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.