charles

Chains tend not to have awful food - the secret of their success is that they consistently deliver medium quality, acceptable food. As I love food, I do see something being a chain restaurant as a negative - it means mediocre to me, neither good nor bad. Mass produced.

And I don't need anybody's recommendation on a chain. They are all the same, and I've eaten in all of them. As some people above said, their advantage is that they are predictable. SOmetimes that is good. But when I am travelling I don't really want to eat at something that has multiple outlets near my house.

That said, certain chains are better than others. Some of the regional one's can even be quite decent. And a restaurant group is not a chain - its the standardization that kills the places. SOme restaurant groups can turn into chains, like Emerils and Olives. I think they have become mediocre in the process.

link

This is Link, the original poster. Just wanted to say that I noticed a pattern in many posts.

Some people said they eat at chains when they're home but never eat at them when traveling. Interesting, because I do the opposite.

I know all the good restaurants in my home town, so I wouldn't be caught dead at a chain. However, when I travel to a another town on business, I never know where to go (and don't always trust the recommendations of others) so I go to chain restaurants that I deem acceptable.

Anybody else follow that pattern?

SZ

I rarely if ever eat at chains while at home. But then, I live in NYC, where chains are by far the least desirable option.

When I'm in, say, Columbus, OH, or Orlando, there ain't a lot of choice. Macaroni Grill is actually pretty good.

I'm not a fan of chain hotels, either, especially when I'm in a foreign country. I like a place with a little local character. I can put up with less-than-sparkling rooms if they're in an interesting building.

xxxx

Hey, cg, isn't it true that in China the KFC stands for Kentucky Fried Cat?

c

cg - I've eatten at that same KFC in Xi'an. My friends both had colds and the pollution was so intense in this town. So after two weeks of traveling in China, a KFC was actually a welcome sight. I don't remember the last time I ate at a KFC in the U.S., but in China it was a comfort to be able to order french fries in English.

In the U.S., I enjoy eating at the PF Changs and Il Fornaio chains.

cg

I had an ex-boyfriend who referred to KFC as Kadhafi's Fried Children (one of many reasons he's my EX boyfriend)...

C - was the KFC in Xian utter chaos when you were there? We got there right at lunchtime, and there were about 50 people pushing their way up to the registers. We saw a few trays of food get spilled on people, and a fight almost broke out. Quite the experience!

be glad

Shut up and be glad you're eating. There's plenty of starving people, domestically and internationally, that would love to in your shoes eating so-called chain food establishments.