Favorite Chain Restaurant

As for fast food pizza ... Dominoes hits the spot most of the time.

 

With kids, we sometimes stop at McDonald's for happy meals, but my wife and I don't eat there. I haven't had Taco Bell in at least six years, and it's been 23 years since I went to Hardee's. I had three bad meals in a row at Hardee's in three different states, and I said that's it.

Also with kids, we probably go to Chili's once or twice a year. Fajitas are the only acceptable answer for an adult at Chili's.

 

I understand the preference for local restaurants and avoiding chains and fast food because they're not the healthiest options, but is "I never eat at a chain restaurant guy" right alongside "I don't even own a TV guy" on the pretentious meter?

 

Especially if he's vegan.

 

I have eaten in plenty of non-chain, local restaurants around the country. There are just as many shitty ones as there are bad chains. Just because it's not a chain doesn't mean it's any good.

 

I don't often eat in chain restaurants because I don't travel so much anymore and am familiar with local places so as to know which to patronize and which to avoid. Also, Boston has a smaller variety of chains than many other cities. Within an easy drive of my house there's a Chipotle and a McDonald's and that's it. No, wait, there's a Mexican chain restaurant called Margarita's. It is acceptable to decent in quality (tacos, especially fish tacos quite decent, but the nachos suck). It is not easy to find any Mexican food in this town, so we eat there maybe five, six times a year.

 

Yeah, not a total chain hater here. Still think the best bagels in town either come from Wegmans or Einstein. I haven't found a great bagel spot here yet. I was told Cupertino's was the shit but I didn't find them to be any better than Einstein.

 

I've been saying for years a Bodos on Broad Street would print money.

 

Abso-freaking-lutely. Pretty much any work trip west for me includes a Bodos stop.

 

I would think they could put shops in Richmond, Harrisonburg and Blacksburg without sacrificing quality and reputation. But I was told once the owner stopped expanding with the three Charlottesville stores because of something related to a messy divorce settlement, but I don't know for sure if that is true.

 

I'm in NJ, so the local pizza place will win out over the chains 8 days a week for pizza, I don't remember the last time I had chain pizza.
I like Qdoba better than Chipotle for fast/casual Mexican.
Bonefish Grill for seafood