We will be heading to Disney World and will be staying on site but we do not want to eat at their restaurants. Any recommendations on restaurants around the Disney area like an Outback or other chain/local place? Proximity to Disney? Thanks.
OP, is this your first time at Disney? Just so you know, Disney is kind of like in a little cocoon where it is isolated from the rest of the world. It is not very easy to access the outside world if you do not have a car.
Will there be any kids in your party or just adults? If it is just adults, you could potentially take a Disney bus to downtown Disney. Then walk down Hotel Plaza Blvd towards Crossroads plaza. There is a Fridays, Unos, Chevys, Buffalo Wild Wings, etc. there. It would be quite a walk though, so I wouldn't do it with kids. But it is doable. Also, some of the hotels on Hotel Plaza Blvd have restaurants. There is a Benihana in the Hilton that we have been wanting to try. But I haven't recently priced it out compared to, say, the Japanese place in EPCOT.
What might be most helpful is for us to give you ideas about restaurants on property that are good and relatively inexpensive and give you the most bang for your buck.
I might recommend the restaurants in the Swan and Dolphin. They are, for all purposes, on property. In the Dolphin, they have an ice cream parlor place with diner fare and ice cream. We eat at Kimonos in the Swan every trip for sushi. There is even a character meal on select days at either the Swan or the Dolphin, can't remember. It only has 2 characters, but might be a good, cheap alternative to a character meal if you have kids.
We've had a cheapish meal at Via Napoli in EPCOT. Me, DH, DD23 and DD19 shared a large (not the mega rectangle one, but the large round one) pizza.
I've read that Trails End buffet at Fort Wilderness is good and cheap(ish), but we have never been there.
Our typical strategy to minimize costs at Disney is to go to places where you order off the menu and not the family style or buffet places. $70 for dinner at Cinderella's Castle is not worth it for us as my DD might eat a piece of bread and some fruit for her meal! When you order off the menu, you can somewhat control costs. My DD will maybe order an appetizer or we share a larger meal, etc.
Maggie