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Thread: Which is your favorite restaurant chain?

  1. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Bolton View Post
    Im in the none catagory, I never eat chain food. I much prefer locally owned and operated restaurants that actually prepare food as opposed to unloading pre-prepared foods which come in plastic bags or trays and are merely heated up and poured onto a plate by an ever rotating staff of low paid, unskilled, assembly workers in the "kitchen". This is the formula for most of the large chains to insure you get the exact sauce, proportions, flavor, and so on, from location to location across the country.
    I sort of agree with you. I haven't eaten in a chain restaurant in years except with my in-laws who seem to love them; but my reason is entirely because they just aren't as good as local restaurants. If they were, I would be glad to eat there.

  2. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Meiser View Post
    Best places we found for lobster in Maine are the roadside shacks!
    Indeed. I recall them being referred to as lobster pounds. You tell them what size lobster, they cook it in front of you, you get an ear of corn and other goodies and take it to the picnic table. Yum!

  3. #33
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    Yep! Also excellent are Lobster Rolls which are basically lobster meat on a hot dog bun often sold from food trucks.

    I gotta get back to Maine..


  4. #34
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    Definitely in the avoiding chains camp. Eating locally not only gets one better food, but also helps improve the local economy. Eating in chains sends the money to wherever the chain headquarters is. Eating locally circulates the money locally.
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  5. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by Larry Browning View Post
    Buca Di Beppo
    This is a national chain, but they only seem to be in the larger cities. I discovered the one in Charlotte, NC and have since eaten at the ones in Las Vegas, Scottsdale, AZ, and Washington, DC. I think they originated in Minneapolis. They serve family style Italian. As for what I would order, I have yet to find anything on the menu that isn't my favorite.
    +1

    We've gone several times and its always been more food than we can eat. The service is great and the food actually tastes like homemade, not restaurant fare.

  6. #36
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    my wife and I use to go to Po Folks restaurant but they close it , the internet only show Po Folks in the state of Florida now

  7. #37
    I have a special attraction to Denny's-- it's was my first 'real' job, summer of '71 between junior and senior year of high school. Put in 2+ years... Haven't ate there in awhile actually. Wonder if they still have the Superbird, my favorite restaurant sandwich--

    One of my kids managed a Johnny Carino's, pretty good food (especially anything free ) but they went downhill after '08.

    Aside from those, and I don't know how "chained" they are: Sizzler, Golden Corral, and Little Caesars Pizza. 'Caesars gets more of my eating-out money than anyone!
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  8. #38
    Brian, If you and your family like seafood and are going to be in Eastern New England try these places. You can look them up on the web.
    Legal Seafood- multiple locations in the Boston area and voted best seafood restaurant in America multiple times
    Jimmy's Harborside Boston
    Newick's Seafood Dover, NH and Concord, NH great seafood served on indoor picnic tables with plastic tablecloths. Excellent food
    Dave Anderson

    Chester, NH

  9. #39
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    We don't eat out often but when we do locally it's generally Western Sizzling. But, if we're traveling and I can find a Red Robin then that's where I'll go. Really enjoy some of the gourmet burgers.
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  10. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Weber View Post
    We don't eat out often but when we do locally it's generally Western Sizzling. But, if we're traveling and I can find a Red Robin then that's where I'll go. Really enjoy some of the gourmet burgers.
    Michael,
    Have you tried Five Guys yet? They opened a new store over on Rogers Ave a few months back. Their burgers are fabulous! (Albeit really bad for you!) Warning, only get one order of fries between 2 or even three people, they come in a really large portion.
    Larry J Browning
    There are 10 kinds of people in this world; Those who understand binary and those who don't.

  11. Five Guys. yuck.

    the best thing about them is the fries and peanuts. Burgers are only so-so

  12. #42
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    I'm not staunchly anti-chain but I do strongly prefer local eateries. One chain The Wife® and I do go to on a fairly regular basis is IHOP, when we want a place that's convenient to our shopping errands. Otherwise, we have at least 2 or 3 superior, local choices for breakfast. My wife loves Taco Bell, so I do give in on that every once in a while because, apparently, it's not all about me. She like McDonald's, too but I just about won't eat there even at gunpoint...okay, not quite but it's still damn rare. We've eaten at the new Olive Garden once. It was okay but we have no burning desire to go back. We just had a Texas Roadhouse open up here and I'm interested in trying it.
    Brett
    Peters Creek, Alaska

    Man is a tool-using animal. Nowhere do you find him without tools; without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all. — Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881)

  13. #43
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    Five Guys is not that great in my opinion. They charge a lot for fast food. My co-worker really loves their food.

    The best chain to me is Olive Garden.

  14. #44
    I guess I don't have a favorite chain restaurant but I do have a few I abhor. One is Buca di Beppo which gives copious amounts of terrible food which they call Italian. I think they try to make up for the poor quality by quantity. Another chain that falls into the "lots of tasteless food" category is Claim Jumper. They tried to make a business out of quantity instead of quality. I'm not a big fan of Olive Garden, either. Very mediocre food - little imagination - but they give free refills on their soup to make up for it. Almost any chain Mexican style restaurant in this area is poor. We have lots of authentic Latino restaurants, run by people from the "home country." Also some good Asian, especially Vietnamese, restaurants.

    I have a few local restaurants that I like in this area, but they are not chains. One is Lucca's Cafe and another is Citrus City Grill, both in Orange, CA. Since we're retired, we eat out a lot and are always on the look out for a good restaurant. It's difficult to create good food - the successful chefs work hard to create a successful menu.

    Of the chains, I suppose California Pizza Kitchen would be the one I'd name as serving decent food, but we don't eat there very much. The Margherita pizza is my favorite.

    Mike
    Last edited by Mike Henderson; 07-15-2014 at 10:58 PM.
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  15. #45
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    I would have to say Skyline chili. It's a Cincinnati thing.
    http://www.skylinechili.com/

    Another Cincinnati favorite we eat at a lot is Frischs Big Boy. Just like to sit and be severed and not cost a lot.
    http://www.frischs.com/

    One restaurant I have never tried yet but have a friend who just loves the place is Cheddars.
    Guess they don't advertise, just go on word of mouth advertising.
    http://www.cheddars.com/
    "Remember back in the day, when things were made by hand, and people took pride in their work?"
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