Steak and Ale Restaurants -Memories and Lessons | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Memories about the death of a very successful chain due to too much leverage and a sister brand that failed to keep up with the changing times. The Bennigans Brand failed and caused the eventual failure of Steak and Ale.

    I was just reviewing the Neighborhood Calendar (Click on calendar for a larger view) and I saw where one of my favorite groups Banks and Shane is back again at our clubhouse on February 20. They have been around for many years and I have posted about them here on BCN.     Kathy Manos Penn has also commented and posted about them in her Blog located here.

    It reminded me of my first time seeing them at the Steak and Ale in 1970's. My best friend and I with our wives were at Steak and Ale for dinner and show when his wife went into labor with the birth of their first child. They of course left for the hospital, but being such great friends my wife and I stayed until the show was over before we went to the hospital for the birth.

    The restaurant and Bar business is a very unforgiving and competitive business. I have known several owners and the margin is razor thin on food and bar revenue usually is the profit driver. The money is in the franchise end of the business where you take a cut and let others run the business and take the risk. I had two friends who worked for a very successful restaurant chain and decided that they knew better how to do it. They opened a Casual Dining restaurant and were successful for about a year. By successful, I mean that they had pretty good crowds. Unfortunately, crowds do not equate to profit. Both ended up closing or selling the business to the next "Wanna Be".

    Add to that the changing environment of a fickle public and most non fast food chains eventually go through a 5-7 year cycle before becoming irrelevant. Each one seems to think they have a unique approach. Bennigans, Oh Charlies, TGIF, Applebee's, Hard Rock Cafe, Houlihan's, Planet Hollywood.and lastly Bobby Tony's Unique and Special Food Emporium and Opinion Hangout.

    Most of these places with the exception of the last one have the same menu and motif but they keep popping up with a "New Experience" for each and every customer. But every now and then there is a great concept that should have survived but got caught up in the financial roulette game that is the restaurant and bar business.

    What has all this to do with the Steak and Ale restaurant chain? Maybe nothing, but I always thought that it had the proper mix between good food, good ambiance and pricing to make a successful go. It too went down the drain as a result of excessive debt.by the parent company.

    "In 1993, the company was merged with the Metromedia Steak Houses chains Bonanza and Ponderosa, and all three chains were operated under the S&A Restaurant Group brand. The S&A Restaurant Corp bankruptcy in July 2008 also affected the Bennigan's restaurant chain, also owned by that company; all of the company-owned stores closed the same day as the Steak and Ale restaurants". Wiki Steak and Ale .

    Last year I read an article (here) that said the original founder had bought the Bennigans and Steak and Ale name and assets back with intentions of re-establishing their presence in the marketplace. Good luck, I do not care about Bennigans but I do miss the Steak and Ale experience.

    Here is a thirty (30) second add from 1978 which might bring back some memories for you.

   

    Here is the link if the above does not open

    Since I no longer partake of alcoholic beverages and cannot do justice to a big steak, I still look forward to the possible re-opening of the Old Location near Northlake Mall in Atlanta. This is a recent (2015) Google Street view of that location which has been vacant since 2008 closing. I wonder if the Salad Bar will be as good as it was then?

The Roving Unofficial Fluff Reporter Bobby Tony