Quote Originally Posted by HOT ROD View Post
I say the locals, because the chains could just move on.

Think of it similar to the Walmart effect; the city wants it but locals need to up their game (not remain complacent on the previously captive market). We 'hardly' have any local steakhouses here in Seattle but we do have Morton's and Ruth's and some local chains because the local independents didn't step it up.

I know steak is an institution in OKC and should thrive but I hope they realize the effect the big boys will have (especially as more and more tourists visit what they know when they come to OKC). You want the local to be significantly better and innovative, not complacent as they likely are now with no national competition.
No offense Hot Rod, but you don't understand. They are already quite a bit better and far more innovative than national chains. Ranch and Red Prime particularly have far more to offer than the average chain. None of the national chains hold a candle to places like Pappas Bros in Dallas/Houston or Bern's in Tampa.

1. The beef that National chains get is generally lower quality because they have to maintain consistency...so they buy in mass quantities, leaving the best beef to the Steakhouses who are looking for a very particular product. Also because the best beef is more expensive and doesn't lend well to the profit margins that large chains look for.

2. The wine lists are frequently smallish (less than 200 wines) because chains don't like sitting on massive inventory that doesn't move for months/years on end. There's no real character to the lists. Fleming's does the 100 wines by the glass which is a nifty concept, but is way overboard and can easily lessen the quality of the wine poured in your glass (as it could easily be sitting in an open bottle for over a week).

3. The staff generally fluctuates more because there is a rigid system in place that all employees are striving to maintain, which decreases the flexibility of positions like chef, server, and manager. Having career servers and chefs at your restaurant makes a huge difference in driving your brand.

There are a lot of other things, but understand that when it comes to prime steakhouses and upscale or fine dining in general, the chains are the low guys on the totem pole. The big boys are the individual restaurants or small chains that have enormous flexibility, character, and creativity as that is what is important when you're charging people $75+ a person for dinner.

Now, if we're talking Mackie McNear's, yeah...having chains like Texas Roadhouse, Longhorn, Outback, Saltgrass force this kind of concept to step up their game. But in a market that's already fairly saturated with high-quality steakhouses, chains are probably going to get eaten alive.

If I were a RC/Fleming's/Morton's franchisee or scouter, I'd build in Moore or Norman where there are no upscale steakhouses, but I'd stay out of downtown or the NW side. The market is already pretty saturated. Their client base would have to consist almost entirely of new people since Red/Mickey's/Mahogany/Ranch/Boulevard are already in the market.