How do you feel about Chevy’s?
Me too. Went there Wednesday.
I am a slave to that hashbrown casserole. Must eat it.
I thought Naugles had been gone for about 20 years, when they were bought by Del Taco. Do you actually have a Naugles near you? If so, where???
Personally, if I want a burger, it is either In-n-Out, Fatburger, or Fuddruckers, hands-down. Chain Mexican is either Taco Bell or Del Taco, and if I want to spend a bit more, El Torito.
Italian? There isn’t a chain that I like. Probably from growing up in NY and all of the mom and pop places.
Sandwiches? Gotta go with Shlotzkis or Togo’s. Both make a damn satisfying sandwich.
As far as upper-scale chains, I like Claim Jumper and Mimi’s.
At least for breakfast, I love Einstein Brothers Bagels.
Chipotle is the only chain food that I find myself ever craving. It’s also the only chain place I’ll take my friends to when they visit me in Chicago.
Sonic
BW3
Bob Evans
Buca di Beppo took the Pope off the Pope Table! gasp
My office is right next to this god-awful strip mall filled with every chain restaurant you can imagine, so I have been able to form opinions on many chains that I had previously not experienced. In case you can’t tell, I’m a vegetarian, so obviously that’s an important factor to me.
If I don’t bring a lunch to work, I’ll most likely visit:
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Subway. It’s cheap, and I get my veggiemax sandwich loaded with vegetables so it’s not even bad for me. Extra hot peppers, please.
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Baja Fresh. Not quite as cheap as Subway, blander than a real Mexican restaurant, but not bad. Especially if I slather my burrito with their hot salsa, which is actually pretty damned hot! (I’m suspicious of anything labelled “hot” in the Midwest. But this stuff is decent.) Far, far, far better than Taco Bell.
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Quizno’s. Kinda meh. I like Subway better. Their guacamole leaves much to be desired. The toastiness of the sandwich is nice, though.
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Panera. Probably the best of the lot, but also pricier. They always have a veggie soup on the board, which is nice, and they have a couple veggie sandwiches (mmm…garden veggie sandwich). Their You Pick Two thing is great.
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Chili’s. Their bean burgers are tasty. Sadly, they are practically the only thing on the menu that’s vegetarian. Plus, it’s more expensive.
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Potbelly’s. Local Chicago chain. Their veggie sandwiches are kind of meh, but they have killer shakes. My dad is still talking about the sandwich he had there when he came to visit a year ago, though. He was disappointed I didn’t bring him another at Thanksgiving. (I didn’t think it would be very good after a five hour plane trip anyway.)
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Portillo’s. Local Chicago chain. Their veggie stuff is for shit, but again, awesome shakes. Mmmm. Try the chocolate malt.
In a previous, omnivorous life on the West Coast, I was fond of In-n-Out. They have damned good burgers. Plus, they pay their employees a living wage.
I really have a soft spot for Tony Roma’s. Spent many a workday lunch there. They have the best French onion soup ever! Their spinach artichoke dip is really good too.
My favorite all time sit-down chain restaurant is Crocodile Cafe. Never had a bad meal there. Probably the only chain that actually tastes like an individually owned restaurant.
I have a weakness for all fast food, except for Jack-in-the Box (gag!). But I second Arby’s, In-n-Out, Popeye’s, and Chick-Fil-A (none here in So Cal 
). And Diary Queen make a surprisingly good burger, at least they did, it’s been awhile.
There is a small chain of Mexican restaurants in the Dallas Metroplex called Posada’s. They have outstanding Mexican food.
I like Steak and Ale for their atmosphere, salad bar, and their French onion soup.
However, my all time favorite “chain” (If you can call 15 restaurants in four states a chain) is Sticky Fingers, a barbecue restaurant that started in Charleston, SC.
I would crawl on my hands and knees across a field of broken glass for a plate of their ribs.
Yeah, it’s a Northern Illinois thing, possibly localized entirely in Rockford. It sells its own salt, and has many great milkshake flavors. Oh, and a '50s theme. It’s really tacky, but there’s something about that salt, man…
ZJ
Hmm, I just did a little research on the Dork Tower/Beef-a-Roo/Rockford connection, and it would appear that Rockford’s gotten, well, dorkier since I left. There is this thing called a Rock-Con, I guess.
I guess all the larpers and late-night Country Kitchen gamers formed a coalition. Hmm, that I might have enjoyed.
Anyhoo, hijack over.
ZJ
Actually…hijack almost over…
As for Rock Con…it’s mostly run by the older wargamers, as the Country Kitchen types (most of whom I know by name, though through no fault of my own) generally can’t afford to go. I’ve seen, like, two LARPers there, ever.
I have to put in a vote for Happy Wok (local–Rockford) and Beef Villa (local–Elgin). I also liked Red Lobster, before they went all yuppie-er. . .they had the BEST side salad and biscuits. I can’t stand the new ambience, though.
I loved Portillo’s when I visited Chi-Town. Best Italian beef I had in the city, and great red hots too. Yes, of course I gorged myself while I was there!
My fiance and I both love Don Pablo’s for Tex-Mex.
Carrabbas is great.
But, hands down, the BEST restaurant chain (though it may only be in Michigan still) is B.D.'s Mongolian BBQ. Good god, they just opened one in Kalamazoo/Portage, and I love it. I hated having to drive to Grand Rapids to eat there. Still, the best is the original, in downtown Royal Oak.
I prefered Ghengis Khan (it was in Livonia, not there anymore) to B.D.'s. Maybe that was because I had gone ther so much I knew exactly how to create the sauce I liked. Maybe I need to do B.D.'s more to get that. But the wife doesn’t like it.