Posted: 3/4/2011 7:36:55 PM EDT
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The Outback thread got me thinking which is dangerous when I am consuming beer, but I digress. It seem I have noticed in alot of parts of our country (mainly the South East) there are very few small independent restaurants and a ton of chains. My relatives in the Carolinas and Florida when ever we visit always want to go to some garbage chain that is serving defrosted shit. And its not like its 8 bucks a meal its as much as if I went to a restaurant up here that is locally owned and turns out great food.
How come you guys in some of these areas dont have more indipendent food shops and why do you go to a chain? I can't remember the last time I went inside a Ruby Tuesdays, Applbees, or Outback. Up here in NY I must say its one of the states only good points there are a million different places I can go and get unique different food that is fresh and tastes good. Call it big city thinking but I always get a good chuckle when I am in NYC and watch all the out of towner hay seeds eating at Applebees, Hard Rock, etc in Times Square when there are literally 1000's of amazing mom & pop places to get all kinds of different food. Also I dont live in NYC I've lived all over the hudson valley and even tiny ass towns up here have hardly any chains its all locally owned restaurants. So its not that its a big city thing. |
| Not saying a matter of shame but why not go to something locally owned and operated that can turn out something that isn't prepared or frozen? Thats what I dont get for what a chain costs or close enough to it I can get the same thing at a place that is run by a small business owner that probably is my neighbor. It would be like buying Wolf Ammo instead of Federal if they were the same price. One turns out a way better product and the owner is from the same place as you. |
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Look up: Brinker Lettuce Entertain You Around here.... chain eateries are the taint of the devils ass. We shop for quality local foods and cook for ourselves. Quality and cost are much better and we do not have to worry about the local child molester stuffing his anal pudge in our serving and tipping him for it. FB |
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You are basing your assumptions off of a small geographical area and faulty views. The S.E. has many chains and even more mom n pop type restaurants. Fair enough. I havent spent massive amounts of time in the area but most of my family lives there and my acquaintances from the area all love chains. I also haven't spent time in more rural areas down south so it might be like it is here touristy areas (ie: Miami, Tampa, Wilmington, Myrtle Beach were I have family) are all chains and the local towns are mom and pop. |
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Very few small independent restaurants in the southeast? That statement is as fucked up as a football bat, my friend. Ha I like that analogy. This is why I ask. Obviously when visiting family that live in metro areas in the SE I dont stray far from where they live. I'm assuming by the responses so far its a touristy areas thing. Good to know I was always put off when visiting family and we would end up at shit ass chain night after night down there. Was lead to believe it was a regional phenomena. |
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Very few small independent restaurants in the southeast? That statement is as fucked up as a football bat, my friend. Ha I like that analogy. This is why I ask. Obviously when visiting family that live in metro areas in the SE I dont stray far from where they live. I'm assuming by the responses so far its a touristy areas thing. Good to know I was always put off when visiting family and we would end up at shit ass chain night after night down there. Was lead to believe it was a regional phenomena. Miami has tons of random shit. You just gotta look for it instead of relying on the 'safe' chain restaurants. |
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Look up: Brinker Lettuce Entertain You Around here.... chain eateries are the taint of the devils ass. We shop for quality local foods and cook for ourselves. Quality and cost are much better and we do not have to worry about the local child molester stuffing his anal pudge in our serving and tipping him for it. FB I used to think that way too. But in all honesty lately and I dont know how it is in TX but up here I can go out for dinner for close to what I pay for ingredients. For example I can get a rib eye with veggies and a starch at a good quality place for in the 25-30 range. I bought a rib eye last week to cook and it was $17 dollars. Add in some veggies and potatoes and its got to be close to 20-25 depending what I buy. For the extra 5-10 bucks its almost worth it to go out and have someone do the cooking for me. If steaks in TX are alot less then what I pay please dont tell me. I my girlfriend doesnt need me to have any more fuel for bitching about how much I hate NY. |
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Very few small independent restaurants in the southeast? That statement is as fucked up as a football bat, my friend. Ha I like that analogy. This is why I ask. Obviously when visiting family that live in metro areas in the SE I dont stray far from where they live. I'm assuming by the responses so far its a touristy areas thing. Good to know I was always put off when visiting family and we would end up at shit ass chain night after night down there. Was lead to believe it was a regional phenomena. Miami has tons of random shit. You just gotta look for it instead of relying on the 'safe' chain restaurants. My family in Miami is elderly as in very elderly 80+. They also live in I believe its north hollywood if thats even a town. I dont think we ever explored Miami all that much when we visited them. This year I'll have to make a point to look up some food choices before letting them decide on some shitty buffet or other nasty place. |
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Hudson Valley try this joint.....if you want indy............
http://www.thepeekskillbrewery.com/ 
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Hudson Valley try this joint.....if you want indy............ http://www.thepeekskillbrewery.com/ That looks good, but I'm up in Albany area now. Grew up in New Paltz/Poughkeepsie area originally. Never been to Peekskill to be quite honest just used to hearing its name when I rode metro north. |
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So don't go into places that are chains.
About 40 years ago, McDonald's commissioned a study of who chooses the restaurant within a family and why. The wife chooses. 1. cleanliness 2. consistency in the food Until McDonald's came along, you did not have continuous cleaning of floors, tables and seats in most restaurants. Until McDconald's came along, there wasn't consistency in the food served. Now every chain copies McDonald's in those areas. The margin in the fast food restaurant business is not very high. |
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Hudson Valley try this joint.....if you want indy............ http://www.thepeekskillbrewery.com/ That looks good, but I'm up in Albany area now. Grew up in New Paltz/Poughkeepsie area originally. Never been to Peekskill to be quite honest just used to hearing its name when I rode metro north. Well it's right by the Peekskill station...you could throw a rock and hit the place.... |
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a lot of the hole in the wall places serve the same sysco shit as everywhere else, or better yet watch kitchen nightmares mama's own family recipe could be pure shit. also you can feel fairly sure you wont get bad food at a chain. i try and eat at little places when i find them and feel like eating there. |
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Well, my post with Outback is being consistent.....Maybe the night we went had a trainee behind the bar and on the flat top {meat wasn't grilled} Maybe I got the bottom of the box steak cut. I haven't been there in a few yrs, and from what I remember, it was great
I don't mind the chain restaurants as long as each cook or manager that comes in set;s a HIGH standard and stay's and trains employee's to that standard! |
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a lot of the hole in the wall places serve the same sysco shit as everywhere else, or better yet watch kitchen nightmares mama's own family recipe could be pure shit. also you can feel fairly sure you wont get bad food at a chain. i try and eat at little places when i find them and feel like eating there. Sysco should be for for paper goods and to-go containers only. Maybe salt and pepper too. Good local restaurants will have a local purveyor for every product type. I have known my meat purveyor for 11 years now, he's been in the business for 40 years. His company is small and local, and little more expensive than the big guys, but he can find me wild boar on a days notice, and will happily open the doors of his warehouse on a sunday during a holiday weekend to get me something i should have ordered more of on saturday. My wild mushroom picker, a really old chinese guy, comes up with all sorts of stuff for me seasonally, from wild shrooms to wild huckleberries and all sorts of things in between. A good relationship with your purveyors is the difference between having your specials on the board all weekend... and telling that good customer that pays my paycheck (in very direct terms, he doesn't come back = no $ for me) we just don't have that dish. -Beequewl |
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We've always enjoyed Chili's, Red Lobster, and Olive Garden. Good food, very consistent, no shame for me to eat there. And from TX no less. 
I typically avoid chains at all costs, but having a high-travel job puts me around them more often than I'd care for. I often just opt for fast food, I find Whataburger to be finer cuisine than I'd get at an Applebee's or the like. 
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a lot of the hole in the wall places serve the same sysco shit as everywhere else, or better yet watch kitchen nightmares mama's own family recipe could be pure shit. also you can feel fairly sure you wont get bad food at a chain. i try and eat at little places when i find them and feel like eating there. Sysco should be for for paper goods and to-go containers only. Maybe salt and pepper too. Good local restaurants will have a local purveyor for every product type. I have known my meat purveyor for 11 years now, he's been in the business for 40 years. His company is small and local, and little more expensive than the big guys, but he can find me wild boar on a days notice, and will happily open the doors of his warehouse on a sunday during a holiday weekend to get me something i should have ordered more of on saturday. My wild mushroom picker, a really old chinese guy, comes up with all sorts of stuff for me seasonally, from wild shrooms to wild huckleberries and all sorts of things in between. A good relationship with your purveyors is the difference between having your specials on the board all weekend... and telling that good customer that pays my paycheck (in very direct terms, he doesn't come back = no $ for me) we just don't have that dish. -Beequewl This why I go to my local independent places. I bet you take care of your customers alot better then Brian the manager at Chotchkies would, ever. I also bet your chef makes a menu based on what is fresh and what you can procure. Not what some corporate jack ass says should be on the menu for this month. Where is your place if I'm ever in the area I would stop in to eat. |
The ONLY chain restaurant I like anymore is Carrabbas......wait, is that a chain? In any case, I love Carrabbas .
I crossed the Olive Garden off my list. I ordered chicken parm with spaghetti recently. Zero exxageration here, I think they gave me about seven strands of spaghetti   and one chicken cutlet for $14.00. At Carrabbas, for the same price, they give you a whole plate of pasta and two huge cutlets.......and it's actually fresh, not frozen crap.
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