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WaPo: Most common cuisine and chain restaurant politics

WaPo: Most common cuisine and chain restaurant politics
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  • WaPo: Most common cuisine and chain restaurant politics

    Post #1 - October 3rd, 2022, 11:45 am
    Post #1 - October 3rd, 2022, 11:45 am Post #1 - October 3rd, 2022, 11:45 am
    This article in the Washington Post originally appeared with the headline:

    "Why do places with the most chain restaurants tend to vote for Trump?"

    and the headline was changed to:

    "The most common restaurant cuisine in every state, and a chain-restaurant mystery".

    EDITED to reflect the change in headline
    Last edited by nsxtasy on October 3rd, 2022, 2:37 pm, edited 3 times in total.
  • Post #2 - October 3rd, 2022, 11:50 am
    Post #2 - October 3rd, 2022, 11:50 am Post #2 - October 3rd, 2022, 11:50 am
    Can get into a debate about about nutrition and brain development but it would likely get me tossed from this site.
  • Post #3 - October 3rd, 2022, 12:33 pm
    Post #3 - October 3rd, 2022, 12:33 pm Post #3 - October 3rd, 2022, 12:33 pm
    “Places with a high percentage of Trump voters have a higher percentage of chains. We didn’t expect it.”

    Really?
  • Post #4 - October 3rd, 2022, 12:58 pm
    Post #4 - October 3rd, 2022, 12:58 pm Post #4 - October 3rd, 2022, 12:58 pm
    HI,

    This a website that really tries not to engage in anything political or religious.

    Of course, as I have told people over the years, "The founders did not expect to find religion or politics in food. Who knew how the passions would fly over pizza, hot dogs and Italian Beefs."

    This article may seem like an invite to get into real world politics under the guise of food. Please do not give into temptation. The real world is quite divided on this topic, I really do not wish this thread to divide this community.

    If the temptation is too much, well please just don't.

    Regards,
    Cathy2
    Speaking on behalf of me, myself and I ... who is 18 years into keeping the peace.
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #5 - October 3rd, 2022, 2:23 pm
    Post #5 - October 3rd, 2022, 2:23 pm Post #5 - October 3rd, 2022, 2:23 pm
    This article is a master class in burying the lede. The story here, lame as it is, is that chain restaurants proliferate in areas where car use is higher and space is at less of a premium. That people in those areas might have voted for one candidate or the other isn't a sign of their culinary taste — it's what's there. It's what's accessible. Duh, the two or three times I eat at McDonald's or Cracker Barrel a year are when I'm on a road trip. Ginning this all up to make it a blue-state versus red-state thing seems inflammatory and entirely unnecessary. I hope this post meets the non-political threshold : )
  • Post #6 - October 3rd, 2022, 2:46 pm
    Post #6 - October 3rd, 2022, 2:46 pm Post #6 - October 3rd, 2022, 2:46 pm
    nsxtasy wrote:This article in the Washington Post originally appeared with the headline:

    "Why do places with the most chain restaurants tend to vote for Trump?"

    and the headline was changed to:

    "The most common restaurant cuisine in every state, and a chain-restaurant mystery".

    EDITED to reflect the change in headline

    Thank you for the update.
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #7 - October 3rd, 2022, 10:21 pm
    Post #7 - October 3rd, 2022, 10:21 pm Post #7 - October 3rd, 2022, 10:21 pm
    Another non-political comment: WaPo kind of twisted their facts to arrive at a desired conclusion by defining chains as only those with more than 50 locations with the same name. Their definition excludes local ones that I would indisputably consider chains, like Giordanos, Rosatis, Portillos or Malnatis. And loosening the definition of "chain" to include restaurants owned by corporate groups like Lettuce Entertain You, but not named or formatted the same, as opposed to single owner-operated restaurants, the proportion is even higher.

    Even though the authors mention Morton's as a chain, the real message seems to be an elitist nobrainer bashing of people who eat fast food.
  • Post #8 - October 4th, 2022, 7:54 am
    Post #8 - October 4th, 2022, 7:54 am Post #8 - October 4th, 2022, 7:54 am
    tjr wrote:WaPo kind of twisted their facts to arrive at a desired conclusion by defining chains as only those with more than 50 locations with the same name. Their definition excludes local ones that I would indisputably consider chains, like Giordanos, Rosatis, Portillos or Malnatis.

    Not true. Lou Malnati's has 78 locations, Portillo's has 71, Rosati's has 71, and Giordano's has 66. So all would have been included.
  • Post #9 - October 4th, 2022, 10:12 am
    Post #9 - October 4th, 2022, 10:12 am Post #9 - October 4th, 2022, 10:12 am
    Thank you, I stand corrected. And horrified that the chain restaurant problem is far bigger than I thought.
  • Post #10 - October 4th, 2022, 10:20 am
    Post #10 - October 4th, 2022, 10:20 am Post #10 - October 4th, 2022, 10:20 am
    tjr wrote:Thank you, I stand corrected. And horrified that the chain restaurant problem is far bigger than I thought.

    IMO, at its core, it's a private equity problem, not strictly a chain restaurant problem.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #11 - October 4th, 2022, 2:51 pm
    Post #11 - October 4th, 2022, 2:51 pm Post #11 - October 4th, 2022, 2:51 pm
    I agree with Luckyguy; this is more about car travel than anything else. Sparsely populated regions of the country are also sparsely populated with restaurants, but chain restaurants still proliferate at Interstate exits nationwide. The analysis would be more interesting if restaurants within 1 mile of Interstate exits were excluded (which is to say, to focus on where people actually live, as opposed to where they get off the highway to buy gas, use the bathroom, and buy a burger), which the data analysts could easily have done but I suspect chose not to.
    "Your swimming suit matches your eyes, you hold your nose before diving, loving you has made me bananas!"
  • Post #12 - October 5th, 2022, 12:51 am
    Post #12 - October 5th, 2022, 12:51 am Post #12 - October 5th, 2022, 12:51 am
    Keep in mind that the authors didn't look at rural places, just the 400ish largest urban areas. Looks like a fair number of the least chain-infested places are in upstate NY and PA. Closer to home, Sheboygan.

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