Uno Chicago Grill Files for Bankruptcy

Another significant chain just joined the ranks of retailers and restaurants filing for bankruptcy in the last year. Uno Restaurant Holdings, owner of the Uno Chicago Grill deep-dish pizza chain filed Chapter 11 earlier this week after facing an overload of debt and declining sales, which are hurting many casual restaurant chains during the recession.

The owner of 179 full-service restaurants as well several quick-service locations in airports and other non-traditional venues, already closed 16 of its larger units.

Are Outlet Malls a Scam?

A new book called Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture is suggesting that outlet malls are deliberately trying to fool consumers. Excerpted on the site AlterNet, the book has some interesting assertions:

It says outlet malls’ long distances from metropolitan centers aren’t only a result of developers trying to get cheap real estate. It’s also a psychological maneuver that makes people want to buy more since they’re investing more time. “Because the effort required to reach and shop at them is substantial, even extraordinary, the experience of going to the outlet is elevated in our minds to ‘special occasion’ status.”

Are Outlet Centers Thriving?

We heard from more than one person at last week’s ICSC RECon meeting in Las Vegas that outlet centers are performing well, while other sectors are having trouble. This article confirms the same.