Is it me, or does the Panera Bread link look a lot like BRO?
http://www.panerabread.com/about/company/history.php
Is it me, or does the Panera Bread link look a lot like BRO?
http://www.panerabread.com/about/company/history.php
I gave Joshua a 5 for this: ! " What's the deal, I took a look on Trader Joe's website and the Buffalo site is not even included. I guess it's super top secret"
We are so good at not recognizing what we have sitting in our own backyard...
Nothing wrong with chains.....most are genius! AND worth spreading.....don't hate.
Trader Joes!! OMG!! I LOVE TRADER JOES!!!.....hehehe....
It is a good store..and it was a good joke...unfortunately there is only one in new york state :(
Joshua - "it must be super top secret" - haha..you are a funny boy.. :)
No need for name calling "WeLovePanos." It just makes yourself look bad.
Real estate is more expensive in Pittsburgh yet the food prices are cheaper. Care to explain that? It's called more COMPETITION in the market. Go back and take an economics class.
No, Dan, food chains aren't necessarily "evil" - but they are generally bland and unimaginative and the food is prepared by low paid employees who have very little regard or knowledge about food or cooking beyond what they were taught by some manager.
And if you think Mighty Taco represent a "good" chain or "quality" food, I have some stuff on the bottom of my shoe that you might like.
What's the deal, I took a look on Trader Joe's website and the Buffalo site is not even included. I guess it's super top secret.
The Trader Joe's comment...at the beginning of this thread. Which lead to people getting all bent out of shape and taking me literally. People if there was a Trader Joe's (or soon to be TJ's) in this city, the news wouldn't come from a comment on an Au Bon Pain thread.
The joke's no longer funny when you have to explain it.
Buffalo: city of people who take everything too damn literally.
People, are we really going to have the Trader Joe's/Whole Foods conversation again! :)
Dan, my thought behind the "even though it's a chain" qualifier is that we rarely feature chains in YUM, especially those that are not owned locally.
And, you may be right urbanexpolorer. The BNMC is astonishing and worthy of any credit it is due. So can someone define the Medical Corridor for me? I thought that the Medical Corridor included the BNMC and every other structure in that vicinity that is tied in with the study and practice of medicine.
I love the qualifiers: "even though it's a chain."
Don't forget the secret Chipotle in the Buff State student union, the secret Costco in the Larkin Warehouse, the secret P.F. Chang's in the CrossPoint Business Park, and the secret Ikea in the abandoned gypsum mines underneath Amherst.
I love the qualifiers: "even though it's a chain." Chains are TEH EEEEEVIL! Well, except for Wegmans, Anderson's, Teds, Mighty Taco, Bagel Jay's, Hoagie Brothers, Mike's Giant Subs, John and Mary's, Spot Coffee, Valu Home Centers, Hector's Hardware ...
Don't forget the secret Chipotle in the Buff State student union, the secret Costco in the Larkin Warehouse, the secret P.F. Chang's in the CrossPoint Business Park, and the secret Ikea in the abandoned gypsum mines underneath Amherst.
thanks Jules. I'll turn im my economics degree from Columbia to work with you!!!
idiots... Real estate in those cities us higher than ours thus leading to higher prices of products.
Aldi is owned by a German company called Aldi.
Trader Joe's is owned by a California company called Trader Joe's.
that stupid amherst ikea. there was all sorts dust on my modern swedish furniture. it looked like i had been cutting drywall in the livingroom!
Jules - you're right, and I'm wrong. But I'll note that this doesn't mean that TJ is owned by Aldi, which was what was originally claimed. They're owned by the same family trust, but are separate and distinct companies.
i gave sayvanderlay a "five" for giving me a five - thanks! :-) galaxyjay - i gave you all fives.
not to be picky but Au Bon Pain is located on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (not medical corridor). BNMC is way more than a 'medical corridor'.
sayvanderlay - i don't think the links are the, i think it's you ------ j/k :-)
We're not reading our Wall Street journal, are we, Buffalopundit? Trader Joe's was indeed founded by a californian some forty-odd years ago but was quietly sold to Aldi which wants to maintain the impression that T.J.s is still the merry old SoCal redoubt of hawaiian shirts and bells at every register.
That is incorrect. TJ was sold to a family trust that also controls Aldi. That doesn't mean TJ is owned by Aldi. It's owned by the same company that also owns Aldi.
The dark, sinister truth is that Germans control every little morsel of frozen Tiramisu and gawdawful Hefeweissen at Trader Joe's. For more info, just call the legendary retail analyst Burt Flickinger III.
Given my experiences in the basement supermarkets of Kaufhof and Hertie, I have no problem with German supermarkets, Aldi notwithstanding.
Actually Trader Joe's and Aldi ARE owned by the same parent company. TJ's doesn't like to advertise this--but it's a fact.
Also, Wegman's is overpriced and the 'shoppers club' card is a farce at this point. I've taken to shopping at Feel Rite for my organic/vegetarian needs. Until Trader Joe's and Whole Foods comes to town Wegman's will continue to price their produce and organic foodstuffs at a price point higher than the national average. The food prices in Pittsburgh were drastically cheaper than those in Buffalo. And why's that? Competition from TJ's and Whole Foods. As soon as TJ's came to town Whole Foods dropped their prices. (Confirmed by people I knew who worked there.) In addition, the Giant Eagle chain had much better sales on their products to compete with WF and TJ's.
To tell you the truth, I didn't even know that there was a hotel there. Thank God for BRO!
I think the only reason we should be hoping for a Whole Foods is the reason Jules pointed out. I used to choose between shopping at Whole Foods, a local co-op, or a Harris Teeter, and it took weekly trips to all 3 to get what I wanted at affordable prices. Now I can just hit Wegmans, with occasional forays to our co-op for specialty items. That's interesting that Pittsburgh's Wegmans is cheaper than the Buffalo ones...because last month I was in the Fairfax (Virginia) Wegmans, and, although it was more upscale, their prices were a LOT higher than Buffalo's on many of the items I usually buy here. And they've got a Trader Joes and a Whole Foods just around the "corner" (or mall-sprawl complex). I'm sure that has to do with what people around those parts are willing to spend for their food, but I was still surprised at such a difference...
Anyway, I'm just glad to get away from the Whole Foods experience, after really feeling limited to it for so many years. I like the ability to go into Wegmans and get organic produce and flour and cereal and local milk (I LOVE that they have local, rather than simply organic and conventional milk!!) at reasonable prices. It's DEFINITELY cheaper than at Whole Foods - at least North Carolina's Whole Foods.
Trader Joes is owned by a german company, Aldi, that is primarily owned by a superrich family. And the food there is timid and not worth the price of admission. You're better off at Wegmans. As for IKEA, go there for the meatballs with lingonberry sauce, but the furniture? Can you say 'Popular Mechanics, page 79'?
ps we have 4 whole foods here in las vegas and 5 trader joes and let me just say that they're not all they're hyped to be... TJs is marginal and WF is expensive
The Shoppers Club card is not just for shopper discounts. I have twice now received recall notices from Wegmans for specific items I purchased that were recalled (not Wegman's brands). I was and am still impressed with Wegmans.
Well, we do have:
- Wegmans - Tops - Aldi - Quality - Dash's
I find Wegmans to have better quality and lower prices than Tops. Dash's (at least the one at Klein & Hopkins in W'ville) has the best quality meats, deli, and prepared foods of all, IMHO.
I agree Christa. People I know down south that have Wholefoods and TJ's wish they had Wegmans. They say it everytime time they visit. My collegues in NYC put Wholefoods and Wegmans on the same level too.
Okay, Guys-
We'll be running a full post discussing Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and our local supermarkets tomorrow.
Some of the comments made here and in many of the other comment strings that have shown up over the last year will be cited. Perhaps we can continue this conversation then? Hopefully I will have had responses from both chains by then.
I any of you urban planner/business types have any insight on the numbers either of these chains look at in order to determine locations, please contact me at yum@buffalorising.com
lol at the last comment... people have to understand that there is way more to economics that micro 101. Good call panos.
And for the record, I shop at the Wegmans in Fairfax because Trader Joes and Whole Foods are way overpriced. People in Buffalo should rejoice at the prevalence of Wegmans in the area. Just because its different does not make it better.
As for the post at hand, its too bad there isn't another au bon pain dt. Here in DC there are a few and they serve great food. I'm sure they would be able to compete with all the donut joints dt at lunch time.
About Pittsburgh grocery stores, Giant Eagle is one of the WORST grocery stores in the country. Aside from one or two locations they are dirty bland and are employed by mean "yinzers" that rarely smile. The produce is subpar and the prices are high. To top it off you can't even pick up a case of beer there to make it better because of old PA laws. Now that I live in Falls Church VA I am so happy to have two amazing Wegmans with amazing wine stores inside them in the area. I took Wegmans for granted growing up in Buffalo, Wegmans is cool and I along with many here who are new to it love it.
We're not reading our Wall Street journal, are we, Buffalopundit? Trader Joe's was indeed founded by a californian some forty-odd years ago but was quietly sold to Aldi which wants to maintain the impression that T.J.s is still the merry old SoCal redoubt of hawaiian shirts and bells at every register. The dark, sinister truth is that Germans control every little morsel of frozen Tiramisu and gawdawful Hefeweissen at Trader Joe's. For more info, just call the legendary retail analyst Burt Flickinger III.
I drove by this about a month ago and had to do a double take. I had no idea it was there! Nice to have another quick option for lunch, even if it is a chain.
Giant Eagle Marketplace could easily compete with Wegmans. Of course there are some bad ones but since I only shopped at GE for staples that I didn't need from WF or TJ's it didn't matter. Why do I care where I get my seltzer from? Just as long as it's cheaper than Wegmans, it doesn't make a difference if the person who rings me out smiles or not.
I think the misunderstanding here is price. Giant Eagle was cheaper when it came to regular groceries/frozen foods.
Maybe I don't care about Wegmans because I don't visit the deli/prepared foods counter there. Why? Because I don't eat meat. And most things there are made w/ meat or not made w/ ingredients I would put in my body. At Whole Foods, I trust the ingredients in their prepared foods and bakery. Hence the reason I want one in Buffalo.
Trader Joe's is an evil chain that employs people who don't care and they carry bland, unimaginative food. So far, that's what I've learned. That and the fact that you all now know about the secret Amherst IKEA. Bastards.
Hey Jules - is it your time of the month?? Your name calling comment...you are making yourself look bad in every post!!
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