Hello! I’m Alex Coolidge, and I’ve written about most of the region’s major corporations and the local economy since 2005.
This week, Enquirer food writer Keith Pandolfi and I took a closer look at recent Frisch’s Big Boy closures and turmoil in the restaurant industry. Earlier this spring, the iconic local chain closed five of its diners (two in Cincinnati, two in Northern Kentucky and one in Dayton).
Frisch’s CEO James Walker downplayed the shutdowns, noting the chain has recently embraced a “back-to-basics” approach with lower-priced items on the menu. Still, after years of closures, Frisch’s footprint is as much as a third smaller than the 121 restaurants it had when an Atlanta investment firm took it over in 2015.
Frisch’s, of course, isn’t alone as several familiar diner chains have cut back over the years, but our reporting revealed many industry peers are increasingly dabbling with new restaurant concepts as storied diner brands fail to grow.
In today’s story, we explore Frisch’s and the turbulent restaurant landscape as die-hard fans debate if the local eatery is still their favorite thing.