Which "Chains" DO you enjoy ???

Ignoring the fact that (A) there is probably a local establishment that does it better...whatever "it" happens to be and (B) The locavore slant of this forum (I learned that word from Robin, pretty cool huh ?) I'm curious as to which "chain" restaurants the people on (and who lurk on) this forum have enjoyed positive dining experiences. I'll start, feel free to disagree.

B.J.'s Brewhouse - No matter what the beer fuhrer and all the beer geeks say, this place serves up some tasty brews. They are true to the style and quite competent. The food is "above average" for a casual dining chain, particularly the appetizers and pizza. Becky loves their "Chopped Salad". B+

Brava Cucina - A full notch and a half above the other casual Italian dining chains (Macaroni Grill and Olive Garden come to mind). We've dined here several times and have not had a bad entree. The wine list is above average for such an establishment. Service has always been above average. B

Red Robin - Definitely not up to par with the "locals" but beats the hell out of the chain competition (Max and Erma's, etc). R.R. puts out an above average burger and the onion rings are rock star caliber. B

P.F. Changs - A bit spendy but serves up some interesting and tasty Pan-Asian dishes. Every time we've dined here the service has been as good as anything one experiences at most local establishments. B+

Jason's Deli - I admire their "healthy eating" concept (no high fructose corn syrup for example). A bit spendy but they make up for it by serving up some good food in a clean and efficient environment. My "go to" sandwich spot when I'm out of town. B

Smokey Bones - I'm not overly impressed with Smokey Bones BBQ but then again I've not been overly impressed with very much of the "local" BBQ either. The local stuff is almost universally over cooked and over rated. Most of it wouldn't get a polite mention in locales known for good BBQ. So in that light Smokey Bones stacks up well. C+

La Bamba. I crave the corn quesadillas.

Boombozz Pizza

Boombozz Pizza

Good one Brian, I just knew someone was going to come up with that one.

In reply to my own thread I'm going to mention "Old Chicago Pizza". Definitely NOT up there with some of the local stuff but they do serve up a really nice pie. Interestingly they were doing the "Taphouse" concept (quite successfully I might add) many-many years in advance of Mr. BoomBozz. I personally completed the Old Chicago "World Beer Tour" at least 10 years ago (at the time the "tour" was 60 beers long).

Panera
Bonefish
Carraba's
Jason's

Famous Dave's - WAAAAY better than Smokey Bones, IMHO; best restaurant baked beans in the Universe (as far as I have tasted, so far)

Bonefish Grill - my daughter's all time favorite, plus I love the Bang-Bang Shrimp

Five Guys - same as Home Run Burgers, and much closer to my house

Penn Station - good sub sandwich

Culvers - best fast service cheeseburger (Butterburger with cheese) and creamy soft serve

Outback - pretty good value, especially with coupons

PF Chang's - some interesting, tasty dishes, and reliable (but never worth a wait - maybe one of the best by-products of the economic downturn is the shortening of the line at PFC)

I have local independents that I prefer over each of these in their genre, but when these make as much or more sense, I'm not going to throw a hissy fit.

Famous Dave's - WAAAAY better than Smokey Bones, IMHO; best restaurant baked beans in the Universe (as far as I have tasted, so far)

Jeffery, I guess I'll have to both agree and disagree with you about Famous Dave's. Having lived in Minneapolis (home of the original "Famous Dave's) I watched them grow from a small "local" chain into the national presence they now have. The original restaurant was a rock star, at least in the BBQ starved upper mid west. As the "chain" continued to grow they began to have some serious trouble with product consistency (a lesson which I understand places like J. Gumbo learned and others are poised to learn). MOF some of the best as well as some of the worst BBQ I ever tasted came from the same Twin Cities Famous Dave's BBQ restaurant (franchise ?)

Culvers - best fast service cheeseburger (Butterburger with cheese) and creamy soft serve

Gotta agree 100% with ya here Jeffery. Culver's is another chain that got it's start in the upper midwest (Wisconsin I believe)...The ambiance lies somewhere between a traditional fast food establishment and a "sit down" burger joint. I've eaten at Culver's dozens of times (usually when I'm traveling) and have always found their food to be quite satisfactory

Bonefish
Brava Cucina
Panera

Probably the only truly consistent chain that our family can agree on is Cracker Barrel. Whenever we are on a tight travel timeline, driving somewhere over a state away, I can always count on them to provide a decent meal at a good price. I'm also betting that is because all their stores are corporate owned and not franchised thus enabling them to maintain consistent quality.

Just had a wonderful meal at Carraba's. I would add Penn Station, Have a slight addiction to the philly beef. White Castle for the memories. More to come. Bill

Penn Station
Chick-Fil-A (it's the pickle)
Jason's Deli
Cracker Barrel (for breakfast on the road)

Edited 3 times to correct for stupidity.

Maggiano's... I crave that place...Rigatoni D and Nona's Poundcake are amazing!! Just wish they were closer...think there is one in Indy...

Original Pancake House...again in Indy...but I would make that drive for some 49er's any day!

PF Changs and it's little sister Pei Wei... love the soup and appetizers, the rest is ho-hum

Red Robin...can be hit or miss, we've had better experiences at the one in St. Mathews

Really like Penn Station and Five Guys, we have a HomeRun not too far away so we end up there more often

lol @ Chick-fil-A... I only miss them when I can't have them...like on Sundays They are not in Michigan (2 long years) and we ate at Chick-fil-A three or four times a week when we first moved here to make up for the withdrawal...it's not too high on our favorite list anymore

Totally agree with Original Pancake House (also in Cincinnati - Montgomery area) & Jason's.

Old Chicago Pizza - for one brought up on "real" Chicago-style pizza - I think is awful.

Like Cheesecake Factory. As brought up before, better places around, but if we're in the mall their sandwiches are very good & everyone can find a cheesecake they like (some are dense, some light, some very sweet, some lightly sweet, etc.)

Agree with both comments re Famous Dave's; we've been to some franchises that were exceptional, where the franchisee had a "mission" to serve good Q, and been to others which were awful. Also think Smokey Bones is decent, tho they are moving away from stricly BBQ now that they are't a Darden Chain anymore (they were the one Darden concept we would visit).

Culvers may have decent burgers, but after one bite of their cheese curds I felt ill - all salt & breading, nothing like real Wisconsin curds.

Outside this area Maggiano's is decent, but nothing to write home about. I've written my thoughts on Todai. In general, Lettuce Entertainment and BR Guest places really try for excelence, and are always worth a visit. Many Darden "concepts" on the other hand should be avoided!

I have consistently enjoyed Culver's ice cream. Don't care for their hot food at all, but their ice cream is very rich.