tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-411374383982984063.post3392688858549723835..comments2024-03-28T14:04:21.377-04:00Comments on Broken Chains: The Cici's PointZap Actionsdowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07435622162129525099noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-411374383982984063.post-63736260516854791832020-12-28T22:57:21.477-05:002020-12-28T22:57:21.477-05:00I don't own or moderate the server, but it'...I don't own or moderate the server, but it's called The Retail Union.Retail Retellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12636351832804174132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-411374383982984063.post-86689290423309128272020-12-28T22:23:54.959-05:002020-12-28T22:23:54.959-05:00What's the name of your Discord server?What's the name of your Discord server?CGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15775729023358206393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-411374383982984063.post-24192147764574856952019-09-12T22:22:37.486-04:002019-09-12T22:22:37.486-04:00niceniceAlia parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02326303770549335930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-411374383982984063.post-1366211965178113652019-04-08T14:53:22.970-04:002019-04-08T14:53:22.970-04:00You mean Stevi B's? I hadn't heard of them...You mean Stevi B's? I hadn't heard of them before, but they seem to still exist, mainly in Georgia and Alabama, but they also have one location each in Florida (Ocala), Virginia, and Ohio, implying they were once a larger chain than they are now. I'll have to read up on them and maybe check them out sometime. Zap Actionsdowerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07435622162129525099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-411374383982984063.post-54805660485897560802019-04-08T14:25:00.678-04:002019-04-08T14:25:00.678-04:00I remember enjoying the CiCi's in Tallahassee ...I remember enjoying the CiCi's in Tallahassee but I quit going after the quality of the food dropped. It closed up about a year later, circa 2008. I remember a competitor (Stevi's?) that was better but I haven't been to that part of town in years and suspect it's closed as well.Ubiquitoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00116003589559545430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-411374383982984063.post-23342598548436894222019-03-10T20:08:14.228-04:002019-03-10T20:08:14.228-04:00Only Ohio Cici's I know of that are still open...Only Ohio Cici's I know of that are still open are in Brooklyn and in North Canton.GenuineNerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02139881626034512065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-411374383982984063.post-88859224259295908892019-02-28T11:46:32.507-05:002019-02-28T11:46:32.507-05:00I remember being deeply underwhelmed by a Cici'...I remember being deeply underwhelmed by a Cici's Pizza I was taken to in fourth or fifth grade, as a reward for meeting reading goals. This was in Springfield, Mo; I think the teacher just loaded us into her van and we went during a school day. I do remember the plastic reusable cups, oddly. <br />While Googling to determine whether that location is still operational, I discovered that it was shuttered just last year after a pretty wild series of events: https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/local/ozarks/2018/06/12/cicis-pizza-springfield-closed-lawsuit-missing-money/661027002/. First, corporate pulled the franchise agreement. Then the building's landlords sued the business over unpaid rent... and THEN the owner accused the managers of embezzling some $10K a month...<br />In November, a new owner announced the location would be reopened this year with a major remodel, and it looks like they're currently hiring for a March opening date.elvenbookwormhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17243417805861413396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-411374383982984063.post-26928380988440953952019-02-27T22:10:29.210-05:002019-02-27T22:10:29.210-05:00You're welcome!You're welcome!Retail Retellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12636351832804174132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-411374383982984063.post-44759946070447015132019-02-27T20:00:51.515-05:002019-02-27T20:00:51.515-05:00Sounds like a reasonable hypothesis to me. I doubt...Sounds like a reasonable hypothesis to me. I doubt that many Cici's owners spend much on fixing such things. I get the impression that the businesses aren't terribly profitable under even the best circumstances. Zap Actionsdowerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07435622162129525099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-411374383982984063.post-11619920883344038202019-02-27T19:59:09.267-05:002019-02-27T19:59:09.267-05:00Sit down Pizza Huts, especially ones with buffets ...Sit down Pizza Huts, especially ones with buffets are becoming increasingly rare in many markets. The one I frequent is the only one I know of in the area that still offers a lunch buffet. <br /><br />While Pizza Hut itself is far from being a broken chain, you have a point that the rarity of an old style table service location could qualify it as being at least broken chain adjacent. Zap Actionsdowerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07435622162129525099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-411374383982984063.post-84649898146447302242019-02-27T19:57:11.401-05:002019-02-27T19:57:11.401-05:00Our Cici's in Lexington closed around the same...Our Cici's in Lexington closed around the same time. It was definitely marketed toward families with children, but less so than places like Chuck-E-Cheese. The low price seemed to make it popular with just about everyone though, but you're right. I'm sure the profit margins were razor thin, even with the obviously cheaply prepared food. Zap Actionsdowerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07435622162129525099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-411374383982984063.post-8588315860848079092019-02-27T19:55:16.858-05:002019-02-27T19:55:16.858-05:00Thank you so much! The journey isn't over yet....Thank you so much! The journey isn't over yet. I've got lots of trips and posts planned for the coming months. Zap Actionsdowerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07435622162129525099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-411374383982984063.post-37483511228838170492019-02-27T19:54:34.885-05:002019-02-27T19:54:34.885-05:00That seems to have been the case with the last Cic...That seems to have been the case with the last Cici's location in Michigan as well before it shut down earlier this year. The Yelp reviews were bad enough to scare me away, and I wasn't terribly surprised when they closed. The location in Goshen I ended up visiting had its issues, but it was at least clean and well-run. Zap Actionsdowerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07435622162129525099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-411374383982984063.post-64555448510071182682019-02-27T19:53:07.039-05:002019-02-27T19:53:07.039-05:00Thanks!
It would be interesting to see if the pap...Thanks!<br /><br />It would be interesting to see if the paper cups have been implemented chain wide. They were at the last two Cici's I visited, this one and another in the Cincinnati area. I wonder if any still have the old red ribbed plastic cups in the core markets. Zap Actionsdowerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07435622162129525099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-411374383982984063.post-70588922116506354392019-02-23T09:56:14.032-05:002019-02-23T09:56:14.032-05:00Don't frequent our CiCi's that much anymor...Don't frequent our CiCi's that much anymore, but back when we used to go I noticed most of the tables had small dings in the surface top. And this wasn't too long after being open. I finally theorized that the clean up crew were putting the chairs up (not too gently) on the tables before mopping the floor.dtmphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00999573002601048330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-411374383982984063.post-35844705291032304862019-02-22T21:06:21.547-05:002019-02-22T21:06:21.547-05:00All the CiCi's near us in Ohio closed suddenly...All the CiCi's near us in Ohio closed suddenly a few years ago, kind of wondered what had happened. Thanks for the story.<br /><br />We now frequent a local Mexican joint that took over an old CiCi's, I wonder if many people recognize what it used to be.<br /><br />That you still have a Pizza Hut with table service surprised me. I don't think our area of south central Ohio still has any sit-down Pizza Huts (and I don't consider the one with a few tables but where you still have to order at the counter as sit-down Pizza Hut). I wonder if the sit-down Pizza Hut would partially qualify as a broken chain?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00916647652965071763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-411374383982984063.post-16943987540149088262019-02-22T11:19:38.403-05:002019-02-22T11:19:38.403-05:00Happy One Year! I've enjoyed taking this journ...Happy One Year! I've enjoyed taking this journey with you and have always thought your writing was top notch. Erikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10813774423174074957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-411374383982984063.post-68616825917455859052019-02-22T01:52:37.773-05:002019-02-22T01:52:37.773-05:00In central IL it seemed like Cici's came and w...In central IL it seemed like Cici's came and went quickly. They had a few locations around here by the mid 2000s (Danville, Springfield, Decatur). All were gone by 2008-2010. Cici's definitely occupied that strange space where it really wasn't great food at all, but for $4 and as much as you wanted, it became passable. Always struck me as really geared toward kids. The one in Danville had a few arcade games and a claw crane in the back, and my buddy's kids always liked to burn through some quarters back there after eating. I can see why a Cici's franchise was tough to make work - with an average ticket of around $5 a head, you would have to run herds of people through the place to make a profit. Slightly bumping both quality and price is probably not a bad approach.D. Paynterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02626970149218984154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-411374383982984063.post-22954282420049064272019-02-22T01:10:49.802-05:002019-02-22T01:10:49.802-05:00Oh, and I almost forgot - happy one year blogivers...Oh, and I almost forgot - happy one year blogiversary!Retail Retellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12636351832804174132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-411374383982984063.post-23828974024784422442019-02-21T20:56:33.844-05:002019-02-21T20:56:33.844-05:00I had to Google to make sure we even had a Cici...I had to Google to make sure we even had a Cici's left in Indianapolis because they have such a bad rep. I mean, various locations getting shut down due to health code violations bad. I'd tell you if the one location we have left is any good but frankly I'm afraid to. Prog Girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12536583155033811845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-411374383982984063.post-22842527018340827372019-02-21T19:39:19.360-05:002019-02-21T19:39:19.360-05:00As I mentioned over at Discord, my first reaction ...As I mentioned over at Discord, my first reaction was to be taken aback at the implication that Cici's is a broken chain, since I was unaware it had deteriorated... but of course, you knew that's the reaction most people were going to have, and address that immediately at the beginning of the post - smart! It's pretty interesting (and disappointing, for that matter) to hear that the brand has shrunk that much in recent years; after hearing of the new logo back when it debuted, I assumed the chain was doing perfectly well. There's a Cici's near me that I haven't been to recently enough for my liking - I've always enjoyed their buffet, particularly the alfredo pizza. There's also a dessert that I remember having when I was younger, which my local location replaced several years back (heck, probably a decade at this point), to my dismay. The paper cups are new to me as well - I'll have to check whether my Cici's is still using the plastic cups or not. I definitely think a visit is in order soon!Retail Retellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12636351832804174132noreply@blogger.com