More Franchises, Less Wieners

(Flickr pic by Carmyarmyofme.)

Ahh, the continued franchise-ization of Los Angeles; we're looking at you, Pinkberry.

Not to mention the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Cold Stone Creamery, Starbucks, Quiznos, Robeks, etc. The same chains that are popping up in every strip mall and every multi-use development ground floor all over town. Don't get me wrong, I like the Coffee Bean; actually, I've been known to visit all of those spots. But as the Los Angeles Times' Steve Hymon notes, it comes at a terrible price: The loss of unique independent shops like Sherman Oaks' Wiener Factory (above).

The Wiener Factory is about to morph into a Pinkberry, and Hymon has seen enough:

a Valley institution is left with no home. The good news: Kevin Lentz, the Wiener Factory's owner, says that he's knee-deep in offers from fans of his restaurant to help relocate.

In an interview last week, we asked Lentz if he sees this as a parable for what's happening around the city.

"When I was growing up here in the '50s and '60s, L.A. had a reputation that the streets were paved with gold," he said. "It was a wonderful place to raise your kids, and there were mom and pops all over. They were family-run businesses. You would go in, and everyone knew you by your first name, and they took care of you.

"The business community nurtured the residents. Nowadays, with the franchises, it seems to be more cold. There doesn't seem to be that personal interaction," he added. "That's something we've always tried to do here. And if we go out and open other locations, that's not going to change."

Thankfully, we do see a resurgence in entrepeneurs in some parts of town, like Eagle Rock. And don't forget, not long ago, Pinkberry was just a one-store operation.