Jackson Jambalaya

i'm going to say the state of the economy might have a part.

There are too many restaurants, so expect more to close. The prices are too high, the service is bad at many restaurants and the automatic tipping is probably the final nail in the coffin.

I think mid tier restaurants are facing a price squeeze. On the low end it’s hard to compete with the drive through value meals that are sub $10 and on the high end if I’m being charged $20 for lunch I might as well go to 463 or Half Shell.

I stopped going out because cultural fatigue makes the already expensive experience not worth it. Plus me and my family just aren’t safe anymore. I was recently out with my family and had some greasy little mophead punks threaten me in pidgin because I told them my daughter is only 14 and warned them to stop harassing her.

gas prices and tipping are out of control

Sysco is now pretty much providing every restaurant with their food, especially chains. So now the restaurant business has become who can cook Sysco food the best. Plus $4/gallon gas, stagnant wages, increased prices, shitty service, shitty people eating out around you, makes cooking at home much nicer.

People are broke and getting more broke. So much winning

At least the swingers in Madison are doing well

Applebee's in Ridgeland probably closed due to the #culture swarming it like it does every chain. If there was an Applebee's in Jackson the Applebee's in Ridgeland would probably still be open.

A reminder to eat local where you can support local chefs/entrepreneurs and get quality food, even if it is a couple dollars more.

Bad service.....marginal food.....high prices.......rude service.....feral teens.......this is the new normal in just about every eatery these days.

Foodie scene in shambles due to the loss of…. Applebees and Mazzios?

With small children and no recent pay raises, we can't afford to go out to eat much anymore. Not to mention, beyond fast food, I don't do chains (Applebee's, Longhorn, Outback, etc.). I don't want to hear the cackling and then the complaining, wanting to see a manager to have their food comped.

9:47 am - agree with eating local to support our local chefs. We eat out less than we used to, but choose higher quality restaurants when we do go out!

I used to love the Mazzio’s Calzone Rings

@9:47. Hit the nail on the head.

K shaped economy.

Two Rivers and Elys are packed. Applebees and Mazzios are closing.

#1 factor: Oversupply. #2 factor: Economic pressure. #3 factor: Substandard service.

Local venues can win market share in these conditions but only by paying close hands-on attention to their Ps.

The last couple of years our family only eats at family owned restaurants. No more chains. The employees at chains are entitled brats. What is it they say: "if you cant afford to tip 200% stay home"? ok...Done.

Honestly I'm proud of Madison County for not supporting chains. Very out of character.

The economy is definitely part of it, but this was the natural trajectory for Madison and Rankin County’s restaurant boom.

These areas became oversaturated with chains and mid-tier restaurants all competing for the same customers and the same limited labor pool.

The people who typically work in these restaurants often do not live in those suburban enclaves, and with little to no public transit, staffing becomes a constant challenge.

The Jackson metro has also sprawled into one large suburban circle. Most people in Clinton are not driving to Flowood for dinner, and most people in Byram are not heading to Madison on a weeknight. When gas, traffic, and time are factored in, convenience usually wins.

At some point, there were simply more restaurants than the area could realistically support. This is piss poor regional planning.

There are just too many restaurants who all do pretty much the same things, and many of them not very well. Food and service quality has been low in most places since COVID. This combined with increased prices at the store and gas pump, many people are just tapped out.

Some chains are pretty good. Wish we could get a J Alexander's here. Chili's makes a pretty good burger.

You are 100% correct
This is what I hear constantly from people. Its not worth the risk or the prices you pay for the quality of food and services you receive.

601 was in an absolutely dogshit place. It had no parking. And an awful hill.

Gas Prices? a mild, temporary inconvenience for a world without nukes from Iran... give The Guy a few more months at least. It'll be worth it! the USA will be the world broker for fuel soon, do your homework (try PromethianNation.com) As for dining, EAT LOCAL, friends: fresh produce from local growers, meats and chicken from trusted producers, not CISCO! Yes dine at places like Aplòs in Highland Village OR Local 463 at the Rennaisace in Ridgeland... Lou's Full Serve on Highland Colony Pkwy.

For those of yall who have never been outside Mississippi or the USA. You are witnessing the slide into the third world in real time.

Yall thought food trucks were a cute novelty? No that’s actually a third world solution to numerous economic issues. Notice grocery stores closing in Jackson? Dont think the same thing can’t easily happen in the burbs.

Eventually you find yourself buying mystery meat butchered by vendors in street stalls made of recycled building materials and you dont care because your family is hungry and its all you can afford.

There are bigger things at stake here than legacy chain all you can eat pizza folks

While all these comments are valid, don't forget about private equity firms taking over restaurant chains and businesses by sucking the life out of them and their employees.

It’s a sick cycle: (1) clear a wooded area, which destroys the habitat; (2) plant foreign trees and shrubs; (3) insert national chain business; (4) after the hype dies, the business closes; (5) hello vacant or under-utilized property for the rest of time!!!

Chili's has had a resurgence because they started actively competing with fast food. A $10.99 lunch at Chili's (burger or chicken tenders+ fries, drink and chips and salsa) isn't a Michelin star meal, but its 100x better than fast food that costs the same.

I went to Subway last week and paid $15 for a 6 inch, chips and a drink.

Mazzio's used to have at least a dozen locations in the metro and is now down to three. Dine-in pizza is not what it once was, and this one is not far from both Pizza Shack and Sal & Mookie's, both of which are objectively better.

Still, RIP Mazzio's. That lunch buffet was undefeated.

We rarely eat at restaurants because of the mystery of not knowing what the hell is in their food. I know several people of the same opinion. We have gotten really good at preparing meals at home where I know what is in it.

You people should’ve long ago been prepared for a Trump-made energy crisis, food crisis, and economic crisis!

Come on folks - the super high inflation was caused by the former administration printing trillions of dollars to infuse into the economy. And, inflation doesn't reset every year, it is additive. Gas was also high under the last administration, so it's still better than it was.

As far as Applebee's and Mazzio's you can also add "Stale Concept" to the list of reasons. People are still swarming to shiny and new.