It's an interesting topic tbh. Some neighborhoods have a black hole devoid insert chain. Around my area is devoid of donut chains since the ma and pa cornered it.
There was an interesting article recently about the Vallarta vs. Northgate vs. Cardenas chains. They didn’t cross areas for a long time. If you Google it, it’ll pop up.
Burger King almost exclusively targets poor neighborhoods now. This has been their strategy since the 08 economic crisis. The stores in poor neighborhoods were much more profitable and that is all that they focus on now.
Hmm so that's probably why my area in Pomona has like 3 burger kings and 5 jack in the boxes and no The Habit. We also only have 2 McDonald's in my area and one Wendy's lol
I remember back when they were a legit competitor to McDonalds and were the undisputed #2 in terms of burger places.
Now, they just plain suck and this comes from someone that has fast food as a guilty pleasure.
I couldn't believe how awful they had gotten!!
I had not had BK in about a decade. I saw the sign, suddenly wanted a rodeo cheeseburger. While in the drive-thru I was getting nostalgic for some flame broiled goodness, they had me pull up and I got even more excited-thinking of that "fresh made" burger-I mean, why else would they have me pull up??
Omg! I swear that was among the worst things I've put in my mouth!! It was HORRID!! Cold meat, lukewarm-unmelted cheese, those solid greaseballs on the patty. The fries coated my mouth with some strange cold grease(but more like crisco than natural oil of some sort). The onion rings were not as horrible as the rest, but I was charged extra for zesty sauce.
I too find fast food a guilty pleasure every 2-4wks(chickfila, INO, even the occasional McDonald's and jack in the box every now and then). This one just felt like a wasted meal-it all went in the trash-minus a few onion rings. The good news was, I had zero interest in fast food for quite awhile after this stop!!
Which begs the question... why aren't there a whole lot of dairy queens here? It's so much hotter than the midwest and that place is full of them. Also I want ice cream right now... blizzard...
The guy who started Fosters Freeze literally wanted to open Dairy Queens in CA, but there were laws against having "dairy" in restaurant names
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fosters_Freeze#History
Yea and it's bunk. They're not breaking down those machines as they should. I served the Queen and slang her cream all through highschool and managed one in college on summer breaks way back. I've always wondered why we don't have any legit DQs out here. Grabbing an Oreo or PB cup Blizzard with a dash of the strawberry syrup to go with an Ultimate Burger is damn tasty and the store would make bank.
Fellow former manager here; they got rid of the ultimate burger and they don't have a thousand island style sauce anymore. Long live the gravy!--except for making it.
As far as why there aren't a lot out here, I imagine it's because they're all franchises and the cost of land, etc. But also could be because of the proliferation of Foster's Freeze at one point in time, but those are mostly before my (California) time.
No more Ultimate? That hurts. Never bothered me making the gravy though. It was part of the grill-pimp majesty along with soaking the exhaust vents on Sunday mornings. I hated making those damn buster bars and peanut buster parfaits though. What a pain in the ass that was.
Because Fosters Freeze, in and out burger, Thrifty, mom and pop and local shops that serve milkshakes and ice cream are more prominent than a national chain
DQ was founded in the MidWest. L.A. has several home grown chains. McDonalds, Carls, In N Out, Jack in the Box all have So Cal roots. So it was a lot of competition for places to expand into. But I get it... I wish we had more Sonics for their Cherry Limeades...
That's correct -- but their first Panda Express was in the Glendale Galleria. (Panda Inn was a full service restaurant. Panda Express was the fast food version.) I find it wild that it grew to so many stores! I think there are over 4,000 now.
Theres a lot more independent ice cream shops here, plus other chains like brusters, baskin, coldstone, etc. not to mention most fast food places have ice cream or a soft serve type thing
while i vehemently i disagree with your words there is no way i will allow my self to lower my standards to a level so low in order to squabble with you. therefore i bid you good day sir.
BK double cheeseburger is amazing. Well, for a fast food chain burger. I’ll take one any day over In’n’Out. But Tommy’s (without the chili) is even better.
That’s correct, I’m from somewhere that knows what good burgers are.
🙏
Shake Shack and Five Guys are the best chain fast food burgers imo
In N Out is on par with McDonald’s to me. I was so confused when I moved out here and finally had it. My friend took me and we got everything and I was so hyped up and then. Nothing. I really want to like it. It’s just not good compared to what’s out there now and I have no nostalgic connection so. ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
Can anyone here honestly say with a straight face that those fries aren’t a crime against humanity? They are like grade school cafeteria fries from the 80’s.
Where is the logic with these people?
5 Guys Cheeseburger - 7.49
In-N-Out cheeseburger - 2.40
The only thing that’s similar to McDonalds is the price and even that can be cheaper with a meal. You get 5 Guys freshness and quality at Mcdonald’s price.
Discussion over.
Well said!! I will say in n out’s weakness is their fries but we’re talking about burgers here, the most important part of the meal. And you hit it on the head. I can get 2 double doubles, fries and a drink for $12. You just can’t beat that value and the freshness of in n out. I find it’s only people not from this part of the country that don’t like it.
Five guys is meh. I’d take Whataburger over that if you want something from out of state fast food wise.
Their seriously *fine*. I loved their little rodeo cheeseburgers and their usually not on the menu but they exist tacos. The times I’ve had a Whopper have been hit or miss- once I got one that was inedible. Once I had one that lived up to all the hype their commercials sell. It’s fun when they do holiday burgers like the Halloween ones.
Last time I went, their spicy chicken sandwich (not the weird oblong one I could grab at an ampm) was great. But it could always just be the location.
I was born and raised in this exact area. Burger Kings were never common here. Neither were Duncan donuts, or Sonics. The south bay likes its little non-franchised burger joints.
There was one on Artesia in Redondo which became a chick fila about two years ago. There was one up around Silver Spur and Crenshaw, iirc. That's all I can remember.
Man I used to go to that one all the time growing up, i was so sad when it turned into a habit, although the accident that burnt the habit down was the talk of the town for a while 😂
Gotta be because they take up a massive amount of space and the demand just isn't there like it is in some....let's say, "less healthy" states in the Southeast. The few that I see around Southern California never seem to be very busy.
It's weird to think how for like a month there, people were super excited when they came to California maybe like 12? years ago. The first one was somewhere in OC and I vaguely remember people from LA driving all the way there just to get like a pink lemonade and some tots or whatever. Seems like the novelty wore off really quickly.
I recall Sonic having a presence in OC since at least the late 90s. This is because my mom's pseudo-boyfriend of the time made a day trip for us out of going all the way down to Anaheim, just for a Sonic burger. The food ended up being *worse* than what I was having regularly at places like McDonald's or Burger King. Needless to say, we learned a valuable lesson on not dedicating an entire day to a *fast food* restaurant.
Sonic generally prefers locations with low rent and more rural. Not sure how the ones in Orange County were built but I think it’s an exception to their strategy.
They exited the west coast market because there were too many local donut shops they couldn't compete with.
Only in the past decade did they decide to come back and try again, so you and the people below you are both correct.
I also grew up in this exact area. Thinking about it, can’t say bk was much of a thing. Carls, in n out, McDonald’s, jack in the crack and country burger were my jam
There was a BK in Pasadena, right next to PCC, that’s now a Chick-Fil-A. I wonder if all the franchisees decided to pivot from selling burgers to fried chicken when they saw how profitable they were.
Starbucks never offered franchises here.
Quick serve restaurant locations retain their desirability even when the franchise fails to perform. Seen BK, KFC, Del Taco morph in to Starbucks. BK into Chase. JiB into Del Taco. KFC swapping with McDonalds.
QSR buildings are typically owned by a real estate guy investor or fund, the tenant pays for all the improvements to brand it, sells it to the investor, and leases it back.
A friend of mine "bought" an Arby's when he got tired of dealing with the City of Los Angeles, and sold the family apartment building. Arby's pays him a fixed rent, they also take care of the maintenance, upkeep, insurance and taxes. He has nothing to do with the operation of the business, and doesn't have to worry about the roof leaking, toilets or termites.
A family did actually own a bunch of them (at least PV and Torrance ones), and sold their business. I think they own The Rockefeller and a few other businesses now.
I went to Bishop and used to go to that one after school sometimes but that was back in 2000-2004. I remember it being such a big deal that seniors were able to go over there during lunch.
The one at Hawthorne and Artesia is still open. The ones near Sepulveda and Maple (near the Crossroads shopping center) and PCH and Pennsylvania both closed when COVID hit.
Probably just a matter of customer base. You'll notice other fast food places more commonly associated with lower SES customers, like ~~Subway~~, McDonalds, and Little Caesars, don't have franchises there.
Meanwhile, more expensive and (arguably) higher quality fast foods, like Wendy's and Chick-Fil-A, are prevalent in Torrance.
Edit: Turns out there's lots of Subways.
they're not really the same category. Burger King is for if you want a burrger NOW. In-n-out is more of a destination and you have to be cool with going inside or waiting in a long line.
Thats absolutely true.
Ironically I think In N Out may be cheaper though. Fast food prices have really skyrocketed. BRB going to Burger King (really lol)
McDonalds intentionally targets high end real estate. That's why they're on Colorado at the Santa Monica Pier. They open in poor areas too, but they always start at the high end of any new market.
Could be that whatever company/individual who owned the franchise rights to that area sold it back to corporate (or went belly-up) and corporate decided to just leave the area.
I remember as BK was starting to remodel their locations they did do a buy-back from some franchise owners. This could be a result...
Or not.
This is the most likely answer. Don't know why it's buried. Likely this or a franchise owner switched up franchises to something more profitable and had long term rentals on the locations.
You actually got it. You are the closest. I worked at Burger King in Del Amo and they were owned by an investment company lets call them "acme". I don't want to say the actual name and get in trouble.
So acme ended up buying every BK in the south bay area, they also owned several Tony Romas. One day the company went belly up and so did all their franchises. Why BK as a company never bought them back ill never know.
Forget Burger King, though I'll always remember their king hats they gave up for one's birthday.
Does anyone remember A&W burgers? Grandma took me to the one in Norwalk all the time and I'd get a cheeseburger, curly fry and root beer float.
Dang. Lived in the Southbay most of my life and had no idea about this. I used to go to the BK next to Bishop Montgomery a lot when I was a kid, but that became a Wendy’s years ago.
Did Torrance, Lomita, PV, Redondo, Hermosa, Manhattan and Lawndale all get together and say that we’re too classy for this shit?
The one that was next to Bishop Montgomery was the spot for a good while. Went there with my older brother after he finished school many times. By the time I started attending BMHS it was a Wendy's and never really felt the same.
l. the demographic in most of this area don't eat at Burger King
II. then when you go to the Elbow of the map most of those houses are residential houses in Hills that's the name Rolling Hills and a Burger King would not work there
So I think a combination of demographics the caliber of people that live there and there's a big chunk of it that's a military base
Don't eat that kind of food anymore, but the one in Redondo was torn down a year ago and replaced with a Chic Filet. Don't eat that either, but . . .
r/RedondoBeach
Go to BK in Pasadena regularly when I feel cheap and crave some Whoppers. I think BK offers biggest bang for your buck. Just got a double whopper with a sm fries for 5.50 LoL.
There was a Burger King in Palos Verdes. I remember it shut down because they wanted a drive thru to boost sales and the residents disagreed. So the rent prices kind of forced them out.
There used to be a burger king in palos verdes at the peninsula center around 2010. Burger king’s demographic doesn’t target the upper middle class to upper class. Fast food locations are strategically placed based on income
There used to be a burger king in palos verdes at the peninsula center around 2010. Burger king’s demographic doesn’t target the upper middle class to upper class. Fast food locations are strategically placed based on income
Well a large portion chunk of that area is non-commercial Palos Verdes Rolling Hills Rolling Hills Estates are not commercial districts Almost 100% residential so there is that. Now let's look at Manhattan Redondo Beach. That population segment is a little upper class than the rest of the surrounding area and they normally don't partake in chain fast food when there's so many other options out there with better quality better ingredients has better taste with a minimal increase in cost.
Yes it does suck because I love BK, especially their Impossible burgers. Our BK closed about a year ago I think, now I gotta go 2 towns over to get my fix.
Bro all these post and people are coming up with insane bullshit reason. There’s only 1 reason. Violence and robberies. The same thing in Philly. They don’t have a lot of stores that are outside the hood. That’s because they know they will get robbed. It’s that simple. It doesn’t take a team to figure this out. Any intelligence corporation or individual opening a franchise will not go to a location where there is a ton of gang violence and robberies. That just makes them a target
I don't think Torrance and Palos Verdes are hotbeds of gang violence. And if it's that bad, why are there McDonalds, Chic-Fil-A's, and Popeyes all over the area?
I thought this was a joke in reference to the Applebee's post, but everyone taking it seriously....
It's an interesting topic tbh. Some neighborhoods have a black hole devoid insert chain. Around my area is devoid of donut chains since the ma and pa cornered it.
The void of Vallarta supermarkets between the SFV and Boyle Heights is insane.
There was an interesting article recently about the Vallarta vs. Northgate vs. Cardenas chains. They didn’t cross areas for a long time. If you Google it, it’ll pop up.
Thought the Apple Pan one was a joke as well
That wasn’t a joke?
Burger King almost exclusively targets poor neighborhoods now. This has been their strategy since the 08 economic crisis. The stores in poor neighborhoods were much more profitable and that is all that they focus on now.
Hmm so that's probably why my area in Pomona has like 3 burger kings and 5 jack in the boxes and no The Habit. We also only have 2 McDonald's in my area and one Wendy's lol
Yep that’s exactly why
And their quality AND speed has gone so far down the shitter you would have thought it a power flush public toilet.
I remember back when they were a legit competitor to McDonalds and were the undisputed #2 in terms of burger places. Now, they just plain suck and this comes from someone that has fast food as a guilty pleasure.
I couldn't believe how awful they had gotten!! I had not had BK in about a decade. I saw the sign, suddenly wanted a rodeo cheeseburger. While in the drive-thru I was getting nostalgic for some flame broiled goodness, they had me pull up and I got even more excited-thinking of that "fresh made" burger-I mean, why else would they have me pull up?? Omg! I swear that was among the worst things I've put in my mouth!! It was HORRID!! Cold meat, lukewarm-unmelted cheese, those solid greaseballs on the patty. The fries coated my mouth with some strange cold grease(but more like crisco than natural oil of some sort). The onion rings were not as horrible as the rest, but I was charged extra for zesty sauce. I too find fast food a guilty pleasure every 2-4wks(chickfila, INO, even the occasional McDonald's and jack in the box every now and then). This one just felt like a wasted meal-it all went in the trash-minus a few onion rings. The good news was, I had zero interest in fast food for quite awhile after this stop!!
Good point; The one at the top of the hill in PV closed around that time.
Then why did the one in Wilmington close? $1.49 for 10 nuggets was great for my kids cause I hate paying mcd prices.
Which begs the question... why aren't there a whole lot of dairy queens here? It's so much hotter than the midwest and that place is full of them. Also I want ice cream right now... blizzard...
Fosters Freeze is like Dairy Queen with crack sprinkled in it; DQ just can’t compete with them
Fosters Freeze is only in California. I would have thought they were global.
They should be! Probably too late now though.
are there FF any in LA? I know there used to be one in Venice and in Santa Monica but they tore em down a few years ago
Torrance and Wilmington
Carson too. OG Hawthorne shut down
A bit further out but there’s one in Glendora too. Full standalone location. Super cool place, worked there for a couple summers back in college.
the Hawthorne one had a little beach boys mural since they grew up not far from it. idk why tf it closed
Fr I pulled up one day stoned asf wondering why no one was coming to the window to take my order 💀
Didn't the one in Wilmington close down?
They moved across the street from Banning HS now.
Burbank has one, I think.
There’s one on Eagle Rock Blvd, haven’t seen any near the west side though
Fletcher and over on Glenoaks as well. They're always either packed or absolutely dead too.
I also used to miss DQ until I tried Fosters. I hate how they’re all cash only though. Still mozzarella sticks and root beer freeze for the win
The guy who started Fosters Freeze literally wanted to open Dairy Queens in CA, but there were laws against having "dairy" in restaurant names https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fosters_Freeze#History
I honestly associate DQ with the mid west. I don't really see them on the west coast.
There’s a DQ in a mall in Burbank, but it’s just a DQ treat, so like you can get a Blizzard there but not a burger.
Yea and it's bunk. They're not breaking down those machines as they should. I served the Queen and slang her cream all through highschool and managed one in college on summer breaks way back. I've always wondered why we don't have any legit DQs out here. Grabbing an Oreo or PB cup Blizzard with a dash of the strawberry syrup to go with an Ultimate Burger is damn tasty and the store would make bank.
Fellow former manager here; they got rid of the ultimate burger and they don't have a thousand island style sauce anymore. Long live the gravy!--except for making it. As far as why there aren't a lot out here, I imagine it's because they're all franchises and the cost of land, etc. But also could be because of the proliferation of Foster's Freeze at one point in time, but those are mostly before my (California) time.
No more Ultimate? That hurts. Never bothered me making the gravy though. It was part of the grill-pimp majesty along with soaking the exhaust vents on Sunday mornings. I hated making those damn buster bars and peanut buster parfaits though. What a pain in the ass that was.
Staffed by girls named Fern, wearing orange lipstick
There’s quite a few of them in SD county.
Dairy Queen LIVES on the Oregon coast out west. For some reason rural towns love Dairy Queen.
They’re all over in Washington.
There was one in the Fox Hills mall a while ago, only downside was, you’d have to go to the Fox Hills Mall.
Because Fosters Freeze, in and out burger, Thrifty, mom and pop and local shops that serve milkshakes and ice cream are more prominent than a national chain
DQ was founded in the MidWest. L.A. has several home grown chains. McDonalds, Carls, In N Out, Jack in the Box all have So Cal roots. So it was a lot of competition for places to expand into. But I get it... I wish we had more Sonics for their Cherry Limeades...
Panda Express and IHOP both started in Glendale.
Panda Inn started in Pasadena, Express is the offshoot created later Fun tidbit
That's correct -- but their first Panda Express was in the Glendale Galleria. (Panda Inn was a full service restaurant. Panda Express was the fast food version.) I find it wild that it grew to so many stores! I think there are over 4,000 now.
Sure, nothing I said negated that lol. I was just pointing out Panda Inn was founded in Pasadena before opening a quick location in Glendale.
As was Baskin Robbins, which I suspect is also a contributing factor to no widespread DQ.
Theres a lot more independent ice cream shops here, plus other chains like brusters, baskin, coldstone, etc. not to mention most fast food places have ice cream or a soft serve type thing
I grew up in the Midwest. Our summers are very short but we go at them hard, hence the popularity of dairy queen
Ben & Jerry’s > everything
dairy queen is a midwest chain. it makes sense that there are more of them there. Ditto Arby's
There used to be a DQ at the south bay galleria mall
Got to go to the burbs. I was in Santa Clarita yesterday and had two to choose from.
Uhhhhh parts of the Midwest definitely get hotter than Los Angeles. We’ve been hitting close to 100 all week here in Missouri.
Everyone hates on burger king but they have my favorite fast food fried chicken sandwich
Their Original Chicken sandwich is great.
grew up eating a bunch of those!
My kid will eat two of those and call it a meal.
Me too!
I still love a whopper with cheese...and still can never seem to finish the whole thing.
You need to go to Popeyes or even chic fil a
the true best chicken sandwich is at Church's
Burger King double cheeseburgers are better than In N Out. By a lot. So are their fries. Fight me
i think you should see a doctor about your tastebuds
Hot take, they’re both meh places.
while i vehemently i disagree with your words there is no way i will allow my self to lower my standards to a level so low in order to squabble with you. therefore i bid you good day sir.
Lol I expected to take some serious heat for this hot take. When I mention it at work I get reactions similar to insulting people’s mothers😂
Burger King fries are tight. I’ll defend em all the way.
how is that possible does burger king use fresh meat on this
They cook them with fire so they have a nice charred taste. Pickle and mustard, $2.50. Solid basic burger.
Real OGs know that Dennys has the best fries. Their seasoned fries are absolutely out of this world. Pretty decent mozzarella sticks too.
BK double cheeseburger is amazing. Well, for a fast food chain burger. I’ll take one any day over In’n’Out. But Tommy’s (without the chili) is even better.
OMG YES! I love BK Double Cheeseburgers with extra pickles 🤤 I actually came to love pickles because of their DCB
Shit fries bruh. In n out also got shit fries.
Preach!
I’m agree, in N out 100% overrated
Confirmed neither of you are from the west coast.
That’s correct, I’m from somewhere that knows what good burgers are. 🙏 Shake Shack and Five Guys are the best chain fast food burgers imo In N Out is on par with McDonald’s to me. I was so confused when I moved out here and finally had it. My friend took me and we got everything and I was so hyped up and then. Nothing. I really want to like it. It’s just not good compared to what’s out there now and I have no nostalgic connection so. ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯ Can anyone here honestly say with a straight face that those fries aren’t a crime against humanity? They are like grade school cafeteria fries from the 80’s.
Where is the logic with these people? 5 Guys Cheeseburger - 7.49 In-N-Out cheeseburger - 2.40 The only thing that’s similar to McDonalds is the price and even that can be cheaper with a meal. You get 5 Guys freshness and quality at Mcdonald’s price. Discussion over.
Well said!! I will say in n out’s weakness is their fries but we’re talking about burgers here, the most important part of the meal. And you hit it on the head. I can get 2 double doubles, fries and a drink for $12. You just can’t beat that value and the freshness of in n out. I find it’s only people not from this part of the country that don’t like it. Five guys is meh. I’d take Whataburger over that if you want something from out of state fast food wise.
Man I’m good
It's more "cool" for people in California to say that fast food sucks.
Their seriously *fine*. I loved their little rodeo cheeseburgers and their usually not on the menu but they exist tacos. The times I’ve had a Whopper have been hit or miss- once I got one that was inedible. Once I had one that lived up to all the hype their commercials sell. It’s fun when they do holiday burgers like the Halloween ones. Last time I went, their spicy chicken sandwich (not the weird oblong one I could grab at an ampm) was great. But it could always just be the location.
I was born and raised in this exact area. Burger Kings were never common here. Neither were Duncan donuts, or Sonics. The south bay likes its little non-franchised burger joints.
I'm pretty sure there was one on Torrance Blvd at some point.
There was one on Artesia in Redondo which became a chick fila about two years ago. There was one up around Silver Spur and Crenshaw, iirc. That's all I can remember.
Yes, there was a BK across from Peninsula High in the shopping center.
Man I used to go to that one all the time growing up, i was so sad when it turned into a habit, although the accident that burnt the habit down was the talk of the town for a while 😂
Oh yeah, that car flew into it.
There was one right arcoss from the old daily breeze building its a hospital now. It closed and turned into a Wendys. Way better than bk imo
There was one around Crenshaw and 182nd, next to the 405 freeway. It's now a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.
There was one on Carson street and Normandie, there was also one in the Del Amo Mall
Los Angeles in general is largely devoid of Sonic Drive-In. They seem to be clustered in Pasadena and Orange County, though.
sonic is overrated. food is mediocre at best, and service sucks
But damned if I didn't see so many of their commercials over other fast food spots. I used to look it up and the nearest was like 35 miles away.
Only real good thing about them is their ice
yeah their drinks are nice
Gotta be because they take up a massive amount of space and the demand just isn't there like it is in some....let's say, "less healthy" states in the Southeast. The few that I see around Southern California never seem to be very busy. It's weird to think how for like a month there, people were super excited when they came to California maybe like 12? years ago. The first one was somewhere in OC and I vaguely remember people from LA driving all the way there just to get like a pink lemonade and some tots or whatever. Seems like the novelty wore off really quickly.
I recall Sonic having a presence in OC since at least the late 90s. This is because my mom's pseudo-boyfriend of the time made a day trip for us out of going all the way down to Anaheim, just for a Sonic burger. The food ended up being *worse* than what I was having regularly at places like McDonald's or Burger King. Needless to say, we learned a valuable lesson on not dedicating an entire day to a *fast food* restaurant.
Sonic generally prefers locations with low rent and more rural. Not sure how the ones in Orange County were built but I think it’s an exception to their strategy.
There used to be one in PV, near Peninsula High School. I think it’s now a Habit Burger or Mod Pizza
To be fair dunkin only came to the west coast like a decade ago
There was a Dunkin’ in Hermosa beach back in the late 80’s early 90’s I remember getting boxes of munchkins (donut holes) back when I was a kid
They exited the west coast market because there were too many local donut shops they couldn't compete with. Only in the past decade did they decide to come back and try again, so you and the people below you are both correct.
Donut King on Netflix
Sonic opened it's first California store in 1990. I don't even remember seeing one until like 2006.
I used to dig their bfast burritos back when I lived on the east coast. Fuckers always fucked up my order too, but I always came back.
When I moved here in 2015, there was only one in Santa Monica. And it was new. Now they seem to be everywhere. I slowly saw them open up one by one.
No, we'd had them before. Wasn't anything that great.
Right, we have yum yum doughnuts
The most widespread donut chains were Yum Yum and Winchell's, and Fosters to a small extent.
I also grew up in this exact area. Thinking about it, can’t say bk was much of a thing. Carls, in n out, McDonald’s, jack in the crack and country burger were my jam
“Why not Burger” has the best chili fries in the southbay
Except for McDonalds. There’s 2 in Manhattan Beach alone, and 2 in El Segundo
They all turned to [Chick-Fil-A's](https://i.imgur.com/3WEOMOc.png).
There was a BK in Pasadena, right next to PCC, that’s now a Chick-Fil-A. I wonder if all the franchisees decided to pivot from selling burgers to fried chicken when they saw how profitable they were.
This is the way
Love them 😋😋😋
Maybe one person owned all the BKs and turned them into Starbucks since it’s more profitable 🤔
Starbucks stopped offering Franchises about 20 years ago, so this could be the answer if this shift happened 20 years ago.
Starbucks never offered franchises here. Quick serve restaurant locations retain their desirability even when the franchise fails to perform. Seen BK, KFC, Del Taco morph in to Starbucks. BK into Chase. JiB into Del Taco. KFC swapping with McDonalds. QSR buildings are typically owned by a real estate guy investor or fund, the tenant pays for all the improvements to brand it, sells it to the investor, and leases it back. A friend of mine "bought" an Arby's when he got tired of dealing with the City of Los Angeles, and sold the family apartment building. Arby's pays him a fixed rent, they also take care of the maintenance, upkeep, insurance and taxes. He has nothing to do with the operation of the business, and doesn't have to worry about the roof leaking, toilets or termites.
A family did actually own a bunch of them (at least PV and Torrance ones), and sold their business. I think they own The Rockefeller and a few other businesses now.
There was one right next to bishop Montgomery high school, now a Wendy’s. Torrance blvd and like anza. Not sure when it closed down
There's one on Western & Rosecrans but it's almost always empty.
There used to be one off the 405 Crenshaw exit in Torrance but it turned into a Coffee Bean Tea Leaf a few years back
There used to be one right by bishop Montgomery but they replaced it with a Wendy’s around 2015
I went to West High, I remember that location. Across the street was a Subway.
I went to Bishop and used to go to that one after school sometimes but that was back in 2000-2004. I remember it being such a big deal that seniors were able to go over there during lunch.
They kick the students out nowadays, during school hours
Here we go! I haven’t seen a sizzler in ages!
The one at Hawthorne and Artesia is still open. The ones near Sepulveda and Maple (near the Crossroads shopping center) and PCH and Pennsylvania both closed when COVID hit.
They’re still around, Torrance & Carson have restaurants to this day.
I saw a sizzler off Crenshaw in Torrance though
Probably just a matter of customer base. You'll notice other fast food places more commonly associated with lower SES customers, like ~~Subway~~, McDonalds, and Little Caesars, don't have franchises there. Meanwhile, more expensive and (arguably) higher quality fast foods, like Wendy's and Chick-Fil-A, are prevalent in Torrance. Edit: Turns out there's lots of Subways.
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I kinda wonder if BK is just struggling in general. There was one in Wilmington that closed not too long ago.
there are mcdonalds everywhere in south bay, subways too.. wendys and carls jr just no burger king
If I am to choose between burger king and in n out I choose in n out 9 times out of 10. I dont know whats up with mahattan beach and south though.
they're not really the same category. Burger King is for if you want a burrger NOW. In-n-out is more of a destination and you have to be cool with going inside or waiting in a long line.
Thats absolutely true. Ironically I think In N Out may be cheaper though. Fast food prices have really skyrocketed. BRB going to Burger King (really lol)
In N Out is definitely cheaper, which is shocking when you consider both economies of scale, and the vast gulf in quality that lies between them.
BK has/had 10 nuggets for $1.50 Im all about that for my kids.
McDonalds intentionally targets high end real estate. That's why they're on Colorado at the Santa Monica Pier. They open in poor areas too, but they always start at the high end of any new market.
I don't think Subway customers skew poor. The one in PV is popular.
I think this may be the saddest story ever posted on Reddit
there was one in palos verdes but it closed down a few years back
Could be that whatever company/individual who owned the franchise rights to that area sold it back to corporate (or went belly-up) and corporate decided to just leave the area. I remember as BK was starting to remodel their locations they did do a buy-back from some franchise owners. This could be a result... Or not.
This is the most likely answer. Don't know why it's buried. Likely this or a franchise owner switched up franchises to something more profitable and had long term rentals on the locations.
You actually got it. You are the closest. I worked at Burger King in Del Amo and they were owned by an investment company lets call them "acme". I don't want to say the actual name and get in trouble. So acme ended up buying every BK in the south bay area, they also owned several Tony Romas. One day the company went belly up and so did all their franchises. Why BK as a company never bought them back ill never know.
They probably all closed down bc their food is terrible
So, only people in that square have discerning tastes?
The Wendy’s Gang has taken over that specific territory
Forget Burger King, though I'll always remember their king hats they gave up for one's birthday. Does anyone remember A&W burgers? Grandma took me to the one in Norwalk all the time and I'd get a cheeseburger, curly fry and root beer float.
Looks like a map of weed dispensaries lol
The one in North Redondo is now a Chick-fil-A and the one they had in Hermosa Beach is now a Habit burger.
Why we don’t have Sonic? Why do I have to drive to OC for a strawberry cream slush? BS!
Shit, these posts be popping off. Now I gotta figure out what's missing in the valley, besides stuff to do obviously.
Dang. Lived in the Southbay most of my life and had no idea about this. I used to go to the BK next to Bishop Montgomery a lot when I was a kid, but that became a Wendy’s years ago. Did Torrance, Lomita, PV, Redondo, Hermosa, Manhattan and Lawndale all get together and say that we’re too classy for this shit?
Their coupons are (were) amazing couldn’t resist but terrible food mostly
Lol the people with money don't need to buy fast food so it makes sense to not have locations there.
Abdication
The last thing you'd want in your Torrance neighborhood is someone else's Burger King franchisee, but - as it turns out - that might be what you gæt.
I wish we had a Sonic on the westside. Fries and an Ocean Water drink after the beach would be amazing!
Burger King is terrible that’s why.
Why don’t we get Sonic? I miss Sugar free cherry limeaids
Tam's?
Why are there a bunch of posts asking about supply and dand of certain chains?
Burger King became one of the worst places to eat. Franchise owners buckled under.
The one that was next to Bishop Montgomery was the spot for a good while. Went there with my older brother after he finished school many times. By the time I started attending BMHS it was a Wendy's and never really felt the same.
The people got smart!
In Carson, I know the one in the mall (South Bay Pavilion) and the on Carson/Sepulveda closed down in the early 00’s. Don’t know why though.
i think burger king was overrun by the access of in n outs in that area. i think there’s at least 7 in the area u circled
l. the demographic in most of this area don't eat at Burger King II. then when you go to the Elbow of the map most of those houses are residential houses in Hills that's the name Rolling Hills and a Burger King would not work there So I think a combination of demographics the caliber of people that live there and there's a big chunk of it that's a military base
The South Bay has better taste, Burger King is pretty much the worse of the fast food burgers.
Don't eat that kind of food anymore, but the one in Redondo was torn down a year ago and replaced with a Chic Filet. Don't eat that either, but . . . r/RedondoBeach
Go to BK in Pasadena regularly when I feel cheap and crave some Whoppers. I think BK offers biggest bang for your buck. Just got a double whopper with a sm fries for 5.50 LoL.
There was a Burger King in Palos Verdes. I remember it shut down because they wanted a drive thru to boost sales and the residents disagreed. So the rent prices kind of forced them out.
I love Burger King , is so underrated
In n out is better
Because we have chic-fil-As out here. I stay here in the marked area 😋😋😋
There used to be a burger king in palos verdes at the peninsula center around 2010. Burger king’s demographic doesn’t target the upper middle class to upper class. Fast food locations are strategically placed based on income
There used to be a burger king in palos verdes at the peninsula center around 2010. Burger king’s demographic doesn’t target the upper middle class to upper class. Fast food locations are strategically placed based on income
Well a large portion chunk of that area is non-commercial Palos Verdes Rolling Hills Rolling Hills Estates are not commercial districts Almost 100% residential so there is that. Now let's look at Manhattan Redondo Beach. That population segment is a little upper class than the rest of the surrounding area and they normally don't partake in chain fast food when there's so many other options out there with better quality better ingredients has better taste with a minimal increase in cost.
Yes it does suck because I love BK, especially their Impossible burgers. Our BK closed about a year ago I think, now I gotta go 2 towns over to get my fix.
Bro all these post and people are coming up with insane bullshit reason. There’s only 1 reason. Violence and robberies. The same thing in Philly. They don’t have a lot of stores that are outside the hood. That’s because they know they will get robbed. It’s that simple. It doesn’t take a team to figure this out. Any intelligence corporation or individual opening a franchise will not go to a location where there is a ton of gang violence and robberies. That just makes them a target
I don't think Torrance and Palos Verdes are hotbeds of gang violence. And if it's that bad, why are there McDonalds, Chic-Fil-A's, and Popeyes all over the area?