Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

I Found the Best Burger Place in America, Then I Killed It

thrillist.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

171–180 of 410 posts

Re: I Found the Best Burger Place in America, Then I Killed It

#171

Post by bartread »

andybak wrote: post #54
jacquesm wrote: post #23

"Too much love will kill you, just as sure as none." It's an interesting reflection on the effect of the internet hordes that can be called up by a careless article or tweet. A similar thing happens to restaurants that receive the Michelin stars and to single individuals that end up being in more popular demand than can be sustained (this happens to some consultants). Not all of the typical defenses are available all…

> they devour that which they visit and leave it devastated. Not disagreeing but the "they" is "us". You're not in a traffic jam, you are the traffic jam.

Agree. Whilst I think that people, or rather popularity, ruins everything, and whilst I'm frustrated that rather explore and discover things for themselves people would rather be told what's good and descend in a mob, I have to admit that I'm part of the problem: sometimes it's just easier.

Re: I Found the Best Burger Place in America, Then I Killed It

#172

Post by craftyguy »

chaostheory wrote: post #136
craftyguy wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, sure, but having the customer flash a card to the employee would save more time than having the customer hand over the card for inspection by an employee.

Wouldn't checking an already existing ID card be easier vs printing up and distributing specialized cards?

The point is, there are ways to distinguish between locals and non-locals. There are merits and drawbacks to having your own ID card vs. using a state ID card.

Re: I Found the Best Burger Place in America, Then I Killed It

#173

Post by bartread »

ip26 wrote: post #157
andybak wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> they devour that which they visit and leave it devastated. Not disagreeing but the "they" is "us". You're not in a traffic jam, you are the traffic jam.

Yes & no; some of us are rubberneckers, some of us are not.

I think everyone is to some extent, but you can choose whether or not to recognise that there are consequences and learn to moderate your behaviour accordingly. Or not.

Re: I Found the Best Burger Place in America, Then I Killed It

#174

Post by Haegin »

geofft wrote: post #97
daveslash wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about raising prices (at the exclusion of the locals), and then using the increased revenue to philanthropically give back to the community in a meaningful way?

There are some things in a capitalist society that are the domain of philanthropy, and some things that are not. A school or library might be a suitable target of philanthropy, but a burger place or pub or barber shop isn't; there's no way to fund it and have it end up the same sort of place it would be on its own. At best, it can be a target of a GoFundMe or something - but that's just to pay operating costs. The st…

I think daveslash was suggesting the burger joint runs as the for-profit entity that it already is and that it is the source of the philanthropy, not the target.

To give an example, charge exorbitant prices for burgers knowing there are still people desperate enough to try the burger that paying $30 is fine and then use the extra revenue to give back to the community, possibly by paying for the local soccer club to get a new clubhouse, or possibly by providing free/subsidized burgers at local events where the crowd will be local. In this way the business stays open and isn't overwhelmed by the demand, while not completely isolating itself from the local community that the owner wants to give back to.

Re: I Found the Best Burger Place in America, Then I Killed It

#176

Post by Haegin »

astrodust wrote: post #101
hnaccy wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Provide a locals only card that gives reduced pricing, could even have a locals only day once a week.

Ten minutes later a "locals only" card goes on eBay.

I wonder if you could switch the 'locals only' card for just requiring proof of address on a driving license or utility bill. Might still be a problem with locals offering 'burger tours' - you pay me $10, I buy the burgers for $5 because they'd charge you $20, everyone is happy (except the restaurant).

Re: I Found the Best Burger Place in America, Then I Killed It

#177

Post by theseatoms »

tptacek wrote: post #135

It's hard to blame Kevin Alexander for this, because Steve Stanich played ball with the review, like most restaurants would. If he wanted to, he could have asked not to be featured in the list, and Alexander probably would have complied; otherwise, he could have done other things to make it clear to his customers that he wasn't interested in fulfilling the role the ranking carved out for him. We see this effect in Ch…

tldr; Eternal September: Restaurant Edition

Re: I Found the Best Burger Place in America, Then I Killed It

#178

Post by munificent »

narrator wrote: post #22

There's an easy solution to having too much business : raise prices. I think this is one of A16Z's big insights into most businesses[1]: they don't charge enough. If you look at the best restaurants in America like the French Laundry in Napa, they charge astronomical ridiculous prices and they still have reservations for months ahead of time. The oldest restaurant in Paris requires you put down a 400 euro deposit jus…

This is a classic humans are rational actors and spherical volumes in empty space economic answer, which entirely misses the point.

The restaurants we love, we love for the entire experience, and price is part of that experience. Even for people who can happily afford the higher price, it still results in a different experience. The people around you in the restaurant will be different. Your perception of the value of the meal will be different. Your willingness to try more adventurous items on the menu will be different. The whole thing is not just quantitatively different, but qualitatively different.

A $20 burger is not a $10 burger, regardless of how the two are prepared. If the former is not the experience the chef wants to create for their customers then, no, just raising prices doesn't "solve" the problem.

Re: I Found the Best Burger Place in America, Then I Killed It

#179

Post by ryneandal »

dcow wrote: post #163
pbhjpbhj wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can't you buy a burger place, reduce the price to give zero profit, adjust the price on the fly to ensure zero profit. Sure you won't necessarily meet demand, but there's no inherent reason quality need suffer(?). Or, have a coop where staff wages soak up all excess revenue, giving zero profit. You'd want a contingency, and a savings account if you seek to expand the business, but they're not profit. We could do that…

I love this idea: zero profit capitalism. Sure some people would abuse savings accounts more than others, but taxing standing profits on a gradually increasing scale the longer they stand (sure the market already does this at a minute level, but it's not enough to deter wealth hoarding) seems like an effective way to solve the wealth extraction problem corporations introduce.

Brings to mind Paul Newman: https://newmansown.com/

Re: I Found the Best Burger Place in America, Then I Killed It

#180

Post by ams6110 »

dcow wrote: post #163
pbhjpbhj wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can't you buy a burger place, reduce the price to give zero profit, adjust the price on the fly to ensure zero profit. Sure you won't necessarily meet demand, but there's no inherent reason quality need suffer(?). Or, have a coop where staff wages soak up all excess revenue, giving zero profit. You'd want a contingency, and a savings account if you seek to expand the business, but they're not profit. We could do that…

I love this idea: zero profit capitalism. Sure some people would abuse savings accounts more than others, but taxing standing profits on a gradually increasing scale the longer they stand (sure the market already does this at a minute level, but it's not enough to deter wealth hoarding) seems like an effective way to solve the wealth extraction problem corporations introduce.

Zero-profit capitalism has another name: hobby.
Post reply on HN