Why are Polish restaurants not successful in the USA?

In Philadelphia, the few Polish restaurants have a rather dreary ambience, restricted hours for business, and a general lack of imagination/enthusiasm...They are too conservative when reaching out to a larger population.


Quite true, as there is generally much more energy in the Polish community there.

Carp ;)))

This thread's titular claim is wrong. In my area there may be only two Polish restaurants, but both are thriving. There is the upscale Waszawa in Santa Monica, where I have dined several times, it is very successful and it features stunningly beautiful Polish waitresses. Waszawa is also admirable for providing food for the phone bank volunteers at KPFK, LA's listener supported Pacifica Radio station, during its pledge drives. The other Polish restaurant, whose name escapes me, was featured on the California's Gold television program and it too is very successful and beloved especially amongst Latino diners.

Probably because there are only two. If there were "only two" Italian restaurants, they'd be bursting at the seams.

Very true. :-)


Oh really? Maybe that makes up for the awful food...

Some nations are famous because of good taste and fancy food, some are not. Polish cuisine is not world-wide known and additionally is not sophisticated enough to gain such renome. However pierogi have some potential as a fast food. I also like zapiekanka (a kind of fast food popular in Poland)... of course with good quality ketchup!

I think he's actually got a point this time. Polish restaurant food is not particularly good.

none where I live but I do have to admit that they had few things I liked to eat in Poland. My favorites were bigos and golabki. I also kinda liked their kielbasa wiejska. What I hated to even look at, was flaki, it looked like a vomit to me and it smelt terrible too.

Your claim that Americans don't like fancy food is wrong though. It's obvious you're a foreigner trying to generalize us. The only reason Americans might not go to a fancy restaurant is because of the expenses.


No, not all. I dine at many Italian restaurants and the food is not "Americanized."

What kind of food do you like?

Those who claim to know the "truth" regarding counterfactual statements are idiots.


You have never eaten there so your claim regarding the quality its food is worthless and you are obviously jealous of the beauty and vitality of Poles, and Polish-Americans, hence your asinine attempts denigrate us on this forum.

Flaki are delicious but they must be prepared well. Don't even try to buy it ready in a shop!!!

You have never been to Poland and certainly never eaten here, so your tendency for special pleading about something you have never experienced first-hand is beyond asinine.

You are the troll nb 2 and with Harry , you make 3 of you who need to be banned for good . All your comments are just to stir up hatred nothing else.

Just because he doesn't like Polish food? :|

So are you denying that Polish restaurant food and service is not particularly good?

So far you haven't commented on the topic of the thread - all you can do is troll.

Relax Monia. Not everyone has to like Polish food.

Yeah, but be fair for a moment.. Only English people like an English breakfast.

;P

but Polish food?somebody who eats badly prepared food, of course, won't like it...


actually I did buy ready falczki in a Polish store and it was quite good, not as good and spiced up like my grandma's but still...

Most don't, but in the cafes that dot the streets of Tottenham when I spent a few weeks there recently, it tended to be Poles who were tucking into the gloriously heart attack-inducing platefuls.


That's one of the funniest things I've read here. And amazingly it was written by somebody who has no direct experience of Poland!


That's the point! Home-cooked can be quite nice, but in restaurants something often goes badly wrong.

That is true, but this thread claims that Polish restaurants are not successful in America. Myself and other posters have proved it wrong and so the trolls respond with blanket claims about Polish food and restaurants in Poland itself. This thread is about Polish restaurants in the USA.

Don't worry about Moania and Dessie - all they do is whinge. Are you in the US? If so tell us about any Polish restaurants in your area. I've just gone to the UK for a week. There was one near where I am now but it went bust - the local Poles (more than 20,000) prefer Italian, British, Indian, Chinese etc and non-Poles tended to visit it once then not go again.

The breakfast scene in Trainspotting killed it for me. I don't think I will ever try English breakfast.

You , in fact , wash dishes there and you are alowed to have 15 min break to eat something in a broom closet in that fast food restaurant where you wash . You keep forgetting about it too frequently .

You should increase daily intake of lecithin.

I don't believe a word of it! I mean, most Polish people I know won't even touch a Dutch dish, so why on earth would they order an English breakfast??

;P

Calories, sizzling bacon, low price etc. Especially the big portions. Restaurants in Poland tend to serve disappointing quantities - are they the same in Polish restaurants in the US? I can't imagine that would go down well.

My stomach's acting up again. So if you'll please excuse me..

;P


I think it's because of the same reason Dutch restaurants aren't successful in the USA? (Or German restaurants??)

;)


Well, I've actually *tried* it once. (With a *huge* emphasis on trying!!)

xD


You're wrong. I am the worst moderator on here. (That's why I'm not a Moderator!)

;)

Location location location really matters. I don't want to have to drive 65 miles to the Los Angeles area, when I feel like dining in a Polish restaurant.

Yes, I live in Connecticut and I can tell you the Polish restaurants are not popular at all. Even in the New Britain area which has a significant Polish and Polish-American population.

There used to be a Polish restaurant in Hartford (the only one I'm aware of) but it went out of business because it was always empty. I'm not surprised either because the food was god-awful there. I remember one Saturday I wasted there when I ordered kielbasa. I was so angry at myself that I didn't choose to have a barbecue instead with some bratwursts.