On a recent business trip I ate at a Houston's restaurant in Atlanta GA. I was surprised to find out thqat it was a chain as the atmosphere, food etc. were not what I'd expect from a chain operation. Not cheap but perhaps the best tuna steak I've ever had and all the side dishes were first rate as well. Have also tried Pappadeaux's cajun seafood place in Dallas and it was very good. It had an ambiance that is more typical of a chain but was very good food. Just depends on what you're looking for... if I'm on a road trip and need a quick, moderately priced dinner in a town without any obviosuly great "local" operations, I'll stop into a place like Olive Garden. Is it great, top-shelf Italian food? No but I knoe exactly what I'll get and the price is right (but don't get me started on Red Lobster - how do they manage to make every different type of seafood from lobster to shrimp to fish all taste the same? Wierd...)

A good,juicy Bourbon Street steak from Applebees sure sounds good to me.

That's odd. I was thinking the same thing about Olive Garden: How DO they manage to make everything taste the same? (I think the answer is: too much garlic, too much butter, too much oil -- that'll make anything taste alike.)

Not all chains are created equal. I had a chance meeting with the VP of the organization that owns the HOPS Bar & Grill chain. We love the one in our home town, which surprised him greatly. He said it isn't so well received in other area. The explanation? Individually managed stores - The manager in our hometown is thought to be the best they have on board. The VP said he'd like to clone our guy and send him to every restaurant they own. So there still can be a lot of individuality in chain restaurants.

Olive Garden employs the use of microwaveable packets for their sauces and nukes pre-cooked pasta. The bread and salad bags that are shipped (almost) ready to serve. This eliminates all human involvement with the food prep. Not that this is a bad way of preparing food for the masses, because it does ensure uniformity. Just please don't tell me that the "real family" commercials have stolen your mind when they tell you that this is "real" Italian. Come on now. There is a difference, and arguing there is none shows that you never had a grandmother or mother to teach you the difference between good food and garbage.

When I'm on vacation I don't want to eat at a chain, unless it's a chain we don't have here in NY - in which case I'll try it. I found I love In-N-Out burgers (Vegas & SF)...we don't have those around here. Also Chipotle Grill in the Denver area is very yummy - I LOVE veggie burritos! I also go to IHOP in Austin whenever I'm there. Those crepes with berry sauce are great! Sometimes it's just EASY to return again and again to a chain restaurant, because you generally know what you're going to get - it requires no thought or planning.

But if someone's coming to NY, I wouldn't recommend they go to McDonalds or Olive Garden...there's so much better out there. There ARE some decent chains in NY though...Baluchi's (Indian) and Manhattan Chili Company are two places I go occasionally. And I like the spinach dip & chicken fingers at Houston's.

Some chains can do things right, some can't. Sometimes you're in the mood to try something new, and sometimes you just want to stop your stomach from rumbling. But I think that vacation is the best time to try new things.

Chains we love:
Il Fornaio (California and Italy)
McCormick and ......(depends on city)
California Cafe
Piatti
Armadillo Willy's
Lettuce Entertain You
Giodano pizza
Fishmarket

just want to correct Yuck from a previous post - there is another Lutece - it's in Las Vegas.

I'll try to weigh in on this. One thing that I have noticed is that there tends to be regional chains that are able to maintain their quality, while expanding within a limited geograpgic area. They achieve economies of scale, while not expanding so far that they lose the identity of who they are. I can name some from the areas that I am familiar with...the midwest (Happy Joe's Pizza, Maid-Rite, Hungry Hobo).

None of you will be familiar with these, but there's a reason. They do not try to conquer the world ala McDonalds. I'm sure the original McDonald's was good, but along the way they became more about market share than hamburgers. Moderate growth with not losing sight of what made your restaurant popular to begin with is the key here.

Not including "fast food" which in genral I love, here is a sampling of my good and bad picks for chains.

Good:
Macaroni Grill
Ruth Chris
Outback Steakhouse
Benihana
Tumbleweed
B.D.'s Mongolian Grill
BW-3's
P.F. Changs

Bad:
Chi Chi's
Red Lobster
Olive Garden
Hard Rock Cafe
Rainforest Cafe
Shoney's
Uno's Pizza
Hooter's

I am sure there are plenty of others!

What does anyone think of Benigans?. Have tried two while in the States, one in Chicago - OK, and one in Boston which was very good. This doesn't seem to have had a mention.

my two cents:

GOOD: Bennigan's, Ground Round, Carlos O'Kellys
ACCEPTABLE: Lone Star, Ruby Tuesday
REALLY BAD: Chi Chi's, TGI Fridays, Olive Garden

Management seems to play a big part in these.

Is "Don Pablo's" a chain? They are all over Minneapolis/St. Paul and I like them.

What some people knock chains for is what is sometimes good about them - like if you are in a new city and you have hungry teenagers who have been travelling all day and tolerated that funky cafe for lunch and now want recognizable food soon. No, I would not eat in a chain restaurant most of the time - but the above posters have some general agreement on which ones are good and which ones stink - it is that consistency that is important at times. We save the more adventuresome eating for the next day. (And, although I can't stand TGIFridays, the one at JFK Airport was a welcome sight after 10 days in Egypt!)

Hey Bethany
How can you include Hooters on your bad list of chains? They serve very high quality food and give good service in the process. I certainly only go there for the food - at least that's what I tell the wife.

Huh,

there is a Don Pablo's in Winston-Salem NC. Not a bad place for casual tex mex. The best Mexican cuisine chain (at least I think it's a chain) I have tried is La Paz in Charlotte NC.

It's been a while since I've eaten there, but the Tijuana Fats in Blowing Rock NC is decent too.

Don Pablos is a chain. I have seen them all over the midwest and south but they are pretty good. Another good category chain for Italian is Maggiano's (beats Olive Garden hands down!)

I really loved Bahama Breeze in Orlando and it's a chain. They have a signature scallop dish that is awesome! The scallops were ENORMOUS!

Most chains strive for consistency ,,,,not great food.

They want the dining experience to be the same at all locations. This means portion control, garnishes, food prep is done according to "the manual".

In some chains the "chef" is an 18 year old kid just following the system.

Some chains set higher standards than others(Mortons, etc) ..others don't (Ruby Tuesday, Bennigans, etc.....but regardless each store(restaurant) should be serving the same product.

I'll put my vote in for Cozymel's, good Tex Mex, and awesome Margaritas. Large portions and reasonable prices. We have one on Long Island, NY.

There is a Don Pablo's in Atlanta, too - definitely a chain.

I'm not ashamed to say that I love chains - there's a reason why they're so successful. It's all about consistency, which is very comfortable, especially when you're someplace unfamiliar or if you're exhausted after working an 80-hour week. I love good food and exploring new places, but sometimes I just don't feel like it and eating is something that I need to do to keep from passing out. I will go to McDonald's because I know exactly what I will get, and how it will taste.

Also, while travelling, especially overseas, it's nice to get a little tast of home. I took a bike trip in S. China a couple years ago, where we were out in the countryside for two and a half weeks, eating food that our guide ordered for us. It was great, but when we hit Xian, our first stop was KFC. The whole experience and complete immersion in the culture was so overwhelming, we just needed a little something to help ease our homesickness (besides, going to a KFC in China is a cultural experience in and of itself...).

Some chains I wouldn't set foot in (Olive Garden, for instance). Others are some of my favorite restaurants (California Pizza Kitchen, Outback). I say, go wherever you like the food and who cares what anyone else thinks. You're the only one who knows what you like or feel like doing at the moment, whether that's a new experience in a little family restaurant that may be spectacular or horrible, or the old familiar chain.