China Coast

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China Coast
Company typeWholly owned subsidiary
IndustryRestaurants
GenreCasual dining
Founded1990; 34 years ago (1990)
Defunct1995; 29 years ago (1995)
Headquarters
Orlando, Florida
,
United States
Number of locations
51
Area served
United States Of America
ProductsAmerican Chinese cuisine
ParentDarden Restaurants Inc.

China Coast was a casual dining American restaurant chain owned by Darden Restaurants Inc., specializing in American Chinese cuisine.

Founded in 1990 in Orlando, Florida,[1] China Coast was intended to join Olive Garden and Red Lobster as Darden's signature properties.[2] It had been expected by executives to become the top Chinese-style restaurant chain in the U.S. by the latter half of the 1990s, but abruptly closed in 1995 due to poor reception and mounting financial losses.[2]

Restaurants

The menu featured Americanized dishes at low prices, with Western cutlery, Chinese chopsticks, and introductory chopsticks for children available.[3] The signature menu item was "China Coast Bread," which was fried and served with an almond spread.[4] Entrees were inspired by Sichuan, Cantonese, and Beijing cuisine, and also included Taiwanese dishes like Mongolian beef.[5] In addition to traditional Chinese dishes like hot and sour soup, zhajiangmian, and wonton soup, the menu included American items that were given Chinese-inspired names, like a dish of barbecue ribs and French fries that was listed on the menu as "dragon bones."[6][5] The dessert menu exclusively featured American items, including "Double Happiness Cheesecake" and chocolate brownies.[7][5]

Built at an average cost of $2 million USD each, China Coast restaurants were designed to resemble pagodas and included open-air kitchens, bamboo and silk design elements, and decorations imported from China.[2][8][9] By using open-air kitchens and table-side cooking, kitchen staff could cater the intensity of spices to each diner's preferences.[10] Waitstaff were dressed in Americanized Chinese clothing, including satin tunics.[7]

Decline

After operating several successful locations in the Orlando area, China Coast began a rapid and ill-fated national expansion in 1993, ultimately resulting in its demise.[11][12][2] Initial industry analyses projected success due to Americans liking Chinese food but not knowing how to cook it themselves at home.[13] However, problems quickly mounted, including negative reviews, poor service, inadequate staff training, expensive physical design, and a complicated concept and process that were cited by the company as factors contributing to the chain's downfall.[2] Industry analysts noted the chain's inconsistency with service and food quality, as well as expensive construction and land costs in high-profile commercial districts.[8][14] Although the company sought to become customers' preferred option over local, independent Chinese restaurants, China Coast struggled to attract diners who preferred more authentic food and were committed to locally-owned Chinese restaurants.[13][7][15]

In 1994, expansion plans were halted after reaching a peak of 52 China Coast restaurants, up from nine at the beginning of the year.[16][17] At the time of the chain's closing in August 1995, it operated 51 locations with about 3,000 employees in the United States.[12][18][19] Darden spent more than $100 million USD on the chain, which never turned a profit and was losing about $7 million USD per quarter at the time of its closure.[2] The chain also struggled to sell its empty locations, due to high land costs and expensive conversions needed to change the buildings' unusual design.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ Suris, Oscar (February 3, 1990). "General Mills Gives Chinese Food A Go With Model Orlando Eatery". Orlando Sentinel.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Kennedy, Tony (23 August 1995). "China Coast's fortune: You will go out of business". Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Minneaspolis, Minnesota. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  3. ^ Bancroft, Colette M. (22 July 1994). "China Coast's fare is plentiful but bland; attractive decor and low prices are pluses". Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  4. ^ Culbertson (7 July 1994). "Region's first China Coast opens this fall in Anderson". Cincinnati Post. Cincinnati, Ohio. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Diaz, Paula Monarez (12 August 1994). "China Coast exotic treat from start to finish". El Paso Times. El Paso, Texas. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  6. ^ Reakes, Kathy (8 April 1994). "Take the high road to China Coast". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Martin, Chuck (31 March 1995). "Wrecked on China Coast". Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  8. ^ a b McLinden, Steve (30 September 1997). "Vacant China Coasts in sealed-bid auction". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  9. ^ Sikes, Cindy (15 May 1995). "General Mills adding Chinese to its food lineup near Busch". Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  10. ^ Phelps, Grady (23 August 1995). "Chain drops China Coast concept, shuts restaurants". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Corpus Christi, Texas. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  11. ^ Kennedy, Tony (26 June 1992). "General Mills says it's planning to open 2 more China Coast dinner houses in the Orlando area". Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  12. ^ a b DeSimone, Jim (1995-08-23). "Darden Shuts Door On China Coast". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2015-09-17.
  13. ^ a b Burney, Teresa (13 June 1994). "Big taste of China coming up". Tampa Bay Times. Tampa, Florida. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  14. ^ a b McLinden, Steve (21 May 1997). "Ghost of the Coast: Two years after closure, China Coasts still sit vacant". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  15. ^ Parmet, Sherry (1 September 1995). "Eatery closes before it opens". Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  16. ^ Kennedy, Tony (8 July 1995). "Darden Restaurants exec leaves company over a Cracker Barrel". Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  17. ^ Shenot, Christine (19 December 1994). "New Company Carries Familiar Names". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  18. ^ "Darden to Close its China Coast Restaurants". The New York Times. August 23, 1995. Retrieved 2015-09-17.
  19. ^ "Darden Restaurants, Inc". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2015-04-15. Retrieved 2015-09-17.
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