To blancserver...Ernesto and Jennifer were portrayed in bad light because they deserve to be. There certainly was ill- intent on their part to the employees of b:2 in Lees Summit. I have also personally seen what Ernesto and Jennifer VALUE and I can assure everyone that it is their OWN ASSES, and of course Ernesto's stupid cowboy boots, YIPPIE KI YAY Ernesto....
"Groupon is not a moneymaker," Peralta says.
Yet today's Groupon is:
Up to 55% Off Gourmet-Burger Meal at Blanc Burgers + Bottles
A burger should be held with two hands, much like a steering wheel or a big wooden trunk filled with cement. Hold on to your hamburger with this Groupon.
$12 for a Gourmet-Burger Meal for Two (Up to $26.85 Value)
http://www.groupon.com/deals/blanc-burgers-bottles?p=1&pt=3UMl88FDOwvAfAcCxraybrffqcyuJRWQ0&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&sid=b5c2cc04-4c1f-4a53-ac66-da58bd838881&division=kansas-city&user=c876d225d69d6258e34cb453e7226abd667751171f9ab08bb19d2dfb0700d47d&date=20121213&s=body&c=deal_img&d=deal-page&utm_campaign=blanc-burgers-bottles
It's interesting to me that there was minimal effort taken to interview current Blanc employees for this article. As one, there are definitely inaccuracies within this (I can think of at least four employees with exposed tattoos offhand), but that is neither here nor there.
Having worked in the restaurant industry for over 10 years, I've seen the story that you're portraying happen time and time again with different characters and locations. It's the name of the game. Botched plans, owed vendors, discounted food, severed ties, ruined friendships. No one is ever surprised.
What surprises me, though, is that you would take the time to portray the owners in such a bad light. They may not get everything right the first time, but they don't have any ill intent. They truly believe in buying local and supporting other small businesses, which is where relatively sizable portion of where the cost of your food comes from. I've ran some of the numbers, and they actually lose money on some menu items just so they can serve locally-purchased products.
Groupons and other forms of discounts and promotions are a common part of the restaurant industry. Regardless of what they did for employee morale, it's ultimately the business owner's decision to use them or not. Serving jobs are not hard to come by once you've had experience, so I'm sure that they could easily find a job elsewhere.
If customers don't like the food, service, or decor, that's fine. That's part of the beauty of America, free speech, and free market capitalism, right? You can use your voice to tell people what they do well and what they could do better, and then vote with your wallet. Having seen first hand how much Jenifer and Ernesto truly value and attempt to implement changes based on customer feedback, I doubt you'll be disappointed. What I don't think you should do is try to portray these people: providers of local jobs, parents of wonderful and polite children, involved community members, and supporters of local businesses, as tyrants. They're anything but. Ernesto and Jenifer are just trying to support their family by doing the best that they can with what they have. There's nothing wrong with that.
I wasn't crazy about paying more than $20 for a burger, fries, and beer back when it was just Blanc on Westport Road and I went there for the first time. My attitude on that sure hasn't swung in the other direction in the intervening years. And the way things went down in Lee's Summit at b:2 was disgraceful. Management wasn't too shy about showing their worst side.
The days of paying $20 for a burger, fries, and tip are over, no matter how nice or mean the guy serving it to you is. Blue cheese stuffed burgers and truffle fries are available at burger places far and wide now.
b-2 closed in Lees Summit after working the employees until midnite Dec. 31rst and assuring them they all had jobs the following week. They were buying beer and other supplies from a local gas station and a nearby Target store for 2 months before closing. if an employee asked if they needed to look for another job they were threatened with termination. My last check there cleared in Feb. Ernesto is a self centered piece of shit and his wife qualifies for even more of a piece of shit for starting country classic Christmas music on the system the day after Halloween, with the threat of termination if the station was changed. If they would have stuck with their original idea and the Westport location all would have been fine , but they became concieted, manipulative, know it all fucks that destroyed their own dreams and ambitions and deserve every bit of SHIT that rains down on them. Pure and simple ....It's a fucking HAMBURGER and beer you don't need to re-invent it....just serve it PROPER. ps Josh was possibly the worst of all because of little man syndrom...
Crane appreciates the shout-out for his band and his Drop legacy. Wilson and Eans get together and fool The Pitch, in spite of itself, to worm their names and restaurants into a cover story, without having to buy ad space beside erotic massage ads! Brilliant! Especially because the ONLY name you'll ever hear with regard to the American is Debbie Gold.
We can't all pay our bills by publicly speculating whether or not someone can pay theirs. Poor piece of journalism, sir.
@knowthetruth and @therealtruth - ROTFL!!!
@VicRod Nope, the food blows, and the location isn't even good. Let's go eat nasty burgers out of the basement of the parking garage... GROSS! Mentioning Winsteads was supposed to be a joke, but honestly I would prefer their burger over Blanc any day because I'm not racist like YOU. They should close Blanc and put in a Chick-Fil-A.
Great food is not for for all people, especially for the ones comparing it with nasty fast food like windstead's. This is gourmet food made fresh by a chef, not some obama phone,minimum wage making burger flipper at mcdonald's.
Can someone explain this? Peralta is quoted in this article saying "Groupon is not a moneymaker". It is also said that "Groupon sales led to a dip in staff morale" and Groupon brings out the worst clientele.
In my Inbox this morning there is a $12 Blanc Burgers + Bottles Groupon and it is showing right not that 5000 have been bought.
I guess someone in that organization doesn't like making a profit and they enjoy keeping their staff miserable when they have to deal with over 5000 Groupon Customers.
When Eans left, the "Bottles" part of the name went with him. It used to be a place that had some cool/rare beers, beer dinners, and a chalkboard full of quality seasonals and rotating beers not on the regular menu. Last time I was there, there were maybe 4 beers on the board, one of them an out-of-date Boulevard seasonal, and it took 3 tries to find a beer on their menu they actually had in stock. What was once a draw to the restaurant is now a reason to go elsewhere.
The food is good, I will give them that. Not spectacular, but nothing terrible either. It never felt the same after they left Westport though. It became a sterile and impersonal environment. I'm in no hurry to go back, no matter how many Groupons they do.
Translation to this article: Don't stop advertising with Pitch. They will write a hatchet piece on you and embellish info to drive home their point. If you advertise with Pitch there is a good chance you'll be listed in the Best of Kansas City list. If you look at that list from this year it's a who's who of Pitch advertisers. Nice Journalism.
You could pretty much swap out the names and reuse this story for about a dozen other local restaurants. Vendors owed, expansion plans failed, partnerships ruined, former managers not liking the direction the company is headed, locations closed; this is the nature of the restaurant business. If there is a story to be told, it didn't make its way into this article. I know and like about half the people mentioned in the story. I have no dog in this hunt except to hope that they all succeed. I think the big loser in the story was The Pitch for printing the line, "All three declined to comment for this story."
@truthtella, you obviously have something against Josh and Brian! What could they have possibly done to you that you have to be so vile and ignorant? I know them both VERY well and I am positive that they put $$ into Blanc. Did Peralta tell you they didn't put anything in? Because he would be telling you another lie. Why do people believe anything he says?
We love the food at Blanc and the fact that they use, and credit on the menu, so many local products. The service has always been great too. However, we find the atmosphere & decor horrible. All that white began looking dingy very quickly and the lighting is not flattering to the interior. If they feel the decor must match the name, then (a) spruce up & repaint more often and (b) get better lightbulbs that don't cause such an uncomfortable glare.
The other "owners" in Brian, Josh and David never put a DIME into the restaurant...they are choking on sour grapes & entitlement. Meanwhile, Blanc is alive & well at plaza and mission farms - and Josh is Debbie Gold's biotch and brian is dreaming of good ol days (when they were good for him?!) at McCormick & schmucks.
@Friendofafriendofafriend
Brian did not go around telling people to discuss anything negative with Jonathan. Know your facts before you say anything. This is a business that made mistakes and it hurt/destroyed some peoples lives. So, before you go around not telling the truth and possibly ruining someones current job, do what my mother always says. Think before you speak, or in this case write. Brian is a great guy and all he said was that if you get in contact with Jonathan just be honest with your experiences at Blanc.
Re: “Is the Plaza's flagship burger business done well or, well, done?”
Anyone who knows this group knows the article is full of many truths. Had a lot of promise but the trend grew stale and, more importantly, terrible management spoiled it. Article could've been written a couple of years ago.