# Most evil chain restaurant? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 17, 2010, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514 "2010-06-17T04:26:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514/121 "2010-06-19T01:28:58Z")
> [@MTCicero](#): > > Sad to say, but in my callow youth, Chi Chi’s was my favorite restaurant, period. Of course, also at that time, in my opinion, no greater steak could be had than those served at the likes of York Steakhouse and Bonanza. > > Yes. It’s pretty goddamn amazing how the years can refine one’s palate. Holy shit, is York Steakhouse still in business? I worked at one of those pits, in Syracuse, New York, around 1978. It was a dump, and I knew it even then. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514/122 "2010-06-19T01:44:11Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > No, Arby’s sucks _because_ of the curly fries. They used to serve some pretty good skin-on fries, but they dropped them from the menu because they can charge more for the curly monstrosities. That’s when I stopped eating at Arby’s (and wrote a nasty letter to corporate about the fries, as well). Potato Cakes FTW. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514/123 "2010-06-19T01:58:07Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > The first K.F.C. I ever had was in Washington D.C. and it was excellent. > > On returning home to the U.K. one of the first things I did was to have another K.F.C., it was dripping with grease. > > After that didn’t bother having one for a good few years but finally relented and had one at another outlet…it was dripping with grease. > > Few years later the same story. > > I wont bother again. When I was over there, I checked out KFC’s in both Liverpool and Dublin, and they both looked horrid. All of the chicken was sitting in some sort of warming cabinet on the counter, and it had sat in there so long, half the breading had fallen off from being dried out by the hot lights in there. Needless to say, I didn’t bother, especially since it seemed to draw the grease out as well, to sit on top. And as much as I hate McDonald’s, it seemed to be the only place to get real coffee – our Dublin hotel’s coffee appeared to be made from Camp’s, which is evil crap. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514/124 "2010-06-19T02:14:24Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > I voted IHOP because their pancakes taste like powder. MY real choice is White Castle. They are the worst burgers on the planet. I think you have to be raised on them. It’s not something I expect people who weren’t to understand. Living in California, we are stuck with the inferior frozen product, but I have learned to make them at home. It is a pretty complicated process, rolling out fresh ground beef so it is real flat with a rolling pin, cutting it into squares, punching the little holes, then freezing the patties before cooking, but it yields a dead-on copy. When I go back east, WC is my first stop from the airport. In any case, this thread is about EVIL. How is WC more evil than any other fast food joint? I can see Mickey D’s, Denny’s and Cracker Barrel, for various social wrongs they may be guilty of, but most people in this thread seem to be selecting restaurants just because they don’t happen to like the food. I picked Applebee’s because they are the prime example of mass-produced civilization. These days, after you get out of the city cores, driving along the interstate, YOU HAVE NO CHOICE but to eat at corporate restaurants. The developers of the malls won’t lease space to anybody else. Ma and Pa places are completely shut out of large swaths of the country now. Want Italian? You have your choice of Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill. Want Mexican? Acapulco or El Torito. Chinese? Panda or PF Chang’s. Seafood? Red Lobster or Crab Shack. It’s not terrible, but it’s ALL THE SAME, and it’s all you can find in many communities today. And Applebee’s is the standard bearer. There is one in every goddamn mall. We have created a civilization factory that marches farther and farther out along the interstates that radiate from every major population center, pooping out identical tract homes and malls, and all owned by corporations. Fuck that. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514/125 "2010-06-19T02:23:59Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > It isn’t going to hurt your children to try a bowl of deeply dilled chicken soup or some potato pirogi with mushrooms and onions. Tell that to my idiot Sister. We were at Disneyland with her brats and I demanded that we have at least one decent meal. My stomach was protesting the barf they serve in the park, so we went to the New Orleans themed place in Downtown Disney. The kids ordered Macaroni and Cheese. While we were waiting, they were served celery and carrot sticks, which they refused. Why? “We don’t eat vegatables!” they chorused with big grins on their faces. :eek:When it came, there was a chorus of EEEEW! Why? Horror of horrors, it was proper Macaroni and Cheese, done en casserole, made with actual cheese, browned on the top and cut into squares. It wasn’t the bland runny goo they were expecting. Any decent parent would say “Eat it and like it, or go to bed hungry.” Not my idiot sister, she sent it back and got them pasta marinara. Which was too spicy for them, because it contained a hint of Oregano. So after we were done, the kids got wormburgers back in the park. “What can I do? That’s all they will eat! Hamburgers, fries, Kraft Dinner, and pancakes.” My sister should be jailed for child abuse. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514/126 "2010-06-19T02:29:47Z")
I voted Golden Corral; it’s pretty awful. And what is even more annoying than that is that their ads lie. ‘All for around 10.00’. Welp, it’s 11.99 hereabouts, which to me is not the same as ‘around 10.00’. It’s exemplary of their whole chain, I think; more than you expect to pay for a lot less than you expect to want to eat. Gimme a 5 dollar chinese buffet anytime over Golden Corral. I mean, wtf…mooooo! I used to work at an Olive Garden, and still like the food. Sue me! I don’t care that it’s not real italian; neither am I. I make the toscano soup at home quite a bit, and it’s awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514/127 "2010-06-19T02:34:52Z")
I guess I’m lucky, 3/4 of these don’t have a restaurant in my city. I don’t think any chain restaurant would qualify as “evil” as say Walmart. But, if I had to pick, I would go with Jack in the Box. In my state (I would like verification if anybody else would do it) they list their prices on the menu for a meal (example, $6) and have options for medium and large (+30 cents and 60 cents, respectively.) What that would mean is that if I only wanted to pay $6 and not $6.30, I would get a “small.” However, there is no small. Every time I order “small,” I get a medium with the 30 cent surcharge. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514/128 "2010-06-19T02:52:29Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > I get that, but then the problem is you’re always eating the same old stuff. Keep in mind that you’re talking to somebody who regularly eats the same thing for breakfast (bowl of raisin bran), and dinner (Safeway frozen spaghetti and meatballs and a dinner roll), a few times a week, so that doesn’t bother me much. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514/129 "2010-06-19T02:53:42Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > Every time I order “small,” I get a medium with the 30 cent surcharge. Then point out thier mistake, and refuse to pay the extra. I eat at Jacque’s fairly often and have never had this happen. Don’t be a doormat. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514/130 "2010-06-19T03:02:52Z")
> [@Stan\_Shmenge](#): > > Tell that to my idiot Sister. We were at Disneyland with her brats and I demanded that we have at least one decent meal. My stomach was protesting the barf they serve in the park, so we went to the New Orleans themed place in Downtown Disney. The kids ordered Macaroni and Cheese. While we were waiting, they were served celery and carrot sticks, which they refused. Why? “We don’t eat vegatables!” they chorused with big grins on their faces. :eek:When it came, there was a chorus of EEEEW! Why? Horror of horrors, it was proper Macaroni and Cheese, done en casserole, made with actual cheese, browned on the top and cut into squares. It wasn’t the bland runny goo they were expecting. Any decent parent would say “Eat it and like it, or go to bed hungry.” Not my idiot sister, she sent it back and got them pasta marinara. Which was too spicy for them, because it contained a hint of Oregano. So after we were done, the kids got wormburgers back in the park. > > “What can I do? That’s all they will eat! Hamburgers, fries, Kraft Dinner, and pancakes.” > > My sister should be jailed for child abuse. Yeah, your sister’s a moron. And damn I want some of that mac and cheese right now. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514/131 "2010-06-19T03:04:55Z")
This is just a friendly suggestion, but maybe you shouldn’t go on vacations with your sister and her “brats” anymore, **Stan**. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514/132 "2010-06-19T03:06:58Z")
> [@lee](#): > > Well, Red Lobster gets my vote as most evil because not only did they defend [discriminating against gay employees](http://www.skeptictank.org/hs/agaybias.htm), they tried to argue that our laws in Cook county banning such conduct are unconstitutional. So, a rouge manager, undoubtedly a midwestern Bible thumper, (who has probably been fired) discriminated in a manner that was certainly outside company policy, and when a lawyer made a constitutional defense, was instructed by the corporation not to do so: > [@](#): > > Red Lobster lawyer challenged the Cook County human rights ordinance as unconstitutional. The company quickly instructed the attorney to withdraw the argument Yeah, reeks of evil. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514/133 "2010-06-19T03:31:56Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > This is just a friendly suggestion, but maybe you shouldn’t go on vacations with your sister and her “brats” anymore, **Stan**. Done and done. The whole family has food issues. Sis is fat, hubby has the same diet as the kids, and the kids look like they are coming down with scurvy and rickets. Sis’s excuse: “I didn’t like being made to eat things I didn’t enjoy as a child, and I won’t do that to my children.” Her kids are spoiled beyond rotten, whiny, prone to throwing all kinds of fits if everything isn’t their way, etc. Can’t stand to be around any of them. That vacation was pretty much the last shot. I got funny looks when I ordered a dinner salad at the restaurant. “You eat SALAD?!?” “You’re WIERD!” Yeah, and I won’t be suffering from colon cancer and diverticulitis either, brat. ---
**Author:** ![Acantha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@Acantha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acantha)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514/134 "2010-06-19T10:14:59Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > Right? We called it _the Chi_, and only ordered the minimum amount of food that would qualify us for a pitcher of Margaritas. The margaritas sucked, too (99% sour mix), but we were underage and they didn’t card. In the 80s they had either 2 for 1 or 3 for 1 drinks and we went there for happy hour then stumbled down the street to eat somewhere else. I don’t think I’ve seen one since then, but I’ve moved a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514/135 "2010-06-19T10:52:54Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > I went with Long John Silvers mostly for just one incident. A bunch of us were on a road trip in a friend’s RV, and I talked them into stopping at at Long Johns. I don’t know if it was this particular location or what, but _everybody’s_ food was absolutely terrible. The gang made me the butt of lousy-pirate-food jokes for the rest of the trip and for years afterwards. Oh, man, I forgot about Long John Silvers! Years ago we stopped at a remote Appalachian LJS after a long hike. We were starving, and fish sounded good. There was only one other person in the place, the fry cook/manager/owner. His name tag said, I shit you not, “Mr. Happy,” and he had the fixed grin of a serial killer with mommy issues. I ordered the sandal soaked in motor oil. My wife ordered the brown paper bag with a sawdust stuffing, marinated in seagull fat and cooked under a heat lamp for two days. We threw all but a tiny bite of both entrees away. As we left, manic grin still drilling into our backs, we passed a bell that was hung by the exit. “Ring if you had an excellent experience!” the sign said. The bell was silent. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514/136 "2010-06-19T11:10:06Z")
> [@Stan\_Shmenge](#): > > Done and done. The whole family has food issues. Sis is fat, hubby has the same diet as the kids, and the kids look like they are coming down with scurvy and rickets. Sis’s excuse: “I didn’t like being made to eat things I didn’t enjoy as a child, and I won’t do that to my children.” > > Her kids are spoiled beyond rotten, whiny, prone to throwing all kinds of fits if everything isn’t their way, etc. Can’t stand to be around any of them. That vacation was pretty much the last shot. I got funny looks when I ordered a dinner salad at the restaurant. “You eat SALAD?!?” “You’re WIERD!” Yeah, and I won’t be suffering from colon cancer and diverticulitis either, brat. While she shouldn’t force them to eat liver and broccoli, she shouldn’t be totally catering to them, either. That is, she should tell them that they DO have to eat some vegetables, and they have to eat a full serving or two of veggies at dinner time. She can tell them that they can choose between green beans, squash, and salad, for instance, and they DO have to eat the whole serving. Most vegetables are available in frozen form, which makes it pretty easy to prepare and serve a couple of different kinds each night. She also needs to make it clear that anyone who decides not to eat what’s available for dinner won’t be allowed to get a snack or full meal afterwards, unless what’s available for dinner is actually repulsive…say, something like liver, or underdone hamburger. I have to admit, I did some kinda sneaky stuff when my daughter was an infant and toddler. First, I breastfed her, at first exclusively, and then until she was able to pick up food and bring it to her mouth. I didn’t give her baby cereal, or baby food. I did mash up whatever fruits or vegetables we were having, and feed that to her. Second, when she wanted a cookie because Cookie Monster loved them, I gave her a cracker. A Ritz cracker looks remarkably like a cookie to a toddler, and while it’s somewhat tasty, it doesn’t really taste so good that a toddler will nom on crackers to the exclusion of everything else. Third, I gave her carrot sticks and celery sticks as snacks when she was old enough to handle them. I reinforced the message by eating the same things. She grew up with the notion that if she was hungry, then she was expected to grab a few carrot or celery sticks. I didn’t (and still don’t) keep a lot of commercially prepared snack foods around. I like them, but they’re not really good for anyone, and they’re comparatively expensive. Snack foods, things like potato chips or snack cakes, have always been treated like a rare treat, instead of something to grab while waiting for dinner, in our house. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514/137 "2010-06-19T12:04:09Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > While she shouldn’t force them to eat liver and broccoli, she shouldn’t be totally catering to them, either. You seem to have missed my point. She INTENDS to totally cater to them. She doesn’t want and won’t take advice to correct these issues, she doesn’t regard it as a problem. On my last visit back, I took them to Hometown Buffet. All they ate was Mac and Cheese and Pizza. Same with Dad. A hundred things to pick, and all they found palatable was runny orange goo and bad pizza. My sister loaded up with meatloaf and mashed potatoes, and avoided one single healthy item. She wanted to rush out of there because she was jonesing for a smoke. She lets them live in a fantasy world. They have a condo in Orlando, as they spend so much time at fricking Disney World the payments work out cheaper than using hotels. My sister chain smokes around the children and also smokes weed in the house. She has no self control, and certainly isn’t instilling any in her brood. Anyway, she has more issues than Publisher’s Clearing House, and is beyond help for her many mental conditions. I just don’t associate with them any more. Not my problem. Thanks for your concern though, Lynn. You are a good person. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514/138 "2010-06-19T12:06:37Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Oh, man, I forgot about Long John Silvers! Years ago we stopped at a remote Appalachian LJS after a long hike. We were starving, and fish sounded good. > > There was only one other person in the place, the fry cook/manager/owner. His name tag said, I shit you not, “Mr. Happy,” and he had the fixed grin of a serial killer with mommy issues. > > I ordered the sandal soaked in motor oil. My wife ordered the brown paper bag with a sawdust stuffing, marinated in seagull fat and cooked under a heat lamp for two days. We threw all but a tiny bite of both entrees away. > > As we left, manic grin still drilling into our backs, we passed a bell that was hung by the exit. “Ring if you had an excellent experience!” the sign said. > > The bell was silent. I have had good food at LJS. I think it depends on the location you go to. Sounds like you found a bad one. I mean, it’s fried fish. It comes from the distributor frozen, and all they have to do is plop it in the fryer. How hard is that to screw up? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514/139 "2010-06-19T12:15:50Z")
All those choices and no (blech) Subway? That gets my vote. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514/140 "2010-06-19T12:29:07Z")
In-N-Out puts bible verses on their cups, bags and french fry trays. It’s just evil to do that when your burgers are so good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-evil-chain-restaurant/543514.md?page=8)