What are your favorite chain restaurants

[MrsDuck]

Chik fil A
Cracker Barrel
Panera

 

[Shellsbutt]

Chik fil A
Panera
Smashburger
Sonic
Cracker Barrel- I was finally able to try one last summer while in Flagstaff AZ. They don't have any in Northern CA. My husband and I were driving around in a downpour and had a hard time finding it. We weren't sure if it was even open so he dropped me off and I went in. All I could find was a big general store and was bummed out until I kept walking and saw the hostess stand. Duh!

 

[holden]

Panera

 

[Sabeking]

Taziki's
Chik fil A
Panera

 

[LilyWDW]

Oh and one I miss since I am no longer near them... Pal's.

 

[superme80]

Nations
Smashburger
Steak N Shake
Olive Garden
Mimi's Cafe
Black Bear Diner

This is a local Mexican fast food place in the next larger town. It has 2 location. We love it.

 

[AquamarineSteph]

Mellow Mushroom

 

[Vicki926]

Ooo, I forgot my favorite: Houstons. Love the ribs there.
I also like Cheesecake Factory, just soooo much food there.

 

[IAHFTPT]

Chick-Fil-A
Moes
Cracker Barrel

 

[bcla]

Seems like a rather broad-ended question since a chain can be anything from fast food, casual dining, theme restaurants, or even high end.

Well - maybe one of each.

fast food - Taco Bell
casual dining - Romano's Macaroni Grill
theme restaurant - Hard Rock Cafe
high end - Ruth's Chris

 

[Elle23]

Good grief...you poor souls who have never had Chick-fil-A! We have it probably once a week.

The other chains we frequent are Dominoes, McDonalds, and Chili's.

Occasional visits on the roster: Panera, Pei Wei, Jason's, Taco Bell, Schlotzsky's, Subway

 

[#1hoosierfan]

Chick-Fil-a
Panera
Outback
Buffalo Wild Wings

 

[bcla]

Since there's a discussion on this, I'm thinking of a lot of the chain restaurants that seem to be in decline. It guess it's a cutthroat business and there are a lot of options.

Applebee's is planning on closing a lot of locations. Just recently Joe's Crab Shack suddenly closed several locations. There's this medium sized chain called Elephant Bar. It wasn't large like Applebee's or Chili's, but it had several locations in a large area and I found it a good value and remarkably consistent from location to location. Something happened to it. The menu changed and I guess business went with it. I think last year they just shut down most of their locations.

We had this small, local chain called Pasta Pomodoro. It was founded by a guy originally from Italy who thought that the area could use a good restaurant selling moderately priced pasta dishes. I'd taken Italians there and eventually we used their catering services for meetings. It was still decent for years, but I think the founder lost interest and sold it. His new venture is a burger chain called Super Duper, but the sensibility and menu changed after the ownership shift. I loved the place but it just wasn't as good once the founder left.

 

[kimblebee]

Oh, yeah - I forgot about Olive Garden. DH & DS love it. We only have one in the entire city (pop. 1.4 million). It's 30 minutes across town and almost impossible to get into without an hour or so wait.

Funny..we're half the size of your city and we have two or three Olive Gardens.

 

[Micca]

I'm not a chain restaurant snob, but I seldom go to one. There's a group of Tex-Mex places here that I enjoy so I guess that's a chain even if it's regional. The rest of the family enjoys Chick-Fil-A, I like it, but only go there maybe 3 or 4 times a year.

 

[ronandannette]

Funny..we're half the size of your city and we have two or three Olive Gardens.

It's actually very weird. There are only 3 Olive Gardens in the entire province - the other 2 are in Edmonton, a smaller city than Calgary. In lots of cities they are located next to a Red Lobster. We've got 4 or 5 Red Lobsters and only the 1 Olive Garden. (Interestingly, that Red Lobster location apparently thrives on the over-flow of Olive Garden customers that decide not to wait. LOL)

 

[kimblebee]

It's actually very weird. There are only 3 Olive Gardens in the entire province - the other 2 are in Edmonton, a smaller city than Calgary. In lots of cities they are located next to a Red Lobster. We've got 4 or 5 Red Lobsters and only the 1 Olive Garden. (Interestingly, that Red Lobster location apparently thrives on the over-flow of Olive Garden customers that decide not to wait. LOL)

I think we only have one red lobster..right next to an Olive Garden LOL

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Can she articulate why? What on gods-green-earth can they be doing to this chicken that makes it any different than any other chicken...it's actually starting to bug me a little.

It's not just the chicken...the waffle fries are soo soo good too! I love the Chick-fil-a Deluxe sandwich (has pickle, lettuce, tomato, American cheese & mayo) with a side of waffle fries. Yummy!!!

ETA:
nice - Bone Fish Grill
regular - Texas Roadhouse or Red Robin
fast casual - Chipotle
fast food - Chick-fil-a

 

[brockash]

Red Robin, Texas Roadhouse, Friendly's

 

[OnceUponATime15]

At home..

Panera
The Works Gourmet Burger Bistro
Jack Astors
Milestones
Wahlburgers
The Keg
LoneStar

When we're in the States..

California Pizza Kitchen (CPK)
Tom & Chee
Steak 'n shake
IHOP
Olive Garden