Grossest American Chain Restaurant

maggiano's > bucca di beppo > macaroni grill > carraba's > olive garden.
would never choose to go to maggiano's though because it's way overpriced.

Oh man, I've eaten at Outback twice and both times I feel disgusting sick because it's just oil dipped in grease dipped in lard dipped in an American flag

i think they rub butter on the steaks i aint bullshittin

anyone who gets a steak at a chain is insane imo

Cheesecake Factory is more than respectable -- they have bars, which are charming in a generic sort of way, and they know drinks and can mix them well. It's their portions that disgust me.

Once at a Dennys my dad ordered a Lumberjack Slam or whatever, and when he went to pour syrup over his pancakes a big river of dead ants came out instead.

Their patty melt is pretty good, though.

omg @ dead ants

what about buca di beppo

ughhh. but...four meals for the price of two, so. should bring my own tupperware next time.

A student who works for Friday's sez they basically buy their own brand's frozen potato skins, pizzas, and Monte Christos from the local grocery and microwave them.

wow alfred that they can mix drinks at cheesecake factory is kind of amazing to me (i have never been to one; my gf has threatened to take me because her work goes there a lot for lunch)

tho I remember when in the eighties Friday's billed itself as "The American Bistro," boasted a menu several pages long, cooked their own food, and Sam from Casablanca played "La Marseillaise."

that is a testament to the quality of TGI friday's frozen grocery store foods xpost

haha

Are we polling chain steakhouses next? Cuz I totally rep for Fleming's or Morton's.

i'm sorry whiney but you voluntarily eat subway

i think they rub butter on the steaks i aint bullshittin

Oh hell yes they do, according to my sister, six-year Steakback Outhouse employee. They do at Applebee's too, according to my mom, who worked there.

I go to Macaroni Grille once in a while when it's someone's birthday at work; totally acceptable, and occasionally more than that (e.g. their lasagna).

I'll agree with whoever said upthread that the quality of generic American chain restaurant food has deteriorated in twenty years.

I think frying a steak in butter is acceptable tbh

yeah i missed how butter + steak constituted a terrorist act

i was kind of on a mission to try every one of these chain restaurants, but chili's was the first, and it has seriously put me off the others.

I put a teaspoon of butter on steaks after removing them from the broiler, but, yeah, it's not frying.

yeah i'd like a clarification--steaks can be topped with butter but maybe this is more like one of those pumps at a movie theater concession with a steak under it?

oh this stuff:

http://www.kanokorn.com/images/louAnna-1.jpg

or this:

http://www.kanokorn.com/images/SuperKist-SM.jpg

buttery toppingesque quasicondiment

lol @ buttery topping

i'm sorry whiney but you voluntarily eat subway

― HOOM gang (J0rdan S.), Tuesday, March 2, 2010 9:40 PM (10 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

cute zing, but if you can't see the difference between a twice-fried onion dripping acrid grease clear through a piece of wax paper vs. some wheat bread and vegetables than you're either a dipshit or weigh 400 pounds.

forgot to mention that the bread is loaded with HFCS tho

cute zing, but if you can't see the difference between a twice-fried onion dripping acrid grease clear through a piece of wax paper vs. some wheat bread and vegetables than you're either a dipshit or weigh 400 pounds.

― ksh kale (Whiney G. Weingarten), Tuesday, March 2, 2010 8:53 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark

it was just a cute zing :-)

red lobster; i don't f around w/budget seafood
i've never seen a claim jumpers before but i'm all about ridiculously huge portions; sounds like a great late night "so drunk and so hungry" place

there's this place called "sizzler" that's pretty fucked up too; i don't know if it exists anymore. the biggest problem with all of these places = screaming babies

he biggest problem with all of these places = screaming babies

do they come with buttery toppings?

TGI Pukeday.

Oh man, Sizzler was totally my dad's annual "classy birthday meal" restaurant.

http://www.sizzler.co.th/en/images/p-career.jpg

oh shit, I thought this was best restaurant for some reason. Forget what I said about Chili's, Chili's rules.

Grossest would be TGI Frozen's IMO. Denny's is open all night, so I cut them some slack.

i voted for applebee's because it reminds me of how my parents are getting old and are clinging to anything they can get that's predictable and a "good value" -- they live in the heart of new york city but sometimes they'll drive out to the 'burbs and go to an applebee's. it's sad.

that's kinda cute!

As much as I can agree that some of these choices are totally disgusting and represent the worst of American eating habits, I do think this thread smacks a teeny bit of elitism. I mean, remember there are some areas of the country that aren't overwhelmed with little mom and pop places to go and, as much as it may suck, going to Applebee's really is a treat night out for a family on a budget.

Applebee's takes way too much crap IMO. Plus they have those half price appetizers after 10 pm now!

cap'n-save-a-bee

jon i agree in theory but my experience at applebees was some ghastly, not fit for human consumption shit

i mean i don't think we're being elitist given the amount of people repping for dennys, chilis, macaroni grill, cheesecake factory, etc.

jon, did you read this totally reasonable post:

aside from dennys (maybe) there is something a lot of these places have in common. they are really not all that cheap! i mean, if you have a local halfway decent mid-priced italian restaurant near you anywhere and you go to olive garden instead then you should kinda be ashamed of yourself. and same goes with all the rest. eat local! sort of.

if you are in a big hurry or only have five bucks on you then i can see the point of going to mcdonalds and the like, but these places actually make you wait for food and its usually not great and no real bargain.

I have never even heard of Claim Jumpers until this poll. I guess that's a good thing?

I voted for Applebees because I remember them having terrible service. Even if a restaurant has wonderful food I expect them to have halfway decent service, so when it is bad at one of these chain restaurants it seems especially egregious.

I did miss that one! I wasn't trying to bag on anyone in particular, just feeling guilty for piling on myself.

c.a.d. - I just pulled Applebee's out as an example, but I think you get my point.

I seriously wonder if people who say that honestly believe that the middle-aged woman in the next cubicle at work seriously goes home to her kids and says "what's up, my niggas, we're having Applebee's tonight!"

-- nabisco (nabisco)

no i get that it's an example but it seems like even w/in this category there's room enough to choose wisely, y'know?

this thread reminded me that Macaroni Grill had really good tiramisu the last time I went. now i want tiramisu.

i would kill for a place where i could go with friends at 10-11pm and get some drinks and some cheap non-disgusting food in a chill atmosphere where everybody knows my name, but that place just doesn't exist, at least not round these parts. any local place that attempts something like this is basically ripping off the 'bees business model and has the same kinda food but can't afford to do half off appetizers so its not as cheap. its a bummer.

As much as I can agree that some of these choices are totally disgusting and represent the worst of American eating habits, I do think this thread smacks a teeny bit of elitism. I mean, remember there are some areas of the country that aren't overwhelmed with little mom and pop places to go and, as much as it may suck, going to Applebee's really is a treat night out for a family on a budget.

― you gone float up with it (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Tuesday, March 2, 2010 10:53 PM (22 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I mean, I have sympathy. I frequented all these places until I was like 21. Like a year of human food in New York pretty much made me realize this shit is inedible across the fuckin board.

Now when i visit my mom, I always try to get her to try all the local restaraunts we never went to when I lived there.