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tesg's guide to big chain road food consumption
CHAIN -- B-Bops Remember the mid-1980's when the "double drive-thru" craze came along? One guy threw one together, had 99-cent quarter-pound burgers, and the next summer pretty much every city had a rip-off of it. PepsiCo even tried it on a national scale with Hot n Now. In one town I lived in, somebody tried to buy part of a used car lot for such an operation, but when he explained to the property owner what he had in mind, the property owner turned him down...and actually built one himself. Today, very few of those chains are still around. B-Bops is one of those. Longtime restaurant operator Bob Johnson jumped on the double drive-thru craze with B-Bops. The original store opened in 1988 on E Euclid in Des Moines amid several abandoned storefronts and a three-screen porn theatre. They must have done something right...They're still there while almost everything around them has been demolished in favor of redevelopment. Even Sonic came and went. B-Bops is still building the double drive-thru's (they also have a walk-up window and patio seating), but they've tried some other designs as well, including the addition of indoor seating and a mall food court location (with jacked-up mall food court pricing to match). Expansion included cities outside of the Des Moines metro in Iowa, Nebraska, and Illinois, but every location outside the Des Moines metro (except Ames) has failed. Still, they're trying to franchise. I don't quite get that...The cheap burger business is a thin margin one, and franchise fees just cut into that. If I had any suggestion, it would be to enter new markets in developments close to residential neighborhoods, not on the frontage of Wal-Marts. Bring the food to the people instead of getting lost on big box frontage. The menu includes the quarter pound single burger, which you can order with cheese and/or in a double-patty version. The burgers are charbroiled and loaded and always taste fresh. They're REALLY good...far better and fresher than the charbroiled taste of Burger King...and regularly appear in "best burger" awards in town. Have fries (cheese sauce or ranch dressing are optional) or chili with your burger. The chili isn't bad either. There's also a couple of chicken sandwiches and a pork loin fritter. And they have one of the better fast food milkshakes. B-Bops consistently wins "best burger" awards in Des Moines. It's those great tasting burgers and the reputation that comes with them that has kept B-Bops in business. Click here to return to tesg's guide to big chain road food consumption |
