I love Champps. I’m not sure how big of a chain it is, but it’s a sports bar with food that is pretty damned good. Their lettuce wraps are terribly addictive.
And I know this is going to be unpopular, but I adore Pizzeria Uno. We’re only 8 hours from Chicago, but it’s still impossible to get a half-decent Chicago-style pizza here. Uno’s is the closest thing I have.
For denizens of (Southern?) New England, I have fond memories (recently refreshed) of Friendly’s restaurants.
I could have written this post about Applebee’s. Yeah, it’s not haute cuisine, but in my experience it’s always been reliable-quality food and good service. We usually prefer the locally owned joints, or something like Indian or Thai, but when we’re out of town and can’t find anything else we’d like to try, Applebee’s has always been a safe fallback.
We also stopped into an Eat’n Park on our last trip east. Dumb name, wonderful fresh food with lots of vegetarian choices. I still remember the chai ice cream shake I had.
You can’t get me into a Red Lobster or Baker’s Square without a fight, though. I used to think they were OK, but the last few times I went (the group chose the venue), the food was pretty bad.
You can’t make a statement like that as if it’s fact.
I think it’s terrible food. They overcook pasta. Their versions of Italian classics are usually some combination of too salty, too heavy, and too sweet.
I think they have no subtlety or creativity, and I couldn’t be more bored with food than the times I’ve eaten there. The atmosphere is artificial. The portions are too large. You’re almost goaded into overeating. It’s a terrible dining experience.
Anyway. . .I don’t mind Red, Hot & Blue. It’s not difficult to pull off greasy pork with sweet BBQ sauce. And, their fries are good.
My problem with the chains is only sometimes about the food. It’s usually more about the fact that I have limited dining dollars, and I’d rather have them go to businesses that are going to keep the dollars in the community. And, I just have a great distaste for restaurants that have carbon copies in other locations. I feel like a pig at a trough when I’m at them.
I love Friendly’s as well. I imagine some of it is nostalgia for my childhood, but I genuinely enjoy it when I eat there. We don’t have any near us, but if we are on vacation and the opportunity presents itself, I’m excited to go to one.
I’ll go with you. There are times when all I need is the air that I breathe and a Quarter Pounder.
As do I. But for that matter, Ruth’s Chris, Morton’s, and the Palm are chains if we’re going to include upmarket steak houses.
With regard to “fast food” type chains, my wife and I are big fans of Chick-fil-a. I also like Steak 'n Shake.
Two I would have mentioned. Cheesecake factory not so much for the entrees, as for, unsurprisingly, the cheesecake menu. PF Chang gives some fun spins on “Chinese” menus, and you don’t have to be depressed by generic strip-mall ambiance of a cheap Chinese place.
Never again. The one time we went, both of us ended up ill for two days afterward. Disgusting.
I can totally understand it about Applebee’s. I once made the mistake of ordering a steak and was presented with an overcooked bone wrapped in shoe leather. And the “let’s hang a bunch of random shit on the walls” decor is quite tiring.
The chicken-fried chicken isn’t bad, though.
There was one in Burlington (VT) in the late 80’s early 90’s, so not just limited to Southern New England.
And used to love eating there when I was a kid, but its probably been a decade or so.
I revel in my baseness: Chili’s, Ruby Tuesdays, even the og-damned Olive Garden are totally fine with me. 
I adore **Carrabba’s ** Italian Grill. I would be happy with just the delicious bread and mouth-watering desserts alone, but throw in the fabulous entrees and I’m in heaven.
Just out of idle curiosity, I checked
Whoa! They’re all the way up and down the Eastern Seaboard, now! AND PA and OH.
Having eaten there barely 2 weeks ago (just outside Hartford, CT) I have to say they have earned their success 
ETA: Apparently Burlington, VT is still there. 2 of them, in fact.
As far as fast food goes, Wendy’s is my guilty pleasure. I love their fries.
Ditto MickyD’s, but only for their nuggets, which I’m less of a fan of now that it’s all white meat. (In the Good Old Days, at least one or two of the six nuggets tasted sooo good. Horrible for you, yes, but what idiot eats at the Golden Arches for its nutritive value? :P)
I’ll go with Panera’s Cafes. I had no idea how widespread they are until I checked their website.
Around here they offer a Pick 2 (soup, salad, half sandwich with a side of bread or chips) for $6.99. Not much more than a fast food burger place, and almost as quick. I’ve never had a bad meal.
No one mentioned Max & Erma’s yet. They feed my family quite often.
Oh yeah, Panera is awesome! Always a sure thing.
Carrabba’s was fantastic the one time I went (and you’re right about the dessert; the cannolis with pistachios was possibly the best thing I’ve ever tasted). Even the cricket in the soup didn’t detract from the experience.
Famous Dave’s is a pretty good barbecue joint chain. The food itself is nothing special, but the portions are hefty and the barbecue sauces (6 different kinds, I think) are excellent.
I was going to say this one…they have a wonderful walleyed pike sandwich…ooooooooohhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaa
Bland, tasteless sauces, overcooked pasta, three day old salad, and patently fake cheap painted-on interior. Romano’s Macaroni Grill is a slightly more expensive version of the same. And the appeal of “free breadsticks!” is lost on me; you might as well just stay home with a loaf of Wonder Bread and a stick of butter.
I’ll put my coin on Paradise Bakery And Grill. Fantastic sandwiches and good soup.
Stranger