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With 571 restaurants, I think Bob Evans would make a great addition to Waymarking!

Please no more eateries!

I suppose if you have to do one, it would be a good candidate.

I don't think another restaurant category is needed. 

Never one to decline a category for that reason, I must confess that restaurants do seem to be getting out of control. I do admit that I lead several of these categories:

A&W, Dairy Queen, Hooters, Johnny Rockets, Subway and Tim Horton's.

But even as I look over that list, these are either novelty restaurants or multi-thousand locations. Often they are found anywhere in North America and several locations per city.

Is under 1000 really all that prevalent for a restaurant? Prevalent might not apply as much when the content is of more of an entertainment/education/novelty factor. Another way to look at it is 500 means about 10 per state.

Sure my Hooters and Johnny Rockets likely don't come close to 500 locations, but they do have a schtick.

BQ

The other element is do they occur over a wide geographic range and have appeal to a number of waymarkers.  Yes there are many categories with a North American bias and we have a number of state/province/country specific historic categories (that definitely have merit from an educational standpoint) but restaurants without wide coverage, geographically confined to a region, in my humble opion really don't further the sport/hobby of waymarking.

KFC's in Inuvik (they ask for Tim's to be brought to meetings)

Hooters is a bit of a novelty most everyone can drive to one.

Johnny Rockets...first time I heard of it was on waymarking

If I knew what a Bob Evans restaurant was or where to find one the only merit to me is that I could post in two categories.

K.E.

BruceS:

I don't think another restaurant category is needed. 

By the way, I don't need the two waymarks so I'm with Bruce.

Start a group and see what gives. If you make a good category maybe you can sway people.

bigdaddy mark:

With 571 restaurants, I think Bob Evans would make a great addition to Waymarking!

  Never hear of these til we lived just a bit from the HQ in southern Ohio.  This falls into the regional franchise category, which I think we should avoid.  Still, you might get enough support for it.  Expect a LOT of nay votes, though, given the way things have been going with these types of categories.  Great restaurants!

the blue quasar:

Never one to decline a category for that reason, I must confess that restaurants do seem to be getting out of control. I do admit that I lead several of these categories:

A&W, Dairy Queen, Hooters, Johnny Rockets, Subway and Tim Horton's.

But even as I look over that list, these are either novelty restaurants or multi-thousand locations. Often they are found anywhere in North America and several locations per city.

Is under 1000 really all that prevalent for a restaurant? Prevalent might not apply as much when the content is of more of an entertainment/education/novelty factor. Another way to look at it is 500 means about 10 per state.

Sure my Hooters and Johnny Rockets likely don't come close to 500 locations, but they do have a schtick.

BQ

I think you bring up very good points about restaurants cats. I don't mind restaurants cats so much, however I do have to agree that those with less than 1,000 locations should be passed unless they are unique in some way (Hooters, Hard Rock Cafe, Cracker Barrel, etc.).

Some things to consider:
1) Including Mimi's Cafe. There aren't any Bob Evans in Colorado, but there are two Mimi's Cafes in Colorado Springs. This would help prevalence, but not by much (only a little more than 100 Mimi's worldwide).

2) Since I am unaware of this, do Bob Evan's stores sell their grocery products in their restaurants? If so, that makes it pretty unique and more in line with Hooters and Hard Rock Cafe.

3) Bob Evans seems similar (based on their website) to Perkins, Village Inn, Denny's, IHOP. If I'm wrong, then disregard this thought. If they are similar, then perhaps a category that covers all of them (excluding Denny's, maybe).

Just some thoughts.

rmikelyons:

Some things to consider: 1) Including Mimi's Cafe. There aren't any Bob Evans in Colorado, but there are two Mimi's Cafes in Colorado Springs. This would help prevalence, but not by much (only a little more than 100 Mimi's worldwide).

We have Mimi's Cafe down here too.  I've not seen a Bob Evans (and I'm stubbornly not going to the website to check).  So include Mimi's.   :)

It's no big deal, I was just throwing the question to see everyone's opinion.  My son and I were having breakfast at Bob Evans, while we were planning on where to take pictures for the day, when he was surprised that McDonald's was on the list, but not Bob Evans.  He thought it would be cool if we started the category. 

Honestly I am glad about all the negativity about the idea.  I would rather work on getting the area caught up with existing categories rather than starting one.  There are enough categories to keep me busy in this area for a long time, but now I can tell the son about this thread. 

I think that what you and your son will find is that waymarking and looking for places you will find that a small town like Poland has many features that you never realized.  You will see different items to mark and what you will see is something in your town that is interesting, perhaps unique that you will research and then discover that it's not necessarily unique, but not overly prevalent, but with a bit of luck will have world wide appeal...the perfect category.

You will find some interesting categories...have you waymarked your town's welcome sign(s).  At town hall a photograph of the town hall (a category), may be a historic building (another category) and likely would fit in the little place big name category.

Favourite categories found even in a small town...parks and plazas, firehalls, cornerstones, libraries, skating rinks, playgrounds, police stations, barbershops, antique shops, town clocks, ice cream parlors, ghost signs, time capsules, stained glass windows, churches, swimming pools, courthouses, legions, bells, artillery displays, tanks, sundials, bike shops, cabooses, steeples, ghost stories, brew pubs, gazebos, water towers, wagon wheels, unusual speed limits, post offices, museums of every sort, mazes, fishing holes, then and now, etc.

Try a lucky 7...that will make you add a few intesting waymarks.

I bet you have almost every category I listed above in Poland....once you start looking...you get addicted.  You will drive down a road you have been down a thousand times and you will see waymarks and the 15 minute drive will turn into a walk up and down the road snapping pictures and taking coordinates.  Find a good camera, rechargeable batteries, learn to compress photos and soon you will look at tupperware much like you did before January 2008....it's tupperware.

Happy waymarking....I look forward to your first category....but don't start with a restaurant chain...I challenge you on that....good luck.

KE

Thanks for the great comeback.  Since I am one of the few Waymarkers in the area it will be a long time before I run out of places and categories to post.  You are right, there is almost an unlimited amount of places to go and things to see before I even think of actually starting a new category. 

I have already posted quite a few new Waymarks, and I have just scratched the surface.  I will have to check out the Lucky 7 category I haven't even read up on that one yet.  So far I have a good idea of what I am going after, and sort of head out with horse blinders on.  I am going to print out the categories, so we can go on a scavenger hunt, seeing how many we can get ideas on, then following them up with postings. 

We have had as much fun with the research, and photography side as we do with the excitement of the actual posting. 

Check out Hikenutty's website http://waywardwaymarking.com/ for a few tools.

I use my spreadsheet to track where I have been and how many of a particular category I have (See the Grid Spreadsheet http://waywardwaymarking.com/tools.php) or email me directly for more on its use.

Do you have a PDA....Checkout paperless waymarking on the same page.

And a key to make sure you collect the right photos and information while you are out is in the Category Spreadsheet.

Good luck

KE

Wow this is GREAT stuff!  I will work on all this in the AM. 

Thanks for the great info.  This will be a lot of help.

bigdaddy mark:

Thanks for the great comeback.  Since I am one of the few Waymarkers in the area it will be a long time before I run out of places and categories to post.  You are right, there is almost an unlimited amount of places to go and things to see before I even think of actually starting a new category. 

I have already posted quite a few new Waymarks, and I have just scratched the surface.  I will have to check out the Lucky 7 category I haven't even read up on that one yet.  So far I have a good idea of what I am going after, and sort of head out with horse blinders on.  I am going to print out the categories, so we can go on a scavenger hunt, seeing how many we can get ideas on, then following them up with postings. 

We have had as much fun with the research, and photography side as we do with the excitement of the actual posting. 

Awesome! I love reading forum posts just like yours!

BQ