Do you eat at chain restaurants?

G51989 · Aug 23, 2013

Simple question.

Do you eat at chain restaurants

Such as...

Applebees
McDonalds
Olive Garden
Burger King
Wendys
Smokey Bones
Dennys
Red Robin
Longhorn
Lonestar
Cheesecake Factory.

Just a question, as some people I think to know seem to think these places have good food.

Personally? The only chain I'll eat at it Dave and Busters, because I can destroy Nachos and get wasted and play skiball.

I personally feel that no chain offers decent food.

However, when I've been drinking heavily, nothing beats a 20pc McNugget order with BBQ and Honey Mustard.

And before you all go " your a snob with to much money "

I don't care if its a high end joint, or a ****** hole in the wall with peeling paint, as long as the foods great, I'm interested.

zioxide · Aug 23, 2013

G51989 said:
Simple question.

Do you eat at chain restaurants

Such as...

Applebees
McDonalds
Olive Garden
Burger King
Wendys
Smokey Bones
Dennys
Red Robin
Longhorn
Lonestar
Cheesecake Factory.

Just a question, as some people I think to know seem to think these places have good food.

Personally? The only chain I'll eat at it Dave and Busters, because I can destroy Nachos and get wasted and play skiball.

I personally feel that no chain offers decent food.

Not all chains are created equal. Of course, many of them are garbage, but there are some that have decent food. From your list, the only ones I go to at all are Red Robin, Longhorn, and Cheesecake.

But yeah, you have chains like Applebee's that microwave all their food. But on the flip side, there are some high quality chains. Capital Grille comes to mind.

G51989 · Aug 23, 2013

zioxide said:
Not all chains are created equal. Of course, many of them are garbage, but there are some that have decent food. From your list, the only ones I go to at all are Red Robin, Longhorn, and Cheesecake.

But yeah, you have chains like Applebee's that microwave all their food. But on the flip side, there are some high quality chains. Capital Grille comes to mind.

I will give you Capital Grille is OK, but I've always thought it was lacking for the price.

Red Robin, disaster, as is Longhorn and Cheesecake. To Cheesecake has a couple of decent things on the menu, I often get dragged to one for work meetings.

dec. · Aug 23, 2013

I don't mind Ruth's Chris in Toronto.

rdowns · Aug 23, 2013

I'll eat a fast food burger a couple of times a month but no chain restaurants. If I want reasonably priced food, I go to the diner where everything is homemade.

Nermal · Aug 23, 2013

Yes, but I don't think that they have good food.

G51989 · Aug 23, 2013

rdowns said:
I'll eat a fast food burger a couple of times a month but no chain restaurants. If I want reasonably priced food, I go to the diner where everything is homemade.

Same here, I perfer the local diner to any fast food.

The only time I eat fast food is

1: I smoked way to much

2: Drank to much

Crave Nuggets.

On roadtrips I am sometimes guilty of stopping at chains if there's nothing else. However on my last cross country trip I kept to the state routes as much as I could and back roads when I could, and had an amazing local selection.

----------

Nermal said:
Yes, but I don't think that they have good food.

Then why go?

12vElectronics · Aug 23, 2013

Chilis, Red Lobster every once in a while

food is ok

MICHAELSD · Aug 23, 2013

The Cheesecake Factory is a chain I actually enjoy very much and I believe has a vibe unmatched by other restaurants. I could do without the rest but if I'm going with cost-concious friends I'll go to IHOP, Applebee's, etc. for promotions. No McDonald's or Denny's for me, ever.

Otherwise I vastly prefer classier places with quality food.

firedept · Aug 23, 2013

My wife & I never eat at chains. My children do though. My wife is a fantastic cook & bake, plus I enjoy cooking, so we prefer home cooked meals. We find it a waste of money to eat out and do not think the food is good at all.

G51989 · Aug 23, 2013

MICHAELSD said:
The Cheesecake Factory is a chain I actually enjoy very much and I believe has a vibe unmatched by other restaurants. I could do without the rest but if I'm going with cost-concious friends I'll go to IHOP, Applebee's, etc. for promotions. No McDonald's or Denny's for me, ever.

Otherwise I vastly prefer classier places with quality food.

What about the vibe do you get with the Cheesecake Factory? Whenever I', in one all I think is " fake corporate crap ".

I would probably eat at an Dennys over an Applebees.

And you don't need to be classy to get good food, some of the best food out there is at low cost hole in the walls.

MICHAELSD · Aug 23, 2013

G51989 said:
What about the vibe do you get with the Cheesecake Factory? Whenever I', in one all I think is " fake corporate crap ".

I would probably eat at an Dennys over an Applebees.

And you don't need to be classy to get good food, some of the best food out there is at low cost hole in the walls.

The cheesecake theme is strong and you can expect every dish to have a bold flavor, including the cheesecake which is good enough to warrant its existence.

I don't love Applebee's or like it much, but it's conveniently cheap.

While I prefer classy places, I have had great food at plenty of hole in the walls.

sarcosis · Aug 23, 2013

My family only eats out at chains a few times a month. It gets expensive and not as tasty as I would like. Problem for me is that where i live, local joints are few and far between. I live in a college town and its chains heaven. The diners around us are rubbish so that's not an option either.

With that, we go to Chilis and TGI Fridays, the most been we go to a larger town, we like Red Robin and Famous Dave's.

maxosx · Aug 23, 2013

Simple question, simple answer. I invest a lot of time in the gym, outdoors training and staying very fit. A crucial component is eating properly. I'd much rather spend the prep and cooking time to eat fresh quality food, than the high calorie fat, sodium laden food that is served in excessively large portions by nearly every restaurant at any price point.

afireintonto · Aug 23, 2013

I used to enjoy eating at chains, but being a vegetarian makes it a little tricky sometimes.
I prefer mom and pop type restaurants if i'm eating out, and especially those that cater to my diet choices.

But a chain i love is Moe's, Tofu burritos ftw!

Plutonius · Aug 23, 2013

Panera Bread and Five Guys are very good.

WhyIndeed · Aug 23, 2013

I don't prefer eating out but if I have to then I try to limit the damage to my arteries by only going to the following:

Wahoo's Fish Taco's
El Pollo Loco
Subway
Chic-fil-A
Loving Hut (vegan but awesome)

APlotdevice · Aug 23, 2013

I love the newer, "fresh" chains like Chipotle and The Melt. Occasionally I will eat at El Pollo Loco or Subway too.

puma1552 · Aug 23, 2013

nothing wrong with chains at all. youre kidding yourself if you think non chains are any better.

malman89 · Aug 23, 2013

Anywhere from 1-5 times a month.

I try to do as much cooking and preparation at home, but whether it's just getting bored, feeling too busy from work/life, or just looking for something different, I'll go to a chain joint.

Typically Potbelly's or Subway - I prefer the former over the latter. Now and again McDonald's - McDouble or Grilled chicken honey mustard snack wrap is where it's at.

APlotdevice · Aug 23, 2013

puma1552 said:
nothing wrong with chains at all. youre kidding yourself if you think non chains are any better.

Well I don't think you're going to find an old-school Jewish Deli like Canters in chain form.

Renzatic · Aug 23, 2013

G51989 said:
Red Robin, disaster...

I'll second this. I've eaten at Red Robin twice. The first time, I gave them the benefit of the doubt. Everyone has a bad day. Even cooks. I thought maybe I just happened across a particularly bland burger. The second? Nuh uh. I doubt I'll ever go back.

The food wasn't exactly what I'd call bad, but there was absolutely nothing special about it. Nothing that made me think "hey, this is a really good burger". It was merely edible. I mean hey. I ate there. I didn't die. I guess there are worse places around.

heehee · Aug 23, 2013

The only chain restaurant I like is The Keg. I dont think there are that many in the US though, there are lots in Canada.

quagmire · Aug 23, 2013

puma1552 said:
nothing wrong with chains at all. youre kidding yourself if you think non chains are any better.

Nothing wrong per se, but good non-chains will be better then good chains.

I have been to Bryan Voltaggio's restaurants whose food is delicious and Founding Farmers has very good food locally sourced.

jav6454 · Aug 23, 2013

Applebees, nukes their food, no doubt. However, I do go to Olive Garden and Red Lobster. They seem ok for the price on the items they have.

The only repeat is Subway and Wendy's (love Wendy's chili).

Everything else I have local places.

Do you eat at chain restaurants?

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