Well-established restaurant closed up?

That stretch of Secor has been losing business for years now...especially since the Cinemas have departed. Strange isn't it? I would assume that the traffic warrants decent rental or real estate rates there. Guess the market wizards know better.

Oops. Obviously I misread the address. But I stand pat regarding Secor.

I heard that all the Friches lost a lot of business with the passing of the smoking ban. But then, the Bob Evans in Monroe has gone no smoking - no wait fot tables, place is empty at rush hour last times we were there. While right close by the Cracker Barrel was packed, waiting times for tables - still has a smoking section. A couple of Sundays around lunch time we saw this same thing - went next door to Cracker Barrel instead. Friches used to do a good late night business - after the bars closed, etc. I"m sure all those bar hoppers found someplace to eat that had smoking sections.

I literally almost just pissed my pants, thanks star.

Such a lost cause.

The only places I can think of closed on Secor from Alexis to Dorr are the old theaters and the old grocery thing bu Home Despot. Secor sounds relatively prosperous by Tooledo standards.
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"Friches" (sic) business model was obviously geared towards smokers and their tar stained palates. It says so in the investors brochure as well as the menus. Good call.

The one on Glendale and Byrne isn't long for this world, either, and I was told personally by someone who is an assistant manager there it's all due to the smoker ban. That's why they aren't open 24 hrs. any more, and have gotten rid of help, The Bennet Brothers spent hundereds of thousands of dollars on smokeaters and seperate rooms, but that of course wasn't good enough for the rabid smoker haters. now they're just out all that money besides.

no offense to the big-boy fans out there.. but maybe part of the reason they arent doing well is their food is crappy and server is often really bad.

I remember the first Frisch's in Toledo. It was on Haverhill between Phillips & Berdan. That was way back in 1957.

Food is crappy? Maybe that's the reason? funny....the chain has been in business since when..? 1957? and gee-they only start to have problems and close after the smoker ban goes in? Must just be a coincidence...

good call, upso. that's what i figured it was.

yes Darkseid, the food is and has always been low-quality at best. the nostalgic charm has it's place but unfortunately for them there are a lot of contemporary American nostalgic chains serving MUCH better food.

if a restaurant needs smoking to succeed it CLEARLY isnt in the good for business. it's in the edible food catering to smokers business.

also... if the smokers were their core market,
they will all by dying off via. lung cancer in the next 10 years so if its not the smoking ban that'll put them out of business.. its the fact that all of their customers are dead that'll do it!

The first Frisch's started in 1955in Perrysburg by the Pilcher brothers and the Bennett brothers. I was working there at that time. There problem is not the non-smoking ban at all but rather that they got away from there core business which was being a hamburg joint. Now it tries to be something for everybody.

I see with upso we have another troll added to the board. Oh, well, the peace was nice while it lasted.

Non smokers - my hubby and & I, we used to eat regularly at the Frisches on South Reynolds near Conant. We weren't/aren't bothered by secondhand smoke. It was not the smoking ban. The quality of the food and the service slipped into such a poor state that we gave up going there. They had a good menu, but they couldn't get the menu on the table. The food was either ovecooked, undercooked, dried up or so far from fresh that you'd think the health department would have an issue. The service was worse - mixed up orders, forgotten items and interminable waits.

I think these restaurants are being deliberately allowed run in this manner to hedge profits on a balance sheet.

It’s weird that it seems so across the board. I remember back in the day Frisch’s was the “upscale” burger joint, lol. But, the last few times I drove thru the one at Alexis and Lewis the Big Boy was so overdone that no amount of fattening special sauce could save it. And they were slower than slow.

Is there a place left with a good hefty burger that has a drive through anymore? And not McD’s or BK, they are in a different place imo.

i heard they are opening some "sonics" in our area soon.. which should be pretty decent as far as drive through hamburgers go.. but yet it's still a national chain.

I would also vote for declining quality of food and service as being the likely reason for Frisch's closing.

Last time I ate at the Frisch's on Secor, we waited a half hour to get our beverages. Then another 20 minutes after receiving our beverages to order our food. Then another 25 minutes after that to receive the food. And, of course, our order was messed up when we received it, but no one even bothered to ask it to be fixed...at that point, we just wanted to eat what was brought to the table and get the hell out of there.

(If I recall correctly, the manager ended up comping our beverages for our inconvenience. Yeah, because not charging us for beverages that might have actually cost you a quarter really made up for the crappy service and food we dealt with that night. Sigh.)

P.S. The rotten food/service story I mentioned above happened 6 months before any of the smoking bans. We were one of only 5 tables in the place at a time that should have been busy with the after the bar crowds that starling referenced above. Seems like the crappy service caused business to drop before the smoking ban even came into play.

(BTW - although we were there late night, no one was drinking and driving. I was the DD for all of our friends that summer.)

It's not about the smoking ban. Although some may wish that were the case.