Best Chain Businesses That Don't Have A Cult Following

[Rothman]

I'm truly surprised that the goog hasn't shown evidence of a cult following at Culver's.

Meh.  I don't know about that one.

People like their butterburgers and custard, but you don't find the irrational fanaticism like you do with In-N-Out, per se.

[Molandfreak]

I'm truly surprised that the goog hasn't shown evidence of a cult following at Culver's.

Meh.  I don't know about that one.

People like their butterburgers and custard, but you don't find the irrational fanaticism like you do with In-N-Out, per se.

Culvers is treated like the greatest invention in human history on Wisconsin memes Facebook pages.

[ozarkman417]

McAlister's Deli, which is basically Panera minus the constant price increases..

I consider QuikTrip to be not just a cult here, but the Wichita city religion.  Folks would sooner switch churches than switch away from QuikTrip.  If two people want to meet up in a parking lot for whatever reason, and there are four gas stations near the convenient intersection, then it's guaranteed they'll choose the QuikTrip:  they won't even consider the Kwik Shop or the Phillips 66 or whatever, because that's just not where people meet up.

This just about sums up Southwest Missouri's relationship with Kum & Go. Although they were recently bought out By Maverik, the branding will remain the same.

[jeffandnicole]

I'm truly surprised that the goog hasn't shown evidence of a cult following at Culver's.

Meh.  I don't know about that one.

People like their butterburgers and custard, but you don't find the irrational fanaticism like you do with In-N-Out, per se.

Culvers is treated like the greatest invention in human history on Wisconsin memes Facebook pages.

Culvers has one of the few cult-like restaurant followings on these forums, along with Five Guys.  No other restaurant tends to get mentioned as often.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Culver's is one of the three branches of Wioscnsin state goivernment, along with Kwik Trip and Menards.

[Rothman]

I'm truly surprised that the goog hasn't shown evidence of a cult following at Culver's.

Meh.  I don't know about that one.

People like their butterburgers and custard, but you don't find the irrational fanaticism like you do with In-N-Out, per se.

Culvers is treated like the greatest invention in human history on Wisconsin memes Facebook pages.

Culvers has one of the few cult-like restaurant followings on these forums, along with Five Guys.  No other restaurant tends to get mentioned as often.

When I lived in WI, there was little enthusiasm over it.  People went to it like they went to Dairy Queen.  It was just treated as a decent fast food place one could go to rather than a place to rave about.

[formulanone]

I think the "cult" thing is restricted to a handful of companies, even then; we're using it very loosely compared real cults. Every chain business is going to have their fanatical 1%, especially those with loyalty programs. Couple that with Internet groups, online influencers, or personalities and suddenly it's easy to find people who really enjoy talk of things other than *gasp* ...roads? Talk is cheap and it never outweighs personal experience.

One can quietly enjoy Starbucks [or insert Big Company here] without all the perceived fuss. It's not a judgement.

[Rothman]

No.

[formulanone]

No.

So did you belong to a real cult?

[hbelkins]

I think Target has a cult following, especially the "Target is better than Walmart" crowd.

Meijer, too.

[Rothman]

I think Target has a cult following, especially the "Target is better than Walmart" crowd.

Meijer, too.

Nah, that's just whatever economic classes are above you looking down on you.  Not cultish, just snobbery.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Target is just a brighter, cleaner Walmart. But I still prefer it.

[Rothman]

Target is just a brighter, cleaner Walmart. But I still prefer it.

...with less of a selection and higher prices.

[kkt]

Target is just a brighter, cleaner Walmart. But I still prefer it.

...with less of a selection and higher prices.

Better selection of things I might want to buy, a cleaner, more neatly stocked store, and less likely to become a monopoly provider nationwide.

[Rothman]

Target is just a brighter, cleaner Walmart. But I still prefer it.

...with less of a selection and higher prices.

Better selection of things I might want to buy, a cleaner, more neatly stocked store, and less likely to become a monopoly provider nationwide.

Pfft.  That's what's Amazon is for.

[kkt]

Target is just a brighter, cleaner Walmart. But I still prefer it.

...with less of a selection and higher prices.

Better selection of things I might want to buy, a cleaner, more neatly stocked store, and less likely to become a monopoly provider nationwide.

Pfft.  That's what's Amazon is for.

Even more likely than Walmart to become a monopoly provider.

I like seeing what I buy, and like local stores to stay in business.

[SSOWorld]

Target is just a brighter, cleaner Walmart. But I still prefer it.

...with less of a selection and higher prices.

and accepts contactless payments (which Wal-Mart will never consider)

[Hobart]

This one's obscure: Walt's Food Centers, a small chain of grocery stores in the south suburbs of Chicagoland.

They are completely unremarkable; their store layout hasn't changed since the eighties, and neither has their decor. Only the elderly shop there. I think it's a beautiful store, because it's laid out in a very functional manner that isn't overwhelming and makes it easy to find groceries. Selection is average, and pricing is average, but the fact that the store was extremely easy to navigate and everyone at least slightly cared about their jobs meant a lot to me. Their generic brand, Centrella, was quite good before it went bankrupt. It's a shame the one in Tinley Park, Illinois was torn down for an Amazon Fresh that will never open.

Target is just a brighter, cleaner Walmart. But I still prefer it.

...with less of a selection and higher prices.

In regards to Wal-Mart, I detest shopping there; I get instant sensory overload that Target does not provide. I get a cruel realization that consumerism was better in the eighties and nineties each time I walk into one, with its "modern" bare concrete floors and soulless interior. Wal-Mart tends to survive in rural communities, not because it's a good store, but because it's the only one.

I also consider Menards and Farm and Fleet to be better one-stop shops, as they're generally less crowded and have at least the slightest amount of care put into how their store looks.

[Rothman]

Target is just a brighter, cleaner Walmart. But I still prefer it.

...with less of a selection and higher prices.

Better selection of things I might want to buy, a cleaner, more neatly stocked store, and less likely to become a monopoly provider nationwide.

Pfft.  That's what's Amazon is for.

Even more likely than Walmart to become a monopoly provider.

I like seeing what I buy, and like local stores to stay in business.

That's darling.  We'll see how that goes.

[Rothman]

This one's obscure: Walt's Food Centers, a small chain of grocery stores in the south suburbs of Chicagoland.

They are completely unremarkable; their store layout hasn't changed since the eighties, and neither has their decor. Only the elderly shop there. I think it's a beautiful store, because it's laid out in a very functional manner that isn't overwhelming and makes it easy to find groceries. Selection is average, and pricing is average, but the fact that the store was extremely easy to navigate and everyone at least slightly cared about their jobs meant a lot to me. Their generic brand, Centrella, was quite good before it went bankrupt. It's a shame the one in Tinley Park, Illinois was torn down for an Amazon Fresh that will never open.

Target is just a brighter, cleaner Walmart. But I still prefer it.

...with less of a selection and higher prices.

In regards to Wal-Mart, I detest shopping there; I get instant sensory overload that Target does not provide. I get a cruel realization that consumerism was better in the eighties and nineties each time I walk into one, with its "modern" bare concrete floors and soulless interior. Wal-Mart tends to survive in rural communities, not because it's a good store, but because it's the only one.

I also consider Menards and Farm and Fleet to be better one-stop shops, as they're generally less crowded and have at least the slightest amount of care put into how their store looks.

Back in my day, Menards didn't carry groceries.

[Molandfreak]

I also consider Menards and Farm and Fleet to be better one-stop shops, as they're generally less crowded and have at least the slightest amount of care put into how their store looks.

That's a good equivalent—Menards and F&F vs Home Depot is like Target vs Walmart. Yeah, you might be able to find a better deal in the latter, but the better shopping experience will probably be from the former.

[Scott5114]

I'd nominate Braum's as a chain without a cult following.

Braum's is actually somewhat divisive. It seems like you either love it or hate it. (Most people seem to love it, but my dad thinks it's disgusting because he's made a lifelong habit out of being wrong about everything.)

So...Everyone else versus your dad makes it divisive?

Well, I could go down the list of people that I've met that don't like it, but you wouldn't know any of them by name, and explaining who they are would just be long and not particularly interesting. So I went with the example that's easy and straightforward to make fun of.

[texaskdog]

Dennys.

[texaskdog]

I would say Buca di Beppo. I love their chicken parmigiana.

seconded

[vdeane]

Target is just a brighter, cleaner Walmart. But I still prefer it.

...with less of a selection and higher prices.

Better selection of things I might want to buy, a cleaner, more neatly stocked store, and less likely to become a monopoly provider nationwide.

Pfft.  That's what's Amazon is for.

Even more likely than Walmart to become a monopoly provider.

I like seeing what I buy, and like local stores to stay in business.

Amazon also has a scary amount of counterfeit products.  Including USB sticks that have a LOT less memory than they claim (both on the packaging and what the chip tells the computer is available, resulting in data loss if they're the only place where some files are stored).

They even go so far as to delete reviews saying the drives are fraudulent, basically aiding and abetting the fraud.  Yeah, Amazon is a piece of work, even ignoring all the other things we know about them that show that they are a piece of work.