Applebee`s : Ryan`s Steakhouse : Culvers : Bennigans

[LincolnMcGrath]

Pick somewhere for me to eat tonight. I think those are the only big name (non fast food)chains here in town.

[Boudicea]

1. Applebees sucks

We just got one in my one-horse town. Spent $30 on lunch for two and it was mediocre.

[tridim]

5. Yep, anything but Applebees

The food tastes good, but it's not good food. I used to work there, so I know.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

7. boycott Applebee's, they are union-busters

a very evil company, not to mention their food sucks.

[LincolnMcGrath]

23. Union Busters?

Link? Story?
I`ll not only boycott them, I`ll let the local brothers know to boycott them as well.

[BlueJazz]

8. Amen to that.....

I've eaten in about 10 Applebees in 6 towns and every single one
"Bit the Big One"
I think (from the way their food tastes) that they buy the cheapest food available.

[Parche]

9. my favorite

Steak and Lobster

Either RibSteak or Prime Rib
With Rice, vegetable,corn on the cob, salad, with ranch

Dessert Lemon Meringue pie with graham cracker crust

[mjb4]

2. all of these suck...try

any of the pappas restaurants

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

17. mmmm Pappadeaux's

:thumbsup:

[LincolnMcGrath]

25. Pappadeaux's??

:shrug:

[ohmyman1]

3. stay local

screw th big chains. pick an independent local resturant.

[Bunny]

4. I like Ryan's myself.

Some folks I know refer to it as the hog trough tho, because of the size of some of the folks who eat at the buffet. I'm not a small woman, and I just love that buffet. They really do have something for everyone, but the dessert bar is killer. Since I started my diet I've been avoiding it - I know I'd lose control :)!

[amazona]

6. applebees and ryans are TERRIBLE

Haven't been to a Bennigans in more than a decade so who knows. Never heard of Culvers. Frankly I would take the money and get a bottle of wine and a deli chicken from the supermarket. It wouldn't be any more expensive, and it would be a lot more pleasant to the taste buds.

[Nikia]

10. Bennigan's

I only ate there once since they are not around here. When I went, I had some chicken asiago pasta dish that was pretty good.

[Bossy Monkey]

11. Go to Ryan's if it was built in the last 5 years

New Ryan's are pretty good. The old ones have mainly gone totally to pot, at least around here.

[disgruntled_goat]

12. Culvers!

they are head n shoulders above the others you mentioned.
IMO.

[damnraddem]

13. Go to the store, buy some ribs, put them on the barbeque grill.

Or something like that -- if those are the only non-fast-food choices available to you. But when you say 'big name (NFF) chains,' do you mean that there are little-name chains, or (horrors) independent restaurants? If so, I'd try one of those. Do you have any family nearby you could drop in on at dinner time?

[BigMcLargehuge]

14. Why eat at any of those corporate troughs?

There must be at least a handful of mom n' pop restaurants in town.

Corporate restaurants are the WalMart's of the foodservice industry.

Money goes in, and stays there. Nothing gets back into the community.

[MR. ELECTABLE]

15. No to Bennigan's AND Applebee's

My wife and I went to a Bennigans and we thought it was about the nastiest chain food we'd ever eaten... plus it arrived 30 minutes late and we almost missed our flight because of it...

Applebee's while good tasting, is definitely not good food and I swear every time I go there I feel like the whole place is swarming with repukes... you know they just give off that vibe. Last time I was there I saw a guy with a Bush/Cheney 2004 T-Shirt on... WTF!!!

[theemu]

16. Culvers

I've never heard of it, so I'd choose it.

Culvers>Bennigans>Applebee's>Ryan's Steakhouse (the worst restaurant I have ever been to in my life)

[LincolnMcGrath]

24. Culvers

[priller]

34. I like Culver's quite a bit, actually

It's one of the best fast food burgers around here.

[baldguy]

18. Bennigans

I worked at one when I was in college. It's the only resaurant I've worked at that I wouldn't be worried to eat at.

Those of you who have been a waitroid know what I mean.

[maveric]

19. Anyplace but Olive Garden! A poor excuse for italian food.

I would never take my visiting italian uncle to a crappy place like that. :puke:
Arent there any good family owned restaurants where you live? I find those to have better food and larger portions.

[priller]

33. Believe it or not, in San Antonio

they had a reader poll in the paper a few weeks ago, "What is the best restaurant in town?" You guessed it: Olive Garden!

:shrug:

[zekeson]

35. I stumbled across that poll

and I was shocked, I tell you, shocked. The SA Olive Gardens have always sucked. Service is shitty, food is standard OG fare, which pretty mcuh sucks if you want real Italian. A real shame, too, as 10 years ago there were some very good Italian places on San Pecro, but they got swallowed up by progress.

Back on topic, if you haven't eaten by now you are prety darn hungry, but I saw Culvers if it just has to be a chain.

[mitchtv]

39. I had one of my worst restaurant experiences in Olive Garden

in Rhonert Park , Ca.. I should have known better. Their problem was the brain dead help. My last time there.:puke:

[LincolnMcGrath]

20. Well I went to Applebees

I as delighted to find a fly in my cole slaw!!!!!

Do you people keep eating after a found fly or hair?

[marigold20]

21. Yech! No, I wouldn't keep eating

but you wouldn't be able to find your waitperson to complain so just write off the cole slaw. We have an Applebees in our one-horse town too and everyone was thrilled when it opened. We've been there just a few times and really don't plan to go back. The food is just OK but what really bothers me is that when you try to pay for your meal, the wait person takes your credit card and disappears for a LONG time. You can't find her waiting on someone else and then try to signal her - she's just gone. This has happened every time we've been there. My theory is that making you wait so long keeps you at the table = thus people coming in to the Applebees get the impression that the restaurant is busier than it really is. Anyway, bye-bye to Applebees.

[LincolnMcGrath]

26. Well, I got the meal free from the manager.

About a $50$ dollar meal for the three of us.
At least the drinks were good. I had to stop eating when I found the still-kicking fly in the slaw.

[LincolnMcGrath]

32. Do you people keep eating after a found fly or hair?

:kick: :shrug:

[Wcross]

22. Home

Eat at home.

[grasswire]

27. doesn't Bennigan's....

....have that baked potato soup? Aside from that, I have little experience with these places. I hate Applebee's. Ach! And Red Robin ugh! Noisy, coporate food, fakey enthusiasm, plastic smiles. Oh, and the Outback! UGH!

Patronize your locally owned restaurants.

[LincolnMcGrath]

30. And support the Armanians! lol

Quite a few local restaraunts are owned by an Armanian/American family.

Tax free for over 25 years, according to the youngest son?

[no one in particular]

28. Bennigan's..because...

I just love that South Park episode with Butters wanting to go to Bennigan's.

Its "Butters' Very Own Episode" for those of you keeping track at home.

[neverforget]

29. Had some very good drinks at Bennigans in June.......

:toast: :beer: I had margaritas that just hit the spot.......

[LincolnMcGrath]

31. Pint of Guinness!

[maxanne]

36. screw the chains

Chain restaurants are the spawn of Satan. They are like WalMart, only worse, because they gum up so many parts of our lives.

Chains restaurants are a huge contributor to the increasing homogenization of the USA. Every town looks alike and has the same frickin chains - and the same factory outlets. We think alike, we dress alike, we eat alike, and our restaurants all look alike. No need to ever get outside the comfort zone, because the next place I travel to, will look just like this!

Chains lead people to believe that food is prepared much faster than it is. I used to be a chef. My last job was in a great indie restaurant that served excellent food, prepared to order. Oh, didn't people have a cow sometimes - "I've been waiting for 20 minutes..." like they were expecting a personal pan pizza in ten minutes. :eyes:

Chains are ruining the concept of dining. They are filled with families, who have badly behaved screaming children. They are bland, they are tasteless - they are symbolic of all that is wrong with us. They are not bold, or innovative. They will not challenge you to try something new. They will instead, force you to be bland, boring, and just like everyone else.

[no one in particular]

37. Hey, most people like that.

"They will instead, force you to be bland, boring, and just like everyone else. "

Doesn't that describe 99% of America?

I'm all for being "daring" in my dining, but not when I bring along my kids/parents/grandparents.

[LincolnMcGrath]

38. You are so correct!

Except about the badly behaved screaming kids.