bennnie

When I travel on business I'll try chain restaurants that aren't established at home. I like Jason's Deli - didn't realize it was a huge chain until the 3rd time I ate there. Also like Backyard Barbeque and Sonic Burger. None of these are here in Boston.

My DH and I saw an ad for Olive Garden last night - we were appalled at the combination of foods that were being offered. Sausage with a cream sauce poured over pasta that already had a tomato sauce. That it is not very authentic is the kindest thing I can say. We've been spoiled by my mother in laws wonderful Italian food. Eating at Olive Garden for an Italian is like a New Englander eating at Red Lobster.

ThinGorjus

Would you believe that my very British mother--who makes Mrs. Q. look like a shopgirl--LOVES the tiaramisu from Olive Garden? She says it is the best in the world!

I agree that the Cheesecake Factory at King of Prussia is PACKED for dinner every night. It is unbelievable. You would think they were giving food away for free. People drive from Newark, DE to eat there!

I do (surrepetiously--please don't tell anyone) enjoy the veggie sandwiches from Panera. I wear a disguise whenever I go in at lunch. You never know if you may run into some of the food snobs from the Europe Board when you are standing in line.

Chele60

It always amuses me when people say they avoid chains when traveling and prefer to eat where the "locals" eat. Hmmm...I live in So Cal and guess where I eat about 1/2 the time when I eat out? Yup, you got it! A chain! And I ain't the only one, either!

Some chains are okay, others aren't. It comes down to different tastes. When I travel, it really depends on what's happening. If I'm tired from a long day of sightseeing and doing stuff, I don't want to go to a restaurant where I have to study the menu and try to figure out what sounds good. It's just far easier to pop into a chain and order something I'm already familar with. However, if I've got the time and inclination, I like to try out some of the locally owned restaurants.

I would never rule out chains altogether. Too many times they have satisfied a hungar that just would not have waited to find some obscure local place where I just have to take the chance the food might be edible.

amwosu

Uhmmm...I checked and not one person said they "hated" chains. All used the word "avoid" and only nytraveler made th point strongly (which is his/her right)but all of us explained why we stay away from them on vacation. We want to have a unique experience we can't have at home.

My best friends own restaurants ranging from sandwich shops to fine dining that are not chains. What I like about all of their places are the unique dishes/sauces that I don't find at other restaurants. I may be completely wrong but I also think it is a bit more likley that you will get freshly prepared food from one of his restaurants than from a chain. His appetizer chicken fingers (and kids meal chicken nuggets)at his sandwhich shop and moderate priced restaurants are cut and handtossed in homemade breading onsite and then fried. I bet most restaurants at the same level use frozen premade chicken fingers. He also uses the highest grade of tuna and steak for his fine restaurants and when a vendor fails to meet his standards he replaces them with a company that will. I know that high end chains may do the same but I kind of think of Appleby's, Olive Garden,and On The Border type places as all premade, frozen foods. And I don't mind eating that when I'm home but on a one week vacation I bypass them. I like researching online via message boards restaurants that I am unlikely to find at home. The hunt is as much fun as the meal.

snowrooster

amwosu - Did someone misquote you and say that you "hated" chains? That's fabulous that your friends' non-chain restaurants are all top notch. I think the point some folks are trying to make is that while some chains are not good, some are. While some locally owned restaurants are good, some aren't. Some chains use fresh ingredients, some don't; just as some locally owned restaurants use fresh ingredients and some don't. I'll agree that overall locally owned places are better and I defintely avoid chains on vacations as well, but to assume that all locally owned restaurants are better than all chain restaurants just seems a bit odd.

kgh8m

I like chain restaurants. My DH and I eat at chains, almost exclusively, although not all are national chains - some are just local. But I don't enjoy all chains, and "chain" is not synonymous with McD's and Applebee's (though I certainly will eat - and enjoy! - at both of those).
My favorite chain is Don Pablo's, as I have an unnatural love for Mexican food.

When we travel domestically, we often eat at chains if a local restaurant has not been recommended to us. We do this because there's no gamble involved - you know exactly what you're getting. When travelling, I am more likely to go to a local place for breakfast or after-dinner dessert/drinks.

wagonwheel

Each time we travel to the US we eat at least one breakfast at Denny's. We have a similar equivalent here called Smitty's.
Most morings it's something on the go, but at least one day we cave in and fill our craving of over consumption before noon !

Vittrad

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate chains, but quite simply in my immediate neighborhood there aren't really all that many. Sure there is a pizza hut, but why the hell would I, living in Chicago, eat at a pizza hut , or go to a taco bell when one of the best tacqueira's (according to a citywide survey) is closer ... I grab a quick bite to eat at local chains all the time too, but for me it is more of an economic choice, I like to support local business as much as possible (and I don't care what the guys from the Subway ads say, I highly doubt their Rueben’s and other attempts at Deli style sandwiches are all that special

That being said, I do have a bit of a soft spot for Wendy's when I am having a fast food/burger craving. When traveling though, I've noticed that sometimes I don't have a choice and in that I generally get a fairly decent (if not slightly boring) meal at places like Cheesecake Factory or Chili's. Don Pablo's is okay, but a bit too "Americanized" for my tastes (but not as bad as Chi-Chi's).

repete

I don't eat at a lot of chains, but there are definitely some distinct quality tiers.

PF Chang's saved me during the Salt Lake Olympics because it was one of the few places -- outside of diners, burgers and pizza -- open late. Also great celeb sightings, including Wayne Gretzky and Katerina Witt.

The duck isn't bad either, but if that's the best local Asian food, then my sympathies.

Sometimes while travelling for business, when I'm on a tight schedule, I'll duck into a chain just to expedite the trip.

But two of those that I've enjoyed, I later found out about their policies or problems and now avoid them. I can take or leave Cracker Barrel, but when a friend steered me to Maurice's BBQ in Columbia, S.C., I thought I was in heaven. Marvelous stuff, but unfortunately I later discovered the guy who owns the local chain has some outrageous racial stands.

As for Denny's, I don't like their policies or their food.

adoptionisfab

If you are driving through an area where you don’t know what is good, I will pick a chain that I like. I enjoy Macaroni Grill, since they allow some flexibility on how you want your order prepared. I do like Cracker Barrel for lunch and since it is located in areas off of highways and is well advertised on billboards I will stop there.

If you are visiting a big city then I would forgo the chains.

sls15

I agree with the "chain restaurants only in moderation" message throughout this thread.

I lived in Manhattan for years and recently moved to the suburbs of Houston, where the chain restaurant cannot be escpaed. I was horrified at first. But I quickly learned that some are quite good, others not so much. As for the local non-chain restaurants--a couple are quite good, the others not so much.

One chain that I have learned to like (perhaps too much) since moving to Texas is Whataburger. We don't eat fast food often at all, but when we do, Whataburger is always the burger of choice for us now.

Of course I still dream of Corner Bistro and Burger Joint burgers in NYC..

Judyrem

Kghm, I love Mexican too and wish we had a better "Chain Mexican" restaurants here in FLL. I tried Chevy's Tex Mex in Tahoe and liked it a lot. I am looking for the a place with GREAT salsa & chips..... which are on my top five fave things! Anybody have some other good Mexican or Tex Mex that they like?

leahinsc

ohhhh noooo almost forgot - my absolute favorite chain Mexican is TACO CABANA ...while in OBC (Officer Basic) at Fort Sam (San Antonio) I would have to have their roasted white meat chicken, 2 soft flour tortillas and beans and rice at least once/week. They still have this and the best "fixin's" bar of cilantro, lime and salsa - all of this washed down w/ a cold Dos Equis dark....golly I think I'm drooling. I guess it's time for dinner.

BlackAttire

... Pig 'n Whistle, anyone? Anyone? When chains were CHAINS!

bamakelly

PF CHANGS is the BEST! (And I have never been there that I didn't have to wait an hour or more...it's the only place I'd ever wait that long.) So glad they are opening a new one in my town this year!

Also a big fan of First Watch.

Dreamland is also good for BBQ.

We are usually non-chain eaters, but if we see any of the above three, the brakes are on and we're stopping in! (for the record, we don't "hate chains", just usually have other favorites)

leelane911

When you genuinely dislike and don't eat in chain restaurants, why would you answer this post at all? I did not mean that anybody is taking time to literally hate chains. Those of you who are nitpicking about a word know what I am saying. You cannot miss an opportunity to flame somebody if you can find the smallest reason.

wncang

Carrabas, Bonefish Grill and Outback are owned by the same corporation. I would stack them against any comparative priced local restaurant.
That's not to say I don't enjoy local restaurants. In my small town the only chain is a Pizza Hut, so it is a treat to be able to eat at some of the nicer chain restaurants.

bamakelly

leelane--i wasn't flaming you--just wanted to clarify that we generally look for local favorites, but we like these 3 chains so much that we'll eat there no matter what...just trying to emphasize how great we think they are. Not a flame about the "chain" word, etc.

However, I can see why you might have thought that. It is getting rather hard to post much of ANYthing on this board at all for people being nitpicky and condescending. Some people act like they own this board!

GoTravel

wn, Carrabbas, Outback, Bonefish, Flemings, Roy's, Cheeseburger In Paradise are all jointly owned by a local in the community and by corporate Outback.

My husband, who was up until a couple months ago, a restauranter who owned a couple of upscale restaurants in our area. He sold them to a corporate entity.

Restaurants cannot compete serving frozen prepackaged meals and therefore do not survive.

leelane911

Thank you, bamakelly. Many who replied to this post have strange attitudes. I think it is quite humorous that some people feel superior if they do not eat in chains. They need a fuller life to be concerned about.