The restaurant industry has had close ties to gravity since the day that Sir Isaac Newton saw an apple fall from a tree and wondered why it fell straight down. Gravity is such a part of our everyday lives that we do not question why it works the way that it does. We just know that it does. As we get older we become more aware of the effect of gravity on our bodies. Age brings on an inevitable loosening, sagging, and drooping that can be fought back with exercise, diet and a little nip and tuck.  But in the end gravity seems to always have its way. We don't like it, but we accept it.

One of the things that we should not accept is the apparent reality that gravity also takes its toll on our restaurants. It causes fresh to become frozen, made-from-scratch to become manufactured, cooked-to-order to become pre-cooked, hospitality to become service, unique to become cookie cutter, and ultimately, restaurants to become units. 

We should be pondering our industry's linkage to gravity with the question, "What causes most restaurant concepts to get pulled down in quality over time?"

I have noticed that most restaurants or chains either open at their peak, or peak within a few years of first opening. The founder, or founders, put everything that they are capable of into the creation of the restaurant, within the realities of their economic situation. Within the first year or two they still might be tweaking the concept as they respond to customer feedback, and what is selling and not selling. But with as much certainty as an apple falling to the ground, gravity begins to work on our restaurants, and the slow process of compromise and efficiency begins to set in.

A few years ago I was talking with a friend who started what has become a good sized chain of restaurants. At the time he had about 40 locations, on his way to a plan of a few hundred. I had just visited some of his locations and was asking him questions about the concept. As we talked he mentioned that he was beginning the inevitable process of manufacturing many of the items that had previously been made in each location. When I asked why he told me that it was just one of the things that you had to do when you got bigger. Necessity, he thought. Gravity, I thought.

There are a dozen reasons why gravity pulls down our concepts. There are a dozen reasons why this should be unacceptable to all of us. The compromises come in response to a desire for greater profits when sales flatten, or begin sliding. "If my sales are flat, or falling, how do I increase my profits, or at least maintain them?", thinks the operator. The search is on for what can be changed without it being noticed by the customer. And so begins the march towards death by 1000 cuts.

The older the concept, the greater the number of changes over time that the customer "will never notice." Flatware becomes lighter, napkins become thinner, cheeses are a little less aged, coffee becomes less flavorful, dressings lose their punch, etc.  You know the drill. No doubt you have made some of these decisions yourself, or were asked to implement them. It is a rare concept that can defy gravity.

There are a few concepts that come to mind that seem to float weightless while others are earthbound. Chipotle is one of my favorite examples. Same basic menu. Greatly improved ingredients and execution. Red Lobster seldom gets credit for the evolutions that they have made over the decades from fried seafood house, to a wood-fired, grilled, fresh seafood purveyor. In-N-Out Burger is a poster child for staying true to its roots. And no discussion about fighting gravity can end without throwing in Houston's as an example.

One of the great ironies in our industry is that the independent operator envies the chains for their resources. Their marketing budgets and staffs, purchasing clout, real estate advantages, design and construction departments, training teams, menu development resources, and their easy access to capital (okay, so this is an old advantage). The chains envy the independent operators for their ability to stay close to their customers, and evolve in step with their changing needs. At the end of the day, neither has an advantage over the other if they don't fight gravity. In the words of the bumper sticker, "Gravity doesn't pull, it sucks."