What about the WhiteStar line of London Restaurants (by Marco Pierre White)? There are 8 of them, all very high end. In fact, most people wouldn't even recognize them as being part of a 'chain'. They include:

Belvedere, Criterion, Drones, L'Escargot, Mirabelle, and Quo Vadis.

See: http://www.whitestarline.org.uk/

I've eaten at the Picasso Room @ L'Escargot, where they have real Picasso paintings. It was a magical evening.

My favorite
 

Okay, this isn't your run-of-the-mill chain, but I pick Nobu. Anyone agree?? :D

http://www.noburestaurants.com/

If I run across a l'entrecote I'll give it a try. Maybe Leon de Bruxelles is a Parisien thing? There aren't any in my Department or anywhere I've lived in France. I try to stay away from the Champs thank you. If in Paris, I hang out in the 5th or 6th, or the 15th for work. Yes the R&C restaurants are usually good since they are run like a normal French traditionelle resto.

I would think that the term "chain" would apply to some sort of communality in the type of menu etc, etc.
Having dined at Mirabelle, Quo Vadis plus Titanic (closed ??) and the now closed The Canteen ( plus another restaurant whose name I cannot recall now) I dont think you could find a single menu item replicated at another of his places.

And yes Nobu would most definitely fall within my interpretation of the criteria outlined by OP.
( Now the Cheesecake Factory, good? = just a upscale Fidays IMHO..sorry :)

mike

My votes go to crackerbarrel and CARRABBA'S although I have only been to one Carrabba's location. I really dislike chain restraunts, I try to avoid them but these two are usually pretty good, although I have had one bad experince at a crackerbarrel.
http://www.carrabbas.com/
www.crackerbarrel.com/

P.S. Not sure if this counts but I also like Emeril's restraunts.

MIKESILV - Ok, I would agree with you, there is probably no commonality between these Whitestar restaurants, so they wouldn't be a 'chain restaurant'.

But, here is come compiliation lists of some Chain Restaurants:
1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_restaurant_chains
2) http://freespace.virgin.net/john.cle...ks/restaur.htm
3) http://dmoz.org/Business/Hospitality/Restaurant_Chains/

Is Carrabbas really that good? I was just in Lansing and opted for a local italian joint. Thanks!

Can I just throw in a vote for the Keg? Have dined at both the Banff & Winnipeg locations and was thoroughly impressed with the quality of food, level of service and price.

But going more down the track of what constitutes a chain, the Conran places i've dined at in London are very popular - if somewhat pricey - when comapred to N. America (and that's before you count the somewhat sorry state of the US peso :p )

What about McDosa, the London chain of Keralan restaurants (the Radha Krishna Bhavan being my personal favourite...)

In New Zealand I've had dinner at Little India in both Christchurch and Hamilton. Great food and a nice atmosphere.

I agree. ^

When I was up in vancouver ate at a chain called white spot which is a BC only chain.The burgers there were quite good.Didnt try anything else on the menu...
-howie

Agreed with Mastro's, just make sure to not get the heated plate. I also think the Fleming's at Fashion Island in Newport Beach makes a great steak as well. I haven't been to any other Fleming's, but every meal at the Newport one I have enjoyed.

I've gotta agree with the Corner Bakery, Carrabba's, and Roy's suggestions.

I had no idea that Copeland's was a chain.

Although they aren't an official "chain," I've always had great meals at Houston's and find it especially blows away Cheesecake Factory(esque) competition.

Oneworldboy - Why would you not consider Houstons to be an official chain? I think that they meet the very definition of a chain:

"a businesses under one management or ownership and offer similar goods or services but are found in different locations"
see: http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/featur...fid=1861596080

p.s. - Here is their website: http://www.houstons.com/

Another vote for Houston's
 

I'll second that vote for Houston's, as well as their cousin restaurants Bandera and Gulfstream. I've had consistently good quality of food and service at many of their locations across the country.

Despite living here in Texas where good Tex-Mex food abounds, my colleagues and I all go ga-ga over Chevy's when we are traveling out west (and their east coast cousin Rio Bravo).

Buffet wise, if you ever live in the areas where they have "Sweet Tomatoes" it's really good. It's an all you can eat soup, salad, pasta, and bread place. 6 differnet kinds of soups everyday, 3 different kinds of handmade salads, along with a full salad bar, and 3 different kinds of pastas everyday.

It started in 1977 and in the california area, it's called Soup Plantation.

http://www.sweettomatoes.com/

Chevy's Fresh Mex is also here in the East.

That place pisses my wife off something good because of "El Machino". :D

Obviously the distinction is vague (and I see your point), but as learned from studying Houston's a couple years ago, their management adamently tries to steer away from being a "chain" and thinks of each store as a seperate entity.

Krispy Kreme .... but only when the hot light is on ;)

I have found Outback to be inconsistant. In Anchorage the meat has little flavor, the atmosphere is good at all locations if that is what you're after.

Chili's for their tortilla soup

The Keg has been consistantly good in Oregon & Washington.


Alison
Chugiak, AK

AlisoninAlaska and any other FT'ers:

Could you recommend any dishes at Outback and Chili's to someone who has never been to either but might want to try one of their Asian outlets one day? I did try TGI Friday's once but found it almost disgusting, cheap taste and feel, but this might have to do with the unfamiliarity of Asian cooks and staff with American (fast) food.

Are there any American chains in Asia /Europe that offer good "gourmet" burgers, especially of the more spicy variety?

I am not a fan of Chili's, but have to admit they have really good tortilla soup.

I ate dinner at Sweet Tomatoes tonight in Houston. And yum! I've eaten at the Orlando, FL locations before and was happy when I saw a Sweet Tomatoes here in Houston.

They also have really good chili - which was one of about four things on the original menu at the original location back when they were a one-store operation.

(I used to work for Chilis back when Brinker was just a one restaurant chain so I actually know the recipes for many of their dishes... once upon a time, Chilis had no commissary and everything in store was made fresh (from the chili to the salsa)... they still make a lot of stuff fresh, but not nearly as much as they used to).

Speaking of restaurant chains I've worked for, I'm also pretty damn partial to Jason's Deli... another chain that STILL makes almost everything fresh (about half of their soups, for example, are mixed by hand the morning they are served). I was in their management training program when I first got out of college (long story) and one of the first tasks you have in month one is to learn to make every single made-from-scratch recipe in the kitchen and how to make every single one of their dozens of sandwiches and salads.

I'm not that familiar with Chili's, but I can give you some suggestions at Outback (based solely on experiences in the US):
Bloomin' Onion (essentially a fried onion). Tasty and slightly spicy (and often a bit greasy).
Their hamburgers are very good; however, this is one dish I would echo the inconsistencies comments raised: on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being well done, medium well in some restaurants is closer to a 5 or 6 and in others it's closer to a 10.
Many people seem to like the Outback Special, but it is a sirloin steak which is not usually my preferred cut. The other steaks are usually good as well.
I very much like the Queensland Chicken and Shrimp, but I have them replace the alfredo with the Bloomin' Onion sauce, which results in delicious cajun chicken and shrimp pasta.
I also like both the grilled chicken and ribs, together or separately.

And of course, at least one cold Fosters draft. ^

For a somewhat upscale US chain, the food is usually better than the average chain.

Steak: I'll take the Keg (Baseball Sirloin). Not into overpriced steak joynts.
Quickie chains: Portillo's Hot Dogs, (man is that chocolate cake good there)
or a DoubleDouble at In-N-Out.
Gyros: The Smokehouse in Wheaton, IL. The gyro plate is about a pound... yikes...(well, not really a chain, they have 2 of 'em).
Honorable mention: McCormick & Schmicks.

The Walkabout Soup (creamy onion/cheese mixture) is very good. In California (and in Phoenix and possibly elsewhere) the Hungry Hunter chain serves very passable slow-roasted prime rib.

I would opt for the local place, too. Carrabbas isn't bad, but you can't beat a local place.

I can vouch for Jason's Deli - I recently had to deliver a pallet of 32oz bottles of Real Lemon to their commisary/distribution center. I wondered why they just didn't buy the stuff in 5 gallon buckets.

Flemings Steakhouse, a very upscale experience, great steaks (not as great as some of the Chicago favorites) but IMHO a notch better than Ruth's Chris, and RC is still one of my favorites.

100 wines by glass.


http://www.flemingssteakhouse.com/index.htm

http://www.ruthschris.com/home.asp

[QUOTE=MIKESILV]By far the best chain restaurants are the Outback owned/operated Roy's with a special mention for the Flemings Steakhouse also run by Outback.



They also own/operate Carrabbas, as well as LeRoy Selmons' in Tampa.

The Daily Grill http://www.dailygrill.com/
Excellent salads, "Joe's Special", chicken chili. There is a Daily Grill not far from my home. Our Sunday night tradition is a delivery of Chicken Chili and toasted cheese bread and a caesar salad. Don't know if all locations deliver, but the Brentwood location does.

US Chains Better Overseas?
 

I know that the TGIFridays and Chili's were as good or better than their US counterparts in Kuwait.

I won't eat at a US TGIF (after several bad experiences) but the Kuwait one was quite good - except for the missing beer.

I will eat at chains if the mom-and-pop places are an unknown quantity, as many, if not most, restaurants are heavily reliant on industrial products that taste dead to me.

360° Burritos (there's one at SJC airport, with branches coming to Cincinnati, DFW, Las Vegas, and Minneapolis airports.

Roy's ("Hawaiian Fusion")

Il Fornaio (though why you'd name a restaurant with a homophone for "ill for now" is baffling)

California Pizza Kitchen

Before I swore off commercial corn-fed beef (the Rainforest beef of this decade!), I loved Carl's, Jr., especially the Double Western burgers. On a road trip, they're great, but too guilt-inducing for normal consumption.

The thing about Wolfgang Puck is his slipping credibility. Interesting discussion here: a Robb Walsh piece in the Houston Press sheds light on Puck as the modern equivalent of Chef Boyardee. The fact that he's in bed with ConAgra is scary.

Big ditto on the recs for Baja Fresh, In-n-Out, and Chevy's.

I will not eat at an Olive Garden. Italy cured me permanently of the notion that their food resembles Italian food at all.

Not much mention of Outback here, so I have to say it's one of my favorite regular places to eat. For the money you pay, the bread and dinner salad are superior to several other medium priced chain restaurants. They put so much variety in their dinner salad, it's not just lettuce and carrots. It's sliced roma tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic croutons, shredded cheese, red onion, etc. I like the filet cut or the shrimp and veggie skewers (remoulaude sauce for the side). The bloomin' onion is always a good start too.

I'll second Baja Fresh, Chevy's, In & Out Burger, and Crackle Barrell.

Rubio's is good too for their fish tacos. http://www.rubios.com/

Another mention is Mimi's Cafe. I think they have very good breakfast. And a great kids menu selection. http://www.mimiscafe.com/

I also like the RainForest Cafe, more for the atmostphere than the price and food selections though.

Thank you guys on the comments on Chili's and Outback. I've wanted to try both several times when I was feeling like having some upscale western fast food in Asia but my bad experience at TGIF kept haunting me.

So I guess I'll be trying the tortilla soup and a (fiery) Chili portion at Chili's and the blooming Onions and Queensland Chicken and Shrimp Cajun style at Outback's.

Alea jacta est. ;)

Chicken enchilada soup os better than the tortilla soup at Chili's

IMHO

Outback, never seen what the big deal is, but then again we have far better steak houses here in ELP

IMHO

:p

When hubby & I were vacationing in Oregon in Sept., we stumbled upon a chain called Elmer's. Apparently there are several in the Portland area, plus some others scattered throughout OR & CA. They reminded me of a Denny's, but with nicer decor and better food. I had a potato-encrusted fish (cod?) which was quite tasty.

We also ate at a Spaghetti Factory, and it turned out to be pretty good. We normally avoid the one in STL (on the riverfront), because you can never get in without an ungodly long wait. Several posters have mentioned the insanely long waits to get in places like Cheesecake Factory, Macaroni Grill ... heck, even Olive Garden. And yes, it baffles me. In some instances (i.e., Spaghetti Factory) I somewhat understand the popularity -- cheap eats, especially for a family. But places like Cheesecake Factory, for example, are not what I'd consider inexpensive, and people still wait over an hour to be seated!

If nothing else, it proves that people are nutty all over the US, not just in STL. :D