Originally Posted by
sdsearch
I was also surprised to see that even in the UK (where nothing-but-breakfast Express by Holiday Inn is common) many BWs have a full restauarnt on premises. (This is very rare in the US.) In one town, people mentioned that the restaurant inside the BW is the only thing in town other than fast food. Except maybe in Bryce Canyon City, UT (where the main sit-down restaurant is indeed inside the older of the two BWs), I can't think of a case like that in the US.
I seem to recall that quite a few of the BWs in the Midwest and in Western USA have F/S restaurants, though as you indicate, it is certainly not a brand standard. It is also fair to say that in some of the smaller towns, the hotel restaurant is indeed the best restaurant in town.
Interesting that in the US where BW tends to be dinged for a lack of consistency, in parts of Europe with mostly independent properties, the BW brand standards, such as they are, generally do make for a more reliable experience.