i do not like applebee's-i have only eaten there a few times, but the food was not good.

I totally agree. The first and only time I went to Friday's was when I was in California. I didn't see anything too spectacular about it, but I did like the variety of drinks. The Mango-Berry Daquiri (i think that's what its called...ITS HUGE) is awesome!

I think they're all pretty much alike.

Average.

I really don't like places like Applebees in general. Chilis, TGIF......you get the picture. I can't remember the last time I went into one of those type restaurants.

I also live in Austin though and am ridiculously spoiled with an abundance of insanely good local places.

I completely agree. I'm on this "support the local places or the entire country will be a giant chain restaurant" kick.

But if somebody put an amaretto sour or another drink in a sippy cup for me, I think I could live with it! :p

I'll see your TGI Friday's and raise you Red Robin (west coast chain).

ooooo, BEST burgers.... :)

Fo sho! I heart Red Robin. It's now in a couple of places back home, so I'm quite excited about it, since I thought I'd have to move back to CO to eat there again.

They're not that west coast anymore!! They've expanded a bunch in the Midwest and have been advertising on TV everywhere around here, even though I think the current closest one is at SIUE.

Red Robin is also now on the East Coast!! Mmmmmm. They have restaurants in VA and MD that I know about.

they have red robin here

they needed help and i knew some people there so worked there for lik three months

they are the worst, absolute worst, out of all chain restuarants. Worse even than Red, Hot, and Blue (corporate owned, east coast chain) in terms of, well in terms of attidude. Why work at a restuarant if you hate the service industry so much?????

yeah, i don't like chain restaurants, and am about to be spoiled because there is a steak house at the bottom level of the building where my loft is, a cuban steak hous ride beside it around the corner. I mean, I can walk pretty much anywhere to get pretty much whatever type of food I want and don't have to wait around with a bunch of highschoolers trying to look adult by taking their date to olive garden.

We have them in Charlotte. They're in Ohio as well. Join their birthday club and you can get a free burger. Still have not eaten there though.

It's eh. Not bad, but not great.

Red Robin, Applebee's, TGIFridays . . . except for the kid friendly factor, I don't see much reason to eat at any of them, and I can think of lots of reasons to stay away.

Of the chains, Chilis and Red, Hot and Blue are about the only ones that I can get even half-way excited about going to.

What's Red, Hot, and Blue?? I don't think we have that this far south.:p

Never heard of it either.

We have red robin, also. I never tried it yet, I heard good things about it.

There are some in the Triangle, but I don't think there's one in Charlotte yet. It started in Arlington, VA. Lee Atwater was one of the original investors (but I like it anyway -- he was a good musician). It's a ribs/barbecue (Memphis-style) place; the music that plays is all blues and R&B.

Red, Hot and Blue.

I am about to vomit just thinking about this!!!

Local places use local products and consistently make better food than chain restaurants, but American's are lazy. They don't want to explore...they want to find the nearest McDonalds or Applebee's in any city they visit because they can get the same meal they always get! How boring!!!

You know, I've heard good things about them too. I'll have to try the one in my area.

when they opted to buy back the franchise i worked at, they were re-tooling their brand to be more of a "southern casual dining establishment"

Anyone do California Pizza Kitchen? The pizza is absolutely mediocre at best (for NYC) but they have good salads and some nice drinks.

Yeah, but they still have the ribs, the onion loaves and the blues music, which is all I ever care about there.

I'm just finding it interesting that people are gushing over Red Robin's burgers; I found them average at best. But I'll admit that I'm a little weird when it comes to burgers; I know most people like really thick burgers, but I don't.

I am a fan of CPK.

me too

Same here. I prefer Mellow Mushroom, but I am a Pizza Hut girl at heart!! Oh yeah Supreme pizza all day (minus the mushrooms and olives).

To those of you stating that local restaurants are better: no kidding?! I don't think anyone here said they'd rather eat at TGI Friday's/Red Robin/Red, Hot and Blue/Chili's/Applebee's/CPK than any number of better, local restaurants. I could think of a gazillion restaurants in Seattle that I'd rather eat at, but this thread is obviously about chains.

So about Red Robin...I hadn't realized they had spread out so much. When I lived in California there weren't even very many down there. Anyway, I like the chicken burgers and "Clucks & Fries" at Red Robin, and they have awesome honey mustard dipping sauce.

There is one only a few minutes from my parent's house in MD. Let me tell you that for about the last 10+ years I have refused to eat in that restaurant or the one in Williamsburg (which is the closest to me now). I have never had good food there and I won't go into detail about the time we waited an hour+ for a large table to become available instead of them pushing two tables together when my Great Grandmother and Grandparents were with us.

Some of the best burgers my husband and I have ever had are at Duffy's Sports Grill, a local chain in South Florida (Palm Beach area). I so wish they'd expand northward!

There's a Red Robin up here in MA. I've been there once. Wasn't that impressed tbh, but eh...

Now Qdoba. There is a fabulous fabulous place.

co-sign.