Best chain restaurant

Ruth Chris’s

Mine would probably be something Mexican. I hated Cheesecake Factory. I got into it with our waitress over the correct pronunciation of bruschetta. Olive Garden was awful--probably doesn't feature bruschetta. And our Red Lobster waitress spent the entire meal getting broken up with by her boyfriend (cellphones were brand new).

I haven't been to any of the others. I probably won't go to any of the others. I have lots of options for real Italian, Mexican, and Thai food, my favorites for eating out.

I've never been to any of those places.

[quote] I've never been to any of those places.

Lies.

[quote] I haven't been to any of the others.

More lies.

In the past 25 years I have been to Outback Steakhouse two or three times and Chilis about the same.

Of the two, I have no preference but I suppose I'll take Chilis. I think I had a half-decent burger there.

Out of the your choices, I went with TCF. It's a nice middle class experience, plus you get to take home home half your huge entrée for a second dinner later.

Devon

R6, spell out your words please, this is not Elmo's Twatter, this is the Datalounge.

Irish people like Cheesecake Factory

R2 You corrected your server’s pronunciation? Honestly, what kind of gaping asshole does that?

And in a Cheesecake Factory on top of that R10.

And carrying a grudge against the waiter about it years later on top of that!

My partner, Mr. Camp & Kitsch, would want to go to Chili's because he thought the menu was a perfect expression of late-century consumerism as a contributor to the decline of the concept of social maturity. Booze + Kiddy-Level Fare and Style = Men With Caps On + Bar Whores

He'd order an onion blossom with both of us knowing he'd be sick the next morning, marveling at the oil dripping onto the waxy blotter under it with each forkful. (We did not touch it with our fingers.) He'd order a burger so he could once again point out how the preforming created an impermeable puck with a rubbery spring to it. No iced tea without passion fruit juice concentrate and no breaded mushrooms without a napalm-like squirt as you bit into it.

I ordered a steak once.

No.

Complete

I fucked a busboy in the men's room at a TGI Friday's a couple times.

Different busboys.

From your list, probably the Oliver Garden, but it's been at least 20 years for me, so I'm not sure. I was taken to Red Lobster about five years ago and was surprised it was actually decent. The cheese biscuits and cole slaw were quite good.

No, fuckstick at r10. She corrected mine.

Carrabba’s!

They're all cheap tho. Trump would totally fit in.

[quote] (cellphones were brand new).

How long ago must that be? 30 years? Geez.

None of the above. Boże!

The cheesecake factory is actually good for what it is. And Outback is decent because how hard is it to fuck up steaks? The rest are garbage. I would rather eat McDonald's.

R1, Ruth’s Chris’ was acquired by Darden, the same company that owns Oliver Garden and other chains. It’s probably just a matter of time before they run it into the ground.

Cheesecake Factory feels like it doesn't belong, with its weird binder of a menu that doesn't follow one particular cuisine. I wind up there most often when visiting relatives who, bless their hearts, think it's fine dining.

Why not take them to an actual fine dining restaurant and show them what it really is, R23?

Un choix épouvantable de soi-disant restaurants.

[quote]Why not take them to an actual fine dining restaurant and show them what it really is, [R23]?

I'm not R23, but I think you have to meet people where they are. If they think Cheesecake Factory is fine dining, then let them have that.

[quote]And in a Cheesecake Factory on top of that [R10].

He probably speaks French to the counterman at Schrafft's. Imagine anybody speaking French to a counterman ... at Schrafft's?

I'm not saying take that away from them, R26, I'm saying there are other restaurants that could easily be added.

Do you never encourage or introduce your friends and family to anything new? I find that very odd but whatever.

For bruschetta, I say broosketta. How are people saying it? I have a friend who says brooshetta. I don't correct her, she's always mispronouncing words.

When I was younger I would wonder why these big chains didn't have restaurants inside the city? I'm in Chicago. And as I get older it's because it's all reheated food. Ultra processed foods. In Chicago, you could just go to any Mexican restaurant and get rice, beans, fresh salsa, a protein choice and tortillas for 9 bucks.

I don't like any of these restaurants, but if I had to choose, then Cheesecake Factory. I usually have a cheese omelet & potatoes and a dulce de leche cheesecake slice.

TGIF had good potato skins. Hard Rock Cafe, when it first came out, had a small but good menu.

Oh no R22! It’s bad enough that they got rid of the creamed spinach au gratin about six years ago and then the escargot, the crabtini and a decent bread basket during the pandemic. With Darden in charge their collapse will be complete. They’ll probably start microwaving the steaks in margarine as a cost saving measure.

Is Morton’s safe at least? (The steaks aren’t as good, but many of the sides are better so a close second in my book.)

Yeah Hard Rock Café. And I enjoy and recommend Horn & Hardart, Ho Jo's, Friendly's and Wetson's. I don't get out as much as I used to, though.

[quote] I'm not saying take that away from them, [R26], I'm saying there are other restaurants that could easily be added.

WRONG.

R27, for the win of a true DLer and an Eldergay. God I love that movie! And the Upson's! Muriel Puce indeed...

Texas Roadhouse

Mother and I enjoy Charleston Garden at B Altman and The Dorotheum at the Metropolitan.

I'm not knocking them, but they're all basically the same. As a picky eater, I welcome the familiarity and knowledge that whichever one I go to I will find something I'll eat.

Mine would be Red Robin (their burgers are good). From the list, Outback.

First Watch

I was corrected by a San Francisco waiter when I used the Sicilian pronunciation of "salsiccia."

I told him real people didn't speak Duolingo and to fetch my sausage.

Denny's

[quote]I was corrected by a San Francisco waiter when I used the Sicilian pronunciation of "salsiccia."

"Zahl-zeech?"

Nordstrom’s “Bazille” chain never disappoints, I’ve been to many different cities and it’s remarkably consistent, not especially any more expensive than the list, and the last waiter that waited on us had a fabulous cake of an ass to admire while shuffling our food to the table.

I’m with r44. Nordstrom’s cafe has very good food. The serving sizes are also more reasonable than some of the other restaurants listed.

If I was out to dinner with someone who corrected a waiter's pronunciation, that would be the last time we dined together. That is just beyond rude.

R46 Again, moron, she corrected my pronunciation. I simply maintained my (correct) pronunciation. The waitress was at fault, not I.

I wasn't talking about you R47. You didn't do anything wrong.

If I had to choose, it would be Chili's. They have a great burger and their Presidente Margarita served in those plastic, blue shakers are delicious.

I never go to my Outback (within walking distance of my house) because the fuckers don't open until 4 PM! I like Olive Garden but the only thing I like there is the salad. Their other food isn't that great; at least at the ones near me.

Applebee's used to have a WW-inspired menu with a delicious etoufee dish. To me at least, it's not that special.

Living in NJ, I prefer an authentic Greek diner to most chain restaurants. The one near me uses real lamb in their gyros and souvlakis and makes fresh tzatziki sauce. That, and an ice cold beer, is the perfect Saturday lunch.

If I lived near Cosmo, I would probably end up eating too much deli. Mmmm...sloppy Joes. Not that that's "chain," but as with the good Greek diners, Jewish deli is among the best eats in NJ.

I'd pick Pappadeaux's. Love their etoufee and seafood fondue.

[quote]Applebee's used to have a WW-inspired menu with a delicious etoufee dish.

WW? World War? World Wide? White Water? Walla Walla? Willy Wonka? Wonder Woman?

Although I am a Houstonian and agree with you, Pappas is too Houston-centric for my poll.

I live in the greater Bay Area in a particularly foodie area that attracts chefs, small farmers, and tourists. Creative cuisine and competition among extraordinary chefs make chain restaurants unnecessary. Not that we don't have them, but why go to one when you can get fresh, original cuisine at reasonable prices? If you know where to look there is no need to spend a fortune.

If I had to choose, though, it would be Chili's or Cheesecake Factory.

Sad that people consider these places restaurants and have to dine in them.

I voted for Cheesecake Factory, but I haven't been to any of these since the early aughts, which the last two I went to was a Ruth's Chris and an Olive Garden. Chain restaurants are sad.

At most of them the food is shipped in, pre-prepared in bags, CF included. Not sure what Ruth's Chris is doing now. Are they doing their hot plates gimmick still?

How come California Pizza Kitchen isn't on the list? I love that place.

Olive Garden. Only ever ordered the salad and breadsticks on the rare occasions I ate there.

Chilis-okay for margaritas and their chili is surprisingly good and I say this as a Texan serious about his chili. They need cornbread to go with it though.

[quote]How come California Pizza Kitchen isn't on the list?

I thought they had closed down. Now I see they're just in the LA area. There was one in DC some years back. It had white tiled walls and a yellow neon tube going around the circumference of the room. It was reminiscent of being in a men's room.

R56 yes, still cooked in butter at a super high temperature on the plate. And the wait staff still spend a long time warning about those plates.

We go for my wife’s birthday and our anniversary because it is her favorite and they do a lovely job of preparing the table for special occasions. They have a good wine list, a reasonable uncorking fee and a variety of good scotch. I am so annoyed about Darden buying them.

I honestly don't know if I've ever been to a Ruby Tuesdays. I've seen them around so I'm familiar with the name, but nothing comes up when I try to picture having been there.

Chili's, Applebees and Fridays are interchangeable in my mind. I imagine RT is the same bland, common fare, everything with fries or a salad, 5-10 different gimmicky burgers, chicken fingers/chicken wings, etc. Baby tastes menus for baby tastes eaters.

Cheesecake Factory has great desserts, of course, but everything else on the menu is terrible and fattening. I've eaten there many times, but I still don't know what the theme of the restaurant is besides the desserts.

Olive Garden has the best overall consistency between appetizers, entrees and desserts.

R52, WW is the rebranded name of Weight Watchers.

A bit off topic but I suspect that a lot of restaurants are using cheap ass, flavorless tilapia and calling it another fish.

[quote]the last waiter that waited on us had a fabulous cake of an ass to admire while shuffling our food to the table.

Was he on the menu?

[quote] I live in the greater Bay Area

I Googled this and got China. What is considered the greater Bay Area in norther California?

Here you go R66

You can knock the Cheesecake Factory all you want but they have everything. You can order breakfast for dinner even!

Wow - fantastic. I never in all my life. Breakfast for dinner!

FYI, the California Pizza Kitchen has more than 40 locations in ...California, they are all over the United states, five here in Atlanta Metro area, and Arlington, Fairfax, and Maclean, Virginia as well as a couple more in VA. And they do not look anything like a being in a mens' room. I always found them well lighted, welcoming and I loved their pizzas and their entree-salads.

r66 The nine Bay Area counties: San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Sonoma, Napa, and Solano.

7-Eleven

[quote]WW is the rebranded name of Weight Watchers.

Do you work for them? Nobody calls it that.

Yeah, it’s 2023. It’s called eat real food and exercise.

[quote]And Outback is decent because how hard is it to fuck up steaks?

Ask the chefs throwing hissyfits over customers "ruining" steaks by ordering them fully cooked in white tablecloth restaurants. You'd think if a college kid in the Outback kitchen can reliably turn out a well-done steak that's not tough or chewy, someone who went to culinary school could manage it, but apparently not.

Longhorn Steakhouse or Bahama Breeze are probably my picks for best chains overall, though I'll take an Outback steak over any of the other chain options.

How did Applebee's make the poll?

Texas Roadhouse is the best for a steak chain.

[quote] [R66] The nine Bay Area counties: San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Sonoma, Napa, and Solano.

Thanks, but I was assuming that the "greater" Bay Area would consist of a subset of those counties.

All those places are vile, OP.

V

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Long gone is Steak and Ale. Much mocked but I always had a decent meal along with a few glasses of red wine in those days plus it was usually a quiet place.

I included chain restaurants that you see in both the Tri state area and suburban Texas. I did not include any of the delicious Texas-centric chains. For some reason the Pa-New York-New Jersey suburbs have the shittiest selection of restaurants I've ever seen anywhere. I think of California Pizza Kitchen as something you see in Atlanta. I don't see it in that many other places.

"For some reason the Pa-New York-New Jersey suburbs have the shittiest selection of shitty disgusting family chain restaurants I've ever seen anywhere. "

Fixed it. Because we have real restaurants and residents have the good taste to choose them.

True, r81. I didn't eat at a chain restaurant until I went away to college.

Only the Poors eat at mall chain restaurants

But McDonald's is my (whine, whine) weekly treat!

Sizzlers, specifically the salad bar, was probably my favorite chain restaurant.

[quote] Only the Poors eat at mall chain restaurants

Anyone who's ever held down a white collar job has had occasion to eat at a shitty chain restaurant as part of a team outing, interview, or meeting. Anyone who denies that they have eaten at a shitty chain restaurant is a fedora-loving LIAR.

How the fuck isn’t Texas Toadhouse on here?

Maggiones is the best chain Italian restaurant.

R51 I miss that from Texas. Pretty much the only thing I miss from texas was that chain, every one was good. Nothing like that on the east coast.

My family wasn't pretentious and we were middle middle class and we did not go to chain restaurants except Friendly's and Fast Food. For example when Red Lobster opened we never went. We never went to Pizza Hut because there are 4 pizzerias, 2 with small restaurants, that we went to, out of dozens in the county. There were local steak houses, Chinese, soul food, a German restaurant, a couple French restaurants, there were old inns that had been restaurants for decades or even centuries. There were hippy restaurants and some fancy Italian restaurants. There was an expensive Japanese restaurant - we kids never went there. There were the chain restaurants of the 60s and 70s and early 80s but they were frequented by families like ours. It wasn't about being snobby. It might have been about quality of food and perceived value.

they were NOT frequented by families like ours.

The only time I went to Denny's was with school friends. Pizza Hut with a sports team but it was considered lame because we all preferred the local Italian family style restaurant with that big simple room and good food.

I worked at Applebees (probably 20 years ago). Everything was precooked in bags and then microwaved. To make fajitas they would put the skillet in the oven, pretty much the only use of the oven, microwave the fajita stuff, open the bag put it on the hot skillet and squeeze a lemon to make it sizzle- and then we would warn you about the hot plate.

I eat at chains when I travel for work. Since my in-laws died it is pretty much the only time I eat at one. They're quick, usually consistent, always in line with expense reports, usually have decent salads for relatively healthy travel eating, and you know what you're getting. I'm not experimenting or trying the "local fare" when I'm working. I'm adventurous on vacation. For work trips it's a utilitarian choice that's always nearby. No muss no fuss.

Thanks R90 for your post.

Sadly so much of that has disappeared within the last decades. Now every town has a Target, a Subway, a Walmart and some array of corporate swill houses. Few places have an actual local restaurant. The few that do are the kind of places where dumb fraus complain that they could make the same thing at home much cheaper.

R94 There are plenty of local restaurants in big cities.

Unfiltered capitalism tried that shit in a small town. Capitalism won.

How are big cities able to do it but small towns can't? Different type of populations?

When you try shit in a small town the small town sometimes loses.

[quote] How are big cities able to do it

do what?

R98 Try to follow the conversation, dear.

I did, R99, but I must have someone blocked. I'm assuming R96 means - how do larger cities sustain a healthy scene of local restaurants but smaller suburban and small town areas cannot?

Have local commerce including restaurants.

Well it's simply the trend in late capitalism. When I moved to Geneva Switzerland in the 90s, the city was like American cities and towns of the 60s and 70s - in that all the local commerce was intact. All the local tradesman. All the local boutiques of every variety. All the cafes, at every price point. All the department stores and yada yada yada. That all started disappearing at the end of the 90s and I would say 75% of it is is gone now. Try to find an old fashioned blanchisserie or very local traiteur on your street - where you could pick up meats preprepared for madame to ease her dinner preparation. A blanchisserie would know how to wash and press every kind of household linen, of which where were dozens of varieties. Perfectly. blah blah blah . Bread from one shop. Pastries from another. The chemists maybe had a perfume counter. There would be pharmacist and general saleslady, and maybe a helper. Ask the saleslady a question about French perfumery, at the little chemist on your street, she'd know the answer. She had been trained. It was a professional job someone did for decades.. It's just the way it goes. Hundreds of tiny restaurants that served just lunch. A proper lunch. It's almost all gone.

Oh well if you have people blocked. If you are that fuckin sensitive that you have to block anonymous posters then you have bigger issues then trying to comprehend this thread. In fact do not even try. There is no hope for you.

I have an apartment in Zamalek in Cairo - that's an old neighborhood on an island in the Nile. Cairo still has plenty of local commerce. What's happening in post-industrial rich cities and countries is a mixed bag. Yeah giant supermarkets filled with all that amazing variety of food at affordable prices considering the western salary, is kind of a wonder. But it's very very industrial and not human scaled.

The system is now set up to reward only investors with deep pockets.

I had a friend that opened a bakery in a very bustling area of Chicago about a decade ago. The insanity of the permitting process and inspections almost made her quit before she'd begun. One inspector would tell her to do X, the next Y. She finally opened and was able to stay open for a few years, but eventually closed, in part because a large chain wanted her storefront, bribed the alderman, and voila, her rent and various fees were suddenly raised, in some cases tripled.

I used to live near the West Loop in Chicago, known not so long ago as "Restaurant Row." So many great places opened there because the spaces were large and the rents affordable enough to justify an investment of money and sweat to open a place. Now real estate prices have in some cases quadrupled or more, and so many great places have closed. National and/or local chains are the only ones that can afford it now. There's a ubiquitous local chain of restaurants run under the name Lettuce Entertain You, and they're infesting the area with lots of High Concept place, where any number of comfort food items or traditional cuisines are "reinterpreted" for 50-60 a plate. They have the money and deep pockets to invest.

I now live in California, where a woman just opened a cat cafe. Again, what was anticipated to be maybe a 100K investment to open turned into 250K, in part because the city required her to install an expensive grease trap - one that usually only a full service restaurant and/or fast food place would need.

The local places in my little rust belt town have all closed down, and there isn't even a simple cafe or coffee place there. The choices are the DQ, McDonald's or the Subway inside the Walmart. Everything else has closed down, shut down or burned down. It's very sad.

Wuddabout Maggiano's! It beats the hell out of that garbage at the Olive Garden. Olive Garden is shit.

I’ve eaten at all at least 2 or 3 times, except for Cheesecake Factory which I’ve not been to. I had a friend that loved Applebee’s and would take me there for lunch or dinner. The safest thing to order at these places is a burger and a beer.

I’m not into these chain restaurants. I have a whole bunch of unused gift cards to these places that people have given me over the years. We have a lot of good restaurants where I live, no need to go to a chain.

[quote] Wuddabout Maggiano's!

Maggiano's pasta is just as disgusting as Olive Garden AND doesn't have a decent salad.

All this capitalist progress, all this immense wealth, and what do we get? Fast food on the commercial strip outside of town, a Macy's that looks like a bomb went off, filled with overpriced crap and no service, and the Gulf Stream conking out in 2025. Bravo!

R106 you can sell giftcards online and get almost all of the cash value for them.

Or give them to someone who can't afford to eat out. They would be thrilled.

R129 Yup.

All because the profits those stores were making - and they were making profits - simply weren't enough for their owners, so they were sold and merged, and run by new owners who demanded more, unsustainable levels of growth.

And now we're left with few choices for food, for clothing and home goods, and left with big behemoth corporations that suck all the money out of any local economy.

Nobu.

of all of the names mentioned up thread Chili's is absolutely the worst of the bunch.

By greater Bay Area, I’m thinking r54 is referring to the two or three wine country counties—like Sonoma or Napa—that don’t have the burden of high San Francisco rents.

I went to an Applebees once in the 2003 because I had a meeting in Bethesda the next morning and I had to work that day so I didn’t get to the hotel until around 10 PM and that was all that was open at that time next to the hotel. I ordered a steak, because I figured that was safe and it tasted like microwaved gristle. I’ll never forget the taste R92, one of the worst meals of my life, and now you’ve confirmed that it was microwaved. Blech. I’ve just looked it up and they are owned by IHOP.

It looks like Mortons is owned by Landry’s. Now up there with Applebees for awfulness is another Landry chain Bubba Gumps Shrimp. A friend decided she wanted to go to the one in Times Square for her birthday. Never, ever, ever again. Landry owns an amazing amount of restaurants.

For "diner"-type food, Black Bear Diner is decent, at least compared to IHOP, Denny's, etc.

I'd like to hear more actuals stories of working in the kitchen of these places. Stories of how food arrives prepared, in bags, so just boil and present or microwave, open, pour and present.

I rarely go to Applebee's or Restaurant 99, etc... but will say that I love, love, love, Longhorn's 7-pepper steak salad with blue cheese dressing (I ask for it without the blue cheese crumbles in the salad). Don't know why, but it's really satisfying.

Their bread's nothing to write homme about unfortunately.

[quote] how do larger cities sustain a healthy scene of local restaurants but smaller suburban and small town areas cannot?

Residents of larger cities go out to eat more, I'm guessing.

However, a bad restaurant will survive longer in a small town than in a large city, IMO. I moved to a small town and tried all the local "institutions." All mediocre. I was surprised that these restaurants had been in business for decades.

[quote] I ordered a steak, because I figured that was safe

I wouldn't consider a steak a safe thing to order. I would actually avoid ordering steak, except from a place that specializes in it.

Someone upthread mentioned Ruth's Chris & their creamed spinach. I did try Ruth's Chris and was really disappointed. I wasn't expecting that much to begin with. Yes, I ordered the creamed spinach. Meh.

That was also me R119. Yes the plain creamed spinach is just meh, which is why it is disappointing that they discontinued the creamed spinach au gratin, which was fat whore fabulous.

Also the bread pudding is good and you know what that means to my people, may they never discontinue that.

ElderLez, maybe you need to learn how to make that creamed spinach au gratin.

I didn't realize Nordstrom had the Bazille restaurant. I love places like that. Reminds me of somewhere your parents might take you or vice-versa (if you have older parents).

I have no idea what "Greater Bay Area" means, but I live in Marin County and we have a Cheesecake Factory in Corte Madera.

Landry's is owned by Tilman Fertitta, billionaire asshole. I used to work at the San Luis in Galveston where he'd fly his family in via helicopter. Ugh. He owns most of the Galveston Seawall by now and took over a sleepy little fishing town called Kemah and plunked a huge rollercoaster down over residents homes forcing them to either sell or live with the noise. All shady with the town's mayor, of course. The Fertitta's were a Galveston mob family back during the prohibition.

Ruby Tuesday’s used to have good dry rib ribs, but I haven’t been there in over 15 years. They are or were owned by the same people who own BlackBerry Farm.

I think Cheesecake Factory does what they do well.

R124 wow. And one house remained when this google pic was taken. Looks like the Woody Allen movie where the family lives in a little house under a roller coaster.

[quote]You can knock the Cheesecake Factory all you want but they have everything. You can order breakfast for dinner even!

Oooh. Just like at any diner in America.

R2 You "got into it" with your waitress about the correct way to pronounce "bruschetta"? Are you kidding? What's wrong with you?

I live in a NYC suburb that will not allow any chains. There was even a debate about letting a non-local bank opening. I like it that way, you can drive 10- 15 miles for chain restaurants, McDonalds, Dunkin’, Starbucks, etc. We have great restaurants including take out places for pizza/Italian, deli, Greek.

I ate at Crapplebee’s once and had explosive green diarrhea for three days, thought I was going to die.

MARY.

Depends - national chains or regional chains?

National chains - I'd have to go with PF Changs.

There are a lot of regional chains/restaurant groups that are actually really good. I'm saying like 20 locations or so.

I worked at two Applebee's locations from 1998-2003, in Louisiana and Manhattan. I guess my stores were outliers, because everything was fresh, not microwaved. Things like mixed vegetables or mashed potatoes did go into the microwave to heat up, but they were prepped fresh daily and put in the walk-in. Steaks, chicken, fajitas and burgers all were grilled to order. The only real frozen items I saw were soups and some apps, like mozzarella sticks.

[quote] There are a lot of regional chains/restaurant groups that are actually really good

In almost every place I've lived there's a local ownership group that has either a small chain or has 10-20 restaurants in its portfolio. I'm OK with most of those. They are for the most part serving quality food, and the ownership is local or regional.

R132, people just like to bitch about chain restaurants. We need to adjust our expectations. If you've got a nickname for a restaurant, like "Crapplebee's," that just sounds so ridiculous. Go or don't go.

Chain restaurants are good for tired travelers who just want something somewhat reliable.

[quote] Chain restaurants are good for adults with baby tastes, people who think mayonnaise is too spicy.

FIFY

R73, Weight Watchers rebranded to WW in 2018. It allowed them to attract members who didn't necessarily need to lose weight but wanted to learn how to eat more healthfully. While I don't work for them, I have been a member at different times in my life. All members and employees were encouraged to use the new name.

It's funny but some of the towns near me have wonderful independent restaurants. There was a restaurant that featured a chef that had guested on several Food Network shows. I never went because it focused on IPA beers and served pub-type food. I'm not a fan of IPA or regular beer, for that matter.

Has anyone tried the food at Tommy's Tap & Tavern? They just opened one near me. Their food isn't bad.

My small city has its fair share of chain restaurants (no Applebee's, thank Heaven), but also seems to have a thriving ecosystem of local restaurants and coffee shops. There are only a few that have withstood the test of time for generations, but the overall number seems to remain about the same. Asian and Mexican food appears to be on an upswing, while BBQ has narrowed down to only a few old favorites.

We had a lot of great independent local restaurants in Metro Atlanta, but COVID really hurt. Some great neighborhood spots went out of business. Closed.

Every city experienced a restaurant apocalypse during/after Covid.

R138 COVID hit a lot of cities hard. Chicago had an amazing restaurant scene and a lot of the more inventive, great places just couldn't make it through the pandemic.