, a lot better than any Korean/japanese bbq I've had in Toronto for a fraction of the price. 

Although I agree with you in that I find some of the Asian chains in Thailand to be very good

 

I think you may have been going to the wrong places in Toronto  :)

 

Outside of Korea, you can find amazing Korean places in Toronto and Vancouver

This is our favorite in Vancouver...........

 

https://www.yelp.ca/biz/jang-mo-jib-vancouver

[Vince]

On 11/29/2021 at 12:08 AM, dj230 said:

Anyone notice this?

I went to one restaurant that was pretty good (Gyu-Kaku),  a Japanese bbq restaurant where you grill your own food. 

Long story short, I went to another location closer to my place, was completely different, quality of food, the type of grill, atmosphere (air conditioning), everything felt like a complete different restaurant.

I haven't gone out to restaurants much, curious if this is the norm in Thailand. 

If anyone is wondering the Gyu-Kaku in Singha Complex is really good, 500-600baht a person, worth the money in my opinion, its buffet style, grill isn't gas/electric but charcoal, quality of food was surprisingly really good, a lot better than any Korean/japanese bbq I've had in Toronto for a fraction of the price. 

No idea about Thailand but in Vietnam restaurant "clones" would pop up near well known venues to skim clientele. 

But even if it's a legit branch or franchise it may have different levels of management or funding.

Franchises may struggle to comply with  standards (I'm thinking of 7-11 corporate's struggle to extricate itself from some bad franchises that COVID has thankfully destroyed). 

Even the same restaurant with different cooks or staff may change quality. Michelin repeatedly samples restaurants to evaluate consistency. 

 

[dj230]

4 hours ago, Vince said:

No idea about Thailand but in Vietnam restaurant "clones" would pop up near well known venues to skim clientele. 

But even if it's a legit branch or franchise it may have different levels of management or funding.

Franchises may struggle to comply with  standards (I'm thinking of 7-11 corporate's struggle to extricate itself from some bad franchises that COVID has thankfully destroyed). 

Even the same restaurant with different cooks or staff may change quality. Michelin repeatedly samples restaurants to evaluate consistency. 

I just started going out frequently around November/December, definitely noticing some differences in the quality of the restaurant even at the same chains. I was surprised because gyu-kaku is a Japanese bbq place where you grill your own food. The grills themselves are different at the two locations, ones a charcoal grill and the food was much fresher. The other location had an electric burner stove (similar to the one on an old stove) was pretty shocked at the difference. 
 

After that experience I always try to go to “higher end” locations as the prices are similar/the same 

I was hoping to visit Vietnam one day, is it similar to Thailand (in all aspects)? 
 

[linoleum]

well its the same for very business right. Even in a franchise model. management diff, staff different. you just have to try and find the right one. i tried the famous hotpot MK @ Jungceylon Phuket, it was great but when i head back to BKK and tried out different outlets. the standards were subpar

[BigHewer]

35 minutes ago, linoleum said:

well its the same for very business right. Even in a franchise model. management diff, staff different. you just have to try and find the right one. i tried the famous hotpot MK @ Jungceylon Phuket, it was great but when i head back to BKK and tried out different outlets. the standards were subpar

My wife and I have been to Santa Fe Steak outlets in various places around the country and for sure, there are differences.

As you mention, I think management and staffing play a big part. And there’s no way of knowing until you try. Off the top, the Santa Fe in Korat is great, while the one at Mega BangNa in BKK  is truly awful. After a while, you develop a mental map of where the good and bad ones.

[Smithydog]

It is one of the biggest challenges in Franchising. Getting different operations to the same high standard, especially if the product is food.

I worked for six years in a Franchise Operations team visiting Franchisees to discuss their stores. So often I had to remind Franchisees that they bought into an established method for a reason. They saw that it worked. Customers expected the same from the brand no matter the store. Yet so many want to change even little things creating differences between outlets. Those that stayed to the system, by far saw the greatest success.

But all of us have different levels of knowledge and appreciation of  skills developed and we seek to pass on. Hence different stores can simply be at different levels in their growth and maturity. Staff have different attitudes, desires and skills and how they are managed can be different, be it actual of even falsely perceived. All that drives performance and consistency as well.

The final factor in food is the raw materials itself. As much as you try and keep the same suppliers nationwide, sometimes the simple freight options change the quality of the raw product in delivery and hence necessitates change. For example, letting a sauce mature for 4 days rather than 3 can have a substantial difference to the quality as does using one that has matured too long.

I saw this first hand when we were negotiating a nationwide supplier for the vegetables we used. Keeping the quality the same as to cut size etc was difficult as was time and method of transport.

I suggest it is fine to expect the same as a consumer, but just understand that sometimes the delivery of that expectation is exceedingly hard to do. After all, we all want what we like, but tastes and appreciation of tastes do vary.