# Restaurants that can't do a specific thing well **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [May 30, 2022, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335 "2022-05-30T02:25:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2022, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/81 "2022-06-06T04:17:56Z")
The dearth of spitoons and cuspidors has been appalling. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2022, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/82 "2022-06-06T16:18:16Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I don’t believe their pies have been fried for almost 30 years now. I used to love those mouth melting inferno pies. So good, but so dangerous! ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/83 "2022-06-12T04:47:50Z")
There’s a local pizza chain called Pizza Pirara near me. They’re basically going after the same Little Ceasers “Hot N Ready” walk-in and walk-out $7 pizza market but getting a fresh custom pizza for the same price is actually pretty tasty. They also have some of the best chicken wings I’ve seen, really big meaty chicken wings that are oven baked to the perfect temperature so they aren’t so dry like other places. I had to stop going there though despite my love of their chicken wings because for whatever reason their employees were CONSTANTLY forgetting to put buffalo sauce on the wings. I have no idea if they think me asking for “Chicken wings” automatically starts meaning “No sauce” but then when I started specifically asking for “Buffalo Wings” they still kept forgetting to put the buffalo sauce on. Frustrated I started to say “Buffalo wings with EXTRA buffalo sauce” but then this seemed to confused them even further, I’d get there to pick up and they would irritated ask me “So much extra sauce so you actually want?” And I then had to act like I was telling a Subway employee how much mustard I wanted on my sandwich having to tell them when to “stop” saucing. I wound up just giving up on going there. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/84 "2022-06-12T06:56:20Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > And I then had to act like I was telling a Subway employee how much mustard I wanted… Ah… Subway. “Give me a Six Inch BMT with Everything” You want mustard and mayo? Yes. You want lettuce? Yes. You want tomato? Uh… Yes, I want everything. You want olives? Uh… Is olives somehow a subset of Everything? Yes, I want olives. You want pickles? Yes, Goddammit! I want fucking pickles! I want EVERY FUCKING THING you got back there! If you got a bucket of spit, I want a few swabs of that! Now, Make the fucking sandwich and stop asking me if I want anything!! You want onions? 🤬 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/85 "2022-06-12T12:52:29Z")
Now, I’ve never been a Subway “sandwich artist” but my guess is that they’ve dealt with plenty of customers who said they want “everything” on their sandwich but then are shocked to find jalapeños or olives or whatever there. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/86 "2022-06-12T13:49:08Z")
Absolutely - people have a different idea of what “everything” means and to an extent , different regions and restaurants do , too. For example, I don’t like mustard on burgers. If I go to a McDonald’s in NYC, that is not generally a special order \*. If I go to a Burger King and simply specify “no tomatoes”, it will not usually have mustard either . Because mustard isn’t standard on burgers in NYC. \*Although it was for a short period of time at one NYC location I know - I expect they wasted a lot of burgers. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/87 "2022-06-12T13:56:41Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > I feel the same way about Five Guys’ burger chain’s fries. Thick cut, under cooked, soggy and limp. You forgot “often burned”. I don’t know why they can’t get it right. They use locally grown potatoes when possible and they have the proper equipment, but it’s like nobody has ever told them how to make a proper fry. Or they just don’t give a shit now that they’re a national chain. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/88 "2022-06-12T14:02:23Z")
> [@bump](#): > > To do it right, what they need to be doing is cutting them early in the day, frying them at a lower temp, then _re-frying_ them at a higher temp right before service. > > That’s how they do it in Brussels, that’s how they do it at just about anywhere that takes pride in their french fries. Oh man, you just triggered a food memory. The fries in Brussels are absolutely addictive. I lived there for two years and couldn’t get enough of them, especially served with homemade mayo and alongside a perfectly cooked steak _au poivre_. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/89 "2022-06-12T15:04:27Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > I feel the same way about Five Guys’ burger chain’s fries. Thick cut, under cooked, soggy and limp. And the “Regular Sized” order’s portion is a meal in and of itself. Really? I find Five Guys fries immensely superior to any other burger chain. I’ve never found them undercooked. The can be too salty – most fries are – but you can order them without salt. The portions are too big, which is why you order a small. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/90 "2022-06-12T15:19:56Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Ah… Subway. > > “Give me a Six Inch BMT with Everything” I’m going to agree that this is unreasonable of you. Some places have a standard list of what “everything” consists of, but Subway does not. As far as I know, the list of possible toppings is not identical at all locations. A customer who was used to getting “everything” at a location that did not offer jalapenos and green olives might get something he didn’t expect at a location that did. And does “everything” include all the various sauces/condiments that they have available? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/91 "2022-06-12T15:23:44Z")
They’re not crispy. People who need their fries crispy aren’t going to like Five Guys fries. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/92 "2022-06-12T15:24:04Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > You forgot “often burned”. I don’t know why they can’t get it right. They use locally grown potatoes when possible and they have the proper equipment, but it’s like nobody has ever told them how to make a proper fry. Or they just don’t give a shit now that they’re a national chain. I believe their national expansion is through franchising, not corporate-owned locations. I have heard complaints from people who have gone to newer locations. Controlling quality and consistency throughout a nationwide network, especially involving franchises, is not easy. Perhaps Five Guys is working out kinks. That being said, I much prefer the fries at Shake Shack. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/93 "2022-06-12T15:25:47Z")
Some people like a sandwich with ‘everything’, whatever ‘everything’ is. They may just like everything and not care, or they may be grown ups who can pick out some particular thing it turns out they don’t like. Then there are the people who don’t want to tell you what they want on a sandwich but then need to know what ‘everything’ is. Hard to say if that’s better than someone who asks for ‘everything’, insists on getting everything, “Give me the works!”, and then complains about something included with ‘everything’. ‘Everything’ or ‘plain’ (nothing extra) should be free with the price of a sandwich. Want to pick your extras? That will be an extra charge to cover the cost of aggravation. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/94 "2022-06-12T15:27:14Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Really? I find Five Guys fries immensely superior to any other burger chain. I’ve never found them undercooked. The can be too salty – most fries are – but you can order them without salt. > > The portions are too big, which is why you order a small. I at least don’t find them _in_ferior in taste, and superior in size. The only ones that they are worse than off the top of my head are Checkers’. Their burgers, on the other hand, are probably made from cheap cuts of meat because they look like they should be tasty but in actuality are quite bland to me. Even an indifferently-cooked backyard burger has a superior taste to the meat itself (even though I would not claim to actually cook them better _myself_ at home, unlike the trope.) EDIT: To be more specific, their burgers are neither juicy nor have a tasty slightly burnt taste to them, and they are the only place that manages to achieve neither. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/95 "2022-06-12T15:27:52Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > ‘Everything’ or ‘plain’ (nothing extra) should be free with the price of a sandwich. Want to pick your extras? That will be an extra charge to cover the cost of aggravation. Well, Subway’s model is that you go down the line and tell the sandwich artist exactly what you want and exactly what you don’t want. @Gatopescado has only emself to blame for trying to override this function. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/96 "2022-06-12T16:22:09Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Well, Subway’s model is that you go down the line and tell the sandwich artist exactly what you want and exactly what you don’t want. Right. There are plenty of other sandwich places that have other models, like where each sandwich on the menu has its own preselected list of toppings, or there’s a standard list of toppings that you get when you ask for “everything” (plus maybe a few other things that are available on request but not part of “everything”). But that’s not Subway. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/97 "2022-06-12T16:43:16Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > I feel all national chains make TERRIBLE bland soggy coleslaw, though I’m positive it’s because they probably get it premixed in plastic bags that are frozen for transportation. They don’t even do the single step of mixing their coleslaw dressing and lettuce mix themselves. As a result you get coleslaw that’s just a sad soggy mess. > > Weirdly enough I think KFC coleslaw is decent, whenever I get it it at least SEEMS crisper. I agree that KFC coleslaw is pretty good, largely because it’s not drowned in creamy glop like the vast majority of coleslaw both from chains and otherwise decent to good non-chain restaurants. In addition, restaurant coleslaw in general is horribly bland, and you have to liberally use salt and pepper to get it semi-edible. I’ve gotten more confident about ordering steamed broccoli as a side at steak places like the Longhorn. They’ve actually learned that al dente texture is a good thing so you don’t get limp, mushy broccoli. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/98 "2022-06-12T17:23:09Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > They don’t even do the single step of mixing their coleslaw dressing and lettuce mix themselves. Well, if they’re using lettuce instead of cabbage, then it’s definitely going to be terrible coleslaw. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/99 "2022-06-12T18:00:05Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > They’re not crispy. People who need their fries crispy aren’t going to like Five Guys fries. The ones I get are. Not like potato chips, but with a nice, subtle crunch. ---
**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:** [June 12, 2022, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/100 "2022-06-12T18:12:20Z")
IMO, the only burger place that makes worse fries than 5 Guys is In-N-Out. Luckily, there is a Hat just down the street from the In-N-Out in Upland. 2 Double Doubles w/ cheese, then an order of fries from The Hat. Best of both worlds and feeds the car. Sure, not being able to get both at the same place is a pain. But 2 pop-ups equal the same number of outs as a well-executed double play. Just not as pretty. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335.md?page=6)