Chain Restaurants (Split from the "Ought to Know" Thread)

[Azure]

Originally Posted by return to the red

you must have been drinking

Must have been!

[Dion]

I'm a huge fan of Joey's Only Seafood.

[return to the red]

Originally Posted by Dion

I'm a huge fan of Joey's Only Seafood.

You either have a sick sense of humour or have some serious crack cravings. Joey's only has to be THE WORST seafood place EVER!!

You leave the restaurant felling you were battered not the fish

[Dion]

Originally Posted by return to the red

You either have a sick sense of humour or have some serious crack cravings. Joey's only has to be THE WORST seafood place EVER!!

You leave the restaurant felling you were battered not the fish

I'll forget i read the sick sense of humor or crack cravings comment.

Why does it bother you that someone has a different opinion on a resturant?

[Superflyer]

I think that most chains are meh. BP's ESM, etc are OK but not my first choice of where to eat.
I like to go to some of them though, like Joey's Only when I want grease the make great greasy fish and chips. Also I love Denny's breakfasts on Sunday mornings.
I used to like Chianti's but I went to the one on 32nd when it opened and the pasta was mush and the chicken was tough. Never went back to that one and now that they got rid of the oil and vinegar with the bread I cannot go back to any as the food was average at best.

[Dion]

Another good place is Humpty's.

I love their bangers and eggs dish.

[Five-hole]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

And I'm always shocked at the "all you can drink" pop. For $2.00 you can get all you can drink, but at the grocery store you can get 2L for less than that, and you won't drink 2L of pop at a meal.

You'd be even more offended if you knew what it cost the restaurant to pour you that $2 glass off pop. If it cost them 3 cents they've got a bum deal from the Coca-Cola corporation. That means -- even with the bum deal -- you'd have to drink roughly 67 glasses of pop to get what you paid for.

Sadly, this applies to non-premium highballs at pubs/bars. You're probably looking at about a 20-50 cent cost (on the lower end usually, depending on the alcohol) for a drink you get charged $3.50 - $5.50 for.

But hey, the food & drink industry needs to make money too. I just avoid ordering drinks with pop in them. For a multitude of reasons, actually, too; pop is a glass of corn syrup and is one of the most horrid concoctions you can subject your pancreas to.

[Five-hole]

Back on the topic of chains:

Joey's (tomatoes, not seafood ) has got to be at the top. Different, tasty, and interesting food, the prices are reasonable (for a chain) and -- at least the one at Chinook -- provides some top notch ... decor ... to rest your eyes on while you eat.

Earl's is okay. The food is better than most but in my opinion it's way too expensive for what you get.

Original Joe's has the best pub food of a place I've been too, though it's not as cheap as the ship. ($7 burger? hell yeah!)

Most others would take hell or high water for me to chow down at. Especially Denny's ... hurrrrgh.

[Mango]

Originally Posted by Five-hole

Original Joe's has the best pub food of a place I've been too, though it's not as cheap as the ship. ($7 burger? hell yeah!)

I love how you get two side order and the fact that the side orders aren't all the traditional ones. It's nice to be able to get coleslaw or pasta salad and onion rings or french fries. The service at the Marda Loop location is fantastic!

[return to the red]

Originally Posted by Dion

I'll forget i read the sick sense of humor or crack cravings comment.

Why does it bother you that someone has a different opinion on a resturant?

It doesn't bother me at all I just think Joey's seafood (If you have ever been to the one in Lethbridge you would never go back) has to be the worst seafood place of all. If i'm going for fish and chips I'll hit up moxie's and pay the extra $5.00 or whatever rather then set foot in that grease pit

[North East Goon]

I have to agree Joey's is not bad fish and chips. Upgrade to the more expensive fish - it's pretty good!

[mykalberta]

I honestly have no idea what this thread is about, but I will asume its about good chain restraunts, I like Chili's and Denny's (Stadium one only, best food/service of the 4 I have been to in Calgary).

I go to Chilis average 6 times/month. Never a bad meal.

MYK

[Bobblehead]

I haven't been to Joey's in years. If you want good (albeit still pretty greasy) fish 'n chips go to Captain Scotts in the Castleridge Plaza.

I like finding little places like that, but if you don't know about them then I tend to gravitate towards places where I have an idea of what I can get.

Although I am also one of those people who orders something I know I like instead of something new to try out.

And Photon, you can order Tony Romas ribs for pickup. I know they have gone downhill the past few years, but baby back ribs with Blue Ridge Smoky sauce is sooo good.

Edit for MYK - I have been to Chilis in the NE 3 times since it opened (5-6 years ago?) and never had a good meal.

[photon]

Originally Posted by return to the red

You either have a sick sense of humour or have some serious crack cravings. Joey's only has to be THE WORST seafood place EVER!!

You leave the restaurant felling you were battered not the fish

Lol our whole office went there for the all you can eat fish and chips tuesday once.. the bathroom saw a lot of use that afternoon, and we all made a pact to never go back.

Paper thin filets of fish with 1" of batter on either side, it was pretty gross.

[photon]

Originally Posted by Dion

Another good place is Humpty's.

Ugh, that place is pretty gross IMO.. Denny's is about the bottom of the barrel for me.

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

And Photon, you can order Tony Romas ribs for pickup. I know they have gone downhill the past few years, but baby back ribs with Blue Ridge Smoky sauce is sooo good.

Ah but they don't deliver.. when the kid was still quite young and sleep was hard to come by, delivery saved our butts a few times. (Yes, I used ribs to put the kid to sleep! )

Plus you can order Swiss Chalet online! Geek factor +1

[photon]

We used to go to Perkins quite a bit for breakfasts, then stopped for quite a while, then went back recently to try it again and wow has it ever gone downhill.

[phaneuf_train]

Anyone here ever go to Outbacks Steakhouse in Crowfoot? I love that place. It's too bad their last day of business is this sunday.

[Byrns]

Originally Posted by phaneuf_train

Anyone here ever go to Outbacks Steakhouse in Crowfoot? I love that place. It's too bad their last day of business is this sunday.

Really? What are they replacing it with?

[phaneuf_train]

Originally Posted by Byrns

Really? What are they replacing it with?

Im pretty sure Outbacks, Tony Romas, and Shanks are getting torn down. I know Shanks is going to be a best buy, so I guess the restaurants will be some sort of mall type stores.

[mykalberta]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

Edit for MYK - I have been to Chilis in the NE 3 times since it opened (5-6 years ago?) and never had a good meal.

I have never been to the one in the NE, only NorthHill.

MYK