"Pete C." > wrote in message
...
> Joe Cilinceon wrote:
>>
>> "Pete C." > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > Joe Cilinceon wrote:
>> >>
>> >> "Pete C." > wrote in message
>> >> ...
>> >> > cybercat wrote:
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Yes, that's right, I still have not managed to go to anything but
>> >> >> crappy
>> >> >> chain restaurants!
>> >> >>
>> >> >> I had lunch with a client in a town a couple of hours away from me
>> >> >> yesterday, and he chose Applebees. Since he was paying, what could
>> >> >> I
>> >> >> say.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> He had the Chicken Caesar Salad, which is served as half of a salad
>> >> >> and
>> >> >> soup
>> >> >> thing, but he just got two of the small salads. It sounds great on
>> >> >> the
>> >> >> menu,
>> >> >> but when it came, it was loaded down with those pale green little
>> >> >> pepper
>> >> >> rings I think of as pickled peppers--I mean LOADED down. Not much
>> >> >> chicken,
>> >> >> lots of black olives, and a dry piece of sourdough bread on the
>> >> >> side.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> I had the Shrimp Spinach salad, and it did not look very good but
>> >> >> was
>> >> >> excellent. Broiled shrimp on a bed of spinach with rings of roasted
>> >> >> red
>> >> >> pepper and a hot bacon dressing. Very tasty, and not too pricy at
>> >> >> $9.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Per my comments about being packed in at Applebees, e.g. it being
>> >> >> crowded
>> >> >> with tables too close together, this was not the case at this
>> >> >> restaurant.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Just thought I would share. FWIW.
>> >> >
>> >> > My one and only experience with Applebee's was so bad that I
>> >> > blacklisted
>> >> > the entire chain and haven't been back since. So you don't think I
>> >> > overreacted, the location in question had been open for about one
>> >> > month,
>> >> > so it certainly should have had some corporate supervision at that
>> >> > point. The experience was universally bad, bad service, bad food,
>> >> > bad
>> >> > customer service, etc. Not a single acceptable point in the entire
>> >> > train
>> >> > wreck, and not even a visit from a manager to apologize.
>> >> > Plenty of competition, no need to give them a second chance.
>> >> >
>> >> > Pete C.
>> >>
>> >> We have one at the end of the block and based on how jammed it always
>> >> is
>> >> I
>> >> would guess it is pretty popular in Lexington. Now to be honest I
>> >> don't
>> >> remember ever going into one, but then we rarely go out to eat except
>> >> when
>> >> traveling. Most of these places aren't very good regardless so I tend
>> >> to
>> >> avoid them. There are a few exceptions like a couple of times a year
>> >> we
>> >> might have a breakfast at Cracker Barrels or an Outback. When we
>> >> travel
>> >> we
>> >> tend to pick out something along the road and take my chances.
>> >>
>> >> Joe Cilinceon
>> >
>> > None of the big chains generally qualify as five star, but they are
>> > usually consistently decent. A result of that corporate homogenization
>> > where all the brands in the chain end up pretty much identical except
>> > for their decor. Cracker Barrel and Outback are pretty typical in that
>> > you can usually count on being able to stop at one pretty much anywhere
>> > and get a reasonable meal that at least beats the fast food places.
>> >
>> > Pete C.
>>
>> I agree Pete with one exception. My wife worked for Gilbert Robertson
>> chain
>> Fedora's in South Florida. They where better than most 5 star restaurants
>> I've ever eaten in. All food was cooked in plain view of the customers,
>> high
>> quality ingredients, the wait staff had to know every single ingredient
>> as
>> well as the calories etc. It was if not still a very high end place with
>> prices compatible with places like Outback and Cracker Barrels. They also
>> had a very large diverse menu with my favorite Maui onions with balsamic
>> vinegar.
>>
>> Joe Cilinceon
>
> That probably doesn't qualify as a big chain. The big chains aren't
> "Chili's", they're the mega companies that own six or eight of the
> "Chili's" class brands. If you look at some of the gift card ads at such
> places they usually list the rest of the brands owned by that company
> and you can use the gift card at any of them.
>
> Pet eC.

Actually they did and are now part of Houlihan's chains including Holiday
Inns and a lot of other chains around the country. The old Gilbert Robertson
founded the TGIF chain among a few other though they are now under the
control of Houlihan's chains. They where originally out of Kansas City.

Joe Cilinceon