Casual dining chains rankings

[RobbieL2415]

Criteria:

MUST not be defunct
MUST be a national or regional chain (presence in at least three states)
MUST have sit-down service with wait staff (Chipoltle/Panera do not count as examples)
CANNOT be intentionally themed to be bad/have bad service (Dick's Last Resort, google it if not aware)
NO BUFFETS
NO Chuck E. Cheese's
YOU MUST HAVE EATEN AT THE RESTAURANT TO RANK IT.

Ranked Best to worst:
Carrabbba's
Frank Pepe Pizza(restaurants in NY/CT/MA)
Ruby Tuesday's
Red Robin
Chili's
Friendly's
Bertucci's
Olive Garden
Dave & Buster's
California Pizza Kitchen
Uno

[Scott5114]

What happens if we don't follow the rules?

[jeffandnicole]

What are we ranking?  At least with the Fast Food question, we were told to rank the Fastest Fast Food.

Except for the occasional slow server, they're basically all about the same.  We also tend to eat at the bar - just my wife and I - and service tend to be pretty good. 

Of my list below, there's no particular ranking only because they're about the same.   I prefer Red Robin because of their unlimited fries, but after that they're all about the same.

There's only one that I would give it a negative 1,000,000 ranking:  Friendlys.  Always, always slow!

Red Robin
Chilis
Olive Garden
Red Lobster
99
Outback
Ruby Tuesday
Bahama Breeze
Sonny's
(ah, just list about all of them.  I've probably eaten in most country-wide chains restaurants)

And then, at the very bottom of the list: Friendlys

[hotdogPi]

Starred items are ranked higher than they normally would be due to lower prices.

Cracker Barrel*
Bickford's* (Big Apple is $10 and large enough for 2 or 3 people)
Rainforest Cafe (MA location closed, but it's still in multiple states)
Ledo's Pizza (DC-area chain; small sample size)
UNO
Friendly's
Bertucci's* (lower prices are from email coupons, not menu prices)
Chili's
99 Restaurant
Not Your Average Joe's
Outback Steakhouse
Denny's*
Legal Sea Foods (small sample size)
[If this was an approval poll, I would approve anything above this and disapprove below this]
Olive Garden
iHop (capitalization intentional)
Margarita's (I just don't like spicy food)
Applebee's
Ruby Tuesday's (small sample size)
Fuddrucker's
Longhorn Steakhouse (partly due to shady business practices)
Hard Rock Cafe ($16 for a burger? Small sample size, though)

[NWI_Irish96]

A small but growing chain that I absolutely love is Bubba's 33.  One opened where I used to live about a year before I moved.  Wish there were one up here.

[hbelkins]

I like Cracker Barrel. Rarely have I gotten a bad meal there.

I generally don't patronize this type of restaurant, mainly because there are none near me, and when I'm on the road, I usually drive through and eat lunch while driving; and most times I'll get something and bring it back to my room.

One exception was when I tried Eat N Park last summer in Clarksburg/Bridgeport, WV. I didn't realize they were a sit-down only place; I always assumed they had a drive-through.

I only attempted Friendly's once. That was in Rutland, Vt., several years ago. It was so crowded that I left and went somewhere else.

Can't say that I see what's so special about Outback, either.

[nexus73]

Red Robin-Excellent burger
Outback-Expensive but tasty
Village Inn-Best bacon I have eaten
Red Lobster-Okay for a national seafood chain but local places can beat it easily
Denny's-Worst waffle I ever had, rest of stuff okay
Chili's-Too noisy!  Too bad.
Olive Garden-Ate there a few times.  Usually have a sore stomach later.  Won't be going back.

Rick



Olive GardenRed Lobster
Outback

[abefroman329]

I like Cracker Barrel. Rarely have I gotten a bad meal there.

Same, although the wait can be maddening if you go to a popular location at a peak meal time.

One exception was when I tried Eat N Park last summer in Clarksburg/Bridgeport, WV. I didn't realize they were a sit-down only place; I always assumed they had a drive-through.

I finally ate at one when we were moving from DC to Chicago and it was my last opportunity to try one.  I found it utterly unremarkable.

[SP Cook]

I like a place with a solid menu.  If it serves alcohol, then the bartender should be able to make at least half the things on the IBA list from memory.  If it has TVs then it should be on sports and somebody should know what channel "the game" is on.  I give minus 5 points for serving Pepsi.

Among places that exist in my area:

alcohol.

- Recovery.  Great bartenders.  Small but good menu.  Only has 15 outlets randomly located.
- Outback.  Good service.  Quality bartenders, usually.  Food is a little over-seasoned.
- O'Charley's.  Nice.  Restaurant murals are of local things in that town, which is nice touch.  Bartenders ability is mostly frozen drinks and beer.
- TGI Fridays.  Clean.  Good bartenders.  Reasonable food.  Noisy.  Too many kids.
- Ruby Tuesday.  Nice.  Good bartenders.  Seem to actually cook most of the food.
- Chili's.  Off-beat menu.  Some microwaving.  Limited bartenders.
- Quaker Steak.  NASCAR theme is dated as that sport dies.  Over spiced food.  Good bartenders.
- Red Lobster.  OK, as long as you are at least 2 states from the actual ocean. 
- Olive Garden.  It is pasta.  Cannot justify that much for pasta.
- Applebee's.  Bartenders' ability ends at gin and tonic.  Microwaved food.
- Buffalo Wild Wings.  Anti-civil rights.  Evil

non-alcohol.

- Cracker Barrel.  Clean, good food.  Usually crowded.  Skews very old.
- Denny's.  Still plying the shrinking "coffee shop" market segment quite well.
- IHOP.  See Denny's above, but not as good after breakfast.
- Bob Evans.  Quickly going the way of Shoney's. 
- Shoney's.  A filth covered remnant of a once proud chain.

[jeffandnicole]

- Red Lobster.  OK, as long as you are at least 2 states from the actual ocean. 
- Olive Garden.  It is pasta.  Cannot justify that much for pasta.

Red Lobster and Olive Garden were both owned by Darden Restaurants.  Often, they were close by each other, usually in the same parking lots or attached to each other.  Red Lobster could keep their prices slightly lower than normal for their seafood offerings because they would increase the Olive Garden pasta prices a bit to make up for the loss.

Darden spun off Red Lobster, so in a way it helps alleviate the seafood pricing burden, if my theory held true.

[RobbieL2415]

What are we ranking?  At least with the Fast Food question, we were told to rank the Fastest Fast Food.

An aggregation of food quality, service times, service quality, and price.

[hbelkins]

- Bob Evans.  Quickly going the way of Shoney's.

If I want a sit-down meal, and Cracker Barrel isn't nearby, Bob Evans has always been a reliable fall-back.

- Shoney's.  A filth covered remnant of a once proud chain.

Kentucky was always on the border between Shoney's and Frisch's as Big Boy licensees/franchisees (however that works). It seems that as Shoney's locations close, Frisch's opens up. When I lived in Winchester, we went to Shoney's breakfast bar fairly often on weekends. They closed up and after we moved out of Winchester, a new Frisch's was built.

[sparker]

- Red Lobster.  OK, as long as you are at least 2 states from the actual ocean. 

When I was trekking back and forth across the country in the '80's and '90's, Red Lobster was a "default" if I was in a hurry and didn't want to take the time to research local cuisine, wanted a full meal, and wasn't too far from the route I was using and/or where I was staying.  Generally quite good -- except for one south of Memphis on US 51, not too far from Graceland -- figured since it was in the South and almost due north of New Orleans, I'd order snapper, blackened.  Came out greasy, and the fish seemed a bit "off" (this was about 5 p.m.).  Sent it back twice -- same result coming out each time.  I finally switched over to salmon (this time simply grilled), which was at least edible but overcooked.  I was able to peek into the prep area -- and I didn't see anyone who looked over 20 years old anywhere around.  That seems to be an issue with chains -- young people of college age or even younger function as a cost-saving device -- and management attempts to remove or reduce any discretionary deviation from a formula (particularly with food prep and cooking) -- but where that works with some things (generally very well with In & Out!), when it comes to sit-down/full meal restaurants it may just well be too many ducks in a row to line up correctly on a consistent basis.  That being said, the cheese biscuits and the salad were fine; only the entrée was subpar. 

Other chains:  Outback is consistent (order your steak one grade rarer than you want to get it); if a little over-salted.  Denny's has, IMO, actually gotten better over the years, especially for breakfast.  Applebees:  like, Outback, oversalted -- and a lot of their specialties seem to feature too-sweet sauces (maybe just catering to sugar cravings among their customer base).  Dave's Famous BBQ:  if you're not actually in prime BBQ country, it's not bad (and a shitload better than Dickey's!); at least they have a decent sauce selection (and as their brisket's invariably a little dry, that comes in handy).  If not in In & Out territory, 5 Guys is a good (if a little slower) substitute.  I don't know how far east these casual-dining Mexican chains go, but Rubio's and Baja Fresh do pretty good work -- but their menus tend to change a bit too often -- don't get too attached to anything but the basics.  Olive Garden -- halfway decent when they're doing "all you can eat pasta" specials -- but a bit overpriced otherwise; whether it's "real" Italian (ask them for osso bucco and watch them give you strange looks!) is up for conjecture.  Again, OK if you don't have reliable Italian cuisine available wherever you are.  Never been a fan of Chili's for too many reasons to laundry-list.  But up here in N. California, if you want a decent steak, Cattleman's (mostly centered in the Valley along I-80 and US 50) is generally a reliable source -- they have full bars for those so inclined, and really good service.  BTW, the one in Dixon, CA (on I-80 between Sacramento and Vacaville) is more or less my "reference".   

P.S.:  GF will kill me if I don't mention her favorite: Ruby Tuesday.  Some may find the fare a bit bland, but they often have some good specials.  And her best friend drags us to Red Robin quite often; my assessment there is about the same as Ruby's (but I prefer In & Out/5 Guys for burgers!).   

[SectorZ]

Starred items are ranked higher than they normally would be due to lower prices.

Cracker Barrel*
Bickford's* (Big Apple is $10 and large enough for 2 or 3 people)
Rainforest Cafe (MA location closed, but it's still in multiple states)
Ledo's Pizza (DC-area chain; small sample size)
UNO
Friendly's
Bertucci's* (lower prices are from email coupons, not menu prices)
Chili's
99 Restaurant
Not Your Average Joe's
Outback Steakhouse
Denny's*
Legal Sea Foods (small sample size)
[If this was an approval poll, I would approve anything above this and disapprove below this]
Olive Garden
iHop (capitalization intentional)
Margarita's (I just don't like spicy food)
Applebee's
Ruby Tuesday's (small sample size)
Fuddrucker's
Longhorn Steakhouse (partly due to shady business practices)
Hard Rock Cafe ($16 for a burger? Small sample size, though)

Fill me in on the Longhorn thing. I wasn't aware of anything weird they've been up to, but would love to know about it.

[hotdogPi]

Starred items are ranked higher than they normally would be due to lower prices.

Cracker Barrel*
Bickford's* (Big Apple is $10 and large enough for 2 or 3 people)
Rainforest Cafe (MA location closed, but it's still in multiple states)
Ledo's Pizza (DC-area chain; small sample size)
UNO
Friendly's
Bertucci's* (lower prices are from email coupons, not menu prices)
Chili's
99 Restaurant
Not Your Average Joe's
Outback Steakhouse
Denny's*
Legal Sea Foods (small sample size)
[If this was an approval poll, I would approve anything above this and disapprove below this]
Olive Garden
iHop (capitalization intentional)
Margarita's (I just don't like spicy food)
Applebee's
Ruby Tuesday's (small sample size)
Fuddrucker's
Longhorn Steakhouse (partly due to shady business practices)
Hard Rock Cafe ($16 for a burger? Small sample size, though)

Fill me in on the Longhorn thing. I wasn't aware of anything weird they've been up to, but would love to know about it.

They advertised a new steak that was $1.50 more expensive than something that already existed, with the only difference being a new sauce. When we tried to order the cheaper one (not the "new" one), we got charged for the more expensive one.

[adventurernumber1]

I think my favorite casual dining chain might be Red Lobster. I absolutely love Red Lobster. I love the live lobsters in the water, I love those cheesy biscuits, I love the seafood, and I love the design of the actual building. I also love the logo. I must really like Red Lobster. 

After that, I would probably pick Ruby Tuesday, Carrabba's, Longhorn, and Outback. All of those places are incredibly delicious, IMHO. Even though Red Lobster is my favorite, Longhorn and Outback are by far the chains that my family frequents the most. If we go to a formal sit-down chain restaurant (not including places like Cracker Barrel), 90% of the time it is either Longhorn or Outback.

I don't think I have ever been to places like O'Charley's or Fazoli's, so I have no idea what their food tastes like (it's probably pretty good, though).

It's been years since I've been to an Applebee's, Chili's, or Olive Garden. I've always liked their food as well, but it is a disappointment to find out that it is actually not made fresh (it is microwaved).



When it comes to the more casual side of these chains:


I absolutely love Cracker Barrel. I think it and IHOP are tied for my favorite breakfast that I can possibly get anywhere. I love Hardee's Biscuits and McDonald's breakfast and all, but IMO you just can't beat the high-quality breakfast you get sitting down at a place like Cracker Barrel or IHOP and getting your day started (though when it comes to fast food restaurants, Hardee's by far has my favorite breakfast - those biscuits are pretty dang good!). I love sitting down at Cracker Barrel and having a nice country breakfast of pancakes, bacon, eggs, and buttermilk biscuits. I also love how there is a gift shop, which has everything from movies to CDs to toy cars to antiques-looking-things and lots more. IHOP is absolutely wonderful - I can't get enough of those different flavor syrups there that you put on your pancakes (regular, strawberry, blueberry, etc.). I'll often have a huge stack of pancakes, and put a different flavor syrup on each one, and it is freakin delicious. I've also had some killer omelets there at IHOP, as well as a delicious breakfast platter (I can't remember the name) that included country fried steak and hash browns. I have never had lunch or dinner at IHOP, but I have at Cracker Barrel. Regarding that, I have had some pretty good stuff there at Cracker Barrel, such as a Thanksgiving feast or a bacon cheeseburger.

I have never been to Denny's, but I would love to try it in the future.

There used to be a Fuddrucker's here in my hometown of Dalton, Georgia when I was a young kid. It was right here off of I-75's Exit 333 (GA SR 52; Walnut Ave., Dalton), and actually, even over 10 years after its closing, the sign is still up (probably because it is so tall and large). I remember liking their food (their burgers and stuff), but I'm not sure if my parents were the biggest fan.



I'm probably missing some casual dining chains (that I may have even been to before), but these were what I could recall right now.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I don't have a long list of these types of places I eat at with any regularity.

I eat these more often than any other casual dining:
Perkins
Cracker Barrel
BWWs

I rarely eat at but enjoy when I do:
TGI Friday's
Chili's

[SP Cook]

Kentucky was always on the border between Shoney's and Frisch's as Big Boy licensees/franchisees (however that works).

In a nutshell:

"Big Boy" was an early form of franchise, belonging to Marriott.  Unlike modern franchises the restaurants were quite different from one another.  Shoney's, which was started in Charleston, WV, was the largest franchisee and owned most of the south. Frisch's was based in Cincinnati.   Eventually Shoney's expanded into places where others owned the "Big Boy" by just labeling the restaurants as just plain "Shoney's" without the "Big Boy".  And this was followed by other "Big Boy" franchisees. 

In northern WV, the Big Boy franchisee was called Elby's.  They expanded across from Wheeling into Ohio, where Frisch's owned Big Boy.  Frisch's sued, saying that since they advertised as "Elby's Big Boy" on TV and radio that both states could get, it was confusing.  Frisch's won, and this meant that the restaurants were given the option of withdrawing from each other's territories or giving up Big Boy. 

Shoney's, and pretty much everybody else, decided to give up Big Boy, and eventually Marriott sold the trademarks to the Michigan franchisee, who promptly went broke.  Out of the bankruptcy two separate companies emerged.  Frisch's Big Boy owns Kentucky, Indiana, and most of Tennessee and Ohio, and just plain Big Boy owns the rest of the world, include franchising the name back to original LA based Bob's. 

The Big Boy sandwich is slightly different between Frisch's, Bob's and just plain Big Boy. 

Meanwhile Shoney's, which once was dominant in this region, has gone bankrupt twice and its few remaining outlets are dirty and have gone to mostly a buffet format. 

Charleston has a sort of historical marker, complete with a Big Boy statue, on the site of the original Shoney's.

[Rothman]

Oh, man.  Frisch's.  Blech.

[sparker]

Kentucky was always on the border between Shoney's and Frisch's as Big Boy licensees/franchisees (however that works).

In a nutshell:

"Big Boy" was an early form of franchise, belonging to Marriott.  Unlike modern franchises the restaurants were quite different from one another.  Shoney's, which was started in Charleston, WV, was the largest franchisee and owned most of the south. Frisch's was based in Cincinnati.   Eventually Shoney's expanded into places where others owned the "Big Boy" by just labeling the restaurants as just plain "Shoney's" without the "Big Boy".  And this was followed by other "Big Boy" franchisees. 

In northern WV, the Big Boy franchisee was called Elby's.  They expanded across from Wheeling into Ohio, where Frisch's owned Big Boy.  Frisch's sued, saying that since they advertised as "Elby's Big Boy" on TV and radio that both states could get, it was confusing.  Frisch's won, and this meant that the restaurants were given the option of withdrawing from each other's territories or giving up Big Boy. 

Shoney's, and pretty much everybody else, decided to give up Big Boy, and eventually Marriott sold the trademarks to the Michigan franchisee, who promptly went broke.  Out of the bankruptcy two separate companies emerged.  Frisch's Big Boy owns Kentucky, Indiana, and most of Tennessee and Ohio, and just plain Big Boy owns the rest of the world, include franchising the name back to original LA based Bob's. 

The Big Boy sandwich is slightly different between Frisch's, Bob's and just plain Big Boy. 

Meanwhile Shoney's, which once was dominant in this region, has gone bankrupt twice and its few remaining outlets are dirty and have gone to mostly a buffet format. 

Charleston has a sort of historical marker, complete with a Big Boy statue, on the site of the original Shoney's.

The Big Boy chain started with Bob Wian's hamburger stand on East Colorado St. in my home town of Glendale back about 1937; my uncle was one of his cooks for several months circa 1938.  Marriott bought the chain in 1967, but things started to go downhill soon afterward.  There were some straggler Bob's out in the Inland Empire in 2012 (one in Colton and one in Hesperia, but I understand the latter is now defunct).  When I was doing frequent road trips back East in the '80's & '90's, one of my regular stops was the Elby's at the PA 97 interchange with I-90 outside of Erie; always managed to be going through there either at lunchtime or late afternoon.  That particular franchisee retained many of the original Bob's menu items, including a salad with diced ham and cheese -- one of my favorites.  Also great onion rings!  And I'd always stock up on several jars of their seasoned salt -- had a "curry" taste to it that was great on fries!

There used to be a Fuddrucker's here in my hometown of Dalton, Georgia when I was a young kid. It was right here off of I-75's Exit 333 (GA SR 52; Walnut Ave., Dalton), and actually, even over 10 years after its closing, the sign is still up (probably because it is so tall and large). I remember liking their food (their burgers and stuff), but I'm not sure if my parents were the biggest fan.

There are two Fuddruckers left in Northern California that I know of; one is in Union City right off I-880, and the other in Fairfield next to I-80.  Got introduced to the chain by my ex-wife; they had one in Fresno that we patronized frequently.  Always though that their hamburgers were a cut above the "standard/fast food" chains -- even In & Out and 5 Guys, simply because they were broiled to order and you could add your own condiments (there was a similar chain in L.A. called "Woody's Smorgasburger", but they ceased operation around 2002).  Not the cheapest burger in town, but was one of the best.  Back in the '90's there were a few scattered up & down I-5 in Oregon's Willamette Valley; the farthest north was in Tualatin -- when I lived in PDX, that was my main burger "fix".

[abefroman329]

I ate at a Fuddrucker's in Delaware in 2015, and it was more or less exactly the same as I'd remembered.

I used to get takeout from a Fuddrucker's in DC pretty frequently up through 2011 or so.  There were two in the city, one closed and became a Shake Shack (which is probably an improvement), and I'm not sure if the other one is still open, although I doubt it.

[US 89]

I don't think I could go to a Fuddrucker's without accidentally calling it Fuckrudders.

[SectorZ]

I don't think I could go to a Fuddrucker's without accidentally calling it Fuckrudders.

https://tdylf.com/2013/04/25/the-10-best-businesses-and-products-from-idiocracy/

It's been treated much worse.

[Michael]

- Recovery.  Great bartenders.  Small but good menu.  Only has 15 outlets randomly located.

This Recovery?  If so, I've been a few times!  They're my #2 pick for the best burger I've ever had.  It was juicy and the only thing dripping from it was the water in the tomato.  The #1 burger spot goes to the Pizza Pub in Oneida, NY, but there's only that location and one in Hamilton, NY.  The only reason the Pizza Pub burger is better is because it's cheaper.  Like Recovery, it's juicy and the only thing dripping was the water in the tomato.  Based on taste alone, both Recovery and Pizza Pub are a tie for #1.

For larger chains, I'd have to pick Johnny Rockets.  I'll mention Red Robin too since it was mentioned a few times already.  I've only been to Red Robin two or three times, so I don't recall it that well, but I do remember the fries were thick and potato-y (for lack of a better word).  Both chains have unlimited fries that taste good, but Johnny Rockets' fries are a bit thinner than I'd like.

The last time I was in Applebee's (a day or two before Christmas), I thought the burger was a bit small, and the portion of fries was definitely small.  Denny's burgers are OK, but they're more greasy than juicy, and the portion of fries is a bit small.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Noodles and Company - love it, but the increasing prices for what you get has started to become a turnoff.
Panera - same
Golden Corral, Chipotle - overrated
Chuck E. Cheese's - haven't been here in years, thought the pizza was average I guess, but have no kids so will probably be a while before I get a chance to go again