Bookbinder’s, a steak and seafood place in Alexandria, is apparently part of a small chain.
I remember the Macado’s in Charlottesville and had no idea it was a chain.
Like a couple of other posters, I was fooled by Macaroni Grill the first time I went to one. I think it was a couple of years before I realized the one in the Kansas City suburbs was not the only one.
I didn’t know till this thread that Le Peep was a chain. My wife was crushed when the one in Brown Deer, WI closed. That was the place where she always met up with old friends when she was in town.
The Claddagh in Columbus Ohio. EXCELLENT food. Same goes for Panera.
Steak and Ale for me, back in the mid-70s.
Can’t think of anything more recent.
However, there is one local restaurant that isn’t a chain but pretends it is: Taco Pronto in Albany. The owner deliberately made it look like a chain, feeling that the college students nearby wouldn’t be scared off.
Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. We actually ducked inside in search of a nice steak dinner but we were kind of tired and grungy after a day at Blizzcon and the prices were quite high so we decided to skip it.
Turned out next day we found a Ruth’s Chris Steak House almost across the street, and went there instead. We weren’t disappointed (I love RCSH).
Yes. Elephant & Castle restaurant/pub in San Francisco.
Sucker!!!
(Me, that is. I was the sucker.)
I actually didn’t know this until this thread. Seems like they’re barely a chain, though. From googling I couldn’t find a home page for the chain, only individual restaurants. Wonder if they’re some sort of small franchise deal. I’ve only ever been to the one in College Park, Maryland. Seems they’re pretty spread out too.
Yes, much to my embarassment. Houlihan’s. In my weak defense, it was the one in New Orleans French Quarter and the decor was not as bland as a typical chain.
How was the food? I’m staying in the hotel right next door for a month, and I’d like to know if it’s worth checking out.
Susan
Well, this one time I was reading a thread on the Dope when I came to a post that said:
Love the Evanston Le Peep, although The Original Pancake House (Walker Brother’s) is still better. Not, ironically, original, however, as it’s also a lurker chain.
Dixie Kitchen and Bait Shop is another one that snookered me. Sometimes they’re awesome and sometimes terrible - not generally indicative of a chain restaurant.
Capital Grill (seems to be a theme of steakhouses that seem to not be chains but are…). To be fair I ate at the one in DC, so the name totally made it seem like a local place.
I’ll be damned. I’ve been wanting to go to the one in Cincinnati, thinking it was the only one. The local entertainmant paper said it was great, and I thought it was a local place. I wanted to make sure we went there before we moved away. Guess there’s no rush now.
Wow, apparently it’s even more chain-ey than I thought. Walker Bros is a chain of Original Pancake House restaurants. OPH is also a chain. So it’s a chain of franchises in a chain!
(Wow, did I really just code a URL in another URL? That’s kinda cool!)
Re: 94th Aero Squadron.
I suspect that it’s more of an old chain which is slowly dying off, rather than expanding.
Biaggi’s in Champaign, IL. I had eaten there 3 or 4 times and didn’t realize it was a chain until I went to the website to order a gift card. I was floored…and impressed. My husband and I will not eat at a chain unless we absolutely have to and we both really enjoyed this place. Other chains we find acceptable: Joe’s Crab Shack, Landry’s and Ruby Tuesday’s (excellent salad bar and I can always count on a veggie burger!)
Popeye’s is a chain?! :smack: Ummm… ok… well I came in here to say that the first time I ate at an Olive Garden I didn’t know it was a chain… so I guess that makes it two for me. 
Mimi’s Cafe and Paradise Bakery both had me fooled.
I never realized Ri Ra’s was a chain until I started working there! I don’t work there anymore, but I will say they do things in a very non-chain sort of way. Almost everything is prepared from scratch, including all the soups and stews, the mashed potatoes, and most of the sauces (the cheddar ale and curry sauces were pre-made.)
My mother asked me and my sister to go to this ice cream store that had just opened in her neighborhood called Cold Stone Creamery. She thought it was one of a kind, so she was confused when I said that they punish you if you put money in the tip jar.*
*They all start singing. It is truly awful.
I’ve eaten at plenty of local chains’ first location without realizing that they were chains until I found out about the second location. Or, for that matter, eaten at the first location of a chain and thought it was pretty unique compared to the rest of the chain.
I can’t say that I’ve eaten at a major national or regional chain and not realized it’s a chain, though.