Food Does this describe your choice in restaurants? It absolutely does mine.

I used to eat in Old Orleans quite a bit (one a month say) which is a chain. Of the places nearby I liked it the most.

I cant really to afford to eat out right now, but I'll have a Subway every now and again.
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Is Ruby Tuesday's a curry house chain?

I assume so because of the name... we dont have any "chain" curry places in the UK, but I'd prefer that to a McDonalds I guess.

 

I don't go to Chillies if I can help it. They poisoned me twice. Would rather go to a decent steak house or a nice mom and pop shop, but I'll admit a love for the McDouble. Cheep and filling. It's my "I'm to lazy to get anything else" food.

 

Five Guys and these other places are just upstart chains. In 10 years, people will be complaining of the "cheap, sub-par" food there as well.

We tend to dine out at local restaurants. The food is better all around than anything a chain can put out.

We do still go to Chili's, Applebee's and Olive Garden on occasion. I don't think the food at those places is all that bad.

You want to eat at my clients restaurants because they are cooler and you wouldn't want to dine with the unwashed masses at those "chain" places. Fuck you Brad. Go back to your pie charts and graphs.

 

25 years? Wow. I think I have come across 3 locations for them around here and one is still under construction.

 

Some chains I like, some I don't. Places with shitty food AND atmosphere, e.g. Applebees, you will not find me in. Those with good food and shitty atmosphere (e.g. Outback), I'll be found in periodically. There are some chains that seem to fit neither category, which I'd eat at just as often as anywhere else (e.g. Papadeaux's in Houston).

I find it hard to find local places that aren't too snobbish. Just because it's trendy doesn't mean it's good. Just because it's expensive doesn't mean it's good. This is a large part of what dissuades me from actively seeking out "good" local restaurants. Too much trial and error.

 

I have a very different situation here. In Sinagpore, while some of the chains you know are here, there are a few different ones as well. As a rule, I avoid the chain restaurants. I do, from time to time, hit Burger King or Wendy's. The fast food craving is hard to avoid.

The big difference here is that there are tonnes of great hawker stalls selling amazing fresh food and cheap beer. I'd rather go to one of these any day of the week.

 

I would choose a five guys or chipotle over a restaurant for the reason of saving money on a tip, and TIME.
I always tip very well and that waiter needs to put food on their table, so that means a restaurant is a pricey option when choosing a meal.
I usually choose a restaurant if I want to sit down and have a lot of time. Lately, I just don't have that time. And then if you want to hang out at a restaurant, you are eating that waiters table section, costing them money. So restaurants place a lot of restrictions on you compared to other casual places.

I think the younger generation prefers chic, open, airy places where you can come and go as you please and chill with a laptop if need be. I personally prefer places with a self serve soda fountain since I drink a ton and love the pleasure of filling up a huge 44oz cup of ice and watching the soda pour over it

 

EXACTLY!!!!

 

I always go to McDonald's

Once every two or three years, just to check that my negative assessment is not just a nightmare.
Bun and a few slices of ham at a local shop cost less for better portions, taste better ... are better. Assembling them myself outside the shop is a small price to pay for something superior.

In a restaurant, my major assessment is quality of ingredients and cooking, and portion size.
Snob or fashion factor is of no interest to me outside of being a floor show for my 'social observer' side, and it had better not interrupt the process of eating or engaging in the company I choose to be with.

My ex taught me to scan the menu to assess where they made the greatest and least profit.
Pasta with sauce you can whip up in two minutes was always a no no.
A general rule was that the restaurant had to be able to cook the dish better than I could without an afternoon-long rigmarole.

That's why any delivered meals will always come from small local restaurants.

I never order delivered pizzas.
Except once every two or three years ... just to check.

 

There's only one burger McDonalds sell which I like, but they only sell it sometimes - which seems to me pretty stupid on their part

Anyway, the only reason I go there is when I was still living in Ipswich but working in Walsall. Sometimes on the way home on a Friday night I'd stop at Cambridge Services and it was that or KFC or sit in the car easting a sandwich from M&S... if they had a Big Tasty I'd have that, if they didnt it would be an M&S sandwich.

I do like the milkshakes they do though.

Have never been to an Appleby or a Ruby Tuesday or a Five Guys or a Chilli's... if they have them in the UK they dont have many cos I've never seen one.

_

If I was going out for a meal and it wasnt Old Orleans, I'd normally just have a curry. Cheap, filling, normally licensed so you can have a beer with your dinner.

I once went out with a girl and took her to a fish restauarant and paid about £20 for a fucking fish. I mean, it was nice and all... but I could have bought it myself and cooked it for £5. I agree with Zen, while there's the ambience and all that, if Im going to pay for my dinner I want something nicer than I could do myself for 1/4 the price.

 

I used to love Friday's and Applebee's.... now, not so much. I look at places like that as somewhere to grab a beer, and maybe an appetizer while watching a game, but that's about it.

I do love places like Chipotle and Panera.... but I wasn't impressed at all with Five Guys when we tried it a few months ago (I had a grilled cheese with mushrooms, Lordeden had a burger, we both had fries. Everything was way too greasy. We DID get a ton of fries, but since neither of us liked them much, it didn't really matter.)

I'm definitely more likely to go to a smaller local place, that has awesome vegetarian entrees. Good beer selection helps, too. Pricing's also a huge issue. We're po', y'know.