Chain restaurants you've never been to

Outback
Buffalo Wild Wings

The Pantry wrote:Outback
Buffalo Wild Wings

You're not missing anything Pantry. Especially with BWW. It's the worst food I've ever had.

Carls JR
In and out burger
Qudoba (sp?)
Chipotle
California pizza kitchen

duffy munn wrote:

The Pantry wrote:Outback
Buffalo Wild Wings

You're not missing anything Pantry. Especially with BWW. It's the worst food I've ever had.

I used to like BWW as a quick snack/dinner spot when the girls were teens and we would come home late from soccer or dance.

I can’t stand it now. Have they changed wings? Sauces? Cooks? Shit is cardboard like.

Buca di boopos

kingstonlake wrote:Carls JR
In and out burger
Qudoba (sp?)
Chipotle
California pizza kitchen

Qdoba and Chipotle are pretty good and not bad for you.

To be sort of fair to BWW sometimes the wings are good sometimes they are dogshit. Theres no knowing which day it’s going to be.

I can’t speak for the boneless wings as I am not a child

Pretty sure that after the obvious,  aka McDonald's, Burger King, Arby's, KFC, Hardee's, there are more I haven't been at than have...

Those I remember eating at:  Applebee's; TGI Fridays; Red Robin; 5 Guys; Sambo's; White Castle; Big Boy; Cracker Barral; Cottage Inn; Dominos; Buddies; Pizza Hut; Dairy Queen; Little Cesar's; Bill Knaps; ...

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:Buca di boopos

Not missing anything. SIL knew a manager that was opening the M59 location. Wyff and I got to go to the preview/cold opening free of charge. Got a tour of the kitchen.

Didn't eat there, but saw the "Pope" room...just plain weird. Poorly executed Italian food. Never been back.

kingstonlake wrote:Carls JR
In and out burger
Qudoba (sp?)
Chipotle
California pizza kitchen

Never had Carls, but had Hardees. Think they're owned by the same company. Read something week or two ago Hardees may be going OOB.

Had all the others, except In-N-Out. Old roommate in CA still raves about it.

tGreenWay wrote:My favorite chain when I was a wee lad was Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour. Went there with my grandparents and it was magical. I’d never experienced anything like it. RIP, Farrell’s.

I remember a couple birthday parties there when I was kid.

DWags wrote:

duffy munn wrote:

You're not missing anything Pantry. Especially with BWW. It's the worst food I've ever had.

I used to like BWW as a quick snack/dinner spot when the girls were teens and we would come home late from soccer or dance.

I can’t stand it now. Have they changed wings? Sauces? Cooks? Shit is cardboard like.

Freezer burned wings dropped in a dirty deep fryer. Disgusting

tGreenWay wrote:My favorite chain when I was a wee lad was Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour. Went there with my grandparents and it was magical. I’d never experienced anything like it. RIP, Farrell’s.

Farrell's! What was the name of the the giant ice cream dish nobody could finish?

Use to be a Farrell's on 14 Mile in front of Oakland Mall. Forgot all about that place.

BWW new menu is pretty good, especially the burgers. Worth it for sure.

Motown Spartan wrote:BWW new menu is pretty good, especially the burgers. Worth it for sure.

Not falling for it.

More upscale (expensive) but never have eaten at a Cheesecake Factory although they’ve got a lot of locations.

In-an-out is okay but it’s like Five Guys. When it was a regional chain there’s was a buzz but when more available in more locations nationally, not so much.

duffy munn wrote:

tGreenWay wrote:My favorite chain when I was a wee lad was Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour. Went there with my grandparents and it was magical. I’d never experienced anything like it. RIP, Farrell’s.

Farrell's! What was the name of the the giant ice cream dish nobody could finish?

Never mind Greenway. It was called the Zoo and weighed 7 pounds.

tGreenWay wrote:

duffy munn wrote:

Never mind Greenway. It was called the Zoo and weighed 7 pounds.

Glad you remembered, because there’s no way I would’ve pulled that memory from my gray matter. I do sort of remember talking about a dessert that weighed a lot, but that’s it.

Did it have heavy whipping cream in it?

Ok, a long fucking time ago, i was just a tiny one... Vaguely remember a huge barn with colorful animals in the Detroit area? Ring any bells?

Tri-city peeps, are there any Texan's left? I know the Euclid one closed and they tore down the cowboy...

tGreenWay wrote:

duffy munn wrote:

Never mind Greenway. It was called the Zoo and weighed 7 pounds.

Glad you remembered, because there’s no way I would’ve pulled that memory from my gray matter. I do sort of remember talking about a dessert that weighed a lot, but that’s it.

I googled and feel dirty

Anybody remember Sveden House?

duffy munn wrote:

duffy munn wrote:

Farrell's! What was the name of the the giant ice cream dish nobody could finish?

Never mind Greenway. It was called the Zoo and weighed 7 pounds.

I thought it was the Pig's Trough. I was the only kid to finish one at a friend's birthday party, and I got a ribbon that said I made a pig of myself at Farrell's.

Pervis Muldoon wrote:

duffy munn wrote:

Never mind Greenway. It was called the Zoo and weighed 7 pounds.

I thought it was the Pig's Trough. I was the only kid to finish one at a friend's birthday party, and I got a ribbon that said I made a pig of myself at Farrell's.

Holy shit I think you're right Pervis. Last time I trust google

B dubs used to be great. I think Wednesdays were 25 cent night. That's when they were downstairs across from the river, I think. I try to avoid most chains and look for local but even the local stuff is local chains now. I haven't been to capitol grill though. I do think Hardee's and Carl's Jr are the same, like rallys and checkers.

InTenSity wrote:B dubs used to be great. I think Wednesdays were 25 cent night. That's when they were downstairs across from the river, I think. I try to avoid most chains and look for local but even the local stuff is local chains now. I haven't been to capitol grill though. I do think Hardee's and Carl's Jr are the same, like rallys and checkers.

25 cent night(I hear it was 10 cent way back in the day) was on Tuesday...That basement spot was a blast, the night they closed it to get ready to move was insane. The wall by the bathrooms was kicked in, my friend got kicked out because he ripped a seat off a a bar stool and then a waitress used it to serve drinks the rest of the night, he got back in after waiting in the line for 15 minutes LOL. very many items were permanently borrowed that night.

AvgMSUJoe wrote:Tri-city peeps, are there any Texan's left? I know the Euclid one closed and they tore down the cowboy...

Okay, yes, I have eaten there, only at 2AM or thereabouts. Only knew of 2, Euclid & Center Ave and I think they are both gone.

Are local places like at really a chain?

kingstonlake wrote:Anybody remember Sveden House?

That was like a smorgasbord place, right?

That reminds me that I have eaten at a Ponderosa, an IHOP & that fast food fish place...

Have the mid-level chain steakhouses come up yet?

Never been to Longhorn. Texas Roadhouse is my go to for a cheap steak.

Zurn wrote:Have the mid-level chain steakhouses come up yet?

Never been to Longhorn.   Texas Roadhouse is my go to for a cheap steak.  

Okay, I've been there a couple of times, too, not high on my list, even for a cheap steak. Ruth Chis's is a chain, so I can add that, too.

Trapper Gus wrote:

Zurn wrote:Have the mid-level chain steakhouses come up yet?

Never been to Longhorn.   Texas Roadhouse is my go to for a cheap steak.  

Okay, I've been there a couple of times, too, not high on my list, even for a cheap steak. Ruth Chis's is a chain, so I can add that, too.

Ruth's Chris > Outback > Longhorn > Texas Roadhouse

NigelUno wrote:

Trapper Gus wrote:

Okay, I've been there a couple of times, too, not high on my list, even for a cheap steak.  Ruth Chis's is a chain, so I can add that, too.

Ruth's Chris > Outback > Longhorn > Texas Roadhouse

Ruth's Chris is a top end chain, agree with that, some of my friends (who have missed going to elite steakhouses, like Burn's in Tampa, or one step lower, The Chop House in A2, even in its now corporate chain steakhouse form) swear by them, but we are just talking about chain restaurants.

I guess I have to add The Chop House as a chain, also.  It wasn't when I started eating there years ago, but now they have locations in GR & Toledo & elsewhere.

AvgMSUJoe wrote:Ok, a long fucking time ago, i was just a tiny one... Vaguely remember a huge barn with colorful animals in the Detroit area? Ring any bells?

There used to be a burger chain called Red Barn. There was one in East Lansing way back when.

https://99wfmk.com/red-barn-restaurants/