The Decline of Boston Market...What Happened?
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- Опубликовано: 17 ноя 2020
- In 1997, Boston Market was among the fastest growing fast food chains in the country. By1998 they filed for bankruptcy and have yet to make much of a comeback from it. This video attempts to find reasons behind what happened.
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My friend had the best description for Boston Market: it’s like Thanksgiving all the time
They got cranberry sauce and stuffing to go with their rotisserie chicken? SOLD! I never much liked turkey anyways and it's not any more traditional then chicken so may as well get the better poultry option...
Haha, my family has worked for BM for many years and Thanksgiving has always been the highest sales day every year!
@@v4v819 nah, no stuffing year round, only in Oct-Dec. they USED to have it year round and then they stopped that like two years ago...
@@hellskitchenkritterandfrie3372 Too bad... That was a novel niche, year round thanksgiving dinner opportunities... I haven't seen any other place pick that up... But, no stuffing inside and around the bird, not Thanksgiving... Shame!
They upped their menu with prime rib.
Near my house I had a Carl's Jr. that turned into a Boston Market then tuned back into a Carl's Jr. a few years later.
that's weird.
It's what Company Man explained. Boston Chicken kept opening new locations
I was too young when they were around but do remember seeing them. Seems like they'd fit perfect with the food culture of today?
Hmm interesting
carl nuggies beat boston market anyday
They had one near LAX in Westchester. There was a manager in there named Sammy. Great guy. I came in there with a Steelers hat on. He was a Steelers fan. It was like having a free Masons ring. The hook ups continued for nearly a year. Sammy was let go. I still went to the location during the coupon era, until it closed. Sammy if you are reading this...I hope you are doing well. Go Steelers!
Can’t help but wonder if ole Sammy got let got let go because of all the hook ups. (All the other people). I know your post was supposed to be of nostalgia but I couldn’t help it.
@@markphelt6395 I am sure that didn't help but there was some alleged sexual harassment. The people in there were telling me about it after he was gone.
I know exactly where this was i used to go there too!
@@markterryonline how much time are you spending at LAX?
@@gefiltefish6704 some people, like that commenter and myself, live in Westchester itself
i work at boston market. everyday we have a new coupon and hours before closing we are out of food. we are completely understaffed to the point where 2 people run the night shift. i remember a few years ago we had like a $1 whole chicken deal and it was the absolute worst idea imaginable - a tangible nightmare.
This man did a whole episode just so boston market would bring back their cinnamon apples
And I'm here for it!
...and tortilla soup! BRING BACK TORTILLA SOUP!!! ...even if it’s still just regional.
You’re damn right he did; he is a man of the people!
He’s not wrong. lol
Agreed
The main thing I remember about Boston Market is walking in and half a dozen employees yell "Welcome" without looking up.
Lol
I hate when businesses make employees do that. I won't go into a Moe's because of that.
@@MilwaukeeWoman What is Moe"s? Is that based off the Simpsons?
@@12012channel lmfao I think it’s a restaurant google it
@@1993MAZDAMIATA It would be neat to see a restaurant that was themed like Moe's.I think in one of the episodes he opened a family restaurant.
I worked at a now closed BM in the Midwest.
Let me tell you for being my third job after Culvers and another place, it was an amazing job. I ate whatever I wanted and was able to smoke out back. It was a dying location when I worked there but since we ate the food we made sure it was done right.I had a good work flow with the team. Plus it really was one of the easiest place to work I could run drive thru be at the carving station and bounce to the hot case if I needed to.
Haven’t been in food service since I left that BM 5 years ago, but I still have a lot of fond memories of working there extremely baked during a lunch or dinner rush.
I worked for this company for 15 years as a GM, I thanked them for the opportunity they gave me to grow professionally, but all those years they struggled a lot and yes, it reflected in poor management and employee morale. Till this date (2021), it has the same issues, the recent buyers just squeeze all the cash they can and then sell it, again. I’m glad I left a few years ago. I do thank them for all the experienced I gained working there, it has opened many other doors, work wise.
Nice to hear your experience from a manager perspective
I was a manager of a now closed BM when I was i college. I can remember that the cost of the Cinnamon apples was one of the highest of all of the sides, making its profit margin really low. Also its use time was one of the lower ones. Meaning the mash potatoes are good for 2 hours will in the case, I believe apples were only 1 hr. So if nobody came in during that hour, a whole pan of the most expensive side would go in the trash.
Thanks for the insight on the apples. Pretty depressing since they were fantastic.
Interesting as that makes sense. Cinnamon Apples were my favorite side so they lost me as a customer because of that decision.
Why? What happens to them? If they get dry or even soggy, Damn, I would've bought the entire tray instead of throwing them in the trash. If they are soggy you could just fry or bake at home for a few minutes and if they were dry you could eat them like dried fruit OR add spices and make your own "syrup gravy".
So why did they get rid of green beans and carrots. They stay fresh for a couple of hours. Certainly longer than the soggy Brussel Sprouts they sell now.
Everyone loves them, sounds like they should have given them away rather then throw them... attract more customers. It could have been their thing!!
The classic decline formula: "oh well, let's open as many locations as we possibly can!"
A few moments later:
OMG! somehow we are 80 millions in debt!
thats what happened to subway
I know right. Lol
Roll up is better
all it needed was a leveraged buyout to finish the bingo card
Basically the same thing that happened to Cici's and Quiznos as well, though Quiznos also had other issues with their franchises that made things head south for them.
I'm a life long Bostonian. I was a fairly faithful customer of two BM's. I noticed a decline in the food quality and staff quality around 99/2000. Stopped going after receiving a burned outside, raw inside half chicken from one location.
I used to go to the Boston Market in College Park, MD a few times during the winter. It felt like the best 'home cooked' meal for me when I wasn't able to be with my family. The wait times were longer than usual, but the staff was always friendly. I'm glad I'm not the only one who remembers the apples. I used to buy their brownies and it was pretty good.
Every once in a while, a friend of mine will suggest going to Boston Market for dinner. Everyone else will be like 'Ehhh, I dunno, the food's kinda meh', but nobody has a better suggestion, so we go anyway. Once we're there, everybody agrees that the food is significantly better than we remembered it being, and declares that we should eat there more often. Then we forget it exists for like two years. Repeat.
Anyway, the last time I ate in a Boston Market was about two years ago, so I'm probably about due.
Go now while you still can.
(Wow. I just posted more or less the same opinion before finding yours.) Kinda tough staying in business when your clientele expects to visit again in 2 years.
They have a good prime rib recipe
Honestly its been years since I've seen a Boston market but that was the reaction I remember giving the last time I saw one.
It honestly felt like home cooked food but not great.
I went about two weeks ago.... They had No chicken! No ribs.... But they had meatloaf and it was yummieee!
When I was a child there was a single Boston Market in my hometown. My mom had gotten divorced from my dad and was a single mother. Money was really hard for us for a while those first few years. As a treat if she had enough money she would take me and my two other siblings to the Boston Market once a month and get each a kids meal (if she didnt, we could usually go the following month). I remember being so excited to go because I really like how their chicken tasted. And just sitting in the car after picking up the meals from drive thru and watching movies on our cars dvd player while eating is such a nostalgic, yet blissful feeling.
I didn't understand that she didn't have a lot of money then, but I'm really thankful for the times we went because I treasure the moments I had with my siblings and mom. We no longer have a Boston Market there sadly. But maybe we can get one built there again someday though, who knows?
Is your mom still single, asking for a friend?
That was a very moving example of those good memories amigo. I grew up with divorced parents as well, but instead of treating my brother and myself to Boston Market (Growing up in Houston, there was no Boston Markey in my area at the time during 2004) my mom would take us to KFC. It was during the time when KFC has those "laptop" kids meals and they were awesome. The food is obviously not as great as it was when I was a lad, but the memories I got from sharing my joy with my mom and brother will always be there and your comment reminded me of those times.
Sorry mate I didn’t mean for your dad to divorce your mom we just fell in love and couldn’t help it .
Looks like rich people can afford Automobiles and even more richer people can afford automobiles with luxurious DVD player systems integrated into the automobile. Whereas low income people ride public transit walk and ride bicycles.
Ask your mom if she remembers the "Buy an adult meal, and get a Kid's meal for 99¢" deal. I remember the red plates with the little sporks that sat dead center.
I was working at BM when they had the cinnamon apples, can confirm, people who would come everyday, I'd never see again the second I told them we no longer had cinnamon apples. The location went out of business 6 months later, and I can definitely attribute that event to the disappearance of cinnamon apples.
This video is old, but Boston Market should 💯 get a boost these days. They should advertise using nostalgia, lean into delivery and most importantly, ensure quality. They’d knock it out of the park! The market is there and underserved if you ask me.
The only time I ate Boston Market was the food was bland and I got food poisoning. I will at least be happy I got to be home for a day after working 9 weeks in a row
Yeah with other fast food restaurants like McDonald's and burger King raising there prices for junk Boston Market could compete with equal prices and better food selection.
I'm an HSM for a Boston market in Arizona. They don't pay you extra for holiday's or give bonuses. Every item comes in a bag to be put in a water-bath (plastic bag of food put in boiling water) even the ribs. It's an awful model trying to leech whatever they can out of their remaining clientele
It’s a god send if you’re trying to eat healthier for not much money
They really should lean on advertising centered around classic American family meal at your grandparents house. That’s how I always viewed Boston market as and I genuinely love the food. My go to is the chicken pot pie with scalloped potatoes, and in the holiday season I’ll get the thanksgiving dinner.
I think the problem is they don't advertise. When was the last time you saw one of their commercials, billboards, signs, coupon ads, etc?
what's weird is it might be an area thing. I've been working at bm for about 1 year and a half. we had the baby back ribs ad but I agree. definitely not enough advertisement. there's tons of things going on behind the scenes. I've met some vp's of the company and it felt like they didn't even know how our stores ran. we now have a late night menu when nobody comes into stores after 9 but we're open till 11. none of the big decisions make much sense
Yeah, I forget it exists until I drive by it and think “I should eat there” then I forgot about it existing again until I drive by it again.
I worked for Boston Market back in the late 90's. Back then, Boston Market had far more locations in Southern California. Today, there's 3 in the OC/IE area - Rancho Cucamonga, Anaheim, and Laguna Niguel. Back then, they advertised in the NEWSPAPER with coupons.
Who gets a newspaper today? And where are they going to take that coupon to?
All the time where I live
It's still fairly popular in Michigan, but yeah I don't see many ads anymore.
Wow my mom to this day still calls them “Boston Chicken”. I had no idea they used to actually be called that. All this time I just thought she’d been saying it wrong 🤦🏽♀️ 😂
I actually rememeber that era as a kid
SAME!
Same here
I remember when it was called that, but it seemed like a very short time. I hadn't heard of Boston Chicken till 1994, and then < 2 years later it was called Market. So some of us never got into the habit of saying the former.
When I first ran into them they were Boston Chicken. On the stores and in their ads. That stuck. I ignored the name changes.
I've never tried the Cinnamon Apples. Sounds amazing though. One of my favorite sides was the Stuffing and Roasted Potatoes. They removed both. Prices went higher and they got rid of some amazing sides. Horrible move on their end.
I still go to Boston Market almost once a week. I was getting worried about my local one getting closed down recently. They could not staff the place and were only taking online orders for a while. That's when they were able to be open. They were actually forced to close on weekends due to not being staffed. Fortunately they seem to be back to normal for now, and they seem confident that they will stay open, but it wouldn't surprise me to go there one day and see they've closed for good. I hope that doesn't happen.
This place brings back good memories. In my home town, their was one near a movie theater and almost every time we would see movie, me, my dad, and my brother would stop there to eat before going to the movie.
Sounds like a good memory
That sounds like nice memories
@@zzizahacallar I agree
My eyes!
I was so happy when I finally found one in California. It was really low quality though, very disappointing. I thought it was just because they weren't as good in the west, but maybe the company has declined.
I ate at one in Texas just a few weeks ago and it was still quite good. Due to their model, I wonder if it has to do with their volume. If they are higher volume, they will sell out of the food sooner and make more, meaning that everyone is getting a fresher product.
Stephen King’s Fav Go-To Lol
Didn't expect to see you here!
I think it just always depends on the employees and how much of a fuck they give. We have several here in Dallas still
@@eddy5750 dallas huh
I used to love this place. The food was great and the store in my town was always packed. Now I couldn’t even tell you where one is located.
I remember eating there as a teenager. The food was so damn good, it was probably the only restaurant I begged my folks to take me to. Loved that damn tortellini salad.
This one is a shame. I really liked Boston Market. I remember back when they were still called Boston Chicken.
That’s when I liked them as a kid- it was called Boston Chicken in NJ. Not sure if it was actually better or I was a kid who liked anything.
@@euenfheiejrj I asked for Boston Chicken as a kid. The potatoes and mac were so good. And I believe they had a Boston Creme pie at one point that actually wasn't bad.
I remember loving their mac and cheese.
@@euenfheiejrj where in Jersey? I worked at a location in the state.
@@CliffRothI lived in Ridgewood but I think it was Waldwick
BM hit the spot. Nice alternative when you want something quick, but not a burger and fries.
I agree. Of all the fast food restaurants that I have been to BM is the best. Their chicken is the best.
Nice avatar/icon.
Macro friendly
I loved the meatloaf.
I always got Chinese food when I wanted something quick but didn't want a burger and fries
I LOVED Boston Market! We waited forever in Louisville, KY to get one and it was so delicious and always busy. Then less then 3 yrs after it opened they closed in '98. I was upset bc I'm a picky eater and I would eat more than half their menu. I wish they would reopen with the same high quality food and service. Culver's is my new jam! GREAT food and top notch customer service.
The food is bland, Caity.
Culver's is nasty...how can you eat their food?
@@karentucker2161 it's one of the cleanest places you can eat. That's extremely important to me. Also their soups and pot roast are delicious. I don't really eat fried foods so I can't speak to that. Their pretzel bites and Wisconsin cheese dip are fire, too.
@@caitlinthompson7540 Yea most definitely. Pretzels and cheese curds are 🔥
One of the underserved niches in American fast food is the family meal. Ever since the Coof happened, some places started offering family size, but most haven't.
I clicked so fast because I miss Boston Market and they closed down the one that was up the street from me 😭☹️ and I actually enjoyed their food.
We still have one near our house, but it is closed more often than open. Even before the pandemic, there was one guy who would show up (not even a manager, just a cook), and then NO ONE would show up, and he couldn't open on his own, so he would sit outside smoking until enough people showed up to open. I asked him why he didn't just go home too, and he said, "If I'm here, I'm getting paid, so I don't care if no one is here and we can't open, I will just sit out here and smoke my cigarettes."
Same, there used to be one right down the street from me and now there nearest one is like a 20 minute drive... and I live in the Boston area! I miss my Mac n cheese and cinnamon apples goddammit.
i remember my dad use to go to the one in newton highlands down are street all the time in the 90s them one day it was gone i cant remember if i ate there too tho
Pretty sure your heart didn't.
lol I have around 7 near me I get pros for living in New England
I love Boston Market. Still eat there on a semi-regular basis. Half dark chicken with sweet potatoes and creamed spinach is my go-to. Not many customers whenever I go, no matter which one I go to.
I remember living about a 10 minute drive away from a Boston Market in the Chicago suburbs. We didn't go there often but it was always good when we decided to. Especially loved their sides like their macaroni and cheese, apples, and mashed potatoes. Closed a few years ago and while I'm not losing sleep over it, it's still sad to see a restaurant I enjoy kick the bucket.
Are you talking about over there by Crestwood IL
When both my parents worked, and I was in school, we LOVED when my mom would bring home Boston Market meals, because they were like home cooked and much healthier than any fast food option. I would think that with today's takeout / Uber Eats / Door Dash culture, Boston Market would blow up. Then again, for the same reason maybe that's why it's dying down. Dinner can be had for takeout at any restaurant nowadays.
I had been going to Boston Market for over 20 years. I stopped a few years ago after inconsistency. At the two locations I would visit sometimes it was great - other times awful. They stopped offering hot barbecue sauce - instead putting out plastic bottles of it on the tables. They also went to the red spoon/black spoon pricing where some sides were more expensive than others. Sometimes the place is clean, sometimes it is a mess. 1 store was always freezing in the summer. It just become uncomfortable. This is what happens when a place is bought out by investors. It loses its soul. It's a shame. They had great food back in the day and although some of the staff still go the extra mile it's not the same.
Suggestion: The Rise And Fall Of Hometown Buffet.
Rise and fall of your diarrhea from eating hometown
Great suggestion! I used to love going to hometown buffet as a kid. Especially for the popcorn shrimp and unlimited chocolate milk.
I went to my local Hometown recently and the food was kinda disappointing, and it felt dirty eating there. Mushy pasta, dry dessert, etc
Used to be the favorite place of my grandparents to eat when we were on vacations in the States
companymanideas.com
My partner and I have the same views on Boston Market: It used to be really good and had a lot of options that we liked. Then suddenly it stopped having the things we went there for in the first place(for me it was things like ham, mashed potatos/gravy, corn, etc). The last time I went in there wasn't a single thing on the menu I wanted. It was almost all turkey and I think a couple chicken options and the whole menu just screamed "We make old-people's home food".
It's a shame because they had a market that nobody else was covering in good cuts of fresh meats and side entrees that you'd normally have to go to a restaurant or a cafeteria to find. Then they changed it up and lost most of the people who ate there in the first place and there was no new market to grab. Sandwiches were covered by Subway and Quiznos(as well as places like Sheetz, WaWa, etc) and what limited sides offerings they had could be gotten at KFC or popeyes along with more exciting options.
glad your partner agrees
Did you just say they didn't have mashed potatos, corn or gravy on the menu? These items have been available since the start and have never gone away. Those are staple sides, what are you even saying?
Also, they over saturated their own market. In Northern Virginia there were BMs literally within 10 minutes of each other with 3 within 6 miles. Her store went from super busy to super empty in just a year because of the competition from their own store. They closed the other 2 stores in less than two years.
Yup use to b 2 alone in reston and another in sterling now the closest to me is in Fairfax 🤦🏾♂️
This was my first job. You hit every nail on the head, and even caught the deal with Heinz. Side note: The frozen dinners are NOT the restaurant product. Boston Market did try to give Heinz all of their restaurant recipes in bulk, but Heinz couldn't figure out a way to get the food to freeze and reheat in a way that would work for a TV Dinner. My uncle worked for Heinz at this time around the year 2000. The failed experiment led to Heinz workers trying to give away a ton of product they couldn't use. As a result, my family ended up with a lot of quartered Boston Market chicken in large freezer bags. I ended up getting a job with Boston Market a year later, and stuck around with them up to the point where McDonald's sold.
There were several issues holding these stores back. First, as you noted, was the customer service experience. It was, and is, a mess by the handbook design. There's a line of people? Ok, meat carver in the back, the servers are busy. Scream up to the next customer and ask what they want. What's that? The customer gave you special directions? Well, "telephone" those directions to one of the high school aged servers. I'm sure that nothing will get lost in translation. (Anyone who has ever been to one of these stores when they are busy already gets the joke.) Additionally, the nature of the food/buffet style hot case makes it somewhat tricky for the single cook (called a "backup") to keep the food in stock and looking fresh without over prepping and creating excessive waste. Here's where it really gets tricky. In order to keep costs low, the company pays right around minimum wage. So you're getting high schoolers on their first jobs to do a relatively difficult job. While not impossible to find a staff that gets the business, and excels in consistently delivering an excellent customer service experience, it is pretty improbable. The issues only increased when the company added a drive thru, and then catering while not adding additional staff.
Next were the restaurants themselves. I think that they may have had an easier time adapting to the concept shortcomings had they expanded more slowly. With supermarkets delivering the same style of food, at an even better price, Boston Market had to deliver a better experience. That was impossible to do since everyone knew them as a fast food restaurant. To be fair, they did try to get out of the pigeon hole by opening 4 causal dining restaurants in Florida and Texas around 2004. If I recall correctly, these were called "Boston Grill", and featured the same food as the standard restaurants alongside some additional menu items. The concept featured servers, a bar, and an actual sit down experience. Had this concept taken off, I think it would have worked out better for the company. Sadly, the few remaining restaurants around me still have the same decor as when I left in 2007. And even when this furniture was new, the tables and chairs always had a tacky feel to them. Add to this the general public getting chicken grease all over it, they just never seemed to be "clean" no matter how long you'd spend cleaning and sanitizing tables in between customers. The cafeteria trays, which would smell like spoiled milk if not cleaned and dried properly, didn't add to the overall ambience. Why am I subjecting myself to this when Costco offers the same thing (actually, they use larger roasting chickens as opposed to BM's frying chickens) at half the price? The super market bulk ordering and lower overhead eventually won this battle.
Despite my seemingly negative comments, I did have a lot of fun working at Boston Market. Eating the food never got old, and there were enough ingredients on hand for one to get creative and create entirely new dishes solely for their employee meals. Heck, I learned how to cook in these kitchens, and I'm still pretty good at it. The remaining stores near me were the extremely "high yield" stores when I worked for the company. Business at these locations is far more subdued than I remember, but the service is usually pretty friendly. I still like eating there from time to time.
Oh, cut up 4 granny smith apples into wedges, and throw them into an oven safe pan. Melt 1 stick of salted butter with 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 2 table spoons of cinnamon in a pan under low heat. Stir until butter is melted, and mix in with apples. Cover pan with lid. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and bake the covered pan for 15 minutes. The actual recipe called for 20 minutes, but the entire recipe came in a frozen bag. Enjoy.
the accuracy...I used to work there also as a back up lol
Wow, thank you for all that info, Its too bad they didn't notice their problems a long time ago. Im from Canada and just learnt about them today, i would have liked to visit one of those one day.
I'm going to try the apple recipe! 😊
Explains why the frozen ones sucked....
@@karentucker2161 they're terrible. Bear Creek mac and cheese is the closest I've found to the Boston Market recipe. They're in dry bags sold at Wal-Mart and Big Lots. I don't know what it is that's sold under the BM banner in the frozen food section, but I'm comfortable enough knowing the product to refer to it as "BM".
@JakeWerkmeister - now that a year has gone by ... was there ... anything else you wanted to add to the senior high thesis above ?? 🤔
I can't get over the Cinnamon Apples being discontinued too!!! BTW I'm a truck driver and at least once a month stop at the Boston Market at the TA truck stop in Denton, Texas and I absolutely love it.
Denton TX? Did you ever get a chance to try their tortilla soup? Apparently it was regional all this time, but they discontinued that too a few years ago as well!
Are their Cinnamon Apples like fried apples? Or is it somehow different? Sorry I'm curious since I've never been to Boston Market but my mom used to gush about it from her childhood.
Its a good thing my mom knows how to make it because nobody beats hers
I feel the same way about Taco Bell getting rid of the Caramel Apple Empanadas.
@@UmmYeahOk never paid attention on the tortilla soup but I will next time.
I'll tell you why I never go to Boston Market anymore - - lousy underheated food! Every time I went there the food (chicken, sides, etc.) was barely lukewarm when it should have been hot. EVERY SINGLE TIME. And it seemed like the food had been sitting in the warming bin for a very long time. Each time I vowed to never go there again but then I'd give them another chance thinking they might have fixed the problem. They never did so after the last time about 15 years ago I stayed away for good and will NEVER go back. But I loved the place in the early days when it was Boston Chicken and their quality was good and their unique concept was fresh.
I was hired as an Assistant Manger back in 2010 and stayed for 5 months. We'd get people demanding a discount or they'd "just go buy a chicken at Stop and Shop". Then 5 Guys hit and the novelty of rotisserie chicken was really played out. I know 2 stores close to me closed any they tried an America's Kitchen Table gimmick that didn't pan out. Most of the corporate team from Aspen were clueless and the hiring practices were really dodgy. I still keep in touch with some of my coworkers and, amazingly, still get a discount. I doubt it'll ever go out of business, opting to keep a core group of stores.
I went to a Boston Market a few days ago again after a few years. Damn it was depressing.
Not to mention expensive as hell
What did u order
@@crosswiz6 something that I remember wasn't worth the money
@@crosswiz6 Just a whole chicken and some mashed potatoes and gravy.
@@slushdog1012 Sounds good..not sure if your wallet would agree tho 😂
I really like Boston market. I didn’t know they had fallen at all. I still eat there around 2 times a month.
At least in part it’s due to them growing way too fast for their own good. Also, I don’t know about the ones near you, but the one near near me is quite subpar and is kinda out beat in the meat by the local safeway
Twice a month. LOL you contributed to their ability to buy 1 roll of toilet paper. 【ツ】
The one that's still near me had such bad quality from years ago that I felt embarrassed to suggest it to my husband.
Wow. The one near me disappeared and it seemed so good
You live in what state?
You hit the nail on the head when you talked about the growth in supermarket deli departments. A good example is HyVee in the Midwest. HyVee is known as an upscale grocery store chain that has an excellent deli, which in many locations includes take out hot pizza and Chinese as well as a hot food case which is a part of a cafe. Not allow locations offer the cafe, but they give you the options of; dine in and eat off a menu, get take out pizza or Chinese, or buy from the hot case and take home a ready to eat hot meal. They also offer the hot case and deli items packaged and cold to take home and reheat. This is one thing that I think effected Boston Chicken/Market, they did something well and the supermarkets found they could offer the same convenience and products to the public so the Boston Markets suffered from people having another competitor, often located across the lot from their restaurant.
I went to Boston Market once: the food was much more expensive than competitors, and the quality was great, but the seasoning was absent. It tasted like hospital food. The odd thing is, their frozen products are quite good and I recommend them.
Really? Weird. Back when I used to go there it was delicious!
They are nasty!!! I threw that food away....someone needs to sue the frozen food for Boston Market.
boston market is SO GOOD i’ll be extremely disappointed if they close
Yes! Especially the chicken
The turkey
The mashed potatoes
The sweet corn
Green beans
Mac and cheese
Cornbread
Sweet potatoes and marshmallows
Creamed spinach
Did I miss anything?
IT'S GARBAGE NOW. COKE OWNS THEM
Go to the grocery store deli and get a rotisserie chicken. You won't know the difference.
@@dickJohnsonpeter the cheap $3 ones at Market Basket? They suck. Maybe the ones at whole Foods
@@BC-je4ym whole foods has organic chickens roasted ready. Fresh market Has great chicken!! Roasted ready ! Many places do now! WAL-MART ROASTS A DELICIOUS CHICKEN AT 4.99!!
It was always an ongoing joke to me and my friends that Blockbuster video was always located next to a Boston Market. Now I know why.
My first job was at a Boston market (in 1997 of all years). Was hired as a cashier, but they had too many at my first shift and they put me in the kitchen to train as a cook. I had never eaten meatloaf before, and it was my favorite thing they served.
It’s interesting to learn how much had changed in the year or two before I was hired, especially the sandwiches. Do you remember the Xtreme Carver Sandwiches?
I haven't been to Boston Market in years but used to go a couple of times a month for years. The one i started going to in the late 90s/early 2000s is still there. I think I kind of tapered off when they changed the sides and removed what i usually got. One of the last times I went, I got my usual turkey dinner. As I'm telling my boyfriend this is the best turkey I've ever eaten, he tastes it and says this is chicken. Suckers sliced chicken and passed it off as turkey. I went back, told the girl this is chicken. She smiled and gave it to the guy behind her who then said we're out of turkey. Wonder how many others got duped that day.
So you tried to trade the best turkey you ever ate for regular crappy turkey just because it ended up being chicken? You should have returned to thank them.
@@bobbygetsbanned6049 I also fail to see the problem lmao
@@bobbygetsbanned6049 Yeah, I traded best turkey I ever ate just cuz it ended up being chicken instead of turkey. I also didnt fuck the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen because she ended up being a guy with a dick. Go figure. Go thank them for me on Hollywood Blvd.
@@tedkaczynskiamericanhero3916 I was just gonna say "so what" BUT since I have time:
1) I ordered turkey not chicken
2) Sliced chicken was not a menu item
3) The charge for the 2 slices of chicken was more then I would've paid for a 1/2 chicken.
4) it's illegal bish
Now that being said.....So what lmao
I love RUclips and I got all night...
I don’t know how they stay in business. We have one in my city and it’s always empty... ALWAYS... starting to think it is a front for money laundering.
That's what I say about the Long John Silver's in our town.
Washing drug money.
@@shadowwolf2524 😂 And every mattress store!
@@carltonwomble9038 I thought 🤣🤣
I live in NYC, and there’s tons of little businesses that sell next to nothing and are always empty and I think: ‘mob front!’ It makes me feel clever.
The nostalgia window might be closing for them. When I think of "Boston Market" I think of it as a late 90s thing.
Considering I haven't been to one since 2003 I'd agree with you
I love watching company man genuinely struggle to not rant about how much he misses the cinnamon apples 😂
They were so tasty!
I had a full on thanksgiving dinner with my family purchased at Boston Market about 20 years ago. It was pretty fantastic! I was so bummed when they closed my location about 10 years ago. There’s still one about a half hour from my house that I stop by when I’m in the area.
Looks like over half of their top 10 preforming locations are on military bases.
Captive audience (junior personnel with no car).
Limited competition.
Those reasons are why the dominos on camp lejeune gets an absolutely ridiculous amount of money
@@really_dont_know1681 Same with camp pendleton dominos. Last I checked those were the two busiest locations dominos has.
@@Jebusmike3 I wouldn’t be surprised I used to play count how many dominos drivers pass me on my way to the gate on a good day I’d get up to 15 in a 5 minute drive
The bases limit their mess halls and let me tell ya something they WASTE a lot of food
Video idea
Company Man: Why he's successful
True
“By 2020 company man had expanded to over 1.05 million subscribers, which was very impressive considering the economy had been in decline for most of that year”
"By 2020 Company Man had expanded his subscriber base, to the point where even the Nostalgia Critic mentions him in one of his videos, which is awesome, considering the economy had bottomed out."
On my first day of Business Management seminar in uni the lecturer started to play Company Man video about "Enron"!
I was like "Yep, he has made it big!"
He sounds so friendly and talks about businesses I remember, so it's also a nostalgia thing for me.
I noticed today a location i used to drive by was permanently closed so i google mapped the locations in the Dallas fort Worth area. 9 permanently closed only 3 left open in the whole DFW area. Crazy
Keith Olbermann re-started his Countdown show as a podcast. He has told the story of how the "Eat something!" commercials he did for them led to them declaring bankruptcy - because they didn't attract new customers. Instead, their existing customers switched from buying rotisserie chickens to buying much cheaper lunches.
Back in the day when they were everywhere and I was single I get my Thanksgiving dinner at Boston market every year they were supreme bro.
Yep me as well, Boston market for thanksgiving was most of my childhood
I miss BM, most of them closed in the Atlanta area years ago. I liked them because they were convenient like fast food, but way better than fast food.
are there still any?
@@lochofmceo there are 2 less than 10 miles apart by me in Westland, MI
@@iris-nx1wt I meant in Atlanta
Yeah, I liked them. Crazy to believe lesser brands live on. Imagine, Arby's is still open..
arbys is way better
@@sleepful1917 arbys sucks. Boston market is actually good
Arbys 🤮🤮🤮🤮
I've never been to Arby's but im always disgusted by their commercials. Their sandwiches just do not look good from what ive seen
Arby's isn't bad, but for me it's a price to value problem. For what they charge I can go to a real restaurant and get waaaaay better food.
When i lived in Torrance, California., me and my old girlfriend used to go there all the time. This was back in 1998. It was always busy. The food was great!!!!
When I think of Boston Market, I think of a restaurant that isn't cleaned often enough, and is kind of sticky and gross - and after experiencing that in more than one location and state in the late 90s, I just gave up giving them the benefit of the doubt and they don't exist to me anymore.
These are my exact thoughts on kfc.
I got food poisoning a lot there. While at a location in Houston, a homeless guy walked in, wearing sweat pants and talked to the cashier. I was behind him when I noticed a 2 inch turd fall out of his pants. I haven’t been back
@@devon9930 i kinda remember it as something that had fairly disappointing chicken
Couldn’t agree more!! Every location in my area Louisiana and Houston, Tx always seemed dirty and dusty. Not the vibes you want in a restaurant. I gave up on them years ago too😐
the one in huntington beach is dingy
Boston Market is my shit!
No wonder it tasted bad
Their food is too bland for me.
No wonder it tasted so good😏😏😏
@@rookmaster7502 not enough sugar for you hey?
@@theimpasta8948 no its not. It gross.
My first job was at Boston Market during the summer of 1995, in the pacific northwest. When Boston Chicken withdrew financing in 1998, the entire franchise group of 56 restaurants collapsed under its own weight and was shut down.
Great video. We loved Boston Market. There was one across from our subdivision in Brentwood Tennessee when we bought our home in 1997. It did not last long but we still have great memories of it. Really don't know where any of them are at this point. Hope they make it and have a great comeback.
I went there once and I was like “ oh only old people go here”
Because their taste buds don’t work
Why is that a bad thing? The best place to buy a house is around old people. They don't protest. They don't have loud parties. They don't shoot fireworks. They don't steal shit from your car when you ain't looking. They don't liter. They always follow the law. Many of them are packing so if outsiders come in, they will be reaching for the rifle.
@Heywood Jablome Thaaaaat's racist. **ding**
@Heywood Jablome 【ツ】
A few years ago, Anderson Cooper would often comment about how that was his go to food. I guess as they disappeared he had to move on.
Can u do a video on the "streaming wars?" Who owns what studios, who's got rights for what?
G.P.E. I think you replied to wrong comment.
@@thaiboypsp3000 I did lol.
@@thaiboypsp3000 lmao
G.P.E. It’s all good, we all have one of those days lol.
Not exactly sure what the video will be but I will definitely make a video related to that sometime soon.
Back in the 90s, when I was a young just-married guy, we used to love Boston Market. They closed in this area a long time ago though.
Loved Boston Market. Always stopped at Greenwich CT location on the way back from NYC. Gave me a break from the stress of NYC traffic, and got a home like cooked meal.
I moved to MI, and the location near me closed to years later. Had no clue Boston Market was in trouble for a long time. There were always customers in there
If Boston Chicken had changed their name to Boston Kitchen, imagine how much money they would have saved re-branding. Just add a "T" and rearrange the letters!
What about the leftover C?
@@dc-nm9jo Use it for the copyright symbol
Actually sounds better.. would of for sure helped with their marketing...
*_Stares at all of you in graphic designer_*
In high school, I used to go to my local BM so much, the lady knew my regular order
Ha... ha, ha ha... she said BM. And she was regular.
We stopped going several years ago after the wait times increased and we received several very undercooked chicken meals. One still open near me, maybe 1 or 2 cars in the parking lot at any given time. Sad, I remember the excitement when they opened, a good quality chicken dinner is a nice change - I do grab the rotisserie chickens occasionally from COSTCO and WEGMAN's
Boston Market is my favorite restaurant! I used to drive five hours one way to get it. (I made a mini vacation out it.) Those locations shut down two years ago. I never knew what happened to them. Now I know that they had sloppy business practices. Looks like they were too money hungry for their own good. Too bad 😞💰🤑
This makes me wanna get Boston Market now
Same! 🤤🤤🤤🤤
their food quality has gone down and prices have gone up over the last decade or two, I remember how much I used to love them but every time I go there now it feels disappointing
You stole my thunder on that comment. I agree 100%.
Facts
I know! Kids meal used to be $1.99, now its like $6. Not worth it when the quality of the food has gone down. The Mac and cheese is a hit or miss. Their cornbread is usually a miss. It's never fully cooked. Really sad.
Used to go there all the time, multiple times a week. Now I go there maybe twice a year.
LOVE their food! Sorry to hear mismanagement is killing such a great brand. I used to bring some home for supper at least once a week when I worked in downtown Boston. There was one near me in Bloomington, IN, but it's sadly gone now.
supper lol are you a pioneer or something
@@sleepful1917 Nah, but I just signed up for Medicare, so...
There are a few left here in northern NJ. Many of them were former Roy Rogers fast food places. Some later became Wendy's locations. I stopped going to them when the coupons were ended, other places were better value for money. They also got hurt by the expansion of Chick-Fil-A, McD's and other 'burger' restaurants offering chicken items, faster service, aggressive pricing by KFC.
Originally they had a good product but quality fell into the toilet in later years.
From franchising and overexpansion
Yep.
Please make one for Friendly's. They are hanging by a thread
Same with papa ginos
Yo. I ordered the quesadilla from friendlys for the first time in YEARS and it was absolutely disgusting.
_They still exist!?_ All the Friendly's in the region where I live disappeared into the abyss years ago. Didn't even know they still have places.
THEY'RE THE WORST!
I keep seeing them and Bob Evans in my local UberEats where both locations are over 15mi away. They're legit banking on someone in my area and beyond being desperate enough to order from them and not complain the food is cold lol.
You might need to do a follow up on this soon. Got bought by a shady owner in 2020 and now the company is falling apart at the seams.
Basically all of the Boston Markets near me closed. I used to love going there too. And you’re absolutely right, those cinnamon apples are amazing!
“Maybe you lost yours twenty years ago and just found out they still exist.”
Yes.
I drove by a Boston Market the other day with my dad in the passenger seat. My 23 year old self said “what is that exactly?” My dad said “I don’t really know”. Never seen an ad from them. Advertising was one of the major problems
The local BM was once one of my go-to places for a reasonably priced, uncomplicated meal.
Some time in the late 90's/early 2000's it fell off my radar as my town gentrified and many exciting new mom and pop restaurants opened..
Driving past one evening in the late 2000's, I was inspired to make a nostolgia stop.
Several indoor lights were off, giving it a dingy appearance. I noticed several unoccupied tables were dirty, and some kids were running amok in the dining area.
Several food items had obviously been under the lights too long. I left without placing an order.
It finally closed down sometime before the pandemic.
I remember really liking their brisket, partially because that was also my mom's favorite option on the menu. Ironically there's no Boston Market in Boston, but I do miss eating at one whenever I'm out of town.
The Boston Market near my house closed about 5 years ago. I didn't mind the wait cause I thought their food was pretty good. The meatloaf and mac and cheese especially.
The Boston market near me closed about a year ago. I miss it, it was my favorite place to go when I wanted something quick but not fried.
the closed boston market you showed is in Brick NJ. It still shows the outline of the name on the outside walls.
My brother and I used to like eating their meatloaf sandwiches with potato wedges and jello cubes. The apple slices were awesome as well.
The Decline of Boston Market...What Happened?
They got rid of their cinnamon apples. 😟
So they forgot their core values, abandoned their moat, used massive leverage to recklessly expand, and lowered the quality of their product. Basically they let some MBAs run it into the ground for short term balance sheet gains so said execs got good annual bonuses.
Those loans aren't going to service themselves.
So corporate biz as usual
:(
Capitalism the American way. Build nothing that lasts.
@@timdowney6721 well the Soviet Union didn’t last either
thats how it goes lol
They hurt themselves with the sandwich items, but even more by taking the cinnamon apple's and green beans out of the menu then upcharging for the sweet potato cassarole. The portion sizes were getting drastically smaller too. The store closest to us had been struggling to keep employees and the one day they were gone. The building was stripped of all signage so quick we thought the building was being demolished.
I am quite happy that the Bel Air, Maryland Boston Market location is still open and still pretty darn tasty. If it closed I would be heartbroken.
Could you do a video on Kenny Rogers Roasters? They were basically the same as Boston Market but the food was, at least in my opinion, better. Their cornbread muffins were definitely superior to those at Boston Market, but I do love those too.
Yes I remember that place. I’m in MD and we still have a lot of Boston markets
Their rotisserie chicken is by far better than any grocery store one, but a huge appeal to me is their sides, I loved their apples, sweet potatoes, and macaroni the most. Sadly they closed down one of the locations that was closest, and the other that remained open for a while was ~30 minute drive. Now that one just closed a couple months back :( I really hope they make a comeback.
The cinnamon apples has always been my go to as a side. They’re still on the menu here in NC.
@Samí Warrior Raleigh
I'm in Charlotte! Let's all get together for a trip to Boston Market! 😂😂😂
I love this presentation.
The writing is on the wall for this chain. The Boston Market closest to me has already shut down, two other locations in South Florida were hit with health violations, while others face evictions and reports of employees not being paid. At this point, it’s not a question of if, but when this chain will shut down.
I remember seeing commercials for them in my early teens and was like “oh my family would like that” because it looked like a nicer version of KFC... And never saw a location until visiting friends in an area where I couldn’t help but think “One of those is here in this preppy shopping area?”
Its very antidotal, but seeing it placed in an area that would be terrible for pickup traffic.. I wonder if a core issue is just lacking market research for finding where their ideal customers will be at instead of just generally busy places.
Yeah i do think they’re also lacking market research. They opened one up in my neighborhood in New York City randomly and closed it down before i could even step in.
Yoooooooooo, love BM's creamed spinach. Miss having one of these near me...
Now they charge extra for the creamed spinach! Their prime rib dinner is more expensive than Norm's by $10 and only comes with the basics to be called a "dinner ".
That creamed spinach was my #1 side. Sometimes I'd even get it as both sides & doubled up. Sooo delicious.
Im not paying 5 bucks for a spoonful of it!!!!$!$ 😤
@@strangemagick8903 You can get frozen creamed spinach in the store for much less than BM is selling.
@@stever7157 Thanks! I just do my own now. Alfredo and parmesan....make as unhealthy as you please. Lol
I remember this place. I greatly enjoyed it. The jugs of tea you can get with your meal and of course, the cinnamon apples were a must every time.
I have great memories of Boston Market from childhood in the late 90s. There is one near me and I went for the coupons a few times, but the lines were so long and food disappointing (mostly lukewarm) with ok customer service, so I haven’t been back for a while. Maybe if it became a restaurant-market where they also sold products there to make at home, it would be more successful.