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Post by DE Sinclair on Dec 30, 2014 12:42:29 GMT -5
I like both, depending on what I'm looking for. Basically I'm looking for the best food, best price, and what I'm in the mood for. Sometimes that will be a chain, sometimes a local place. Since there wasn't an option for both, I didn't vote. Well if it came down to it which would you prefer? I don't believe in "riding the fence" as people say. I have seen too much of that in my job in recent years. Years ago people could actually make a decision. Hence why they is no option "C" for both. Granted you don't believe in "riding the fence", and that's your option. On the other hand, I don't believe in very many absolutes in life. So I can't say I absolutely prefer local over chains or vice versa like you want. With some types of restaurants in the area, local choices are better in my opinion. With other types, chains are better. For example, Chinese. We have no Chinese chains nearby (PF Changs is the only one, but that's not really close). So local is the only choice. If I refused to go to locals, for instance, then I'd get no Chinese. Luckily we go regularly to an excellent local Chinese place, often enough that the owners and some of the servers recognize us and pretty much know what we like. Another example is burgers. The chains have more variety and in some cases better quality than the local restaurants here. So in that case I'd go to the chain. With all that being said, if two places have the same dish that I wanted, same quality, price, etc, I'd probably lean towards the local place. But that rarely happens. So that's life on the fence. |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Dec 30, 2014 17:22:00 GMT -5
I didn't vote on this poll because it's not an either/or situation. A chain restaurant is usually competitively priced but the quality might be lacking. A local restaurant can be over-priced but with low quality food or service. At least with a chain you won't pay a lot of money and be disappointed
And what constitutes a chain restaurant? One of my favorite joints in NYC is Jackson Hole Hamburgers which opened in the 1970s. It became super-popular with its huge burgers, fries, omelets, and Tex-Mex offerings via a 1950's chrome diner décor. 7 other locations have been opened since then, all in NYC. Do they now count as a chain? Define the term
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Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2014 11:50:46 GMT -5
That being said, some of my favorite restaurants are Panera, the Cheesecake Factory, and Qdoba. - I don't have Panera and Qdoba in my area - But, I do have the Cheesecake Factory and it's a favorite of mine to go for a bowl of soup and salad - and have cheesecake afterward for a special treat! |
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Post by badwolf on Dec 31, 2014 11:55:55 GMT -5
Panera is really good. I go there once in a while.
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Post by Pharozonk on Dec 31, 2014 15:35:28 GMT -5
Oof.
I dislike both Panera and Cheesecake Factory.
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Post by justicefreak on Jan 1, 2015 17:01:49 GMT -5
A chain restaurant is usually competitively priced but the quality might be lacking. A local restaurant can be over-priced but with low quality food or service. At least with a chain you won't pay a lot of money and be disappointed I beg to differ there. I've seen many of the chain places charge way too much for food that is mediocre at best. And I've gotten proabbly the worst service at chain restaurants with very little done in the way of managing any of those problems that arise. |
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Post by The Captain on Jan 1, 2015 17:19:37 GMT -5
I like Panera, but I don't eat there much because I find them to be a little on the pricy side for what I get. That said, I do enjoy the Mediterranean Egg White sandwich for breakfast on occasion, and I will stop in if I am on the company dime for lunch to get a soup & salad combo, but if I'm on my own, I will usually head to Chipotle.
Chains are fine for what they are, but it's really hard to get a "dining experience" at one. You go in, they bring your food, you eat; that's it. Local places, particularly if you are a regular, often tend to create favorable memories, because the staff gets to know you, your preferences, and they may go out of their way on your birthday or anniversary beyond the staff coming out and tunelessly mumbling their way through their Happy Birthday song. I can remember every meal I've eaten at a couple of family-owned places due to the experience, but I can't even remember what I had the last time I ate at Olive Garden or TGI Fridays, even though it's been years since I was at those family-owned places.
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Post by Dr. Poison on Jan 1, 2015 17:41:34 GMT -5
A chain restaurant is usually competitively priced but the quality might be lacking. A local restaurant can be over-priced but with low quality food or service. At least with a chain you won't pay a lot of money and be disappointed I beg to differ there. I've seen many of the chain places charge way too much for food that is mediocre at best. And I've gotten proabbly the worst service at chain restaurants with very little done in the way of managing any of those problems that arise. I think it really depends on where you go. Applebee's has small portions and their service is very hit or miss. I've typically gotten huge portions and very good service at the Cheesecake Factory. |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jan 1, 2015 18:47:10 GMT -5
I live in Manhattan. I've gone to some local restaurants with a date, dropped $100 or more for dinner and drinks and gotten substandard food and dinner. Thats equal to about 5 or more bad chain food experiences. Neither one is such a clear-cut decisive slam-dunk preference. They each have their good and bad points
And I'm still not sure what constitutes a chain restaurant. If the owner is sucessful and opens 3,4 or more restauants with the same name, is it now considered a chain?
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Post by Dr. Poison on Jan 1, 2015 19:03:11 GMT -5
I live in Manhattan. I've gone to some local restaurants with a date, dropped $100 or more for dinner and drinks and gotten substandard food and dinner. Thats equal to about 5 or more bad chain food experiences. Neither one is such a clear-cut decisive slam-dunk preference. They each have their good and bad points And I'm still not sure what constitutes a chain restaurant. If the owner is sucessful and opens 3,4 or more restauants with the same name, is it now considered a chain? My opinion that any restaurant with more than one location is a chain. It may be a local(not regional or national) chain but it's still a chain. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 1, 2015 22:58:49 GMT -5
I live in Manhattan. I've gone to some local restaurants with a date, dropped $100 or more for dinner and drinks and gotten substandard food and dinner. Thats equal to about 5 or more bad chain food experiences. Neither one is such a clear-cut decisive slam-dunk preference. They each have their good and bad points And I'm still not sure what constitutes a chain restaurant. If the owner is sucessful and opens 3,4 or more restauants with the same name, is it now considered a chain? My opinion that any restaurant with more than one location is a chain. It may be a local(not regional or national) chain but it's still a chain. I agree with you on your views on chains - whether it's local or national - if their is more than 2-3 or more restaurants - its a chain period. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2015 10:53:33 GMT -5
So what's your preference in restaurants/eating establishments while dining out? Do you prefer the chain style restaurants or do you prefer the local places? What's your reasoning for it? I prefer Local in almost all situations. . .in particular when we are on vacation (in Hawaii, Alaska, and when in Aruba, we made sure to ask around to find a recommended local place, and then ate there.. . .tho funnily enough, in Hawaii, we kept getting recommended "McDonalds" as "local". . . .I guess because they had some unusual items on the menu. But no, we never ate there). here at home, there are a few "Texas/Austin" chains we really like: Serrano's, Baby A's, Texas Roadhouse, Trudy's, Kerby Lane Cafe. . and we do tend to eat at those places fairly often (if we go out to eat). But to us, those are local anyways  |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2015 11:00:17 GMT -5
Oof. I dislike both Panera and Cheesecake Factory. Depends what you get. both have extensive menus, and both have a few options that are quite good (next time you're at Cheesecake Factory, try the flattened, breaded pork..it's quite good) |
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Post by DE Sinclair on Jan 2, 2015 11:18:25 GMT -5
So what's your preference in restaurants/eating establishments while dining out? Do you prefer the chain style restaurants or do you prefer the local places? What's your reasoning for it? I prefer Local in almost all situations. . .in particular when we are on vacation (in Hawaii, Alaska, and when in Aruba, we made sure to ask around to find a recommended local place, and then ate there.. . .tho funnily enough, in Hawaii, we kept getting recommended "McDonalds" as "local". . . .I guess because they had some unusual items on the menu. But no, we never ate there). here at home, there are a few "Texas/Austin" chains we really like: Serrano's, Baby A's, Texas Roadhouse, Trudy's, Kerby Lane Cafe. . and we do tend to eat at those places fairly often (if we go out to eat). But to us, those are local anyways We have Texas Roadhouse here in Wisconsin as well. We eat there on a semi-regular basis because the food is very good and fairly reasonable. The service has always been quite good, despite the waitresses periodically meeting up in the middle of the restaurant to line dance to one of their signature songs (frequently "Cotton-Eye Joe"). |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2015 12:04:21 GMT -5
I prefer Local in almost all situations. . .in particular when we are on vacation (in Hawaii, Alaska, and when in Aruba, we made sure to ask around to find a recommended local place, and then ate there.. . .tho funnily enough, in Hawaii, we kept getting recommended "McDonalds" as "local". . . .I guess because they had some unusual items on the menu. But no, we never ate there). here at home, there are a few "Texas/Austin" chains we really like: Serrano's, Baby A's, Texas Roadhouse, Trudy's, Kerby Lane Cafe. . and we do tend to eat at those places fairly often (if we go out to eat). But to us, those are local anyways We have Texas Roadhouse here in Wisconsin as well. We eat there on a semi-regular basis because the food is very good and fairly reasonable. The service has always been quite good, despite the waitresses periodically meeting up in the middle of the restaurant to line dance to one of their signature songs (frequently "Cotton-Eye Joe"). are you sure that's Texas Roadhouse (and not it's competitor Logan's Roadhouse)? we've never seen the waitstaff dance or do anything choreographed, other than the singing of Happy Birthday (and they make the Birthday celebrant sit on a saddle on a sawhorse). |
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