I miss Fuddruckers and doubt anything will ever fill that hole in my heart.
It would probably be Cane’s, because I eat there a fair amount and it’s like B-tier fried chicken for an okay price. If we wanna go international, then it’s Kyochon. It’s a Korean Fried Chicken chain with 1 location in America and a bunch in Korea
Second would either be McDonalds or Dairy Queen for their McFlurry/blizzard or their super artificial ice cream. Honestly, I know there is better ice cream, but I have an Anton Ego flashback (from Ratatouille) whenever I take a bite/lick of ice cream and am reminded of the trips I took with my mom when we walked over to Dairy Queen together
I go to canes for their toast but their chicken is also very good. Honestly I like thier chicken more than any other place other than Chick-fil-A.
Cane’s! Maybe it’s just nostalgia for me, but in College (OSU) went to Cane’s far too often on High Street.
The chicken is way better than other fast food places, fries are a carrier for the sauce and the toast is pretty good.
The McDonalds near me hasn’t had ice cream in a year. I reported them to corporate and they had ice cream again for like two weeks until they claimed their machine was broke again
Chipotle
They suck now. Tiny ass burrito for like $12 and it takes forever. The service is always piss poor and they never get the order right.
The chipotle/Qdoba near me has gone way too downhill in the past few years for me. The burritos used to be huge, now they’re the size of a small potato. Also 50% of the time they mess up my order and I don’t realize until I get home and open it up.
BD’s Mongolian BBQ. I’m not even sure they are around anymore though.
There’s still some around, but not nearly as many as there were. The one local to me closed and the nearest remaining one is like 20 miles away.
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I think there’s one in Sterling Heights on M-59 still.
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Chain?
I mean, sure the top restaurants on my list aren’t chains, but if we’re gonna restrict it, I’ll say Macdonald’s. It saved my ass at 2am once while traveling, that’s worth a lot.
Nothing quite like that magical moment where you’ve been walking lost and confused for an hour around a foreign city and your last 4 attempts to find a place to eat have failed, and you say “ugh all right fine” and look for the nearest MacDonald’s.
McD is just there for you when you need it, and you know what to expect. I end up there way more than I should due to my work taking me on the roads, after a while you learn to game the menu a bit and order just enough that you’ve eaten, without indulging.
In my country the other options when on the road are gas stations which aren’t more nutritive nor cheaper, or snack-bars with deep fried stuff.
The best is if I can hit it before 11am then I can get the breakfast things which are a good portion and cheaper than the lunch options.
Din Tai Fung and Kizuki Ramen are my top chains.
I always catch myself about to abbreviate it DTF, and then I type out the entire name.
I miss Quiznos.
I don’t know if they are completely out of business, but they sure as shit don’t operate anywhere within 100 miles of where I live anymore.
Their ribeye steakhouse sub was the best fucking thing ever.
Literally the only chain I would recommend. Everything else I love is mom&pop local dives and taco trucks.
IIRC, Company Man on YouTube had a video on the rise and fall of Quiznos
Ezell’s Chicken, but only in Seattle and Beaverton, OR.
There’s one in Tacoma as well, it’s pretty good!
That 3.8 rating had me a bit worried to try them.
The chicken is amazing, but there are issues with the original owner and a contentious lawsuit. :(
https://seattlerefined.com/eat-drink/pickin-chicken-ezells-vs-heaven-sent
Heaven Sent might be better, but they also aren’t down here in Oregon yet. :)
Boston Market still exists.
Back in the day I used to love Kenny Rogers Roasters. Their chicken was beyond next level. But that chain lasted for like five minutes.
Culver’s. Butter burgers, cheese curds, and custard all in one spot.
Morley’s for the banger hot wings.
Cracker barrel is consistently good. And it’s different than a burger or pizza.
I recently went into one for the first time in a long while and I struggled to find something on the menu that was adjacent to healthy. Granted, what I chose ended up being pretty tasty. I remember it fondly from my childhood for the checker boards and the jumpy table game, not so much for the food options.
For sure not healthy.
You went to Cracker Barrel expecting healthy offerings?
It was virtually the only option. Just counted it as a cheat day
Jason’s Deli has yet to disappoint me. It is not high-end cuisine, but they serve good food with consistent quality. They also have enough variety that almost anyone can find something.
Technically, Mugg & Bean from South Africa. But that’s the chain they used to be, they changed their menu in major ways at some point between 2019 and 2023, and now it sucks :(
Tbh, the only chain I eat at is a local chain that would tell anyone that recognizes the name more or less where I live. They make really good burgers
Jones’ barbeque and foot massage?
Elevation Burger? I miss that place so much.
They made a funny joke about them in the movie Idiocracy, they thought they’d be around forever; Evolution of Fuddruckers
They’re still around aren’t they? What am I missing?
I think they closed many of their locations, so for some people it gives the illusion they do not exist.
There is still one where I am. It’s on the edge of an outdoor mall near a movie theater. Placement wise it’s probably about as good as you can get.
