Boycott

thought this would be an interesting question. Do you boycott
any restaurant's and why..not meant to flame, but I was just wondering if people hold grudges as long as I do.

mine are
Subway
not just because the food is terrible, but because I can't stand Jared, that guy really bothers me..yeah you lost weight and we've all seen your old pants, now go away.

Ihop
only went once but the service left a lasing impression

The Cheesecake Factory
bad food, bad service, very impersonal

Pizza Hut
my newest boycott, I had the rudest service on Sunday, we walked out

Taco Bell
I have given them way too many chances, I won't get fooled again


I can't bring myself to bust on any locals, and most locals I choose not to frequent is because of bad encounters while offering service to the restaurant, I'm in sales/service..was just wondering if anyone shared my stubborn behavior

I won't eat at Olive Garden. Never. Ever. No matter what.

If a large group of people (usually family) want to go to an uninspiring restaurant, I'll reluctantly go along; I can always get a cheeseburger or a salad or something. But I've never had anything even remotely satisfying at Olive Garden, so several years ago I made the decision to never go back.

By the way, I'm not insulting anyone who likes OG. That's their own business.

The Cheesecake Factory
because they have advertisments in the menu... Walked out without ordering.

Highland Coffee
because they won't tell you who is roasting their coffee for them.

Cafe 360
because the food and service sucks

Most (non fast food) Chain restaurants because they are overpriced and serve generic food.

With a 14-year old son it's hard to ditch out on the fast food chains... wish I could.

Cchain restaurants because they are overpriced and serve generic food.

Surely you don't include Havana Rumba in your boycott?

Havana Rumba is a chain? Two local outlets with different names and menus is a chain now?

Havana Rumba is a chain? Two local outlets with different names and menus is a chain now?

No, it isn't. I didn't see that this thread was limited to boycotts of chains.

UPDATE: Heh ok...I read that as Cuban. It said "Cchain"

Sorry

I differ a bit with the terminology.

Choosing not to return because of a bad experience or rotten food is one thing, and understandable, but having principled reasons for withholding patronage is something else entirely.

I generally boycott chains -- not always (Skyline Chili is an exception for me), but a majority of the time -- because I have a philosophical objection to the proposition that #457 of 987 Magyar Cafe units can still be called a "neighborhood" place, or whatever other nonsense is dispensed by these propaganda machines and their ad agency toadies.

See, the preceding is ideology put to good use to boycott. Soggy lettuce just means you know better than to expect too much.

Note: I'm using chains as an example of the difference, and not because I want to see this thread hijacked elsewhere.

[Robin Garr]

thought this would be an interesting question. Do you boycott
any restaurant's and why..not meant to flame, but I was just wondering if people hold grudges as long as I do.

I'm not sure it's a full boycott, but I tend to avoid Yum! brands largely because of the way they respond to criticism from the advocacy groups that challenge their positions on farmworker and animal-welfare issues. Chaining off corporate headquarters, bringing in squadrons of merchant and metro police to create the impression that peaceful demonstrators are terrorists is appalling corporate PR behavior and doesn't impart in me any real wish to dine on their fare.

I also share Roger's general attitude toward chains.

But as a food writer I also feel a responsibility to avoid "boycotts" and to bring an open mind to every eatery, so I don't refuse to eat at chain restaurants - even Yum! - and to be fair in my reports. (Thinking aloud, my recent critical record on Yum! brands is mixed. I didn't think much of the KFC fish snacker, but loved the A&W corn dog nuggets and wasn't loath to say so.

One (mostly) non-food boycott: I do not shop at Walmart or Sam's Club, period; and if they have snack bars or sandwich shops (parallel to Costco's excellent hot-dog stand), I will not be dining there or reviewing that.

Everything I've ever had at Cheesecake Factory has been very delicious, and the wait staff is friendly in my experience.

Restaurants I refuse to go to are Olive Garden and Fazoli's (I hate Faux Italian), Taco Bell (ever since I found out where they get their beef), Tony Roma's (ever since I had a bad experience at one) and Skyline Chili (it's not *real* chili).

I can't think of any other restaurants I despise so much.

I also have a list of restaurants that I won't refuse to go to, but I would put up a fuss about: O'Charley's (nothing is light fare on their menu), Applebee's (menu is uninteresting), Wendy's (not much there I like).

Normally I avoid going to any chain restaurant, so 98 % of the time that my family and I eat out we go to local places. To me there is nothing like going to restaurant and see the owner interact with customers, to me restaurants are more than just a place to eat, they need to have a history a soul. I wish more local restaurants were open Sunday and Monday when I'm off, but I understand.

I hope that Mojito and Havana Rumba are not consider a chain, so I don’t have to quit going there.

Shouldn't "boycott" mean that one avoids a particular business based on moral or political objections to how that entity conducts its business? Otherwise, one should say that they refuse to do business there because the food or service sucked every time they dined there.

I boycott every place where I am poisoned by cigarette smoke.

Restaurants I refuse to go ... (snip) ... and Skyline Chili (it's not *real* chili).

Just out of curiosity, do you mean not "real" according to the genre (Cincinnati-style) or not "real" in some other fashion? Please elaborate.

Domino's Pizza. I have issues with the founder's politics. Please don't turn this post into a political discussion, though -- we're here to talk about food.

I'm not sure it's a full boycott, but I tend to avoid Yum! brands largely because of the way they respond to criticism from the advocacy groups that challenge their positions on farmworker and animal-welfare issues.

The only active restaurant boycott we've participated in was the Taco Bell boycott that our family extended to all of Yum brands. However, Yum really came through on responding to that boycott, and I would hope you wouldn't continue to avoid them. Since the workers involved were happy with the resolution, it would seem to hurt them unnecessarily.

OTOH, we still avoid YUM, but now because of the food.

We've never ordered from Domino's much (for same reason as given above).

I am not philosophically opposed to chains as a category. I do prefer local restaurants for a variety of reasons, both to do with the food served and with supporting local economies. Nonetheless, I wouldn't avoid them as a category.