Food-Ass. Press In-Depth Posted: On your table within 60 seconds ... that's a promise!
OLÉ, N.H. -- As tens of thousands of chain Mexican restaurants are vying to differentiate themselves in corporate-pioneered insta-towns across America, one is marching to the beat of a different "baterista."
Enter the David (Dah-veed) in a world of Mexican chain restaurant Goliaths: "Go 'Way, Jose."
The small restaurant, started by Way and Jose Go of Alpharetta, Ga., has begun serving its customers inauthentic grocery store-style tortilla chips -- and salsa. This boutique approach to the mass-Mexican trend of the past decade isn't going unnoticed by the locals, who are literally hungry for something new that reminds them of something completely familiar.
"Our chips have been specially engineered to offer that completely inauthentic, bland and stale taste our customers have grown to settle for over the years," said Jose Go. "We finally nailed that perfect balance between the tastes of way-too-salty and corrugated cardboard," said Jose's brother, Way Go.
"Other chips are going to keep your fresh, homemade salsa on the chip. Ours are going to break every time. That's a guarantee," said Don Richards, vice president of marketing for The Asshole Group, a private equity firm out of San Francisco that recently purchased Go 'Way Jose and also owns the Kroger, Ralph's, Jewel and Piggly Wiggly brands of tortilla chips.
"We strive to make every culinary experience entirely mediocre and disappointing. Our grocery-store style salsa tastes like Ragu with jalapeños," said the senior Señor Go, Way.
The grocery store-style idea has done so well for Go 'Way, Jose, that officials at leading chip-maker Chi-Chi's have even begun toying with the idea of opening a chain of grocery store-style restaurants to sell their grocery store-style chips and salsa. The restaurants would include boxed roasted chickens under heat-lamps, 17 pre-made, mostly mayonnaise, gray-colored deli salads and "Over-The-Hill" mylar balloons for every customer over 18.
