[QUOTE=senor_jefe;8277502]I respectfully stand by my original comment. "Decent Bar Food" Kelsey's and Casey's and perhapsThe Keg.

When I say "perhaps", my meaning is I'll go so far as to say the Keg is a notch better than the other two. But I've had more average meals there than good ones.

I liked the place a lot better before they took out the salad bars.

Nowadays, indeed, if there's one close to where I'm staying, I'll go for something in the lounge off the bar menu, and usually end up reasonably satisfied. Service is good and often there's a lively, friendly, fun atmosphere.

As for the price value relationship. Yeah, the prices aren't too bad, and the food's usually decent. But its still not exactly cheap and the food's still not exactly great.

Are you kidding?The best?You are in Maine after all. If you want something better, make a left at the Ramada Inn on I-295. Get off on Main Street Bangor heading towards Hampden. McLaughlin's Seafood is about a 1/4 mile on left just before the railroad bridge. This is a 5 minute drive from the HoJo. You might also ask directions to the Muddy Rudder in Brewer for their "whole belly" clams.Yum.Only 10 minutes away.
By the way, Tim Horton's are located all over Maine and can't compete with the venerable Dunkin Donuts. We have both of them in our town and the TH is always empty.

-Long John Silvers-most disgusting meal I've ever tried to consume. Didn't make it through the grease before I gave up & walked out

I agree that the following are mediocre on a good day & they seldom have a good day...

- Bennigans
- TGI Fridays
- Applebees
- Ruby Tuesdays

IHOP and Waffle house are old standby's for breakfast. All of the others mentioned in this entire thread are basically inedible, and I'll only stop in if there's nothing else anywhere near. The worst of the bunch is definately Long John Silvers. I walked into one over 30 years ago, slid on the floor from the grease, and walked back out-never set foot in one again.

The one exception is Tim Horton's for a cup of coffee. It's really quite good. We have both Tim Hortons and Dunkin Donuts where I live. We buy the DD coffee beans and grind them at home. For the life of me, I can't figure out why Horton's wont sell their beans. I know how much volume is going on in coffee beans sales at DD's, and TH is missing out on a whole market.

Well put ^ I do enjoy the contemporary Italian-esque Ask type places and for a cheap lunch of not half bad quality they beat anything I've had on my limited visits to US chain restaurants into a cocked hat. Proper food, tasteful settings and superb prices ^

If there is anything the US exceeds at it is the god awful chain restaurant and I loathe the places with a passion. Whether it be the over-rated Cheesecake Factory, that faux-tastic Italian 'food' of Olive Garden or any of the other multitude of places they ALWAYS seem to be busy. For not much more, and even less in some cases, I can eat my favourite place in town. Exquisite food, even better service, great setting...sure it is easy to go overboard with the wine but other than that you are looking at chain restaurant prices for a 10000% better experience. In an unfamiliar town a quick browse on the internet will give you some great pointers as to where somewhere good to eat is. The fact is though, many Americans are lazy and unadventurous people, I'm sorry but it is true. They won't travel outside the fifty states, they won't eat anything but burgers or grits and they won't go outside their comfort zone and try find somewhere to eat that can't be found in McTown America.

[/rant]

Fraser....

I agree with a lot of what you're saying, but can I respectfully ask you to cut some of us a little slack.

I know perfectly well when I have to visit South Podunk on a business trip that there are undoubtedly better places in town than the hotel restaurant or all the chain places nearby.

If I'm working....I, myself, honestly don't care. I'm not in another city to treat myself to a fine meal. All I want to do is get my work done, then at the end of a long day, find a convenient and halfway-decent reasonably priced meal... hopefully also including friendly service and a relaxing atmosphere.

Now, I know I could hop on the web....but I really don't feel like getting into that. I've also had too many experiences where the front desk clerk's suggestion turns out to be a brother-in-law's place or something else that for whatever other reason, is just plain terrible.

So....when I'm on vacation, absolutely, I want to find the best place in town. I'll take the time and the effort to do it.

But when its just me alone working.... I just want to go somewhere "easy" where I know what the heck I'm getting. Unless I personally know a local place, or have a suggestion I can trust, and it doesn't involve a long knock-down, dragged-out, trip, there's a good chance I'll wind up at a chain.

If that makes me lazy or unadventurous, I stand accused. I won't automatically head for the nearest franchise restaurant, but if there are several nearby, I can usually find at least one that I can deal with. Being part of a chain doesn't inherently make a place bad....nor does it mean that you can't find at least one something on the menu that might just be pretty good.

I'm not saying I'm right or smarter than anyone else, etc. I'm just saying this is how I feel and what personally has worked for me down through the years.

I must agree with you on LJS. Once 4 of us were stuck in a cheap motel with no car and the only walkable open restaurant was a LJS. We ate there and by morning 3 of us developed varying degrees of stomach distress during the night.

MisterNice

Had a business meeting out of town this morning, and the guy I was meeting suggested Perkins would be a convenient place. A fairly new store, clean and dead empty in a busy shopping plaza at 8am.

We had coffee and talked business and began to look at the menu and it dawned on me why the place was dead. Friggin order of eggs, hashbrowns and toast was $8 and all the omelets were over $10. The family owned diner I would have chose down the street offers a better meal at at half the price.

We each settled on an english muffin for 2 bucks, and I added the fruit cup that was 4 grapes, 2 pieces of cantelope and 2 of honeydew for $3 more. A real lousy value proposition, but at least we were able to discuss business in a library like setting. ;)

Ugh, terrible greasy, fatty food. I’ll do whatever I can to keep breakfast or lunch meetings out of that awful chain.