What is your fav and least fav chain restaurant?

[ImDMous]

Favorites: Pei Wei (a PF Chang's quickservice), Red Lobster (I'm surprised it's on so many worst lists, ours is great), Daphne's

Worst: Applebee's (Crapplebee's to us), IHOP, Chevy's

 

[Ginny Favers]

Favorites: Panera, Chili's, Chick-fil-A, Cracker Barrel

Least: Red Robin, and Applebees, since I found a hair in my salad

 

[Conservative Hippie]

Favorite: Panera, 5 Guys, Starbucks, Pei Wei, Chick-Fil-A

Least Favorite (as in I would rather starve than eat here): Taco Bell, Krystal, Chili's, Long John Silver, Hardee's, Golden Corral, KFC

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

Favorites: Panera, Carrabas, Bonefish. We also like Macaroni Grill, but don't have one local.

least: Olive Garden and Applebees (we don't do fast food outside of slices at local pizza places)

 

[ashmarie06]

Fave: chik fil a, panera, cheddars, applebees, tgif, skyline, O'charleys

Least fave: arbys, kfc, steak and shake, red robin, sonic, McDonald's

 

[LilyWDW]

Favorites: Maggianos, Bonefish Grill, Skyline Chili, Steak and Shake

Least Favorites: Applebees, Olive Garden

I will eat at Olive Garden if I have to. I fill up on salad and bread. I will NOT eat at an Applebees.

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

Favorite - Carrabba's

Least Fav - Olive Garden

 

[anniemae]

Fav-Chipoltle, 99, Chilis

least fav-McD's

 

[A_Princess'_Daddy]

We don't eat at a lot of chains, not because we're hipsters who think we're too cool but because where we both work, local restaurants rule the market and most of our dinners out are either at our country club or at a few other local places. We have nothing against chains, they're just not as common locally...

Favorites: Buffalo Wild Wings (love their sauces and sharing a plate of wings with DD8 is where memories are made), Fleming's (consistently good steaks), Tasty Taco (a local, Iowa-only chain that is really good), Panda Express (Iowa lacks for good Chinese).

Least Favorites: Applebees (it just tastes burnt, no matter what I order), Chik-Fil-A (larger issues aside, their abuse of MSG makes me sick) & Quiznos (they used to be a favorite, but their quality has plummeted over the past few years and it's now crap).

 

[ebtbmom]

I will eat most fast food, I'm not picky if its cheap!

If I'm going to dinner and going to spend some money the only chain I like is the Mellow Mushroom. I dislike the others, and I loathe Applebee's.

I'm not a hipster though, I didn't know it was a hipster thing to not like chains. Actually DH and I started eating at local places after watching Top Chef and wanting to try that type of food, it turned us into seething chain snobs!

 

[LilyWDW]

If I'm going to dinner and going to spend some money the only chain I like is the Mellow Mushroom. I dislike the others, and I loathe Applebee's.

Ah, I forgot Mellow Mushroom! I was so happy when I found out there was one just a town over from where I am going to move to! Love love love that place. Been going there for years. First the Asheville one and now one much closer to home.

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

Favorite: Cheesecake Factory, Cracker Barrel, Ihop, Borders, Chili's, Red Robin

Least Favorite: Weathervane, Applebee's, TGI Friday, Subway

 

[amber_cntrygrl]

Favorites: Milo's, Waffle House, Stix, Habaneros, Chuy's

Least Favorites: Cheesecake Factory, Joes Crab Shack, McDonalds, KFC, Denny's

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[mrsabbott]

Many chain restaurants I am completely neutral about. We're vegetarian (kids and I, not DH), so I really like places where I have decent veggie options. We also don't eat out often and when we do it's fast food or a non chain restaurant.
That said, my favorites are: Subway, Taco. Bell, Burger King, Cracker Barrel, Chuy's, PF Changs, and Olive Garden.
My least favorites are steakhouses and seafood restaurants. Never options there. Most others I'm ambivalent about.
I love Panera Bread but its expensive for what you get, especially kids meals. I liked the food and cheesecake I had at the factory, but I didn't like how close we had to sit with people.

 

[Mom_Rides]

Favorites: Texas Roadhouse (weeknights only though, weekends are CRAZY and the service lacks) and of recent, Red Lobster. We have consistently good service and fresh, hot food there.

Least favorites: PF Changs...overpriced Chinese food. We can get better at our local joint for a third of the price.

 

[sweetTexasgirl]

Favorite: Chili's

Least Favorite: Olive Garden (poor service and cold food), Jason's Deli, Cici's Pizza and Chinese Kitchen (got sick from all these restaurants once and haven't eaten there since)

I'll east most fast food places but I do not like Whataburger so nasty!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Going back over this thread, it's funny how so many favorites are other people's least favorites.

Favorites-Friendly's and Olive Garden, probably because they're not around here so I miss them.

Least favorite is Olive Garden, mostly because Italian food doesn't like my tummy.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Going back over this thread, it's funny how so many favorites are other people's least favorites.

Yup, kind of expected it, though didn't expect as much hate for Red Robin.

 

[FireDancer]

I really hate chain restaurants but I could happily go the rest of my life without ever stepping foot in an Applebees, TGI Friday's, or Olive Garden. I go out of my way to eat at local places around home and try to do the same when I travel. If I had to choose a "favorite" I'd have to go Cracker Barrel. I only eat there when I'm traveling and in the middle of nowhere where there are not a lot of choices but the food is consistent and the service is always pleasant.

I feel bad when I'm in some places that have literally no choices other than chains. They just don't know what they are missing when you have a good local food scene.

 

[IUTBAM]

Favorite: Olive Garden. We always get good service, and the food is consistently the same (good...not drop dead amazing, but good) no matter what state we eat it in. I'm surprised to see so many here list it as a least favorite, because unless we eat at an "off time", we ALWAYS have to wait for a table at Olive Garden.

Least favorite: Red Lobster, Chilis, Applebees, Texas Roadhouse, TGI Fridays, Red Robin.