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Business Tue Jun 26 2007
Not So Warm and Cosi
I first ate at a Cosi franchise more than five years ago in New York City. Like my fellow Drive Thru contributors, I was impressed by their piping hot flat bread, samples of which were free for the taking on a platter near the giant open stone oven. I returned sporadically to other NYC locations and then to the new location that opened in my hometown in Connecticut last summer. I've also made a few trips to the downtown Chicago locations, to several of the locations in the loop and to the one at Rush and Grand. I was really expecting not to be let down when I visited one of the newer stores in the city, at Clark and Webster. Sadly, I don't think I'll be going back.
With rapid expansion often comes a decrease in quality, especially at these "fast casual dining" chains that are overtaking most American cities. My problem with Cosi these days is that it is just no longer a good value. It is almost impossible to spend less than $10-12 there for lunch, and what you get is just not worth that much money. The signature salad that I ordered last week was nothing but a giant pile of greens soaked in sugary dressing with a tiny pile of diced grapes and pears and a light sprinkling of cranberries and pistachios. (To be fair, I asked for no cheese, so I did cheat myself out of a dollar's or so worth of Gorgonzola.) My friend's sandwich was similarly disappointing, with very little meat inside. The bread was still hot and fresh, but unfortunately, man can't live on bread alone and neither can Cosi. If they don't improve the quality of their food, they risk joining the ranks of the many other sub-par "fast casual" establishments out there.
