HO LEE COW

After serving the Greater Toronto Area for the past 20 years, the famous fast food Chinese institution, Ho Lee Chow, finally "hung up their chopsticks." First established in 1989 in Toronto, Ho Lee Chow quickly opened five new locations in this city. As the years passed the chain expanded and restaurants were available in six different provinces. Famous for its cheap, no MSG added Chinese food, the institution was loved by many, including me, and will be missed dearly.

A man’s voice said "Due to circumstance beyond our control, one of which is poor economic climate, another of which is a refusal to compromise on the quality and service you have come to appreciate, Ho Lee Chow has closed down operations.

"We truly apologize for the inconvenience and thank you once again for your patronage,"

Though the main institution ceased operations on Wednesday October 7, 2009, other locations remained open including the Ho Lee Chow location at St. Clair Ave W. A woman answered the phone at the Kingston restaurant but couldn’t speak for long as she was busy and she seemed unaware about the abrupt closures of other locations.

In 1992 Ho Lee Chow was credited for being one of the first Chinese restaurants to “marry convenience and taste.”

Positive statements

This tragedy would impact the economy in the following ways:

If Ho Lee Chow closed down, then customers would have to go to other Chinese restaurants. The food at those places maybe more expensive which may cause the customers to avoid spending their money, and possibly lead to a lower demand for Chinese food in the area where Ho Lee Chow had their restaurants.

If Ho Lee Chow closed down, then the customer may decide to fan out and drive further distances to pick up Chinese food of good quality. The number of people driving will increase pollution emissions and will contribute to the negative effect on the environment.

If Ho Lee Chow closed down, then their suppliers would experience a downturn in their business due to a loss of a major customer.

Normative Statements

Even though Ho Lee Chow closed down, I think that other entrepreneurs should adopt the Ho Lee Chow’s strategy and start restaurants selling cheap and fast Chinese food.

I believe another way to improve the economy would be if Ho Lee Chow continued their chain, but instead of having many franchises, they would only focus on one main restaurant until the business recovered from the recession.

Opinion about what should happen

In my opinion the concept of entrepreneurs adopting Ho Lee Chow’s strategy should be implemented because many individuals immensely enjoy the taste of Ho Lee Chow’s food, it was cheaper than other Chinese restaurants, and it contained no MSG which is a healthier choice of cooking. With such positive qualities, people would want to buy more of this food which would result in a greater demand for Chinese food. Due to higher demands, customers would buy more food, which would contribute to the over cash flow. It would also promote a healthy competitive environment with other rival Chinese restaurants.