Few pleasures compare to that of biting into a warm, fresh, fluffy breadstick, flavored with tasty parmesan, garlic, and oregano. Perhaps you like to dip yours in some type of pasta sauce, like marinara or Alfredo. Maybe you're a ranch fan, or you prefer classic garlic butter. Either way, not all breadsticks are created equal. To make sure you're getting your money's worth and avoid disappointment, it's handy to know which chain restaurants serve the best breadsticks - and which should be avoided.
When you dine out instead of making your own meal, there's a trade-off: What you gain in convenience, you lose in terms of knowledge and control. Customers rarely know exactly how their orders are made, and more restaurants rely on frozen food than you might guess - even for "premium" items like steak. We've rounded up four popular chain eateries that have been rumored to use frozen steaks.
Greg's friends started popping up soon after, with user Paladin Posting sharing a screenshot of the same building with the caption: "WTF is a Dollar General. Why is it in my Valheim server." Another user, Woman Mage, also shared a view of the building from a different angle with the caption "this is just absurd."
In our ranking of 13 popular U.S. steakhouse chains, Outback outranked cost-effective competitors Texas Roadhouse and LongHorn Steakhouse, and we included Outback's baked potato soup in our roundup of 14 chain restaurant soups that are actually worth ordering. Also, in our ranking of 21 popular Outback Steakhouse menu items, the loaded mashed potatoes (upon which the soup is based) neared the top of the ranks.
The biggest advantage to dining at a chain restaurant like Chilis is the fact that the menu options and pricing are relatively consistent across the board. If you're a fan of the cheesy, comforting, and savory flavors of a chicken enchilada soup, then this menu item from Chili's should be at the top of your list to order. Depending on your specific location, you'll have to check with your local restaurant to verify that the chicken enchilada soup is available.
When you want something light, refreshing, and packed with nutrients, you might be craving a visit to a salad bar. It gives you the chance to customize your plate, choosing from a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables. And a lot of salad bars offer more than just greens, often featuring pasta, rice, cold cuts, eggs, and more. In fact, at many restaurants, you could easily eat a whole satisfying and delicious meal straight from the salad bar.
Drive through any American town or pull off any highway across the country and you'll see them: the glowing neon signs of chain restaurants. Think Chili's, Applebee's, Olive Garden, Red Lobster. There's something about these places: They're familiar, nearly ubiquitous and, somehow despite rising food prices offer a full sit-down, restaurant service experience at an affordable price, according to many readers who dine at these places and who spoke to us for this project.
While Texas is a barbecue region often associated with brisket, Texas Roadhouse's ribs prove that Texas-style barbecue does ribs right, too. The racks came smothered in a rich and complex barbecue sauce that could make even the most measly and tough bits of meat taste fantastic. It was thick and plentiful, with the perfect trifecta of savory, sweet, and smoky notes. We could really taste how well the ribs were basted as they grilled due to that smoky depth.
Quesadillas appear on countless menus, from taco trucks' whiteboards to drive-through screens. All kinds of restaurants have gotten in on the act, with fast food joints, sports bars, and casual Mexican spots all serving filled-and-folded tortillas. Restaurant chain quesadillas are a dime a dozen, and it's highly likely you've bitten into one that's too waxy, too soggy, or lacking in flavor. With such a simple recipe, every element of the quesadilla is critical.
If you're in the mood for seafood, there are plenty of places you can go to eat. Seafood includes a wide scope of creatures and dishes from shrimp scampi to bacon-wrapped scallops to calamari, but what if you're in the mood for a specific seafood dish: fried fish? Ah, well, options are more limited, and good-tasting ones are even more difficult to find.
While researching its deli meats, one thing became abundantly clear - while many customers feel the chain's standards started to slip around the late '90s and early 2000's, things took a turn for the worse after the COVID-19 pandemic. Several reasons for this decline were noted by commenters who claimed to be former employees and managers, including a change in leadership that led to inconsistencies across various Potbelly establishments. Diners also reported the meat had a slimy texture and bland flavor.
I've avoided chain restaurants for years, but I've become more familiar with them since my teenagers started requesting to visit spots like Chili's and Applebee's. My 17-year-old son and his girlfriend often hit their favorite ones on date nights, and have long been singing their praises for BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse - a chain my husband and I had yet to visit.
When people joke about a chain having a store on every corner, the butt of the joke is usually Starbucks or McDonald's, but neither one is actually the country's largest chain restaurant. Of those two, Starbucks is the bigger one, having almost 17,000 stores in the U.S. at the end of 2024.
Chapter 11 can be filed by either the debtor themselves, whoever or whatever owns the restaurant, or be filed by the company's creditors. In either case, it gives a business breathing room to restructure its debts. This can take different forms, including negotiating with creditors, closing under-performing locations, and selling off assets, which may then put it in better financial shape to meet its debt obligations. During this time, the business can continue operating, too.
Going out to dinner as a family of four can cost more money than you might think. Since prices are consistently rising, too, knowing which chain restaurants can be relied upon for a meal that's tasty and affordable is helpful. After all, many chains offer family meals, kids menus, and discounts for older people (among potential deals). Other chains have generally lower prices when it comes to full meals, reducing the likely cost for a family dining experience.
Chain restaurants offer a sense of familiarity and comfort that keeps people coming back. You can visit a location on the West Coast and then fly to the other side of the country and still know the menu without having too many surprises - that's a big part of what keeps people loyal to familiar eateries. There are plenty of chains to pick from, too, whether you like the seafood options at Red Lobster, the popular menu items from Applebee's, or margaritas at Texas Roadhouse.
One of my favorite restaurants is Milk & Honey in Harlan, Iowa, a small town in the western part of the state. The restaurant is run by Ellen Walsh-Rosmann, who is also a farmer and a mother. Milk & Honey has a delicious homemade strawberry jam that's way better than the normal mediocre corn syrup-based jam packets served at most diners. Their skillets include chorizo made from pork raised on Ellen's farm.
Chain restaurants want to do your cooking for you on Labor Day, which falls on Monday, Sept. 1. Here are some deals announced in news releases, on chains' websites or in social media. Most deals are for Sept. 1 only but some are good for as much as two weeks. Also, participation in these promotions may vary by locations. Check out your local restaurant if you can.
The American landscape used to be covered in Benningan's, Arthur Treachers, and Chi-Chi's restaurants, which at one time or another all probably seemed like the next big thing.
