You don't wait 35 minutes to get in to a McDonalds. You don't get dressed up to go to McDonalds.

I have several co-workers who go to Olive Garden on their birthday.

I agree about Olive Garden. Just making a distinction.

I think Red Lobster is fine for what I expect it to be. I don't expect to get great seafood living in the midwest.

I never understood the love Sharp's got here in KC, likely why they're closed.

Maggiano's is a legend around Chicagoland. Meh, nothing special, plenty of good Italian food around at a better price and closer.

We enjoy Amalfi and it is a much better value.

It all comes the same to all of those restaurants... Frozen ... Hell I bet you can buy seafood cheaper where you are than I can when I go to the beach here...

Olive Garden is not great Italian food, but it's not dog food either. I like Bravo! and the best IMO is Garozzo's.

I also don't get the fascination many have over T.G.I. Fridays. Pretty blah imo.

Yes I know it's another chain so.... it's supposed to suck I guess... but these are the places most people know.

I'll be the outcast who actually likes Olive Garden, however I haven't eaten at one in a couple years so I may not so much anymore.

I ate a pretty good steak at OG one time, but it is basically nothing but a carb fest

Good point. I don't mind Red Lobster at all the few times I've eaten there.

On an opposite note, check out the Dodge City Distillery on a Thursday sometime. It's on 119th and Blackbob. Pretty good food for the price, and they have $2 calls...not wells...on Thursdays. They distill their own vodka and tequila there. It's a pretty good bargain.

On the other hand, some chain restaurants that I really like are (in no particular order):

Chili's
Red Robin
Chik Fil A
Boston Market
Black Eyed Pea
Panda Express

Bravo/Brio is MUCH better than Olive Garden. I'd put Garozzo's on the overrated list, actually. I really like their Capelli D'angelo, though.

I really think that Gates is overrated to me. OK Joes kills them.

What i love about chain restaurants is the image they portray in commercials... its always some clean cut, portly looking guy back there with his *official* chef hat on.

When in reality... its some greasy, bony burnout with zits that are practically oozing into your dish.

I eat lunch at Boston Market at least twice a week. I will never understand why more people don't eat there.

Yep. Their smoked turkey is really good, though.

Get a new thread for this shit!!!!!

LMAO

truth

Anyone have experience with Carraba's? Once when I was out of town I ate at a chain Italian restaurant and really liked it. I think it was Carraba's but I'm not sure.

LMAO

The last time I set foot in one was over 10 years ago. The people in there were blue hairs, Jed and Lulu's and drags on society that looked like they drifted over from the local meth house/trailer park. No thanks!!

As a bonus, the cook looked something like this meth monkey.

https://img-s.foursquare.com/derived...5H_300x300.jpg

The only thing I remember about Carraba's is that the A/C was so cold that my teeth were chattering. I couldn't even finish eating, and I'm not one to be bothered by that sort of thing easily. Never went back.

Good food, inexpensive, and it seems relatively healthy. I suspect that it's not more popular because - and I say this in all sincerity - it's not greasy. People want a little decadence when they eat out, and Boston Market isn't decadent.

I am embarrassed to say I actually really like Panda Express too.....I always feel weird about liking it, though.

This is me opening the door to massive criticism I'm sure but oh well. What's the famous BBQ place in KC that has a restaurant in a gas station? I ate there with some family from out of town once on their over-bearing recommendation and really didn't care for it.

However... and here's kicking the door open again... I'm not in love with BBQ like most people around here. I don't dislike it... I just don't care about it. There's other things I'd rather have than even what is supposed to be good BBQ.

Flame away.

:)

I'm a big fan of the quick-casual style for lunch (Chipotle, Boston Market, Panera). I don't eat at Chipotle nor Panera much anymore because it's so bad for you. Boston Market really isn't. I get 3 sandwich sliders (usually turkey or bbq chicken) plus a drink and a side for $5.50 plus tax. I always get a cornbread, and they charge for it about half the time. Now they have punch cards where your fifth meal is free, so it works out to about $5.00 a meal. You can't eat at McDonalds for that.

Oklahoma Joes. Their pulled pork is amazing. Their short ends are really good as well, but they're a little salty.

For the price, I never knew how overrated the Olive Garden was until I went to Bravo for the first time a few years ago.... now if someone brings up the Olive Garden I'll immediately suggest Bravo.

I think it was the short ends I had. It was a few years ago. I just didn't love it like I'm supposed to being from the heartland and near KC.

No person who has ever had their orange chicken can resist it. There's some kind of witchcraft involved, I'm sure of it.

You're dead to me.

It's been a few years since I've been. It was not bad, but don't really remember it in detail.

I always knew you were a homo

LMAO

THATS your chain 'chef'.

Y'know, this would be a fun new tournament for the offseason. Anyone mind if I start one up to identify our favorite chain restaurant? Here's a pretty big list of chains:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._United_States

I'd choose Bravo! over Olive Garden every time. I love their diablo sauce.

You'll get over it during the KU game tonight.

:thumb:

Look at it this way... if I'm not eating BBQ that leaves more for you.

Exactly

I think you would have to do brackets based on type of cuisine. American, Mexican, Italian, Steak, Seafood, etc.

And then have the top 2 or 3 in each category meet for the finals.

Hmm. Let me ponder that. You're right in that we wouldn't want someone's current hankerin' for some food to affect their decision, but that'll ultimately happen anyway.

The other challenge is that there are a whole lot of chains, and in looking at the list I suspect that many are regional and thus unfamiliar to significant numbers of us. Lemme think about how to structure this.

I'd also need to figure out how to ask the question so that everyone doesn't just go for the most expensive place, especially if we have fast food competing against non-fast food.

Like Saul said, their pulled pork is awesome. I go to Gates for the sauce (and because it's across the street from Arrowhead), and I go to OK Joe's for the meat and sides. I lived half a mile from the gas station location for a little while and never got tired of it.

Outback. Seriously, it's the bottled water of steak. By that I mean you can get better cheaper damn near anywhere, yet people flock to that shit like a moth to a flame.

You don't know me.

Like I said, I don't dislike BBQ I'm just not insane for it like pretty much everyone else. It's not the first time I've been an outcast around here and it won't be the last, heh.

You get dressed up to go hang with Ron? :D

So are you talking about the Gates by Arrowhead?

Applebees. It's the type of place I'd take my girl after paying for an abortion. I'd run to the bathroom in the middle of dinner and then sneak out never to talk to her again.

No, never eaten there. I was talking about the place that's in a gas station which I'm told is OK Joe's.

Got ya and I've never eaten there. If you were talking about the Gates by Arrowhead, I was going to agree.

The saving grace for Applebee's is the maple butter blondie. **** that's good.

Unfortunately, it's not good enough to endure everything else. Haven't been there in a couple of years.

I have an idea. Maybe you could start by doing the poll by ingredient, Mr. Rain Man. You could begin with something like ...

Salt
Green Onion
Baking Powder
Limes
Lamb Chop
Paprika
Bread Crumb

etc., etc., etc.

... and so on. You get the idea ... then, after the peoples have voted for the ingredients of their choice, all you have to do is figure out which restaurant uses those most popular ingredients in their typical foodstuffs not including specials like Lemon Pie Friday, for example. That way, you take the cost/price factor out of the equation as well as the chain/local restaurant problem.

FAX THE HELPFUL TO ALL AT ALL TIMES

Easy......
Ruth's Chris

AH HA! Look everyone... someone else you can give your non BBQ lovin hate to!

:D

Any gas station in Georgia that sells boiled peanuts. Evidently boiled peanuts are big in Georgia because they sell them all over the place. Those things are ****ing disgusting.

I was going to suggest them. I question that whole deal, to be honest.

FAX

When FAX quotes Rain Man and they have a conversation it's kind of like when Moses parted the red sea.

I have a buddy in KC that I was telling the story to about that Gates by Arrowhead. I was telling him how bad it was and he did agree with me. I guess there is some Gates "in the hood," where the BBQ is a lot better. He claims he's going to buy next time I'm down, to prove it.

Red Lobster.

Well enjoy your meal and make it out alive.

Oh, I think they're really good, but ridiculously overpriced.

Not a restaurant, but Omaha Steaks.

I hope so and yes.

Olive Garden

Olive Garden, Red Lobster, TGI Fridays, Carrabbas, Applebees, Chilis, Outback Steakhouse, Cheesecake Factory, and the rest of the middle America "gourmet" restaurants.

I don't eat in these shit holes-waste of money

Chick-fil-a sucks; not memorable or noteworthy in any fashion.

Where did you find MTG10?

Wendy's.

I eat there twice a month. I'd say its quite memorable.

Its my first choice for chicken.

Not KFC.

Maybe it is because I was born and raised in the KC area, but I find Famous Daves to be highly overrated.

Chick-fil-A is not for me. Too sweet. *awaits internet stabbing*

I wasn't born in the KC area and I agree with you. FD's is for people that don't own a smoker.

far and away...

Outback. Calling that shithole a "steak house" is an insult to cow anus everywhere.

Interdasting

Skyline Chili would have to get better just to be effing terrible in my book.

I'll tell you one place thats not terrible, I just was taken their today for lunch by friends dentist dad for lunch today......

and that's the Majestic steak house in KC. Very veryy good.

Gates

I agree.

I've been dragged to 4 or 5 Hooters and hated their food. Plus, 75% of the women I saw there weren't edible either.

Sonic.

Man ... I don't eat at any of those places. Ever.

I guess the only "overrated" place I patronize that you guys may know would be the Loveless Cafe. (Paul McCartney once remarked in a Rolling Stone interview that the Loveless was his favorite restaurant.) They used to have really good southern fried chicken with gravy and biscuits, but something bad must have happened and they lost their touch.

People still rave about the place and I eat there occasionally, but they are living on past reputation, so far as I can tell.

Although, I have to admit that they do have a pretty decent mail-order breakfast deal you can buy on the internet and have shipped. It can include pancake mix, preserves, bacon, sausage, and stuff like that. Their breakfast stuff isn't too bad ... particularly the preserves.

FAX

OK.....I'll break the ice on this one and take the grief

Hooter's.....highly over rated