Maggiano's / the Legal Zoom of Italian Food

Recently I ate at Maggiano's Italian Restaurant in Tyson's Corner, Virginia. While the the company was great, the food was only as good as obtaining legal services from a franchise operated legal service like Legal Zoom.

It lacks the personal and professional service that a boutique law office or locally operated and owner run restaurant can provide.

While it is not the McDonald's of Italian food, Maggianos lacks the individual flavors and homemade quality of any Italian restaurant on Mulberry Street in NYC. It attempts to recreate the feel of a neighborhood restaurant but it falls flat in the end.

For instance, I ordered a veal cutlet dinner which had a generous portion, but its flavor lacked the uniqueness achieved in a local place. It was almost too efficient, i.e., it had the "take a number" please type service.

Much like hiring a lawyer, or going to a "chain" law services center, you really miss the point of having a professional represent you. Legal Zoom may have a slick website and easy to use questions and answers, which are seemingly very efficient, but this misses the point of having a lawyer with years of experience ask you questions and "diagnose" the solution to your legal problem.

So, my advice, don't fall into the marketing trap by eating at or being retained by something you believe is the real thing when its just a phony recreation.