# Best Chain Restaurant **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 25, 2012, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570 "2012-08-25T02:46:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570/61 "2012-08-26T18:29:18Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Rhode Island clam chowder? Please explain. I have never heard of such a thing. So good! Briny, clear broth with potatoes and clams. No cream, not thick. Tastes like the ocean. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570/62 "2012-08-26T18:36:19Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > So good! Briny, clear broth with potatoes and clams. No cream, not thick. Tastes like the ocean. Guy had some at a place in RI on _DDD_. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570/63 "2012-08-26T18:40:00Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > So good! Briny, clear broth with potatoes and clams. No cream, not thick. Tastes like the ocean. That sounds very good indeed. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570/64 "2012-08-26T21:14:18Z")
Panera for soup and Potbelly for sandwiches are my favorite choices when I want a fast, reasonably inexpensive meal. I don’t live near In-N-Out but I made a point of going there when I was visiting the southwest due to the hype. I loved the animal style grilled cheese (I don’t eat meat, so it was very nice to go somewhere that has a decent vegetarian sandwich option). Honestly, I would probably be a lot fatter if I lived near In-N-Out (I seldom go to fast food places here, but In-n-Out would be very tempting to me if I lived by it). I also like the grilled cheese and the fries at Five Guys. Five Guys also seems to treat their workers a little better than most fast food places (they get bonuses for good service when secret shoppers visit the stores). I haven’t had the chance to try it, but I WISH that Sweet Tomatoes/Souplantation was near me because from what I’ve heard it sounds like something I’d really like. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570/65 "2012-08-26T21:15:34Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Guy had some at a place in RI on _DDD_. I get it at Lenny and Joe’s and Bills seafood in CT. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570/66 "2012-08-26T21:32:44Z")
Chick-fil-A is one of the best fast food restaurant chains. The food is delicious and reasonably priced, the restaurants are clean and the staff is always polite. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570/67 "2012-08-26T23:16:43Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > City Barbecue You have good taste. City BBQ is a consistently very, very good product. I LOVE that place. It’s a little expensive for lunch but I don’t care. The quality of the food is excellent. Their brisket sandwich is the fucking bomb. Incidentally, where do you live? I thought City BBQ was a regional chain in the Midwest, but I will happily be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570/68 "2012-08-26T23:18:56Z")
Yep, just checked. They are a regional chain, with most of their locations in Cincinnati (lucky me!) and Columbus. Seriously though: look at this sammich: [http://www.citybbq.com/our-food/](http://www.citybbq.com/our-food/) What’s wrong with that? ---
**Author:** ![oreally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ab992/32.png) [@oreally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oreally)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570/69 "2012-08-26T23:39:30Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > Taco Bell gets a close second simply because they have been serving the same five ingredients since it opened, and they always make it taste pretty good. I can’t remember anything crappy I’ve eaten there, probably because if it was crappy, for 59 cents, who cares? 😕 What can you get for .59? Tap water? ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570/70 "2012-08-27T01:37:41Z")
Zankou Chicken. My SO was trying to act like The Chicken Shack in Astoria (where we live) would be competitive with La Zankou. No. It was not. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570/71 "2012-08-27T01:41:00Z")
> [@oreally](#): > > 😕 What can you get for .59? Tap water? Tacos on sale, bean burritos on sale, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Phedre\_no\_Delaunay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/839c29/32.png) [@Phedre\_no\_Delaunay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phedre_no_Delaunay)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570/72 "2012-08-27T03:07:45Z")
> [@Hockey\_Monkey](#): > > Bonefish Grill I love Bonefish Grill, but strangely, only for their chicken. My contribution is [Zea Rotisserie & Grill](http://www.zearestaurants.com/site.php). Their rotisserie veal is to die for! ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570/73 "2012-08-27T14:05:56Z")
Not quite what you’re getting at, but chain wise: Steak N Shake Portillo’s Arby’s Husband loves Popeye’s - I won’t eat there. I love White Castle so I’m listing them too. For dinners out at a real “restaurant” (which we very, very rarely do) we usually go somewhere local that isn’t a chain and one none of you would have ever heard of like Brandt’s Little Cafe, Jameson’s Charhouse, or Palm Court. ---
**Author:** ![AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570/74 "2012-08-28T09:55:27Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Guy had some at a place in RI on _DDD_. Evelyn’s? Friends of mine run that place. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570/75 "2012-08-28T10:35:47Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Nando’s. A lot of them outside the U.S. Not many inside the U.S. Yes. This. Sure, it’s only spicy chicken. But it’s Spicy Chicken with Special Peri-peri and Crack Marinade. Seriously, I loves me some **Nando’s**. And soon the rest of America outside the DC/Annapolis area will too know of its chickeny goodness. It is only a matter of time. Resistance is futile. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570/76 "2012-08-28T11:05:18Z")
I don’t know why Nando’s is taking so long to expand its presence in the U.S. It’s a large chain, now in 27 countries. They finally opened their first restaurant in the U.S. in 2008. There are now 8 of them in D.C., Virginia, and Maryland, with two more to open in the fall. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570/77 "2012-08-28T13:10:34Z")
The chains my wife and I frequent the most are: - Red Lobster - The Keg (Canadian) - Mandarin Chinese buffet (southern Ontario) - Asian Legend (southern Ontario) They may not be perfect, but all of those places have a couple of dishes that my wife and I really enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![oreally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ab992/32.png) [@oreally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oreally)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570/78 "2012-08-28T13:12:44Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Tacos on sale, bean burritos on sale, etc. “on sale?” What discounted day-old stuff? 🙂 Must work them differently out there, or maybe something new as I haven’t gone to a fast food place in years. PS never heard of Nandos and am in the area(s) above. Got me curious though. What could you compare it to (roughly) that’s already here? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570/79 "2012-08-28T13:37:32Z")
The signature dish is chicken in the style of Portuguese colonists in Mozambique: > **[Nando's](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nando's)** > > Nando's (/ˈnændoʊz/; Afrikaans: \[ˈnandœs\]) is a South African multinational fast casual chain that specialises in Portuguese flame-grilled peri-peri style chicken.\[a\] Founded in Johannesburg in 1987, Nando's operates over 1,200 outlets in 30 countries. Their logo (also seen as a sort of mascot) depicts the Rooster of Barcelos, one of Portugal's most common symbols. > > The restaurant was founded in 1987 in Rosettenville, Johannesburg by Portuguese-born Fernando Duarte and South African-born Robe... [http://www.nandos.com/](http://www.nandos.com/) As to what that’s like, I can’t explain it well. It’s not like anything you know. You’ll just have to try it. You can find lists of the American locations on those websites. Incidentally, checking the list given in the Wikipedia article, it appears that they have restaurants in 31 countries. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570/80 "2012-08-28T13:38:25Z")
Chili’s is probably my favorite chain. They’re burgers are okay and they have good fries made in house, not precut and frozen. I worked at a Chili’s when I was in my 20s and the most of the ingredients are fresh. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-chain-restaurant/632570.md?page=5)