Just Stop It Already...

There was a restaurant that I used to pass every single morning as I drove my daughter to school. It was called Blue Lemon, a “fast casual” chain out of Utah. I ate there twice and it was a confusing and weird experience each time. After the second unusual experience I wrote the place off and didn’t go back. And apparently neither did most people, i.e. it recently closed. Their signage always annoyed/confused me…

WTF does “pure clean food with a twist” even mean? So much cliche! Here’s an actual quote from the Blue Lemon Website: “The variety on the menu is one of the key differences between Blue Lemon and other restaurants. Sandwiches, salads, soups and plated dishes come with a twist and depth of flavor rival restaurants with a much higher price tag.”

Ugh. Seriously. Marketers: Just stop it already.

Here are the most annoying phrases that restaurants use:

• Kicked up a notch…
• Taken to the next level…
• Depth of flavor…
• … with a twist.
• … done “to perfection.”
• “Party in your mouth and everyone’s coming…”

Yeah I’m not going to touch that last one… Yuk. Please, end the madness. All you have to do to get me excited about your food is actually cook good food!

I’m being cheeky here… I’m not trying to be mean. My experiences dining at Blue Lemon indicate that their messaging wasn’t the only problem they were having. I know it’s really hard to sustain a restaurant environment. I’m sad that it didn’t work out. I really hope another restaurant works in that space, because it’s a great location. And we need great restaurants in the East Valley. So restaurateurs if you’re looking for a spot, we can make Greenfield and Baseline work…