# Local foods vs. chains (why I hate Red Lobster) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 12, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-foods-vs-chains-why-i-hate-red-lobster/174582 "2003-05-12T00:22:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Guybud5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Guybud5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guybud5)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-foods-vs-chains-why-i-hate-red-lobster/174582/1 "2003-05-12T00:22:10Z")
It seems that many restaurants pop up that sell foods that are somewhat native or at least have reached an art form in a certain area. My pet peeve is Red Lobster… what a horrible excuse for good seafood. I grew up in the Florida Big Bend and find RL to be a shoddy excuse, and overpriced for what you get. Any others? ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-foods-vs-chains-why-i-hate-red-lobster/174582/2 "2003-05-12T00:35:17Z")
All chains- Olive Garden (way overpriced for not very good food, IMHO. Where I grew up there were great Italian food places everywhere, family owned for generations that made food SO good), Outback is WAY overpriced for the steaks you get, although the food is good. I guess my main gripe would be the Olive Garden. How they stay in business in the city I used to live in is beyond me. ---
**Author:** ![herman\_and\_bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f1d935/32.png) [@herman\_and\_bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herman_and_bill)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-foods-vs-chains-why-i-hate-red-lobster/174582/3 "2003-05-12T00:47:38Z")
Chi CHi’s, over priced and not near as good as the small local Mexican restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![lovelee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@lovelee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lovelee)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-foods-vs-chains-why-i-hate-red-lobster/174582/4 "2003-05-12T00:48:42Z")
Aren’t Red Lobster and Olive Garden owned by the same parent corporation? When my brother worked at Olive Garden, his discount card worked at Red Lobster too, as well as one other restaurant I can’t recall (we didn’t have one in the area). ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Doubt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@Peter\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Doubt)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-foods-vs-chains-why-i-hate-red-lobster/174582/5 "2003-05-12T01:14:40Z")
How well does Outback Steakhouse represent true Australian cuisine? Guessing not so well, I’ve never seen the meat-pie floater mentioned in one of the Terry Pratchett books. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-foods-vs-chains-why-i-hate-red-lobster/174582/6 "2003-05-12T01:34:46Z")
P.F. Chang’s. I’ve had better Chinese food in food courts! And compared to the Chinese food, oh, _anywhere_ back home in Hawaii (food at least a good 50-70% cheaper at that), it’s especially galling that this chain continues to do business. ---
**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-foods-vs-chains-why-i-hate-red-lobster/174582/7 "2003-05-12T01:36:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sender \* > \*\*How well does Outback Steakhouse represent true Australian cuisine? Guessing not so well, I’ve never seen the meat-pie floater mentioned in one of the Terry Pratchett books. \*\* Only in South Australia, home of the Crow Eaters. The rest of Oz wouldn’t be seen dead eating one of them. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-foods-vs-chains-why-i-hate-red-lobster/174582/8 "2003-05-12T01:39:17Z")
At my hospital cafeteria, they occasionally have an item called a “Texas BBQ Sandwich”. For one thing, the sandwich is shredded BBQ pork, which Texas is not particularly known for. The really ironic thing, though, is that the sandwich is a poor but reasonable approximation of _North Carolina_ BBQ. This is, of course, a hospital in Greensboro, North Carolina. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-foods-vs-chains-why-i-hate-red-lobster/174582/9 "2003-05-12T01:41:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lovelee \* > \*\*Aren’t Red Lobster and Olive Garden owned by the same parent corporation? \*\* Yes - [Darden](http://www.darden.com). They also own Bahama Breeze and Smokey Bones. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Calculus\_of\_Logic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@The\_Calculus\_of\_Logic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Calculus_of_Logic)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-foods-vs-chains-why-i-hate-red-lobster/174582/10 "2003-05-12T01:57:48Z")
Chi Chis is overrated. You have to wait 50 minutes for food no better than any other mexican restaurant and twice the cost. I notice someone else already brought that issue up though. There was a place back in Richmond called El Rodeo that was just as good, had no waiting and was much cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-foods-vs-chains-why-i-hate-red-lobster/174582/11 "2003-05-12T02:24:00Z")
Has anyone(Southern or Other) ever ordered grits at a Denny’s outside the former CSA? One thing I like to do when travelling is head to McDonalds and see what sop they have made to incorporating local cuisine. In Rome, it was the McToast-a wretched attempt at a grilled ham and cheese on cardbo…sourdough. I think. To compensate, they have McVino and McBeer. The McD’s of China offered some kinda soup. It was edible by virtue of being completely taste-free. I plan on going to India next year- I hear it’s a McMutton! ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-foods-vs-chains-why-i-hate-red-lobster/174582/12 "2003-05-12T05:36:07Z")
You can’t get real grits outside the CSA. And what’s this “former” stuff? Paper says we’re gonna rise again. [See?](http://www.theonion.com/onion3613/south_postpones.html) ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-foods-vs-chains-why-i-hate-red-lobster/174582/13 "2003-05-12T06:34:19Z")
I, by and large, like chain restaurants. But even I can’t stomach Mr. Chau’s. Absolutely terrible Chinese food. ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-foods-vs-chains-why-i-hate-red-lobster/174582/14 "2003-05-12T06:37:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guybud5 \* > \*\*It seems that many restaurants pop up that sell foods that are somewhat native or at least have reached an art form in a certain area. > > My pet peeve is Red Lobster… what a horrible excuse for good seafood. I grew up in the Florida Big Bend and find RL to be a shoddy excuse, and overpriced for what you get. Any others? \*\* I grew up in Ohio. Rural Ohio. And I love both Red Lobster and The Olive Garden. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-foods-vs-chains-why-i-hate-red-lobster/174582/15 "2003-05-12T13:50:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GMRyujin \* > \*\*You can’t get real grits outside the CSA. And what’s this “former” stuff? Paper says we’re gonna rise again. [See?](http://www.theonion.com/onion3613/south_postpones.html) \*\* I know of a restaurant in Maple Valley Washington that serves real grits. My dad was born and raised in the south so grits was common on our table. I like mine with a couple of over easy eggs all mashed together. Yummy. I ate at a Red Lobster once. Never again. The Seattle area has many very good seafood restaurants, no need to even visit RL. The last time I ate at Olive Garden the food was terrible. A couple other chain places I will never visit again include Popeyes fried chicken (it took a couple dozen napkins to soak up the grease from each piece of chicken and it wasn’t that good) and Boston Market. BM came to the Seattle area about 10 years ago, opened a bunch of new places then almost as fast, they all closed up. I tried it a few time back then and it wasn’t too bad. I was in Oregon a few weeks ago and saw a BM so I ate lunch there. What a mistake. The crows in the parking lot liked it though. ---
**Author:** ![Ego\_Mk2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Ego\_Mk2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ego_Mk2)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-foods-vs-chains-why-i-hate-red-lobster/174582/16 "2003-05-12T14:38:21Z")
Aah, the Globster. I agte there when I was a kid (with my parents.) I don’t anymore. That doesn’t mean it isn’t packed EVERY SINGLE DAY! It’s very strange. This will sound racist, and I don’t mean it that way, but the black people around my neighborhood absulotely Flock to the place! I’m sure white people go there too, but whenever I go past there the only patrons I see coming in and out are black people. It must be good, though, or else why would they go? I cook my own seafood nowadays 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-foods-vs-chains-why-i-hate-red-lobster/174582/17 "2003-05-12T14:44:29Z")
I’m a big seafood fan. I lived in New Brunswick for a time, worked in seafood mecca Digby NS and visit beautiful Maine when I can. I like to go to Legal when I’m in Boston. And I find Red Lobster to be reasonable value and enjoy going there. There are certainly better seafood places, and you pay for the difference. But Red Lobster is consistently reasonable if you don’t have easy access to fresh coastal fish – and where I live now, I do not. There are good reasons to avoid chains and big-boxes, but I also find complaints like yours are sometimes just an excuse to act elitist and do the superior dance (“Those blighters wouldn’t know good crab if it bit 'em in the tuckus”). I also like the McDonald’s Thai-sesame salad dressing. Incidentally, there was an interesting article in a recent psychology journal which served the same chicken a la king in seven different settings. The old folks in the retirement home cafeteria rated it poorly. The people in the expensive fine-china restaurant gave it quite a good rating. Food for thought. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-foods-vs-chains-why-i-hate-red-lobster/174582/18 "2003-05-12T15:06:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by racer72 \* > \*\*I know of a restaurant in Maple Valley Washington that serves real grits. My dad was born and raised in the south so grits was common on our table. I like mine with a couple of over easy eggs all mashed together. Yummy. > > I ate at a Red Lobster once. Never again. The Seattle area has many very good seafood restaurants, no need to even visit RL. The last time I ate at Olive Garden the food was terrible. A couple other chain places I will never visit again include Popeyes fried chicken (it took a couple dozen napkins to soak up the grease from each piece of chicken and it wasn’t that good) and Boston Market. BM came to the Seattle area about 10 years ago, opened a bunch of new places then almost as fast, they all closed up. I tried it a few time back then and it wasn’t too bad. I was in Oregon a few weeks ago and saw a BM so I ate lunch there. What a mistake. The crows in the parking lot liked it though. \*\* Hmmm … I’m not a big grits fan, but that grits & egg combo sounds pretty good. I’ll have to try that. Popeye’s fried chicken-yuck. Popeye’s red beans & rice and biscuits-yum. IMHO, of course. Boston Market was bought out by McDonald’s at the end of 1999. [Really.](http://www.media.mcdonalds.com/secured/news/pressreleases/1999/Press_Release12011999.html) You may draw your own conclusions from that fact & the times of your visits. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-foods-vs-chains-why-i-hate-red-lobster/174582/19 "2003-05-12T17:04:21Z")
Would that restaurant in Maple Valley be the Testy Chef? Used to go there fairly often, mostly to ogle the waitress, who had the _longest_ legs…but their Garlic Burger was killer, too. ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-foods-vs-chains-why-i-hate-red-lobster/174582/20 "2003-05-12T19:24:33Z")
Generally, what I’ve found is that they who know no better think that the horrible is good, merely because it is all they have ever known. Those who have really had the good stuff can no longer be satisfied with the cheap rubbish foisted off by the big chains. Once more proving that stupidity is bliss. (I say “stupidity” because it is not merely ignorance but wilful ignorance in this day and age that maintains the current situation.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-foods-vs-chains-why-i-hate-red-lobster/174582.md?page=2)