Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I remember eating at Jack in the Box often with my mom and brother when we were kids. I loved the chicken strips. Needless to say, their chicken strips are not the same and they're now called Crap in the Box.
Also, semi-liked McDonalds as a teen... haven't liked them in nearly 10 years though.
KFC, was a fan of their chicken strips back in the 90s... but after realizing their chicken doesn't look like real chicken anymore, and I get violent diarrhea 50% of the time I eat their chicken, I stopped eating their chicken. lol. But I love their sides, especially the cole slaw.
Applebees use to be a fave for some chicken asiago dish they had... then they took it off the menu... and not a single thing on their menu makes me wanna go back.
Olive Garden also took off my favorite chicken orecchiette dish. They're lucky I love their zuppa toscana. I only go like once a year for it though.
Big fan of Panera Bread right now, except of course, their high prices, and let's talk about how I can get a turkey and cranberry flatbread sandwich that seriously has one piece of freaking turkey in it and 2 pieces of spinach. Half their stuff is not even nearly worth what they charge for it. But their soups can keep me going back...
Outback has really slided downhill McDs has lost focus on what they are supposed to be and has decided that variety is not a virtue and that they should stick to burgers which aren't even good. Plus I expect to spend no more than 2.50 at McDs which doesn't get you much anymore. Chipotle: To me it seems that when they got more and more popular they broadened their food to larger pallets (meaning blanding their food down) and I live in Phoenix so getting chain Mexican Food is pretty stupid. When I was in college I was a line cook at a Regional restaurant chain specializing in Chicago Style Pizza and Beer. They went corporate and did the same thing after 1 year of my being there. More nuking, more pre packaging, more consistency, but more blandness and overpriced food. Italian Restaurants: When I was young I loved Italian restaurants, now? I think they're all kind of the same. Jack in the Box: AZ has billions of them, when I was more of a night owl I spent a lot of time hanging out with tweakers at Jack in the Box, but since I have a suit job and am a stiff now, I don't have any pleasure being there Panera: When I was younger we had this local bakery chain called Paradise Bakery that had the greatest cookies and OJ with moderately edible lunch food, coffee etc. Panera bread bought Paradise Bakery and made it over priced and mediocre.
Do any of you go to restaurants that are NOT chains?
My friend wanted to know if I wanted to go to Red Lobster. My God, we live five miles from the ocean! Why would anyone go to a frozen-food chain for seafood when there are real restaurants near the water? Why is a Red Lobster even HERE? Mystifying.
I agree with whoever said Chinese food now all tastes the same. I suspect they maintain a base of vegetables that include broccoli, those stupid mini corn cobs they have now, carrots, onions, and peppers, and then throw in whatever protein you order into the same mix. Twice I ordered Kung Pao chicken or shrimp and it came with all that plus a few peanuts and some hot pepper thrown in. That's NOT what Kung Pao is supposed to be.
Yes but in a generalized non regionally specific forum I can't say that I used to be a real big fan Elmer's Tacos because nobody will know what that is.
Do any of you go to restaurants that are NOT chains?
Because of where we live, most of the places we go to are not chains. We might run into a chain for something like coffee but I would say most of our meals come from mom and pop places, which is easy to do around here.
However, many places do not offer more than chains. Where my uncle has property upstate, it is very difficult for places to stay open and even the diners that had been relatively busy have closed down. It is like a vast wasteland up there---the town might have a Chinese place, might have a pizza place and if you want a diner, you'd have to go four or five towns over. (And even then, in the slightly bigger town, the only other places that can afford to stay open seem to be chains.) Many of these places look pretty dumpy too---that sort of depressing atmosphere upstate that permeates in certain places infiltrates everything.
I think when people are away, they often gravitate toward chains. They are somewhere unfamiliar and look for the familiar and you don't know what to expect from a place you don't know, whereas you know Chain XYZ is at least okay. But nowadays it's a little easier, because at least you can check reviews online for certain places before you go.
I remember eating at Jack in the Box often with my mom and brother when we were kids. I loved the chicken strips. Needless to say, their chicken strips are not the same and they're now called Crap in the Box.
Also, semi-liked McDonalds as a teen... haven't liked them in nearly 10 years though.
KFC, was a fan of their chicken strips back in the 90s... but after realizing their chicken doesn't look like real chicken anymore, and I get violent diarrhea 50% of the time I eat their chicken, I stopped eating their chicken. lol. But I love their sides, especially the cole slaw.
Applebees use to be a fave for some chicken asiago dish they had... then they took it off the menu... and not a single thing on their menu makes me wanna go back.
Olive Garden also took off my favorite chicken orecchiette dish. They're lucky I love their zuppa toscana. I only go like once a year for it though.
Big fan of Panera Bread right now, except of course, their high prices, and let's talk about how I can get a turkey and cranberry flatbread sandwich that seriously has one piece of freaking turkey in it and 2 pieces of spinach. Half their stuff is not even nearly worth what they charge for it. But their soups can keep me going back...
I don't know what has happened to KFC. There used to be three of them in our general vicinity and they have all closed. I can't even eat there anymore. The chicken is soaked in grease and the sides always seem like they have been there for a few hours or days. It's a shame because I really used to love them.
As far a Panera is concerned......they are going to price themselves out of business. They totally skimp on ingredients and the consistency from store to store is horrible. In one place they will bake the hell out of the bread and cookies so that they are hard and burnt tasting. Another will make the bread soft and the cookies raw. They are definitely not worth the money.....I would go to Corner Bakery before Panera any day. Although, the bagels are still good at Panera.
Panera doesn't bake on site--it's regional. What do you expect from a bunch of 20 year olds earning minimum wage?
In all fairness, I've been to quite a few Mom and Pop restaurants that have been absolutely terrible. In fact, I can think of a local pizza shop here in downtown Denver, CO, that I used to like quite a bit, but feel like the quality has gone downhill lately.
As far as chains are concerned, I'll +1 Panera. I used to like it, but I feel like it's too expensive, sandwiches are lackluster, the soups are overly salty, and the bakery items just aren't as good as they used to be.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
