Fast Food Restaurants. Should they stay or should the go?

[Hottub]

I'm talking about Applebee's, Friday's, Chili's, etc.
Some may say it's good to have consistent "American Fare" wherever you may roam.
Others will say it is homogenizing the palate that is American cuisine.
Still others will say it is killing the family restaurant, much like Home Depot and Walgreen's are doing all across our great nation.

What say you?

[Don Stugots]

i really do not like them, they can go.

[marcpsych]

GET THE FUCK OUT!!!

And take your stupid fucking giant pepper with you.

[MacVittie]

I don't eat at those place, but I have a feeling they aren't going anywhere.

[Dude!]

i would double the number of those crap restaurants
to be rid of walmart

[Knowledged_one]

People in ohio consider those places fine dining

[Gvac]

I ate at an Applebee's once and I shit my pants on the way home.

Seriously.

Fuck those places.

[sailor]

i'm not a fan, but let folk have what they want.

[epo]

I ate at an Applebee's once and I shit my pants on the way home.

Seriously.

Fuck those places.

How is shitting your pants after dining any different from a chain or an independent?

[Devo37]

I ate at an Applebee's once and I shit my pants on the way home.


how was the clean up (http://ronfez.net/forums/showthread.php?t=77410)?

[landarch]

aye, they are a pox upon the land.

[Hottub]

Sure you can't beat the atmosphere of the local pub for a burger and a pint, but when the kids are with you, Applebee's is a safe environment to have the same.

[Fez4PrezN2008]

It never ceases to amaze me to see the lines waiting out the door at Olive Garden. I've been a few times and its better then chef boy ardee, but fugging way I am waiting a hour in queue like some kind of animal for their swill. I can put lemon juice on my salad at home, thank you.

[Dude!]

and its better then chef boyardee

blasphemy!
chef boyardee's ravioli are scrumptious
its almost like you're in napoli

[GreatAmericanZero]

where i live in northern kentucky is exactly like anywhere i've ever been in Jersey. Its all chains. Even stuff that is local to the Cincinnati area are chains that are everywhere. its ridiculous. i have to drive into the city to find anything thats a stand alone restaurant. i hate it

[Sinestro]

Stay. At least it's a known quantity when you go to some new place till you explore the local haunts.

[The Nature Boy]

Personally, I think a blanket decrying of these places is such sanctimonious bullshit.

Now you can take issue with WHY they are big, which I'm gathering is due to an advertising saturation, but people in these communities take a pride in the notion that they're "on the map" when a chain sees their locale as being worthy of franchisement. Its a validation of the stability and opportunity in their community.

We want the rest of America to exist as our national park or something where people in Biloxi Mississippi should forever be eating grits and hush puppies so our bi-annual(at best) sojurn there might be more fulfilling. Well don't those people who actually live there, rather than the travelers that happen through, have any say in what businesses they patronize?

Well, yeah, they do I guess and they've chosen.

America's landscape is never wrong for what it is, it just evolves. Do you go to Arizona saying why aren't their brothels with swinging doors where when you order a whiskey they give you the bottle? No, so don't live so throughly in the past.

Live in the evolution.

[MacVittie]

Piggybacking on the last post, my first job was at Friendly's. It was a ton of fun and a bunch of kids I went to school with and kids from other schools worked there. The work was really easy and it was a good stepping stone into the work environment.

[Contra]

If I'm not getting my meal in under 10 minutes, it aint fast food.

[drusilla]

they aren't that great, but they aren't that terrible. they are just familiar to people, so you know what you're going to get when you don't feel like looking around. it helps when you live in the middle of nowhere. do i think any of these places should be in manhattan or a major city? no. but sometimes it is all you can get.


the chinese food up here is horrendous, spotting a pf changs actually made me happy only cause i knew i was going to get rice without a buttery or oily taste & something other than crap vegetables in brown sauce.

[IMSlacker]

If they go there will be trouble.

[Edwin]

Keep 'em. They are family friendly and you pretty much know what you're getting. Of course it isn't "fine dining", but I bet a lot of people who hate the chains have a local shitty diner they love.

[led37zep]

Sorry I just registered for the Quizno's free sub....do I have to answer this now?

[silks]

It never ceases to amaze me to see the lines waiting out the door at Olive Garden.

My wife and I were talking about this... apparently they opened a new Olive Garden near the Willowbrook Mall in Wayne NJ. Now, I can name at least 4 or 5 legit Italian restaurants within 15 minutes of there, but the old Olive Garden has them breaking down the doors to get in.

The chain restaurants can stay. They keep the wait times for a table shorter at the places I like to eat.

[NickyL0885]

It never ceases to amaze me to see the lines waiting out the door at Olive Garden. I've been a few times and its better then chef boy ardee, but fugging way I am waiting a hour in queue like some kind of animal for their swill. I can put lemon juice on my salad at home, thank you.

The Olive Garden is italian food for people who dont know where Italy is.

[King Hippos Bandaid]

meh

Id rather hit a Sushi Bar, BBQ Joint, Portuguese, etc


I can understand fast food, in a rush, eat crap, but if you are gonna take 45 mins or more, eat with some class

[NickyL0885]

As far as other chains go, I love Fridays. Good food. Applebees can go. Their food is shit. If I go there, its for the half price appetizers and the 2fers after 10pm. But local places will always be the best. There is just something about the food from a local place that just makes it taste so great.

[A.J.]

I only eat at these joints when I'm in the Middle East -- mostly because they are the only places open on the weekend for single men when everything is closed for prayer or its "families only".

[GreatAmericanZero]

Stay. At least it's a known quantity when you go to some new place till you explore the local haunts.

well, if they give you too much..throw some away. if they give you too little, order more!

[CountryBob]

These type of resturants have to exist - where else would half of America eat on Saturday night?

[Jujubees2]

Get rid of them all. We all know that they don't actually cook your food at those places, they just "reheat" it.

[AKA]

Personally, I think a blanket decrying of these places is such sanctimonious bullshit.

Now you can take issue with WHY they are big, which I'm gathering is due to an advertising saturation, but people in these communities take a pride in the notion that they're "on the map" when a chain sees their locale as being worthy of franchisement. Its a validation of the stability and opportunity in their community.

We want the rest of America to exist as our national park or something where people in Biloxi Mississippi should forever be eating grits and hush puppies so our bi-annual(at best) sojurn there might be more fulfilling. Well don't those people who actually live there, rather than the travelers that happen through, have any say in what businesses they patronize?

Well, yeah, they do I guess and they've chosen.

America's landscape is never wrong for what it is, it just evolves. Do you go to Arizona saying why aren't their brothels with swinging doors where when you order a whiskey they give you the bottle? No, so don't live so throughly in the past.

Live in the evolution.

EXCELLENT points.

I'm not a fan of these places, but so what? They are what a lot of people want.

[GreatAmericanZero]

EXCELLENT points.

I'm not a fan of these places, but so what? They are what a lot of people want.

i agree that theres no problem with it existing for people who want to go to them. But when you live in a place like Northern Kentucky, its ALL there is and that suuuuuuuuucks

[JackieJokeMan]

I'm talking about Applebee's, Friday's, Chili's, etc.

Then the term you want to use is "casual dining".

What say you?

I only eat at places that offer free refills on soft drinks.

[ToiletCrusher]

And replace them with what? Street vendors? Those trucks that sell sandwiches at construction sites? Fuck this idea!

[Enabler]

Personally, I think a blanket decrying of these places is such sanctimonious bullshit.

Now you can take issue with WHY they are big, which I'm gathering is due to an advertising saturation, but people in these communities take a pride in the notion that they're "on the map" when a chain sees their locale as being worthy of franchisement. Its a validation of the stability and opportunity in their community.

We want the rest of America to exist as our national park or something where people in Biloxi Mississippi should forever be eating grits and hush puppies so our bi-annual(at best) sojurn there might be more fulfilling. Well don't those people who actually live there, rather than the travelers that happen through, have any say in what businesses they patronize?

Well, yeah, they do I guess and they've chosen.

America's landscape is never wrong for what it is, it just evolves. Do you go to Arizona saying why aren't their brothels with swinging doors where when you order a whiskey they give you the bottle? No, so don't live so throughly in the past.

Live in the evolution.

I could not agree more. This issue is so beaten to death on the show and on this board. People can eat whatever the fuck they want. Hating on "chain restaurants" does not make one appear more elite or cultured. Get over it.