Battle of the Chain Restaurants

Our house has been under renovation since June of 2006. We moved out for 5 months and spent the remainder either without a kitchen or a very bare bones kitchen. For 2 months I cooked using an electric frying pan, dorm sized microwave and an electric grill.

Needless to say we ate out a lot. We also have a 3 year old, which means chain restaurants. I refuse to eat at almost all fast food restaurants. We ended up frequenting formula-driven sit down places like TGI Fridays. Now that I am cooking again in the kitchen of my dreams; I thought it would be fun to look back and evaluate the places we frequented….or in some cases went to once and never went back.

TGI Fridays
Friday’s ended up actually being my favorite of the huge chains. The service was generally good, and the menu has a good selection of items. Friday’s actually has a reasonable number of choices that are not deep fried, covered in cream sauce or cheese. I also appreciated the fact that they offered a nice kid’s experience. Each time we went my son received a balloon. In addition to offering the standard crayons an coloring page they include a package of saltine crackers. For some reason this kept my son satisfied until his meal arrived. Friday’s had a decent selection of premium beer and beverage options. Vegetable preparations were very inconsistent sometimes presented near raw and other times with all the flavor cooked out of them.

PROS: Decent menu selection and beverage selection, nice kids experience, good service that is not irritating

CONS: Not enough low fat options, things tended to be overcooked.

Chili’s
Still don’t understand why this one is in business. Everything that I ordered every time we went was dry. Even the salad. Their children’s selections were decent. They do offer some decent low fat options. Their guiltless grill is a nice addition to their menu. I think overall they just need a brand and menu refresh. Not much has changed at this restaurant, it still seems exactly as it was 8-10 years ago. Staff always seems a bit slow.

PROS: Low fat options on the menu.

CONS: Nasty bathrooms, crappy dry overcooked food

Macaroni Grill
My only problem with the Macaroni Grill is that it seems like everything they serve is “covered in a rich cream sauce”. Low fat is nearly impossible here. I tended to gravitate more toward the red sauce and pepper options on the menu. I did try an Alfredo like dish once. The portion I was served could have satisfied 3 people. On the plus side the food was always decent and they accommodate children very well. My son gets a kick out of the opera singers that roam around the restaurant. They also have their own branded crayon colors. It surprises me how popular it is. There can be a long wait for a table at peak hours.

PROS: Roaming Opera Singers, good value, decent food

CONS: Long waits for tables, limited lower fat options, pasta is really the only option, servers can be annoying

Perkins
Why people go to Perkins completely escapes me. There is no rhyme or reason. It can’t be due to the quality of the food. We went to Perkins once because it was a Holiday and there were literally no other restaurant was open in a 5 mile radius of our house. You tend to do desperate things when you do not have a kitchen. We went for breakfast. It was disgusting. Horrible processed cheese was used in everything. Service was good though the server looked as though she had a rough evening the night before. Hopefully I will never be forced into a Perkins again.

PROS: Nothing

CONS: Everything

Green Mill
We dined at the Green Mill in Eden Prairie one time and I was not impressed. I ordered a Chicken Alfredo dish and I have to say it was really pretty gross. The chicken was way overcooked, rubbery and dry. The sauce was not appealing. Even the water we ordered tasted funny. It was like the lines in the beverage system needed to be cleaned. Take out from the uptown location was way better. We liked their salad, sandwiches and pizza. Service was fine. The night we were there they seemed under staffed.

PROS: Take out from the uptown location was good, delivery was quick

CONS: Service was spotty, entrees at the Eden Prairie location were bad

Byerly’s/Lunds Deli
I just love Byerly’s and Lunds. Living in the suburbs they are the next best thing to having a co-op or a Whole Foods or a Dean and Deluca. What I would do for a Dean and Deluca in Minneapolis. Take out from the Deli is always consistently good, and they offer a wide range of selections including Big Bowl, Sushi, Grilled Sandwiches and Soups, the list is fairly endless. I have never actually eaten in any of the Byerly’s restaurants. From what I have been told they cater to an older audience. Service has always been friendly. Our local Bloomington Lund’s is just a really great low stress place to shop…even on a Saturday afternoon.

PROS: A huge high quality selection of take out options, friendly and helpful staff
CONS: I’ll get back to you on that

Major’s
There is nothing new or different about Major’s it falls into the same category as Granite City (see below). These places all have the same exact menu both for adults and kids. Burgers, alfredo dishes, salads with a million ingredients and a few overpriced items that you should never order in a place like this. Prime Rib comes to mind. We go to Major’s for 2 reasons. My son loves it and it is close to our house. Parking can be really difficult. The busier they are the faster the service. Major’s offers grilled vegetables as an alternative to fries, and they have a few items that can be made as lower fat or lower carbs.

Cheesecake Factory
The thing that amazes me about this place is the fact that as early as 6:00pm on a Friday or Saturday it is standing room only and the wait for a table is excessive 30 minutes or more. It was easier to get a table during the week or at 5pm on a weekend night. For how extensive the menu is, they have no Children’s Menu. Service was fine though very robotic. We always split an entrée between two adults. There is usually enough to take home for lunch the next day. The food is good. I have never had a bad meal there, and I will say that the cheesecake is outstanding. Cheesecake Factory reminds me of the many restaurants we went to on our Trip to Disney World this past Fall. It is very safe for the masses. I am sure this is why Minnesota loves it.

PROS: Extensive menu, food is generally very good

CONS: Robotic service, Long waits for tables, no kid’s menu

Granite City
Granite City is a completely generic restaurant that offers nothing different or new. Totally formula driven, they claim to be a brew pub. I did not like any of their beer. The food was fine though very boring. We went once for Sunday Brunch. I thought it was overpriced. It was like a more polished Old Country Buffet. Every server we had was irritating. In fact one of them told us he had this job because he did not want to work too hard. No lower fat options that I could find. Average Kids experience. If you live by one and it’s convenient I think it would be a better alternative to fast food. I would not go out of my way to eat there.

PROS: Easy parking, food is fine
CONS: Their beer sucks, servers are irritating, totally generic in every way