# Coco's: Do they all suck this much? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 25, 2008, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocos-do-they-all-suck-this-much/465181 "2008-09-25T17:42:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocos-do-they-all-suck-this-much/465181/1 "2008-09-25T17:42:47Z")
I’ve given Coco’s restaurant several chances, but they’ve let me and my cohorts down every time, so we’ve opted out of them for the long haul. Specifically, their quiche is baked three times (“so it will be thoroughly cooked and people won’t get a stomach ache” \<----this was the official and incredibly ludicrous explanation) and is as hard as a brick; the sweet potato fries are cooked in something that left us queasy later; there are very few shrimp involved in any shrimp dish; their “pies” are a joke. Come to think of it, Olive Garden is no great shakes either, but if Coco’s is trying to be the worst chain, they are succeeding. Is there a worse place? ---
**Author:** ![Atomicflea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Atomicflea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomicflea)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocos-do-they-all-suck-this-much/465181/2 "2008-09-25T17:52:19Z")
Applebee’s, may they rot in hell everlasting. I have never gone to this restaurant and had anything other than a shitty experience. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocos-do-they-all-suck-this-much/465181/3 "2008-09-25T18:03:44Z")
I’ve never heard of Coco’s, but I think I’m a lone voice when I say that the Olive Garden isn’t so bad. You can get a lot of food very cheaply, and it tastes pretty good. No, it’s not the equivalent of “the little Italian place near me,” but I don’t EXPECT that. I know what I’m getting, and I like it. Some pasta, some soup, some meat, some breadsticks, it’s all good… Joe ---
**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:** [September 25, 2008, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocos-do-they-all-suck-this-much/465181/4 "2008-09-25T18:10:12Z")
Eh. I like Coco’s for breakfast. I take my mother there often. Their “Pacific Sramble” is tasty (eggs scrambled with spinach, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and Swiss cheese). The rest of the menu is pedestrian at best, but what do you want from a chain? ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocos-do-they-all-suck-this-much/465181/5 "2008-09-25T18:22:30Z")
I’ve never had anything that wasn’t good at BJ’s or Chili’s–both chains. I just wonder how Applebee’s and Coco’s stay in business, that’s all. ---
**Author:** ![CircleofWillis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/54ee81/32.png) [@CircleofWillis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CircleofWillis)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocos-do-they-all-suck-this-much/465181/6 "2008-09-25T18:27:39Z")
There is a Waffle House down the road a bit from where I live. I have seen garbage trucks with less flies and less garbage than the tables there. I asked for Equal for my coffee… The waitress pulled the packets from her bra… no I am not kidding… I drank my coffee w/o sweetener. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocos-do-they-all-suck-this-much/465181/7 "2008-09-25T18:44:08Z")
Nobody has mentioned **Denny’s** yet? The absolute pinnacle of greasy, awful food? Really? ---
**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:** [September 25, 2008, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocos-do-they-all-suck-this-much/465181/8 "2008-09-25T19:23:58Z")
> [@vivalostwages](#): > > I’ve never had anything that wasn’t good at BJ’s or Chili’s–both chains. > I just wonder how Applebee’s and Coco’s stay in business, that’s all. And I’ve never had anything **bad** at Coco’s. It’s not hawt cuisine. It’s a family restaurant with pedestrian fare. Chili’s tries different things at least, and BJ’s is downright good (I admit to a bit of bias. I know most of the brewers and middle-management.) You might just be eating at a badly-run Coco’s. I know the mince pie we got from them last Thanksgiving was very good. ---
**Author:** ![Atomicflea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Atomicflea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomicflea)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocos-do-they-all-suck-this-much/465181/9 "2008-09-25T19:31:11Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Nobody has mentioned **Denny’s** yet? The absolute pinnacle of greasy, awful food? Really? I’ve always had simply divine fare at Denny’s, but this may be because I only frequented Denny’s in college, drunk, and in the Wee Hours. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocos-do-they-all-suck-this-much/465181/10 "2008-09-25T19:38:05Z")
[QUOTE=CircleofWillis] I asked for Equal for my coffee… The waitress pulled the packets from her bra [/QUOTE] Be glad you didn’t ask for milk. The Coco’s by my work is pretty blah and never gets my business. As I explained to a co-worker, “I have no problem with eating diner food. But if I’m going to eat Denny’s food, then I want to pay Denny’s prices.” Worst chain ever is Yoshinoya Beef Bowl. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocos-do-they-all-suck-this-much/465181/11 "2008-09-25T19:54:11Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > Worst chain ever is Yoshinoya Beef Bowl. Sometimes ya just gotta have a bad beef bowl. Like Jack-In-The-Box tacos or Wienerschnitzel chili-cheese dogs. Oh, and I haven’t been to a Coco’s since I left Lancaster back in the '80s. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocos-do-they-all-suck-this-much/465181/12 "2008-09-25T19:59:58Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Sometimes ya just gotta have a bad beef bowl. Like Jack-In-The-Box tacos or Wienerschnitzel chili-cheese dogs. Speaking of which - what kind of meat is in those Jack-In-The-Box tacos anyway? Those always freaked me out. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocos-do-they-all-suck-this-much/465181/13 "2008-09-25T20:04:21Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > what kind of meat is in those Jack-In-The-Box tacos anyway? It’s _meat!_ :rolleyes: ---
**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:** [September 25, 2008, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocos-do-they-all-suck-this-much/465181/14 "2008-09-25T20:04:45Z")
Dude…don’t ask. If you have to have one, you’re too toasted to care what it is anyway! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocos-do-they-all-suck-this-much/465181/15 "2008-09-25T20:07:12Z")
\*\*woodstockbirdybird \*\*: Sorry. Couldn’t resist the line from _Night For Nixie_. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocos-do-they-all-suck-this-much/465181/16 "2008-09-25T20:09:47Z")
Man, I didn’t know Coco’s still existed! I’m just glad we have [George Webb](http://www.georgewebb.com/index.htm) out here. Chicken \*flavored[/]i noodle soup, yum! ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocos-do-they-all-suck-this-much/465181/17 "2008-09-25T22:44:55Z")
They closed all the Coco’s by us. The few times we went in we were the youngest people there by at least 4 decades. One has been replaced by Black Bear Diner. While their breakfasts are good man the service sucks. So much so that on multiple occasions I have seen people get up to retrieve their own coffee refills. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocos-do-they-all-suck-this-much/465181/18 "2008-09-26T00:29:24Z")
[QUOTE=woodstockbirdybird] Speaking of which - what kind of meat is in those Jack-In-The-Box tacos anyway? Those always freaked me out. [/QUOTE] A lot of it is TVP, or textured vegetable protein - probably 49% TVP or just enough to let them legally call the stuff “meat.” I happened to get a look at a box of the stuff one day as the JitB near my office was getting a delivery, and thought “EeeewW!”