Charlie Brown's Steakhouse closes 13 N.J. restaurants
It seems more and more restaurants are closing. Business must be bad all over.I was never a fan of these restaurants but I fell badly for all of the employees who are losing their jobs.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010...
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The Charlie Browns Scotch Plains is still going strong, completely renovated a few years ago, the place is packed on Friday and Saturday nights and the other nights are busy also.....I stopped in for a drink recently on a Tuesday, and the rooms were almost full.
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Charlie Browns
443 S Main St, Forked River, NJ 08731›28 Replies-
re: LEOFONT
"The Charlie Browns Scotch Plains is still going strong"
I'm glad to read your post. I think low cost chains meet a real need for affordable dining. Those of us still fortunate to be able to dine in pricier establishments should be sensitive to the many who have suffered a drastic downward change of lifestyle. I think it's great that people, espicially the senior population, can still enjoy the pleasure of an affordable meal out, be it an Olive Garden, Ruby Tuesdays, or any other value priced restaurant. I'm sure Charlie Browns will be missed more for it's affordability than for it's food.
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Olive Garden
83 Weston Ct, Wayne, NJ 07470Charlie Browns
443 S Main St, Forked River, NJ 08731-
re: Tay
Well, an add-on to that is that, unlike with many other low-cost chains, it is very easy to eat healthy at Charlie Brown's. Whenever I have been on a diet, that has been my go-to restaurant when people want to go out to dinner on the cheap. It's one of the few places where my diabetic mother knows she will be able to choose from an array of reasonably healthy foods. Yes, they have their greasy bomb dishes, but it's just as easy to eat healthy there.
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re: Tay
equal_Mark
Mar 15, 2011 10:24 AM
"The Charlie Browns Scotch Plains is still going strong"
So was the Tinton Falls location right up until the day it closed. There were lines for dinner pretty much every day. Not sure that the patronage or lack thereof was the ultimate cause of the shutdowns...
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re: jfedorko
ellen4441
Mar 15, 2011 01:58 PM
ok, here we go !! I'm telling ! Well, it IS owner operated, even tho it's a franchise..
It IS the GOLDEN CORRAL ! (buffet)
REAL GOOD charbroiled steaks right off the charbroiler grill ...!
$10.79 for dinner, plus $1.99 for beverage...
new location just opened 3 weeks ago in my Atlantic City area...
1 mile away from my condo...Egg Harbor Township, NJhectic atmosphere, but real decent..
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re: big1515
tommy
Mar 19, 2011 12:07 PM
Luger is # one because it is expensive? LOL. Sounds like you're conflating price with "quality," which I'm sure plenty of restaurants would appreciate.
But this is all a red herring, since we were discussing tenderloin, which of course is different than porterhouse.
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re: tommy
menton1
Mar 20, 2011 08:58 AM
Of course. And then there's that place in Ft Lee (Prime & Beyond?) that charges by the pound, so a Luger-type steak there is about $65. That has to be the best!
BTW, "grille" in French (I suppose that's why they spell it that way?) is pronounced "GREE" and means "railing". Hmmm...
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re: jfedorko
I dine at CBs a few times a year & I can't remember the last time I've had a bad meal there. For dinner, I always have the prime rib which is tender and tasty without fail. I prepare rib roast several times a year and take the trouble to age the roast so I'm particular when it comes to rib roast. My only carp is that their "rare" is closer to medium-rare which is quite common in restaurants. When Ellen4441 complains about the rib roast, I'm thinking she must have the worst luck in the world. And if she got the small cut, perhaps she didn't specify the queen or cowboy cut when she ordered.
The salad is bar has great variety & good quality. Last summer, they served lobster rolls & lobster melt sandwiches at lunch which were very good at more than reasonable prices.
I haven't been there since the bankruptcy filing so maybe food quality has changed. And maybe I've just ordered the right things - all restaurants do some things better than others. If an older crowd bothers you, don't go.
And Tommy is probably right - the filet mignon at Ruth Chris is not prime. Check their menu on-line if you don't believe. Doesn't say prime like all the other cuts so most likely choice - same as CB.
As for chains vs local - I generally prefer local (CB is pretty much an exception) but don't forget that locals work at chains.
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re: Zestme
ellen4441
Mar 17, 2011 08:04 PM
I hear ya, Zestme, my luck was probably bad that night, regarding that small cut of prime rib ..(and normally, I don't order the smallest cut on the menu; guess I should've kept up with my policy, lol )
Did'nt mean to sound harsh about the older crowd ; guess I got resentful they were so heavily "couponed", lol, getting everything from soup to nuts for the same price I paid for just my meat & salad bar...
and meanwhile, I was'nt prepared ....(no coupons)...And , yes, you're right, Ruth Chris's FILET is NOT prime ...
I've been to there a good amount of times over the years, & seem to enjoy it less about every time....
My fav. high end steak house lately is Flemings, but my nearest one is in Marlton, out by Cherry Hill ... loved the charbroiled flavor, & their onion soup was
fantastic, too ...-
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re: tommy
ellen4441
Mar 21, 2011 10:22 PM
good points, tommy, I'm not going to rush there so quick now, lol ..
Actually, I tried making a pit stop today for an Italian Hot Dog on my way from AC area to my sis's near Freehold..
(well , I overshot Freehold, and got off at exit 117 to go to Jersey Joe's Italian Hot Dogs in Fort Monmouth ....
was there once before, and I liked it a lot, and the place, and the owner had character) ..(but no dice this time, as the "closed" sign was already up at 320 pm.... ) (supposed to be open till 4 pm today, monday, but I guess biz was slow, and he had no idea a renowned Chowhounder/Roadfood/Yelp gal was coming in , lol .....
Tomorrow, I will go to JOSE TEJAS, Woodbridge, for some real good STEAK FAJITAS... (their filet mignon version ones are amazing !!!! the "cadillac fajitas",as they call them..) (the regular steak ones are real good too ..
Well, we could almost count this as a steakhouse, lol !!!-----
Jersey Joe's
712 Port Monmouth Rd, Port Monmouth, NJ 07758
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menton1
Mar 13, 2011 07:35 PM
Bad for the employees, but there's nothing to be missed from Charlie Brown's. Past its prime. A super-ordinary chain, unimaginative, lifeless, a glorified diner. So many better choices out there with owner-operated restaurants.
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re: menton1
ellen4441
Mar 13, 2011 08:02 PM
I had such a mediocre burger at the Waretown/Forked River NJ location a few years back....
...then , like an idiot , I went back and ended up with a too small piece of prime rib, (like they were measuring it exactly to the ounce), and not all that gr8, anyway...
And , then I realized that all the old timers sitting near me had coupons for a "complete prime rib dinner"....(guess I also got grouped into that category, and received the "coupon" sized portion, lol ).....
It sure seemed like they had to ADVERTISE real heavy, with all those COUPONS in the Sunday paper circulars ...(reminded me of a "Stuart Anderson's Black Angus", which is a chain in Southern Cal...)Yes, past it's prime !!
nice atmosphere , tho !
nice salad bar, except the bread often was stale, cuz it was exposed to the "elements"....
yes, a "glorified diner", good choice of words, menton1....-
re: ellen4441
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re: equal_Mark
The Lakewood location is still do well ,but you can signs that the $ is not there ,no fish in the big fish tank ,limited # of booze bottles @ the bar and now some old brands not being replaced.. The intirior is dingy and needs a new rug or at least a good cleaning !
Is the end near ?? -
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re: tommy
Foody4life
Mar 15, 2011 05:39 AM
^ thanks to low cost sourcing from Sysco or US FoodService versus buying from your local farmer.
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I always wondered why the place in Matawan is so busy. The food is so mediocre. I wish the Steak & Ale chain was sill around!
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re: tommy
ellen4441
Mar 13, 2011 06:32 PM
sis & I went to the Route 35 Steak & Ale location a few years (or so?) ago, and it was a nice throwback to earlier times.... the place had character !!
That might have been the last NJ location to close??? (it was around Middletown, NJ)
I also remember the one in Union, (now a Famous Dave's) ....
and Ramsey area....-
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re: ellen4441
Actually, S & A Restaurant Corporation originally owned and operated both Steak & Ale and Bennigan's until the 90's, when S & A Restaurant Corp, .... with both Steak & Ale and Bennigan's, were sold to Metromedia...and S & A Restaurant Corp became a subsidiary.
http://www.krcl.com/clientuploads/PDF_Files/sacorp/S_and_A_341_slideshow(6).pdf
http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=4010409
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goodhealthgourmet
Nov 17, 2010 09:54 PM
one of them is in my hometown, and my friends were all abuzz about it on Twitter and Facebook yesterday. the interesting thing is that someone said she went there for dinner last week, and it was so busy she had to wait 40 minutes for a table!
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re: Heatherb
Exactly, East Windsor location is always packed when I go there also. If CB is actually closing even with decent amount of business, how will other restaurant (chain or not) survive...This is almost unbelievable.
Wonder if the problems is caused by the parent company mismanaging their finances.
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The Asbury Park Press has reported that the Lacey and Tinton Falls locations have closed as well.
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re: jfedorko
They closed 9 more today, five of which are in NJ:
The company that owns Charlie Brown’s Steakhouses quietly closed at least nine more restaurants in the tri-state area today, adding to the 20 eateries it abruptly shuttered earlier this week and stirring anger among workers and customers who say they received little or no warning.
In the second wave of closings to hit the 40-year-old chain this week, five New Jersey restaurants were closed today in East Windsor, Eatontown, Fairfield, Forked River and Woodbridge, in addition to four locations in New York and Pennsylvania.
The closings shrink the popular family chain to 29 locations, nearly half of what it had at the start of the week. Unlike Monday, when the company announced the first wave of closures, there was no official announcement today. However, employees who answered the phone at each of the five New Jersey locations confirmed they had closed.
(from http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010...
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Charlie Browns
443 S Main St, Forked River, NJ 08731
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Sad sad sad. Yeah it's a chain and the food is nothing to rave about, but it was the only decent place in Highland Park to grab a drink, hang out at the bar and then walk home. Also (and I can't believe I'm admitting this) they serve a slice of the best non-frou-frou chocolate cake ever. The cake to frosting ratio is perfect and the entire outside is covered in mini chocolate chips. I wish I knew where they get it from.
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equal_Mark
Nov 16, 2010 04:37 AM
The 13 Charlie Browns locations in New Jersey that will be closed are: Alpha, Blackwood, Clifton, Green Brook, Hackettstown, Highland Park, Hillsboro, Kingston, Matawan, Montclair, Piscataway, Tenafly and Union.
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re: equal_Mark
Oh good. Not the Hamilton one:) I actually like Charlie Brown's quite a bit, despite its reputation as a senior citizen mecca and it being a chain restaurant. When I'm watching what I'm eating, between the salad bar and the grilled steak/chicken choices, I can pretty much tailor my meal to what I need while my dining companions indulge. It's probably my favorite chain restaurant (out of the very few that I enjoy), now that I think about it.
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