"kilikini" > wrote in message
...
> jmcquown wrote:
>> Hear hear! I may ask for opinions about a place before going there,
>> as Lou did, but I don't say the food sucks if I've never eaten there.
>> BTW, the two times I ate at Olive Garden I was absolutely not
>> impressed. Ditto the food at Applebee's, Chili's, Outback, etc. A
>> chain is a chain is a chain.
>> Jill
>
> I agree with you about chain restaurants, Jill. Actually, we had a gift
> card that we had to use at an Olive Garden a few months back; Allan got it
> from someone at work. I'm trying to remember what we ate - it was *that*
> memorable. (Okay, I had to go to the online menu to check.)
>
> So, as for the chain restaurants we've sworn off Chili's, Ruby Tuesday's,
> Golden Corral, Olive Garden & Carrabba's. All are overpriced and
> over-rated. Why do people go? Is it because they don't know any
> better?????
>
> kili

I think that must be it, kili. Or maybe that's all there is nearby. Or
maybe they just buy into the marketing hype they see on TV. Chain
restaurants are just like big box stores run amok.

Here in SC in the last week or so there was a public outcry because a
property owner tried to sell one of his (many) undeveloped 40 acre
properties on Hwy. 21 on Lady's Island to Wal-Mart. The city council
quickly nixed the idea because the property is specifically zoned for a
series of small shops, no building higher than 2 stories. It's not zoned
for a 195,000 sq. ft. behemoth. (Not to mention, there's already a Wal-Mart
Superstore about 15 miles away in Beaufort.)

Why am I mentioning Wal-Mart, you ask? Because I was reading the message
boards associated with the local paper on this very subject. There was one
woman who was all in favour of someone building a big box store at that
location as long as it was an "upscale big box store" rather than a
Wal-Mart. She went on to say Lady's Island should get some *good* (chain)
restaurants like Applebee's, Ruby Tuesday and Outback. (She did
specifically add, "But not Olive Garden, I don't like them." LOL)

IMHO this woman's taste must be in her ass. She's all for ruining a
beautiful area by making it look just like every other cookie-cutter town
with chain restaurants. There are a lot of wonderful restaurants in the
area, she apparently just doesn't know how to recognize them.

Jill