What are your favorite restaurant chains when traveling by car? (cheapest, trip)
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Wow on Cracker Barrel, but I haven't been to one in years... Wendy's, Carl Jr's, Subway, I tend to want grab and go if on the road and beat feet...tires...
I find the rest of their menu rather mediocre, but the Travel Centers of America have the absolutely best scrambled eggs on the highway!!! Yes, they come out of a bag, but they add cream or something to make them HEAVENLY!
Denny's or Perkins for breakfast - lunch too depending on what's around. If we're travelling in the boonies, I'll stick with someplace I know - Chili's, Olive Garden, one of the standard chains. NEVER chinese food - got sick from it the 3 times away from home - it's a rule - no, period.
I used to look for lots of trucks, but that doesn't hold true anymore. If I need to, I can tolerate a fastfood place, but it's not my choice. When it is necessary, I'd rather a Walt's Roast Beef (too much grease driving isn't good).
Love me some Shoneys. If we had them out here I would be a regular.
I remember the southern town I moved to as a kid in 1988, a Shoney's was built there and it was very popular. We always liked going there as well. They also seemed to spring up all over the south. Somehow in the 1990's it appeared to be going wrong. Business left the one in town until it finally closed and then I noticed while traveling they started disappearing elsewhere as well.
Just to start the conversation, my favorite is Cracker Barrel. It is always very expensive, good service, consistent and very inexpensive. I get a kick out of the people at Cracker Barrels, where ever we go to one as we travel cross country, the customers all look the same.
huh?
I like Cracker Barrel, too, and find it reasonably and moderately priced. Like you said, it seems the service is good and the food is consistent. Also, since there isn't one near me, it's something I get to enjoy only when I take a road trip.
Another favorite is In-N-Out Burger. These are close to me, so they aren't really that special, but at the end of a long road trip where there are no In-N-Outs, it's a welcoming sight on the trip home.
Along the same vein, I like Good Times Burgers. I've only had them in Colorado and Wyoming, but they are also consistent, and quite tasty. When I travel to those states, and I want something fairly quick, Good Times is a great place to stop. Their frozen custard is really good on a warm summer day, too.
Taco John's is another fast food establishment we like to visit when we travel. The food is good, and is different from most of the "mexican" fast food chains I have near me (Taco Bell and Del Taco). There's a store in Cheyenne, Wyoming that is both a Taco John's and a Good Times restaurant in the same building. Talk about a tough decision!
KFC is another road trip favorite for our family. We usually only stop there once or twice per road trip, but the kids and I enjoy it. We have KFC close to home, though, so it isn't really special for us.
For other sit-down type places, I like to try the ones that I don't have close to home. I like to try different things when I can. They're not always good, but I've had more positive experiences than negative. Some that come to mind that aren't close to home for me are Village Inn, Perkins, Shoney's, and Waffle House.
I used to look for lots of trucks, but that doesn't hold true anymore.
One thing I've found around the Los Angeles area is that if there are a lot of trucks from the various city departments around, you can bet there's a good place to eat nearby. I bet the same holds true in other cities as well. This usually doesn't apply to chain restaurants in L.A., though, so that wouldn't really apply to the OP's question.
I also noticed a disappearance of Shoney's restaurants over the years. As far as I know, the closest one to California used to be in St. George, Utah. It's been gone for several years now, and I haven't seen any others in the west that I can recall for a long time now.
Bob's Big Boy, on the other hand, has been making a bit of a comeback lately, and they now have several new restaurants that have opened in places I visit regularly.
The sad thing about truck stops is that most of them have just a fast food restaurant such as Subway. Travel Centers of America, Petro and Flying J still have sit-down restaurants. But Pilot always has just a Subway or Pizza Hut. Some of the old "mom n' pop" truck stops still have good eats, but they're a vanishing breed...sigh. I found myself enjoying regular restaurants where I could get my truck into the corner of the parking lot or park nearby.
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