Am I the only one who hates chain restaurants?

Funny, I always see "What is your favorite restaurant" here on Y!A and I am thinking "you wouldn't know it"

We eat out about once a week- always somewhere new, and ALWAYS mom & pop. I am also a server, and have always worked at a mom & pop.

Wow, check this out: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AjqE6...

I thoroughly hate chain restaurants.

Here in the UK I have seen a lot of local cafes and restaurants taken over by chains. In my own town a local 'mom and pop' cafe that sold good basic English food, all made on the premises (I'm a chef myself, and I can tell the difference between a packet onion ring/toad in the hole and a genuine one).

I put an offer in for the cafe myself, as its trade seemed buoyant; the local client-base is happy with wholesome food, but the chain that wanted to buy it were utterly determined and put in an offer far in excess of the worth of the property and its fittings, an offer that I could not match, so they got it. They gutted it, and it is now a hamburger joint; staffed by teenagers, none of whom could peel an onion, and all the food is boxed, bland and uniform.

It does get some custom, mainly obese women in shell-suits who waddle in with their equally obese offspring and guzzle. But the Olympic porcelain cups, saucers and plates have gone (one gets a styroform beaker and a cheap plate). The cutlery is plastic.

No more the nice pot of real leaf tea and a teacake in the afternoon - a very pleasant English custom - served at your table. Nowadays the greeting is "waddooyawan" and one gets a styrene beaker thrust into ones mitt, and the nearest one gets to a teacake is a lump of soggy cold dough studded witn what look to be dessicated and roasted rabbits testicles.

Still, some mugs will eat the stuff. More fool them.

Maybe, but I've tried some mom and pop places that are far worse than the chain places. Most chains have consistent good food, or they would not stay open very long. I know what I like, and I also know what I'll be getting at a chain.

As for Ruby Tuesday, the one in our neighborhood is quite good.

I worked in many a chain restaurant growing up and have to say that I can make anything on that menu better at home for sure. I also agree that locally owned establishments are the way to go when you want to get a feel for the city you are in.

But in their defense, when I am traveling, i got in late, im hungry and just want something to eat, it is nice to have the familiarity of a Jack Daniels sirloin from TGIF in any city i visit.

Mom and Pop restaurants are almost always better than chain restaurants, but I'll still eat at a Chili's, Frontera, Outback (who doesn't love the Bloomin' Onion?), Maggiano', etc.

I like most of them TGIF falls under your examples, as does Ruby Tuesdays, neither is good

However places like Olive Garden and Macaroni Grill are seriously great.

Good-

Chilli's

TGIF

Some of Applebee's

BAD-

Ruby Tuesdays

I do agree it takes the identity away from every town. In New England there has to be a CVS/WALGREEN'S/WAL-MART/LOWES/H DEPOT within 3 miles of each other...it's sickening!!!!!!!!!!!!!

same here.