Originally Posted by
Ancien Maestro
Local diners and restaurants are not hard to find imo.. just that when we do end up finding one, we are not familiar with menu, prices, food selection, and quality..
That is why franchises jump out and catches the eye.. uh.. Denny's.. I can get a grand slam, or Red Lobster, Olive Garden.. menu is familiar..
Joes' Diner.. hardly any vehicles out front.. gee, I dunno..
That's the issue I have with a lot of local places. You don't know the quality, price or selection in advance. At a chain, I can figure that it's passable quality, at a minimum, or if it's not, that they'll take steps of some sort to make it right for me.
If a local diner or restaurant doesn't have many patrons at what should be a busy time, I'm likely to not frequent it, figuring that if the locals won't eat there, I don't want to eat there either.
Originally Posted by
emma69
I guess that is the bit I hate most, the fact I know the menu before even picking it up - and in most cases, every chain has a variation on the same items, I'd feel pretty safe ordering a spinich dip to start, and a burger for main in almost any of the chains around here without even picking up the menu. I like seeing new and unusual items - and the chains all seem to go safe and middle of the road.
New and unusual has its place, and can be good, but so can knowing the general quality and menu in advance.