Restaurants that should be nuked from orbit.

Cafe Society
41

Huh. I’ve never heard of Boston Pizza, and I live in Boston.

I came in to this thread to mention Applebees, but I see there is no need.

dnooman, who in the hell told you that riblets were good, and why is this person still breathing my oxygen? About a year ago I Pitted Applebees, and one astute poster correctly guessed that I’d ordered the riblets. The things have artificial bones, for Og’s sake!

But I’ll save my personal nuke for a “quality” restaurant that is not a chain. The Landfall in Wood’s Hole, MA. Aside from the fact that you have to wear a vibrator to get in, the food is overpriced but sub-par. It’s basically deep-fried butter with bits of seafood in it, and an entree costs a good $25-30.

But it’s the service I found reprehensible. The last time I was there, I couldn’t get a waiter’s attention for a drink refill. I finally flagged down the waiter when I was at the end of my meal. My drink came when the check came. And I was charged for the refill!

42

Fast food joints serve the purpose of quick food cheap. So I have no problem with any of them and in fact enjoy the occasional Chik-Fil-A and Taco Bell. Basically I figure you get what you pay for. The sit down chain places drive me nuts, but if I had to pick only one to eliminate, it would have to be chilis.

I grew up in the suburbs and had way to many meals there before I knew any better. When I moved for college, I learned that good local places existed and have never looked back.

43

Not a restaurant, but a takeaway - The Town Kebab House, Gillingham, Kent.

Their Doner is an act of terrorism - in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to find that they are an Al-Quieda cell charged with poisoning the inhabitants of the Medway towns one by one.

44

Friendly’s. Best described as what you would get if the ice cream scoop guy at DQ teamed up with the head of your high school cafeteria to open a “Shoney’s” style restaurant.

45

Seeing as I’ve so far only contributed quibbling points to this thread, here’s a prime candidate… The Drunken Duck in the English Lake District. It’s won all kinds of awards and I really don’t know why. They claim to be “relaxed and informal” and unpretentious, as you’d expect in what is really just a country pub, but when I went a couple of years ago I encountered the snootiest staff I’ve ever met outside of London, not to mention overfussy and waaaaay overpriced food. Relaxed and informal? After we dared to arrive on an out-of-season weeknight without a reservation, the maitre d’ (who the fuck has a maitre d’ in a Lake District pub?) glowered down his nose at us and said “Well, I suppose we could squeeze you in by the bar,” like he was doing us a huge favour. I then had inedible okra, followed by a giant and tasteless hunk of pigeon breast, and finally a flabby cheesecake that I nevertheless devoured as I was still starving after giving up on the first two courses, and was then presented with a bill that was over three times what I’d paid for an infinitely better meal at a nearby pub the previous night.

Perhaps the building itself could be saved from nukedom, as it could make a very pleasant pub again, but the menu, the decor and the staff definitely deserve blitzing.

46

Wendy’s. There just isn’t anything of redeeming value in Wendy’s and their “food”. The same cannot be said of McDonald’s or Burger King - there is food there that I love. Ditto with Arby’s. But Wendy’s? Nope. The little bitch is outta here.

Krispy Kreme. The spelling alone is a nuke-able offense. The donuts, they suck. Oh how they suck. The cops in my area won’t even eat them. See ya, Krispy Kreme - you’re gone.

47

Those prices don’t seem out of line for an upscale place. That’s a reasonable amount of dollars to pay.

Wait a minute – is that in pounds? Holy crap! Yeah, I’ve got a spare nuke for them, too.

Here’s a link to the place I’d nuke. They say the entrees are $9-40. They are much closer to 40 than to 9. You really pay for the fresh-caught butter.

48

TGIF. Because I despise the holding company – believe me, that family doesn’t need another dime.

49

That may be because they are based in western Canada.

50

I finally quit going to fast food places because of the poor service, but if I still partook, I’d nominate Taco Bell.

I used to average two visits every time that I went to a TB. Once through the drive thru, and once to go back inside to get what I’d ordered in the first place. You’d think a plain beef burrito without onions wouldn’t be that hard to make, considering that it consisted of just the ground beef and some cheese, but this menu item continually perplexed even the most seasoned TB employee. There must be a company policy someplace that states that whenever I drive through, I will only be served food with refried beans in it.

I usually either got a bean burrito instead, or a beef burrito with onions. Or a beef-and-bean burrito. With onions. I kept expecting a tortilla filled with onions only, but that level of culinary sophistication was apparently beyond them.

I was on my way back into the joint for the third time one afternoon, when I finally decided to take manners into my own hands, and contacted the Distric Manager. After a long diatribe about the poor service, she asked me if she could send me some coupons. I said sure.

I got the coupons. $1.00 off.

Burrito Supremes. I asked for one without beans.

Got it. Beans and onions. No ground beef. Haven’t been back since.

51

Hey Farva what’s the name of that restaurant you like with all the goofy shit on the walls and the mozzarella sticks?

Any of those places with one ton of crap strewn about as decorations must be removed from the planet.

52

I agree with many of these choices (especially Domino’s and Applebees). I’ll add another: Long John Silvers. Yuck! What is it they serve, deep fried breading with a hint of fish flavoring?

53

Oh yeah, forgot to add Rally’s. Their food tastes like they got used oil from the other fast food places, and reused it.

54

Their oriental chicken salad was very good! Can’t speak to the rest of it-but their mini-eggrolls were nice and crispy.
But I agree a bout Long John Silvers-fish-flavored bread crumbs, fried in 30W motor oil!

55

See, around here, LJS is actually pretty decent for fast food fish, if you could actually find one. Not sure what you mean about the breading, as they have a very light hand with that, almost tempura-like in its battering.

56

I ordered a steak at Friday’s once (a thoroughly foolish thing to do, I now realize) and it was literally inedible: a chunk of charred gristle with melted cheese and canned mushrooms on top.

Enquiring how everything was, the waiter— after I’d mentioned my inability to cut through my meat with a knife, let alone chew it— said “oh, really?” and presented me with the bill.

Unfortunately I was young and on a first date, not wanting to make a bad impression, so I didn’t raise the sort of hell the situation demanded. My date (who’d ordered potato skins, something even TGIF would have trouble fucking up) said it would never have occurred to her to order a steak at TGI Friday’s. Another lesson hard learned.

57

I vote for the “Aussie” steak place too.

I’ve gone three times, to three different locations, (one out of state) and I wound up vomitting afterwards all three times.

The annoying thing is the food didn’t taste bad but they must be using some spice (or species of meat) that my body readily rejects.

PS If anyone cares - no alcohol was consumed at those 3 visits.

58

Kat, I have to say, while the staff’s reaction was less than optimum, your party made itself a presumptuous pain in the ass by traipsing in without warning and asking for seating for 14. To my mind, that’s a situation where you call ahead. Add in that large parties are notorious for crappy tipping, and it’s not surprising the waitstaff was ill-disposed toward you (though I do think they should suck it up and be helpful, regardless).

But Applebee’s - I’m right there with you. They just suck.

However, I would like to nuke Chick-Fil-A, for the following reasons:

1.) The stupid name - when we moved to the South, my husband and I looked at each other and said, “Chick-Fill-Uh?”
2.) The crappy food. Their chicken is overmarinated, so it’s unbelievably salty and oddly flavored. And I’m a salt-lover, but I can’t choke down their food. The fries are always limp and have a bitter undertone. And if you ask for a plain chicken sandwich, they still put pickles on it.
3.) The playground. See, you were wondering why I’ve eaten there enough to form these opinions, if it sucks so much. It’s because my child begs to go, and other mothers set up playdates there, because they have indoor playgrounds. Of course, half the time my kid has a panic attack while wedged into the most inaccessable corkscrew of tubing, requiring me to wedge my obese ass through the tot-sized labyrinth to retrieve her. After the last time, we both decided we won’t go there ever again. She’ll change her mind, I won’t.

59

Have you tried Chick Fil-A’s ice cream? Mmmmm. We zip through the drive through all the time for their ice cream. And they “pack” it down, too – no hole in the middle. It’s scrumptious.

Many years ago I liked McDonald’s. I don’t know what they’ve done in recent years but after eating there I am postively ill. Have I changed? Perhaps; I used to have a fairly cast-iron stomach, and now I’m a little more sensitive, but it seems like they used to taste better.

I live in the city where Long John Silver’s is based (or at least, was founded) and it’s pretty good here. Somewhat greasy but hey, it’s fried fish. It’s always very fresh.

I vote for killing off White Castle. I won’t go in there, let alone eat their product. Yeech.

60

I eat at Taco Bell about once every other week or so, and I almost always get the same thing.

A 7-layer burrito and a (usually Nacho Cheese) Chalupa with beans instead of meat, add guacamole. Sometimes instead of the 7-layer burrito, I’ll get the beef and potato burrito, with beans instead of meat.

Here’s how I’m inevitably charged.

1 Nacho Cheese Chalupa
-Meat
+Beans (45 cents or something)

1 Beef/Potato Burrito
-Meat
+Beans (again with the charging)

I try to cut them off and tell them to hit the little slash button (which apparently means light), and they say OK, and my receipt comes out like this:
1 Nacho Cheese Chalupa
-Meat
+Beans (45 cents or something)

1 Beef/Potato Burrito
-Meat
+Beans (again with the charging)

or
1 Nacho Cheese Chalupa
-Meat

1 Beef/Potato Burrito
-Meat

In the instance that it’s wrong (ie almost every time), I ask the counter person for the 90c + tax back. Clerk: “Uhh, we gotta charge for the beans”

Me: “No you don’t. I’m substituting a cheaper product for meat. If you had hit the slash button like I asked you to, it would have been fine.”

Clerk: “Uhh, I can’t do refunds”

Me: “Can you get me someone who can?”

Clerk: ::grabs nearest person:: “Can you do refunds?”

Clerk 2: “No, the manager can.”

Clerk 1: “Where is the manager?”

Clerk 2: “Trying to see if he can fart in his own mouth.”

Clerk 1: “OMG can he really?!”

Clerk 2: “Dunno, I’m too busy peeing in this guy’s food. Beans instead of meat? WTF?”

Clerk 1: "Sir, you can have a seat and we’ll bring the refund to you.

Most of the time, I either get refunded for one of the two items, or they pick some arbitrary amount of change to come lay on my table 10 minutes later.