The AusChron talks about the troubles at Schlotzsky's. Personally, I've always felt that of the major sandwich chains, Schlotzsky's offered the least amount of sandwich for the money without being sufficiently good enough to justify it. They're good, but for the same price I can get as good a sandwich elsewhere that doesn't make me feel hungry again two hours before dinner. Quizno's is my current favorite, though I've gone through Subway and Blimpie phases in my life. Schlotzsky's does have good chips, though. I'll give them that. It'll take more than that to save them, unfortunately.
Posted by Charles Kuffner on October 09, 2004 to Food, glorious food | TrackBackYeah...
It's not really a bad sandwich, but if they could make it just a little bigger...
Posted by: Jim D on October 9, 2004 11:03 AMSchlotzky's, can you hear me?
Schlotzky's, can you hear me?
Schlotzky's, can you HEAR me?
How can they be saved?
Great. Now I'm digging for my Tommy Soundtrack.
Posted by: Laurence Simon on October 9, 2004 11:04 AMWell, I don't really have anything against Schlotzky's but then I don't eat there either.
Frankly the Texas fast food chain that I think is eventually doomed is Dairy Queen. Actually I don't know if they are Texas based, bit I see them everywhere in Texas. Frankly they mostly seem to be seedy, aging, and fairly unappealing. Doesn't look like they've changed the menu since I was in elementary school in the early 70s. I don't know how they stay in business against the more nimble competition.
Posted by: Kent on October 9, 2004 2:40 PMBeing in Austin I'm a Thundercloud Subs kinda guy.
Dairy Queens exist because they are the only places with air conditioning where old guys can meet up and make an iced tea last all day in about 95% of rural Texas. They're true social hubs in some of those little towns.
And you couldn't image Larry McMurtry writing a book called Walter Benjamin at Quizno's...
Posted by: amblongus on October 9, 2004 5:07 PMPersonally, I accept no substitutskis. The Schlotzky's sandwich is unique. I remember the original where a side street runs off Congress, in a tiny little pie-shaped wedgie building just down the block from the Continental Club. I still get a craving for one about once a month and have to satisfy it with a large regular and nothing else will do. Quizno's doesn't move me at all, nor do Blimpies nor Subway nor JimmyJohns, though any will do in a pinch. Thundercloud is still a solid favorite but I would miss Schlotzky's if they disappeared.
I think their problem was too fancy stores, nothing much to write home about or particularly compelling in their expanded menu and not enough profit from the sandwiches to cover all that fancy overhead, free internet and all. Here's hoping the sandwich itself survives the capitalists' leverage lust.
As for DQ, amblongus has it just about dead on, imo.
best, jb
Posted by: JuanBongo on October 9, 2004 10:21 PMI've heard a lot of good things about Quizno's, and there are certainly too many Subway's and Blimpie's for my liking. For a regional chain, however, Mr. Subb in the Albany / Capitol District is fantastic. A double meat foot long roast beef with Russian dressing is almost enough for me to make the trip.
Of course, since I have 10,000 delis in NYC, why would I need a sandwich chain?
Posted by: William Hughes on October 10, 2004 4:56 PMSubway to Scholtzsky's? Apples to oranges, Kuff. Scholtzsky's is not a sub. I'm a true Scholtzsky's junkie, and the thing I love most is the fact that it's a hot sandwich with all kindsa bad-for-me fixin's*. Subway's "hot" offerings still come on cold bread. Don't know about Quizno's (tho they get cred for having a successful artifical-creature-based ad campaign that they dropped before it got too annoying (paging Arby's!), but I'm assuming they don't heat the bread. I was truly sad when the Scholtzsky's near me closed down recently - another link to my happy Texas days gone.
Now, while I love Scholtzsky's, it's still a mass-produced shadow of a locally-owned deli Platonic ideal. For my money, the Serious Sandwich at Zito's in San Antonio is hands down the best hot sandwich you can construct an embolism with.
* - I believe that's a correct use of an apostrophe to take the place of the missing "g." I am not incorrectly using it to form a plural. Gotta maintain my punctuation cred, ya know.
Schlotzsky's has really gone downhill, in my experience, from the once-a-month treat of my high school days. It's pretty rare that I manage to get a sublimely toasty bun out of them any more, to say nothing of the general decline in awesomeness of the ingredients. Still, I agree with CrispyShot - if I were thinking about Schlotzsky's, Subway wouldn't appear anywhere on the list of potential alternatives.
Posted by: kodi on October 11, 2004 2:02 AMCrispy - Quizno's toasts its sandwiches, bread and all. That's one of the reasons it's my current fave.
Posted by: Charles Kuffner on October 11, 2004 6:46 AMQuizno's toasts its sandwiches, bread and all.
Could you feel my paradigm shifting as I read that? In the interests of fairness (we libs must be even-handed, ya know), I will definitely give Quizno's a try.
Mmm... toasted bread...
Posted by: CrispyShot on October 11, 2004 9:56 AMAgree 100%, Charles. Schlotzsky's gives you almost nothing. I love the Q. Honey bourbon sandwich is to die for.
Posted by: TP on October 11, 2004 10:31 AMI'm with amblongus, when in Austin, it's Thundercloud Subs for me.
Posted by: Pete on October 11, 2004 2:15 PMArrgghh! Youse guys need to visit the Philly area sometime so you can get a real hoagie. Any chainstore sub is to a Philly hoagie as ..as.. I can't even think of a strong enough analogy, not even calling it a Disneyfied sandwaich!. I haven't lived near Philly for 20 years now and I still havn't found a decent hoagie in all my travels, New England to Southern California.
Posted by: C on October 11, 2004 7:27 PM