www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I can't beleive my good Amigo, Irish Drifter didn't mention Dennys where many of us (including ID) meet for breakfast every Sat. morning. They have two locations, one ajacent to the Best Western in Irazu and one next to the Fiesta Casino at the airport.
LVSteve

_________________
Just an old horney, fat gambler.

My opinion is that if gringo tourists didn't demand such foods (re: Jim Sloan at the top of this thread), then the corporations would be less inclined to proliferate worldwide. Yes, I know that the local folks love their McDonald's and Pollo Kentucky, but the spread of these super-chains leads me to believe that much of this is driven by gringo tourist and expatriate demand.

This malignancy isn't limited to fast food.

A good friend of mine who is also my financial guy recently took his family to Cancun. When they ran out of some essentials, he took his family not to the wonderful open-air markets, not even to the local shopping mall Cancun 2000; rather, he sought and found the nearest Wal*Mex. Instead of exposing his young sons to local culture and customs, instead of immersing himself and his family into the culture, he took the easy way out, as so many of us do when traveling.

I'm not a real experienced traveler; I've been to Amsterdam, paris and Madrid in Europe, twice to Mexico and twice to C.R. I am proud however of the fact that i have only eaten in local restaurants and have only shopped in local markets. Screw the chain stores and fast-food giants. The taste of a mamon chino bought at 400 colones per kilo beats a McDeadCow every time.

Sadly, the cancer of American megacorporations cannot be stopped, and the Wal*Mart model will continue to take over the workplace. Soon, the ubiquitous megacorps will become both the new government and the new religion. God save us all.

_________________
Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

I remember the first time my buddy and I arrived in CR, we took a cab from the airport to get our rental car near the Fiesta Casino. As we're driving I see Denny's. WTF? It took me by surprise because I didn't think the American chains had found their way here yet. It would be nice if they hadn't. (Although I have to admit that I had McD's pancakes one day on that trip. )

Orange and others;
One thing that needs to be pointed out here is a lot us who live here can't get back to the states as much as we'd like. Having these chains here gives us the chance, abiet for a brief time, to experience the American life you guys take for granted.
That said, the majority of my meals are either home cooked or taken in sodas or other local resturants. I am glad that the chains are here for an occasional change of pace.
LVSteve

_________________
Just an old horney, fat gambler.

I think LVSteve hit it right on the head. When you are visiting CR for a week or two the furthest thing from your mind should be american food places. Try the local sodas & the Tico restaurants. Enjoy the incredible fresh fruit variety, the fish caught the day before, the casada, olla de carne, etc.

When you live here full time you start to take those things for granted and like everything available so easily it becomes at times boring. For us it is a treat to enjoy a Denny's breakfast, meatloaf at Mac's American bar, prime rib at Outback, Papa Johns Pizza, etc.

No longer residing in the States does not mean abandoning the things that you enjoyed there.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

This is not correct. My guess is that maybe 5-10% of the clientele is foreigner/tourist...maybe as high as 15% in some areas (Plaze De Cultura, Ave Central). The rest is tico and they are the ones that have driven the proliferation. The rough numbers are:

40 Pizza Huts
30 McDonald's
30 BK
20 KFC
20 Subway
10 Taco Bells
8 Quizno's
and now we're seeing the arrival of the casual dining chains. Wendy's has not opened up but should have a couple stores open by end of the year.