Place looks good. The closest one is in the Bronx. Wish it were a tad closer. I would be a huge customer.
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Johnny Rockets
Place looks good. The closest one is in the Bronx. Wish it were a tad closer. I would be a huge customer.
Just what Santo Domingo needs, another food franchise
Get ready, we are fast approaching the era of the gorditas!
It the only country I have been in that the local population consider Wendy's upscale. hehehe
Compared to what? More developed countries or other third world?
IMO, anywhere in the world where you have to work over one hour to almost 3 hours in order to enjoy a big Mac should be a privilege. For those that will never be able to afford it, can only lick their chops.
And that is not even taking in consideration that Wendy is much more expensive than Macdonalds.
Robert, you're not kidding. But that's for everyone outside of the %1 or that have traveled once or twice.
Man, it really makes me sick when dominicans buy into that bull****. Literally. I got nauseous when people felt the need to stampede into IKEA just for the sake of window-shopping.
I personally feel like that NOT finding those things is what made DR awesome. I cringed the day that they reopened Wendy's....not to say that I didn't get a Baconator, lol, but you get what I mean.
Man, it really makes me sick when dominicans buy into that bull****. Literally. I got nauseous when people felt the need to stampede into IKEA just for the sake of window-shopping.
I personally feel like that NOT finding those things is what made DR awesome. I cringed the day that they reopened Wendy's....not to say that I didn't get a Baconator, lol, but you get what I mean.
I LOVE JOHNNY ROCKettssssssssss............
Have eaten
there many times....
GREAT BURGERS..... GREAT VANILLA COKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IN THE STATES OF COURSE.........
Have eaten
there many times....
GREAT BURGERS..... GREAT VANILLA COKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IN THE STATES OF COURSE.........
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The franchises in the DR are looking better than same chains in the US. I keep seeing "new" franchises in the US that weren't around 10 years ago and now have over 400 storefronts. But I think we're heading for a bubble and some of the classic chains are going to go under first. HoJo's has been gone for years and I think Friendly's is on its way out.
What's next for the DR? A Tim Horton's/ Cold Stone?
What's next for the DR? A Tim Horton's/ Cold Stone?
If you could please open a Best Buy, Home Depot, Trader Joe's and a FRY's Electronics I would be very appreciative. Another hamburger joint is nothing to "write home about".
It's funny. My decision to visit the D.R. for the first time came after years of time share ownership in Aruba and Sint Maarten and when we got to the Capital and found all the alternatives to the Americonsumerization of those places with Dunkin Donuts on every other corner, Tony Roma's, Hooters, Outback Steakhouse, Benihana, etc..etc..etc. it was like a breath of fresh air. One by one these franchises are now showing up in the D.R. and taking our breath away. Again.
You should have seen us the first time we ate at Segura, Adrian Tropical, Vesuvio, hell even Eagle Sports Bar and La Basa (home of the hardest fried pork chops on Earth) were a wonderful departure from what seems to be happening in most of the Caribbean. Italian food in most of Santo Domingo's Italian restaurants tastes more like Italian food from Italy than Italian food in the US and even low end restaurants like LaLasagne understand antipasto better than most mid-range "Italian" restaurants in the States. Caribbean food? Forgetabouddit, Santo Domingo has more modestly priced, great Caribbean food restaurants than I could ever visit in a lifetime. This is why I come. I can spend a whole lot less time and money going to Johnny Rockets and Hooters and Hard Rock and TGI Fridays and Tony Roma's and (yuchh!) Wendy's and McDonalds and KFC on a trip to Florida (and still get to brush up on my Spanish).
I liked the D.R. exactly the way I found it. I went there to get away from the familiar. The World of Grey.
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You should have seen us the first time we ate at Segura, Adrian Tropical, Vesuvio, hell even Eagle Sports Bar and La Basa (home of the hardest fried pork chops on Earth) were a wonderful departure from what seems to be happening in most of the Caribbean. Italian food in most of Santo Domingo's Italian restaurants tastes more like Italian food from Italy than Italian food in the US and even low end restaurants like LaLasagne understand antipasto better than most mid-range "Italian" restaurants in the States. Caribbean food? Forgetabouddit, Santo Domingo has more modestly priced, great Caribbean food restaurants than I could ever visit in a lifetime. This is why I come. I can spend a whole lot less time and money going to Johnny Rockets and Hooters and Hard Rock and TGI Fridays and Tony Roma's and (yuchh!) Wendy's and McDonalds and KFC on a trip to Florida (and still get to brush up on my Spanish).
I liked the D.R. exactly the way I found it. I went there to get away from the familiar. The World of Grey.
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Ahhhh, the good old days...:cheeky:
I guess the rest of the world is supposed to support "progress," just not our favorite vacation spots. THAT is supposed to stay cheap and simple...
And somebody correct me if'n I'm wrong: is there some sort of requirement that expats and vacationers are required to eat in chain food joints against their will?
I'm not the least bit surprised that upwardly mobile Dominicans want something besides boiled platanos, pica pollo and rice and beans for a change...
I guess the rest of the world is supposed to support "progress," just not our favorite vacation spots. THAT is supposed to stay cheap and simple...
And somebody correct me if'n I'm wrong: is there some sort of requirement that expats and vacationers are required to eat in chain food joints against their will?
I'm not the least bit surprised that upwardly mobile Dominicans want something besides boiled platanos, pica pollo and rice and beans for a change...
It is entirely possible to eat an occasional McDonalds, Johnny Rockets or Hooters without being a fat, lazy sloth.Some "progress".
But like other addictions...sex, alcohol, drugs...some can't.
Don't blame the hamburger for Rosie O'Donnell or Whoopie Goldberg becoming obese anymore than blaming the SUV for the crash or a gun for a firearm death.
YOUR* ability to not control what you put in your mouth or on your d!ck is not my problem and I shouldn't have to suffer for your lack of self control.
I'm totally cool with any franchise any businessman wants to put in the DR. I'm all about personal choices...
(*The generic, non-personal "you.")
That's not what bothers me. People will indulge in whatever they want. Facilitating fast food to dominicans doesn't mean that they'll westernize their whole diet.
Maybe it's just me, but it just makes me sick when dominicans go crazy over some foreign chain or commodity coming to town.
Maybe it's just me, but it just makes me sick when dominicans go crazy over some foreign chain or commodity coming to town.
I'm a Dominican and trust me I would rather have a plate of Arroz con Chivo any day instead of a Big Mac, but what you have to understand is that this is new stuff to the average Dominican who's been hearing about these restaurants on cable TV for years, but have never had the chance to actually taste it.
This is why the DR middle class who can't really afford to eat this every day, but once in a while goes bananas over this and it's a treat when they can take their kids out to Mcdonalds, Wendy's, etc...The upper middle class and up loves to have restaurants like Chili's, TGIF, outback steakhouse, etc cause these are places that a little above Wendy's et al and they may have even visited them if they ever came to The US or other countries.
It's not a Dominican phenomenon. In Mexico for instance the people I work with would rather go to TGIF or Starbucks than the local restaurants or coffee shops which BTW are Wayyyyy better, but everyone always wants what's not readily available.
I am not opposed to these franchises either, even though I would rather go to Adrian Tropical or some place with local fare, but at least it gives people choices and who knows if I lived there permanently I'm sure there would be days when I would feel like some ribs from Tony Roma or some blooming onion from Outback instead of Rice and Guandules con bacalo...mmmm...getting hungry.
I love the babybacks from Tony Romas in La Sarasota, lol, don't get me wrong. I go to all of these places, yet look forward tot he sancocho waiting for me at home.....I guess the IKEA stampede really pist me off. It's like, we've come a really long way to losing our sense of self when we, as people, love to have extremely high demands and go for things with "mala fe", yet....when a bones thrown at us, we go crazy. The choices don't bother me at all, it's the uproar that certain things cause. Makes people from the outside looking in think of, and eventually treat us, as, no better than the Taino's that went crazy over mirrors and traded all their gold away for it.
Btw: Not a fan of bacalao, but moro de guandules con chivo guisao and maybe some guineitos on the side if it's not too much to ask, lol.
I moved to DR when I was 10 and the first thing I noticed when I was a kid, about these sort of things, was when McDonalds first came onto the scene some years later. Dude, the place was PACKED and people didn't even know why they were there, for the most part, lol.
And omfg, El Tunel de la 27. Did you know that people would have tours to go through it from ALL over the country? LOL, it used to frustrate the hell out of me. Now it's more like, ok, I get it....but I still can't shake the feeling of "come on, man....really? it's not that big a deal."
Hey Doc T...tours of the tunnel? Well let me tell you back when I was a kid one of the things my family did was make the trip to Higuey for La Virgen de La Altagracia's celebrations on Dec. 21st or August 14th. In my hometown there was a lady and later a guy who organized these trips. You'd pay a per person fee and you'd have to get your own food, accommodations, etc. Back then hardly anyone had a car. These trips were a lot of fun too...you wanted to make sure you sit in the back of the bus "La Cocina" we called it which was where all the jokes, and partying was going on...but I digress.
Normally there were several stops on this trip. On the way out we would stop at the zoo and "Los Tres Ojos". Sometimes at Jardin Botanico as well...annnnnd one stop was at the airport - Yes that old airport before they fixed it up - so people could see the planes taking off and landing. Most of us had never seen one up close, so it was definitely something interesting and people would be in awe. At the time you still were able to go right up to the gates. I remember one year a guy was put in jail because when we were at the airport and he got the urged to take a pi$$. Apparently not being able to find a restroom he decided to go in the bushes in front of the airport and a cop showed up and hauled him to jail. Fun times....
Normally there were several stops on this trip. On the way out we would stop at the zoo and "Los Tres Ojos". Sometimes at Jardin Botanico as well...annnnnd one stop was at the airport - Yes that old airport before they fixed it up - so people could see the planes taking off and landing. Most of us had never seen one up close, so it was definitely something interesting and people would be in awe. At the time you still were able to go right up to the gates. I remember one year a guy was put in jail because when we were at the airport and he got the urged to take a pi$$. Apparently not being able to find a restroom he decided to go in the bushes in front of the airport and a cop showed up and hauled him to jail. Fun times....
What Dominicans missed are not McDonalds hamburgers, but McDonald's hamburgers for $.15. I remember the original Golden Arches where a burger, fries and a shake was under $1. And you had to eat outside...
Me too.... and my daddy owned that exact Ford that's parked under the sign - 1957???
I'll take this over rice&beans anyday of the week!!!!!!! Did I just really say that?
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