My sister-in-law recommended Twin Peaks for their hamburgers. She was right. The hamburger was excellent, but the lunch with her and my wife was… awkward.
My favorite chain is Waffle House. You cannot go wrong with a Patty Melt and scattered, smothered, and double-covered hash browns.
I’ve tried them that way. They suck even worse. Burgers are okay, but In N Out usually has a line also, and they ain’t worth the wait.
I was actually quoting Yogi. But I believe you. And we have turned down eating there several times because of lines. I like them fine, when I can get in after a reasonable wait.
This is how I interpreted the OP. Every chain makes good food once in awhile, it’s why they’ve succeeded enough to grow into a chain. But some chains are more consistent, and consistently good. Crackerbarrel falls into this category, and it’s easily checked by someone who takes the occasional road trip.
Around here, Sonic, Waffle House and White Castle are consistently good. But I know when I visit the South, Sonic becomes consistently terrible. I haven’t had a bad Waffle House experience anywhere yet though. McDonald’s has gotten way better over the years. I remember when it was uniformly bad, but now, if you like their food at all, it’s almost always hot and tasty. Of course it’s never gourmet.
So I was expecting a discussion of the chains that live up to their offer of consistent quality across a large geographical region. Subway is consistent, in my opinion, if not all that good. As far as sit-down chains, I’m not aware of any besides Crackerbarrel (does Waffle House count as “sit-down”? or are diners a special category?). Applebee’s, TGIFridays, Olive Garden, etc are all bad. I’ve had some great meals at Macaroni Grill elsewhere, but the St. Louis area locations weren’t that good (which is probably why they all recently closed).
Overall, though, I’d say that chains have the same chance of being good or bad as independent restaurants.
I don’t think anyone’s mentioned Chili’s or Houlihan’s yet. I can always get a good meal at either of these. Red Robin and Noodles & Co. are also very good.
I used to like Macaroni Grill a lot, but the only one in my area closed a few years ago. Ditto Pizzeria Uno, and Ground Round… are they still around anywhere?
I went to Five Guys once. The fries were great, but until they add a veggie burger to the menu, I have no plans to go back. (Yes, they have a veggie sandwich. Ehh.)
I really want to like Cracker Barrel, because they’re local (in that the corporate headquarters are nearby) - but I don’t. I’ve eaten there many times and usually the food is bland and overcooked. I don’t know what on the menu could be described as “healthful” unless you stick to a salad (and make sure to get the dressing on the side).
I do like occasional 5 Guys and Famous Dave’s. Frankly, at most chains, I’ve had both good and bad experiences so it’s hard to think of one that’s always good.
I usually always order breakfast or chicken or something at Cracker Barrel, but the last few times I was there, I discovered that their burgers are really fantastic. Certainly better than Five Guys, and probably one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. Try it next time you’re there. Their fries are only okay, but don’t forget that CB has hashbrown casserole! In addition to a million other sides.
Cracker Barrel, PF Chang’s, Macaroni Grill, and Abuelo’s. Amazing Mexican food and their green salsa is totally addictive.
Maybe we should have our next Nashville dopefest at WH. 
Actually, I tend to order the same thing as you when I go there.
Like skammer, Crackerbarrel is headquartered locally. If I go there, it tends to be when I’m on the road though. Breakfast is always a good bet there and can be ordered in the evening. Their main dish salads are perfect road food; they fill you up but not overly so.
The Nashville area has Fat Mo’s that make great burgers (and has a cool immigrant success story to boot).
I like Ruby Tuesday’s for their salad bar. I’m even good with Olive Garden for their soup and salad lunch.
I watched *Dead Like Me *for years and always though Waffle House was a made up place. :o There are none out here, afaik, we have IHoP instead.
One of the best cheeseburgers I ever had was at Hooters…
I would add to the Olive Garden support. I don’t care, I like it. I live in a place that has an Italian restaurant on every corner but often OG serves dishes few of them do, like Gnocchi for example.
I like IHOP. They serve good and hearty omelets.
They closed but the Bennigan’s by me had excellent food.
Another local chain that closed that was excellent: Steak & Ale.
All of their fish would be (except maybe the fried–I don’t eat that because I’m gluten-free anyway), and many of their sides are. The catfish and trout are both excellent.
I don’t get the “bland” criticism. I mean, it’s not Thai food, but it’s appropriately seasoned American comfort food. The grilled catfish has a tasty Cajun-type seasoning.
The only restaurant chain that I like is Unos Chicago B&G (nee Unos Pizzaria).
My family and I like Famous Dave’s, but they get a bit pricey (actually, most BBQ joints do).
Probably our most consistent favorite is Bob Evans. Years ago, it was mainly a place for the old folks, but maybe because I’m older, I really like it. There’s one close to my house, there’s rarely a long wait, the service is almost always good to very good, the food is very good to excellent, and it’s affordable. For the type of restaurant it is, it’s nearly perfect.
No love for Chipotle? I love their burrito bowl. It’s my go-to food, especially when I am not familiar with good vegetarian options in an area. Or when I am not in the mood for experimentation.
I second Panera Bread, Cheesecake Factory, PF Changs and Mad Mex. Is Mad Mex a Pittsburgh-only chain?
One reason I don’t like Cracker Barrel is everything we’ve ever ordered there ends up being brown on the plate, which seems unhealthy.
In the upper Midwest Culver’s is probably the best of the fast-food chain restaurants because of their butter burgers and varied menu. Panera’s is good but a bit pricey.
We have HyVee grocery stores in the area, and they started adding “market cafe” cafeterias, complete with wait-persons, and they serve food similar to Cracker Barrel. Can we count these restaurants that are part of another business like this?
I am a big fan of Subway and was glad when they entered Thailand. The ones here seem even better than the ones in the US. And many are open 24 hours, great for a late-night snack in the wee hours.
I’m a Panera fan. I’ve eaten in maybe a dozen of them and they all have been good.
Five Guys. They have in my opinion some of the best fries in existence. I typically don’t even put ketchup on them.
As for their burgers, it would be nice if they have gluten-free buns. When you get them lettuce-wrapped, as I sometimes do, I think the too-well-done-ness of the meat is apparent. They have a sign up in the place, “We cook our meat well-done and juicy.” Oh, right, it’s automatically juicy too. Not really. I like how you can pick all the toppings you want–again, that would work better for me on a gluten-free bun.
Red Robin. They seem pretty good. I just haven’t eaten there all that much. They need to get the gluten-free buns too.
No one has mentioned Chipotle yet, at least not in detail. It’s often held up as this great thing, however. I think it’s OK but not great. The ingredients seem quality, but the end product ends up being this mostly lukewarm thing because of the way they mix everything.
But this is an issue that’s similar to every Cracker Barrel I’ve ever been to, too: they force me to wait five to 20 minutes in their stupid little store while they find a table for me. On all but one occasion there was plenty of room by time they agreed to show us to our table.
I was just there this evening, and they had a new Broccoli and Blue Cheese soup. Sounds kinda gotty, dunnit? But I gave it a try and… NICE!