“But management did so well with the Morrison’s cafeteria chain.”
Wow! Now that’s a name I haven’t thought about in a while. In the mid-60’s to the mid 70’s, Morrison’s Cafeteria was a big deal for our family of five. Eating out was expensive then, particularly for a large family, so we didn’t eat out often, but Morrison’s was one of the go-to places for us, and we kids thought it was a heck-of-a treat, and my mom certainly appreciated the brief break from cooking three squares a day for the five of us.
I understand that Picadilly (or what is left of them after the New York investment bankers did a bust out with them) keeps the Morrison’s name on one cafeteria, probably for trademark preservation reasons.
And of course, Luby’s has been on a downward spiral ever since they named a new president and he ended up dead with a bullet hole in him a few weeks later, with the Pappas outfit out of Houston eventually taking control. (Not suggesting the events are linked).