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What happened to all the Abrakebabra franchises?

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Thurles, Clonmel, Cashel, Templemore, Dungarvan are just a few of the big number of takeaways that closed recently. Was it the Jedward and Edward happy meal thing they had that scared off the customers?

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Greenmachine

Don't forget the one in westmoreland street dublin is gone too. One in leixlip went about 15 years ago.

RobYourBuilder

Chris___ wrote: »

To be fair the Templemore franchise was good. Nice food reasonable prices. It did very little business though even in the celtic tiger era. Then again what business does make money there. Templemore is no longer classed a town these days just a suburb of Thurles.

The Cashel one was alright too.

Never impressed, to be honest. Even for fast food, I thought that they were pretty bad. That said, I had American friends over not so long ago and they were raving about the Abrakebabra in Temple Bar. Brought one home with them any night that they ended up in town.

Iskanders and Zaytoon are pretty alright here. Got chips, a lamb kebab and a tin of orange for €9 one lunchtime not too long back.

The kebabs here in Ireland pale in comparison to those you can get in continental Europe. My ma lives nearby a lovely little Italian family owned pizzeria. Not a chain. I was in there over the summer after a Dublin game, hemming and hawwing, when the girl told us that their kebabs are good and that they make their own pitta. Their ingredients are pretty fresh, for an Irish pizzeria, so I thought I was onto a winner.

They then served it with this cold, pinkish gloop that was masquerading as chilli sauce. So close!

Son Of A Vidic

Duff wrote: »

Probably the fact that it's utter dogshít.

But since they largely appealed to the pisshead market, I doubt their clientele were ever too bothered about the quality of end product.

lufties

As a younger man, I used go there for a curry chip and cheese with bacon and a doner kebab..absolutely wonderfully tastey but by jesus was it unhealthy.

Agent Coulson

MRnotlob606 wrote: »

Abrakebabra is the ryanair of the fast-food industry.

A Ryanair flight is probably cheaper than a Abrakebabra meal.

Ruu

Supermacs lite, still a few of them around. Apparently they tried to enter the UK market and failed.

salamanca22

It was way too expensive and the portions were way too small.

Ohh and I guess it didn't help that it tasted like crap.

markmacken

They've slowly become less and less of a presence in Dublin alright. In fact, I'd struggle to think of where you'd find one in Dublin now. Maybe that one near Break for the Border? I haven't been up that way in a while.

Have to say btw, there's only one time I ever got food-poisoning in Dublin, and it was from a burger I got in Abra on O'Connell St (across from The Spire, now long gone). I'd say it was just to do with that franchise though, as I never had the same problem with any other Abrakebabra.

KungPao

I actually like their kebabs!

cloud493

The one in pavilions in swords is still there, least it was a month ago. And the one in rathmines by the e-cig shop?

TwoShedsJackson

salamanca22 wrote: »

It was way too expensive and the portions were way too small.

Ohh and I guess it didn't help that it tasted like crap.

If the food was that bad why would you want a larger portion?

SuperS54

Nothing better than a garlic chicken roll and garlic cheese chips after a feed of porter. The drunken nights I spent slobbering down that stuff while watching fight club inside and out will stay with me and my clogged arteries forever.

Actually got a shag out of a particularly violent incident in the Abrakebabra in Dundalk, was cowering in the back near the jacks and got talking to a little lovely, once everyone else had been arrested or was dead there was no queue so we ordered, received and carefully avoiding the pools of blood and vomit headed back to hers!

Do feel sorry for my brother who had to share a room with me and to all the passengers on the bus who had to endure my garlicy snores and emissions the morning after!

Just remembered, on one occasion I went to Abrakebabra sober in the afternoon, all looking forward to my lovely chicken and garlic feast ~ it was absolute muck, couldn't finish it. I think they've died out because there's less drinking out being done.

RobYourBuilder

TwoShedsJackson wrote: »

If the food was that bad why would you want a larger portion?

Because one is rubber drunk?

flanzer

MRnotlob606 wrote: »

Abrakebabra is the ryanair of the fast-food industry.

More like Laker Airways

uck51js9zml2yt

I used to work in westmoreland St in the 90's. Was a miracle getting out alive after a night shift between knives and drug dealers. Regularly had the drug kingpins in for a kebab.

Donny Brook is still there.

paulbok

Chaim Fluffy Scanner wrote: »

I used to work in westmoreland St in the 90's. Was a miracle getting out alive after a night shift between knives and drug dealers. Regularly had the drug kingpins in for a kebab.

Donny Brook is still there.

Ah Donny Brook, Irelands answer to Donny Brasco

Dan_Solo

http://www.alphadictionary.com/goodword/word/donnybrook

paulbok wrote: »

Ah Donny Brook, Irelands answer to Donny Brasco

deadybai

Chris___ wrote: »

Thurles, Clonmel, Cashel, Templemore, Dungarvan are just a few of the big number of takeaways that closed recently. Was it the Jedward and Edward happy meal thing they had that scared off the customers?

The owners doner runner. :pac:

Tabnabs

A mate of mine in college worked in their Dun Laoghaire branch in the 90s. He "inherited" the job from his sister who left after she witnessed a guy dying from a kick to the head (neck snapped when his head hit against the counter as he lay on the floor). The first day on the job my mate accidentally dropped a polystyrene cup into the chip deep fat fryer. He apologised to the manager thinking he would get the sack; manager looks around to see if anyone saw it and carried on serving chips to the punters for the rest of the day.

Even my mate went up the road to McDonalds for his lunch instead of eating their stuff...

cloud493

I used to go almost every day for their 2 euro happy hour kebabs... then they put them up to 3.50 :mad:

lufties

Think Abra is bad..There's a national treasure in Limerick called the chicken hut(not sure if its still around), It was famed for its gravy chips, think the gravy was made out of the dregs and leftover oils/fat.

deadybai

lufties wrote: »

Think Abra is bad..There's a national treasure in Limerick called the chicken hut(not sure if its still around), It was famed for its gravy chips, think the gravy was made out of the dregs and leftover oils/fat.

Thats sounds unreal!

anto9

Is the Phibsborough one still there ?

EDDIE WATERS

anto9 wrote: »

Is the Phibsborough one still there ?

Yeah I think it is

Leslie91

Had their burger in RDS recently at a match and it was grand and euro less than the other caravan there selling burgers. Not much of a queue either.

jetsonx

Abrakebabra in 1980's was novel: Crinkle cut chips, kebabs and late opening. Then, the fast-food market in Ireland badly needed these innovations.

Then, as time passed, they never seemed to move on with the market. Still stuck in the 1980's concept of a take-away.
The Celtic Tiger masked deep underlying cracks in their business model. Then the pub trade collapsed which meant the whole adjacent late-night food market also collapsed.

If they had been smart. They should have repositioned themselves as a Bryon Burger type place.

Grandeeod

Realistically, the franchise model isn't stricked enough and quality control suffers. And there doesn't seem to be any effort made to increase daytime trade so staff motivation is on the floor simply because they only attract the late night piss heads.

anto9

flanzer wrote: »

More like Laker Airways

Showing your age ,mentionn Laker .lol

Greenmachine

Chaim Fluffy Scanner wrote: »

I used to work in westmoreland St in the 90's. Was a miracle getting out alive after a night shift between knives and drug dealers. Regularly had the drug kingpins in for a kebab.

Donny Brook is still there.

Had a brother who variously worked in the old one on o connell st and the one at the bridge on westmorland street. God I was shocked when they tore the kitchen out for the centra or whatever is there now. The kitchen was tiny about the size of one of those street carts.

Still a drug dealing blackspot. Now just at the doorway of the newsagents.