A few weeks ago my family had the opportunity of taking a real summer vacation. Since we hadn’t been back from Brazil during the summer months, this was going to be special. It was! We got to spend time with my parents and sister in southwest Missouri and we enjoyed time on Elk River (canoeing, swimming, catching tadpoles, etc.). Great time!
On our way with mom and dad for a day in Branson, we ate at one of their favorite restaurants in Springfield, MO, the Heritage Cafeteria. This place has been around forever! It is your typical cafeteria: elderly clientele, bland and generally mushy food and Perry Como-ish music piped in over the speakers.
The food wasn’t terrible, but it is certainly not a place that I would want to go regularly. The meal was enjoyable because of the company. It was terrific for our family to be able to share a meal with my parents. Don't get me wrong, there were other younger folks at the Heritage Cafeteria, but they weren’t eating alone, they were always with aging family members who, no doubt, enjoyed the cuisine and ambiance of the place. Any younger folks at the cafeteria were there ONLY TO ACCOMPANY their beloved older family members who would not have enjoyed the loud music and spicy foods at other places.
A couple of observations:
1) Without question, the Heritage Cafeteria’s clientele has an average age of 70+.
2) Younger folks who go there aren’t there for the food, music or décor.
3) Heritage Cafeteria likely won’t be around in ten years. The clientele won’t be around anymore if there are no drastic changes to the menu or décor which cater to a younger crowd.
Today as I fondly remember our meal, I wonder if my Heritage Cafeteria experience has anything to say about churches.
Your thoughts?
Thought you might enjoy the first two reviews I pulled off of Gusto.com! (http://www.gusto.com/missouri/springfield/restaurants/heritagecafeteria-R373780.html)
Denture friendly food
Reviewed by TheRobin on June 22, 2006
"This is a great place to see and be seen (if you are 80 or more years old). The vibe is “Dinner with Grandparents” plus 100 of their friends. I for one love my grandparents dearly, so this was awesome. The food was good and hardy, but the “place” is the real reason to go. The art is unforgettable. They have a 60ft long mural that shows the 4 seasons of Springfield, superb! I love old people, really old people, and I love this place."
Betty, grab my walker. We're going to the Heritage!
Reviewed by ajones on June 22, 2006
"Chitchat with Helen and Blanch while you anxiously wait in line for some home-style cafeteria goodness. The wait is long around lunch and dinner (10:30 and 4:30) but the festive holiday-of-the-season decorations will keep you amused. Once you step in front, tray in hand, a world of Jell-O mold and ambrosia salad greet you. Save room though because this place has some sweet fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Peps rave about the chicken fried steak but personally the grayish meat slathered in white gravy is less than appealing (is it chicken or is it steak?) Great pies, cobblers and cake but the custard is always my choice (perfectly burnt on top). If you don’t hold an AARP card you’ll feel like a schoolgirl."
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Heritage Cafeteria
Posted by Gordon Dabbs at 10:24 AM
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Diseño por headsetoptions | A Blogger por Blog and Web
Posts
7 comments:
Wow...I was wondering where you were going with this whole thing until you dropped the bomb at the end. Is the church like this? I would say the church at-large is definitely like that.
Just looking for your thoughts my friend.
I am still laughing out loud at the restaurant reviews, so am not ready to get theological yet...and I do have an AARP card, so am not as ready to say good-bye to the ambrosia and custard of our worship setting as you young whipper snappers might be. But I do know that the times and styles are changing.Glad we can talk about it awhile before we shutter the cafeteria and truck on down to Sonic!
When the cafeteria leaves you hungry, it's time to find a new place to eat! How long does it take for the cafeteria to notice their best customers no longer dine there? Small changes make BIG impacts for those customers who are really hungry! No wonder the new restaurants have been so busy...
Heritage could bring in one of the best chefs from France. The food would improve, but if the management required the chef to use the exact same recipes. . . it would only improve marginally.
Heritage could change their name, radically redecorate and change the menu completely. They would make it if they did this, but they would be ostracized by the National Association of Cafeterias. They love their friends in the Association so much that such changes would be painful.
Before changing the menu so completely, it might be wise to do an industry study on what kind of foods will bring in new customers but also set them apart in excellence and quality.
Which new clientele should Heritage Cafeteria be more concerned with attracting and feeding... People that have never eaten at a cafeteria before? Or people that already dine at other cafeterias around town?
Post a Comment