# Best/Worst chain restaurant **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 18, 2002, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-chain-restaurant/132827 "2002-10-18T14:18:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Oblong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@Oblong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblong)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-chain-restaurant/132827/1 "2002-10-18T14:18:44Z")
For me: Best-TGI Fridays. The Jack Daniels steaks and chicken are great. Good french onion soup, great loaded baked potatoes. Worst-Applebee’s. Food tastes no different than a family diner. Please don’t post saying that you hate chain restaurants. That’s not the point. ---
**Author:** ![stofsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@stofsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stofsky)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-chain-restaurant/132827/2 "2002-10-18T14:31:17Z")
Best-Carrabas. The Spedino Mare is killer. Sticky Fingers and Outback come a close second. Worst-Applebees, but I worked there for 3 months, so I’m biased. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-chain-restaurant/132827/3 "2002-10-18T14:32:48Z")
I like Friendly’s. Their chicken quesadillas are excellent! ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-chain-restaurant/132827/4 "2002-10-18T14:34:36Z")
Best- Waffle House. Clean, convient & a good ratio of quality-to-cost. Cheap, but decent food. Worst-Shoney’s. Oh! The **c** p\*\* they serve! :eek Their breakfast bar has some of the worst food-like materials I have ever encountered. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-chain-restaurant/132827/5 "2002-10-18T14:48:04Z")
Worst - Red Lobster, Denny’s, Olive Garden. Best - Pizzeria Uno, Morrison’s Cafeteria (Only Located in FL, I believe) ---
**Author:** ![Nightsong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nightsong/32/3083_2.png) [@Nightsong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightsong)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-chain-restaurant/132827/6 "2002-10-18T14:50:31Z")
Best: Fuddruckers. Oh wait, does this count as a restaurant? 😃 (Even though there aren’t any in this area, which sucks big time. There’s one over in the Pigeon Forge area though… But I want my Fuddruckers now!) Worst: Applebee’s. It seems that no matter what part of the U.S. we’re in, the service and/or the food has sucked. And it seems that the concept of ‘refills’ has eluded most of the servers: they generally look a bit shocked when we ask for one. * * * \<\< Hmmm. \>\> ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-chain-restaurant/132827/7 "2002-10-18T14:56:38Z")
Best: **Western Sizzlin’** , which is oddly only available in the southeast. Any time I travel south of DC I look forward to stopping in. Best: **California Pizza Kitchen**. Tasty, not-too-huge portions, reasonable prices, great variety of menu items. Never been to AppleBee’s, and have never been interested because every time I see a commercial it seems they’re offering up some new sugar-coated, batter-dipped, deep-fried dish. Bleah. Worst: (assuming we’re not talking about fast food joints) Although there are probably individual exceptions, none of the TGI-Fridays style places (Ruby Tuesdays, Bennigans, etc.) appeal to me because they’re always too noisy, crowded & understaffed. I _always_ get seated next to a screaming infant. I don’t know if it’s the restaurant’s fault or not, but they sure do seem to attract screaming infacts in unusually large numbers. Don’t even think of trying to have a peaceful dinner in these places if there’s a football game on TV. I can’t go to **F** ud **R** uckers because I’m afraid I’ll do a spoonerism on the name in front of the waiter. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-chain-restaurant/132827/8 "2002-10-18T15:08:40Z")
Are we counting ALL chain restaurants, including fast food? Or just sit-down, family-stayle restaurants? Arby’s is the worst restaurant chain on Earth, bar none- their “roast beef” tastes like gelatinized bologna. But if we’re only counting sit-down restaurants, I think the best chain is P.F. Chang’s (good upscale Chinese food). And the La Madeleine chain (French-style bakery/bistros) are pretty good, too. The worst? Probably Shoney’s, at least among the ones I’ve been forced to eat at semi-regularly. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-chain-restaurant/132827/9 "2002-10-18T15:11:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Oblong \* > \*\*Worst-Applebee’s. Food tastes no different than a family diner. \*\* Uhhhhh…you lost me here. Are you claiming that the cuisine offered by a chain restaurant would be in some manner an improvement over that offered by an independently-owned diner? – Ukulele “The Old Ways is the Best Ways” Ike, who don’t eat in them chain places ---
**Author:** ![Oblong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@Oblong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblong)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-chain-restaurant/132827/10 "2002-10-18T15:21:52Z")
Ukulele, I expect there to be at least a slight improvement since the prices are usually a bit higher. I love the family diners, for the most part. (BTW, whenever I see your name, I think of the scene in In the Line of Fire where the agent tells Clint Eastwood of a phone number that he remembers because it’s “ukelele” and he questions the spelling but the agent says 'The phone number is ukelele") For this survey, I meant the sit down, waiter/waitress type, not fast food. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-chain-restaurant/132827/11 "2002-10-18T15:43:52Z")
Note: Some of these may just be Canadian Best: **Red Lobster** - Contrary to another poster, I really like them. **The Keg** - Service is mediocre, but food is great **Tony Roma’s** **De Dutch Panakook House** **Knight and Day** **Boston Pizza** - I have yet to have a bad meal there, although at times service can be questionable. **Fogs and 'Suds** **Eastside Mario’s** Worst: (Uncle) **Alberts Family Restaurants** **ABC Family Restaurant** **Earls** **Joeys Only Seafood** **White Spot** - Used to be really good, but its slid so far down there is no way it can climb out. I used to looove Fudruckers, but I haven’t seen one in years! ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-chain-restaurant/132827/12 "2002-10-18T15:44:02Z")
I’m like **Ike**. I expect the Mom & Pop diner to be _better_ than Applebees and the other chain diners. IMHO, the worst chain restaurant is **Olive Garden** The best is either **Pappadeaux’s** or **Copeland’s**. Best fast food chain is **Philly Connection**. ---
**Author:** ![Nightsong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nightsong/32/3083_2.png) [@Nightsong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightsong)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-chain-restaurant/132827/13 "2002-10-18T15:56:18Z")
To **Attrayant** : They’d probably just roll their eyes and mutter about how yet another putz is making a bad joke. 😉 Oooh! [http://www.fuddruckers.com/](http://www.fuddruckers.com/) Dang. 190.76 miles to the closest one. To add another good chain: Siego’s. Or, at least it was the last time I went to one… ---
**Author:** ![Leifsmama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a698b9/32.png) [@Leifsmama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leifsmama)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-chain-restaurant/132827/14 "2002-10-18T16:37:11Z")
Best? Hmmm…Well, I like California Pizza Kitchen and PF Chang’s, though Chang’s is really pricy for what they serve, but I happen to know that they pay their staff really well, so that’s worth it in the long run. My favorite places tend to be independently owned. Comming a family that owns and runs a grocery store and supports local businesses has influenced my tastes greatly. Worst, much easier Applebees. I hate this place! Everytime someone drags me in there I spend half an hour with the menu because there is _NOTHING_ on it I want to eat! It’s all so boring and then when I finally order it’s not just boring, it’s downright bad. A close second on the worst catagory is Olive Garden. Why do people like this place so much? I’ve only been there twice and I’ll never go again. The first time the waitress never removed a dish from the table the entire meal. By the end each person had a stack of plates in front of them. We left the waitress our spare change at the bottom of a full glass of ice water. ---
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-chain-restaurant/132827/15 "2002-10-18T16:40:43Z")
Best: **Fuddrucker’s** - big greasy slab of meat and cheese on a bun, fixins bar with a huge selection, and endless soda refills. What’s not to like? **Pizzaria Uno** - good individual personal pan pizzas, so I can have pizza with my wife and friends and still order anchovies. Worst: **Cracker Barrel** - bland, unappetizing food, smoke, poor hygine and lighting, and (allegedly) racist management. No thanks. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-chain-restaurant/132827/16 "2002-10-18T16:42:37Z")
Best - Pappas, Pappadeux’s, Pappasitos. Worst - Kip’s Big Boy. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-chain-restaurant/132827/17 "2002-10-18T17:17:01Z")
I just thought of **Bob Evan’s** restaurant. Never been there, but it’s on my “never want to go there” list. I have images of the floor being greasy and all the food being served in puddles of sausage drippings. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-chain-restaurant/132827/18 "2002-10-18T18:01:26Z")
Worst by far is Olive Garden. I like the salad and the bread sticks, but the entrees are really inedible. Best is Pizzaria Uno. I love those deep dish pizzas. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-chain-restaurant/132827/19 "2002-10-18T18:29:09Z")
Best: **Dan McClusky’s** - the best damn steak dinner that a lot of money can buy…and you don’t feel ripped off when dinner for two plus tip tops $90… Too bad there doesn’t appear to be one in Dallas. It was the perfect place for anniversary dinners with my wife. Worst: **Joe’s Crab Shack** , with **Red Lobster** running a close second. Rubbery seafood at unreasonable prices. Ick. Of course, I actually liked Red Lobster until we honeymooned in Seattle and had some decent seafood for once. ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-chain-restaurant/132827/20 "2002-10-18T18:35:58Z")
I’ll second the vote for Carraba’s for best. We just got one here and I really, really like it! Good food, service, atmosphere. Waiters/waitresses knowledgeable and friendly. Worst - I’ll have to chime in with Applebee’s. For a while I liked them but I’m getting tired of them, and they seem to be declining in food quality and service. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-chain-restaurant/132827.md?page=2)