One interesting thing about reading this thread is how differently people see things . . . in my mind, live and let live. IMHO, too many different restaurants have been thrown into this thread in the "chain" category? Fogo de Chao? Please, not a chain. Having more than one location may meet the technical definition of "chain," but here's the real definition:

When you drive the interstate ring around any major city, and get off at the exit that has Target and Best Buy and Petco and Home Depot or Lowe's, and Circuit City, what restaurant is in the parking lot?

That's a chain.

Using that definition, chains I eat at and enjoy:

Outback: love the wings. Just love 'em. Nobody else makes them like this, people always give them that crappy tabasco flavor. Steaks are so-so. Get the wings and a salad.

Olive Garden: not spectacular, but reliable, especially if you're with anyone who's not an adventurous eater.

Macaroni Grill: a bit better than Olive Garden, but not as chain-y just because there aren't as many of them.

Panera: Went to school in St. Louis, and spent a LOT of time at St. Louis Bread Company, which is the progenitor of this good soup-and-sandwich chain.

Corner Bakery: Same category, love the paninis.

Two restaurants I think are a bit above the "chain" status, but I throw them in for kicks:

McCormick & Schmicks: Best "chain" seafood, bar none, and I've been to that Boston pretender.

Ruth's Chris: Best "chain" steak, and I've been to all the high-end ones you can name. NEVER (and I mean NEVER) have had a bad steak at any Ruth's, any location, any cut. It's never happened.

Chains I don't like:

Chili's: tired menu, indifferent service.

Ruby Tuesday: same.

Hooter's: bad food, staff who's supposed to be "attractive" but 3/4 of the time is not.

Very interesting thread - from London's Ivy to Roy's to The Cheesecake Factory! :D I am from Hawaii-Kai, Honolulu, and the feeling amongst more than one local is that Roy's is way overrated - that the food, while reasonably "good," is NOT "great," especially for the price! All complain how noisy the Hawaii-Kai location (the original location) is - having not been to the others, does this hold true elsewhere in the Roy's "chain"?

ClipperJon

Sonic Burger. Consistently good burger. And I like the way I can park and order. Like the old Sands in L.A.

Z

They're all loud, but I like the ahi, macadamia nut crusted mahi-mahi & that chocolate lava cake... and they have Conundrum on the wine list, which is a perfect match for their food.

JCooke and I went to Ruth's in NYC for Valentine's Day 2002. AWESOME. Best meal we have ever had. Pricey, but well worth it. The food, the drink, the atmosphere was perfect for a couples night out. Although we have not ventured to the one near us (King of Prussia), I'm sure we will in the near future.

Olive Garden is always a winner for quick Italian. There is also a restaurant in my area called Austin's, which has its sisters in Plymouth Meeting, Langhorne, and Drexel Hill under the name of J.B. Dawson's. EXCELLENT FOOD! Killer baked potato soup and awesome ribs (so I've been told, I don't eat them :D )

Outback Steakhouse! I've been a fan forever. Love the hot bread and the large amounts of food they give you!

I like Johnny Carino's for the chain Italian. Spicy Romano Chicken, less Artichoke Hearts and Mushrooms, if you please. ^

BillShepp - are you sure that Milestones is owned by the company that owns Macaroni Grill?

Macaroni Grill is owned by Brinker International. They own not only Macaroni Grill but Chilis, On the Border, Corner Bakery, Rockfish, Maggianos, and Big Bowl Asian.
see: http://www.brinker.com/

I think this thread is informative in more ways than one. The sad thing is that someone asked for chain restaurants that are good, and some of the replies include places like In-N-Out Burger and so on, which may be good (for what they are), but could hardly be called restaurants. And someone else thought a brunch place was special because they serve (gasp!) fresh-squeezed orange juice. :rolleyes:

Are we Americans a bunch of rubes or what? :(

Well, we may be rubes, but I don't think it's because of the orange juice. As one who loves to travel in Europe, I must say, when in a restaurant for breakfast, I've seldom gotten orange juice of any higher quality than Hi-C!

Yeah, same problem in most European hotels. :td: (However, I wasn't making a comparison to Europe. I was just pointing out how surprisingly unsophisticated some Americans on this board are, especially considering that we're supposedly frequent travelers. I got the impression that the o.j. person was not well traveled within the US, for instance.)

But I think we're drifting off topic here.... Sorry about that. :o

From dictionary.com
 

So, if they are not restaurants, what are they? :rolleyes: ;)


"res·tau·rant ( P ) Pronunciation Key (rstr-nt, -t-ränt)
n.
A place where meals are served to the public.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[French, restorative soup, restaurant, from present participle of restaurer, to restore, from Old French restorer. See restore.]

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Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.


restaurant

n : a building where people go to eat [syn: eating house, eating place]"

I was the one who brought up the fresh squeezed OJ. What restaurant have you been to that does that? In house? The chain I was talking about is a local chain to PHL. Check out http://www.marathonrestaurants.com and see how eclectic the menu is. I am very well traveled. I know my food, and I don't eat at national chains, unless it is for a snack or something light or healthy (Subway). I brought up the OJ, because this restaurant chain knows how to do weekend brunch or breakfast, bar none. Take a look at their breakfast menu (pdf file) and tell me what you think.

We enjoy the happy hour at http://www.thaifoon.com/locations.html
We go to the one in Newport Beach, CA. The appetizers are more or less half-priced from 4-7 p.m. on weekdays [and maybe weekends as well]. We've had chicken satay sticks, lettece wraps, pork dumplings and ahi, all delicious. The $4 glass of wine is of a high quality. Haven't tried lunch or dinner yet.

http://www.brinker.com/

(Gasp) The same people own Maggiano's and Macaroni Grille?! Maggiano's is miles better. I also do not understand the hoopla around the Cheesecake Factory (especially in DC on Sunday). I eat there but certainly not on days a one and a half hour wait is required!