Most overrated Restaurants/Food Chains in the world?

They are all overrated.

Chipotle - my coworkers go absolutely nuts over it.

R2 I know people that live by it. Like they legit will eat there everyday.

One goes there after he works out a few days a week. It’s insane.

Who the FUCK still hypes on disease-ridden chipotle???

Starbucks. I hate their shitty overpriced coffee and food.

Whataburger's hype is mostly just a Texas pride thing as far as I can tell

McDonalds

Panera

I have a question for people in the UK or Washington, DC, or anywhere else they are located, is Nando's overrated? I've always wanted to try it, my local grocery store recently started carrying their peri-peri sauces and I love the XX-hot one.

Ugh I knew I would see Chipotle on this list LOL. It breaks my chipotle loving heart haha. I think it's good because it's well seasoned, and has variety- plus every diet can it there: vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, keto, dieting, high carb, whole30, paleo, regular.

I live in Dallas, and I have to say Cane's is the one fast food place people go CRAZY over here in the south, that I genuinely don't get it lol. Whataburger is genuinely gross too, but their breakfast is out of this mf world so I won't bash it.

[quote]Whataburger's hype is mostly just a Texas pride thing as far as I can tell

Untrue, R6. IMO, it simply happens to make the best fast food hamburgers in the otherwise Republican shithole of a state that is Texas. Nothing to do with state pride.

Next time you're at one, have a double-meat with cheese, mayo, no mustard, and add jalapeños to the burger.

Panera is a good one. And Chick-Fil-A. It's just a goddamn chicken sandwich.

R10 is Cane's, Raising Cane's chicken strips? They came into my area of the South, and lasted for only a few years. They were nowhere as good as Zaxby's.

Chin-Fil-A is fantastic. I can’t lie. Their spicy chicken sandwich is AMAZING. And their waffle fries!

Chick-Fil-A is shit. Online trolls only promote it because they know it provokes, and conservatives patronize it because corporate homophobia makes it taste better to them. That's its only draw.

R15 have you seen how much money they make? You’re nuts.

Gays eat there more than anyone.

R15 You have obviously never eaten one of their sandwiches. Also, for a company with their reputation, an awful lot of their workers tend to be gay. I used to hook up with a guy that worked at the one next to my university, he even wanted me to have a threeway with another guy that worked there but I turned them down.

I live in the South and have never heard of Cane’s.

[quote]Gays eat there more than anyone.

I only have one gay acquaintance who does, R16, but he's a self-loathing Trump supporter who watches John Hagee religiously. No one else I know has anything to do with the franchise, and that includes the straights.

The success of the place is inextricably tied to the culture wars - the majority of those who patronize them do so in order to make a statement, which is why their sales tend to rise when they make the news in a negative manner (i.e. their expulsion from the Houston airport).

R17, the plural of 'anecdote' is not 'data.'

OP obviously has no taste.

Chik Fil A chicken has a strange texture. Even deep fried, it's not crunchy enough and rather slimy. Also their salads are terrible

R16, I'm not R15 and their sandwiches are terrible--bland and rubbery and oily. And that argument to excuse their right wing anti-gay agenda is weak to put it mildly. That's like saying Russia's policy to persecute gays is okay since there are plenty of gays in Russia.

Raising Cane's is probably the best chain. Chicken tenders fried in canola oil and good cole slaw.

R23, the nearest Raising Cane is too far to drive for fast food, so I've got no personal experience with them. A friend of mine went there, though, and remarked that their seasoning tends towards the sweet (honey-based dips, etc), and that there were no spicy options on the menu.

I prefer my chicken boneless. Chicken Express suits me fine. [shrugs]

I have to disagree!!! I LOVE In-n-Out! Grilled cheese with everything, order of their YUMMY Fries, and a big 'old unsweetened ice tea, and I'm set!!! Last meal good!!!

I hate their fries. They taste like stale chips.

[quote]Gays eat there more than anyone.

And every one that does so hurts other gays with every bite. The guy who's in charge of Chik Fil A's 'philanthropic arm' says they answer to a 'higher calling' when it comes to all the anti-gay organizations they give money to. In other words, they'll never stop giving money to gay conversion groups and all other manner of things that do harm to LGBT people. They think God calls them to. There are plenty of places to get a chicken sandwich without giving your money to people who are, quite simply, the enemy.

The Chik-Fil-A on Sunset Blvd thrives. It’s always busy. Same with the ones in NYC.

For such liberal places the people there sure keep them running.

The In-n-Out freaks who are genuinely offended when anyone posts anything other than fawning praise have already chimed in, and there will be more to come.

R28, there are plenty of people without taste or triple-digit IQs or social consciences in LA and NYC.

I walked by the Chik-Fil-A on Sunset Blvd this past week a few times and it was always busy. And some of the people there were very clearly gay.

I see gays eating CFA all the time in LA and NYC.

Stop trashing straights or Christians that eat there when our own are there giving them money.

No, no, no! Don't stop trashing straights and Christians!

And why go to In-N-Out Burger when there's Jack-in-the-Box?

R32 I prefer Jack In The Box also. I eat there whenever I visit LA. I enjoy them much more than In N Out, even though most would disagree.

TGIFridays is absolute garbage. Have tried it twice in last two years. Both times I swore it was the last time. Dried out chicken and fried appetizers that were over cooked.

It astonishes me that Jack in the Box remains in business.

Truly vile, school cafeteria-level slop.

But the Onion Rings!

Sizzler

I haven’t had Sizzler in about 15 years. Are they still around?

5 Guys. They don't salt their burgers, the buns suck and they insist on wrapping the entire thing in foil which steams it into a greasy lump.

I'd rather starve.

I’m a native NYer and I do not care for Shake Shack. Their burgers aren’t very good.

Their chicken dog is amazing.

Taco Bell, unless you haven't shit in a week.

They are all fabulous!

I want to try all if them.

R9 Nando's is really good. There was a lot of hype when they first started opening but they've remained consistently popular.

[quote]It astonishes me that Jack in the Box remains in business. Truly vile, school cafeteria-level slop.

I avoided Jack in the Box for about 10 years because my first impressions of their food were very underwhelming. Tried them a couple times recently when there were no better options nearby and I thought it was pretty ok. Certainly better than In-n-Out, especially the curly fries. So maybe their quality improved, or else I had them confused with Carl's Jr all along.

In N Out is great. Fuck you, OP. And Jack In The Box? Talk about overrated.

Chili’s is salty garbage food, yet every single one I’ve driven by is always busy.

Ditto In n Out. Waaaay too much hype. And owner is religious nut job too. I actually like Burger King better. And I do have to say Whataburger is better than 90% of fast food. I look forward to trips to Texas for TexMex and Whataburger.

In N Out wins this thread. Tiny, dry, flavorless patties. Boring fries. And they're every bit the religious nutcases Chick-Fil-A is. At least CFA doesn't put bible verses right on its packaging.

I'd rather eat Burger King.

R46 another bizarrely vigilant fan of basic, overrated In-n-Out, taking offense to someone not believing the hype.

In N Out donates to both political parties at least in CA (like many successful businesses), not to conversion and anti-gay groups like Chick F'shit. I'm sure most people don't even notice or care about the tiny prints on the bottom of the cups.

As for the food, no offense R49, I'll take the word over people like Julia Child, Anthony Bourdain and all off the other people with culinary backgrounds that love it. After decades, it ain't hype.

R51 keeping the fast-food opinions of dead chefs alive

Here's plenty of live ones, R52.

I've lived within a mile of In and Out Burger for over ten years, and eaten there once. At lunch time, the smell permeates a half mile. You can even smell it on the freeway as you drive by the one in Glendale.

R53 create your own opinions

Yes, In N Out is very overrated. Kind of amazed at all the hype it gets. I would say Meatheads in Chicago is much better. Also, Culver's.

This thread is a perfect example of the self-righteous, herd mentality of In-n-Out customers.

In and Out and Whataburger

Whataburger serves big tasteless fried hamburgers. It's gross. All you can taste is bland fried meat. In and Out are boring little hamburgers. Certainly nothing special. I don't remember what their fries tasted like

[quote] I'll take the word over people like Julia Child, Anthony Bourdain and all off the other people with culinary backgrounds that love it. After decades, it ain't hype

well, if you read this it has to be true

Because of a stupid article someone linked to here on DL (the one about Cane's being the most popular fast-food restaurant in California) I went out of my way to check one out. It was definitely nothing special. I don't get the love.

In-n-Out is not gourmet dining, but it does what it does well, and for a very reasonable price.

Actually, Anthony filmed an ep at In N Out- I didn't even have to read.

R61 must be a fan of avocado toast

There is NO restaurant called Cane's, it is RAISING CANE'S, and they suck!

I don't really see how Sizzler can be 'overrated' when no one's rating them in the first place. I mean, they're pretty off the radar. With that said, of the couple of times I've been there, my steak was surprisingly decent. Better than Outback or Texas Roadhouse or those kind of places.

[quote]I'm sure most people don't even notice or care about the tiny prints on the bottom of the cups.

I notice, and I care. That's why I don't eat there - that, and the fact that the place is mostly hype. I'm a Californian and I have NEVER understood its cult status. The list of places where you can get a better burger, and without being Jesused as you do so, is as long as your arm.

R64 Why do you care? They have the right to be religious, and they aren't putting verses from Leviticus on there.

For starters, R65.

I-N-O does donate to some of the same organizations CFA does. The only difference is they also donate to some liberal organizations also.

That makes them worse to me, at least be consistent on a side.

Panera Bread. A good place to rid yourself of that pesky disposable income in exchange for a small amount of food.

R66 I would say that by putting the verses in places that one would have to look and maybe use a magnifying glass to find them they aren't exactly shouting it out.

Look, I personally don't like it, as a Christian, because it seems disrespectful to put Bible verses on things that are going to become trash. I just don't think they are being pushy with it.

R67 The only organizations they contribute to that I can find are child abuse and substance abuse organizations.

Cheesecake Factory

Red Lobster.

R69 do you work for them?

All chain restaurants suck. Every one of them.

I’ll eat at any random Mom & Pop restaurant or (if I need it fast and portable) taqueria before going to a chain.

Better food and better for the economy.

In-N-Out Burger in Chick-fil-A are both so average and forgettable, it's sad that gay people would contribute to their multi-millions and profit those that despise them.

R72 No, in fact the only time I have eaten at one, I got sick. I just don't like religious bigotry and I believe they have the right to be as religious as they desire.

R73, you and I share the exact same attitude towards this subject.

R75 they can legally refuse to serve gay people

R77 honestly, that’s their right and choice.

I never see issues with this cause I’ve seen LGBT places that don’t want Christians there. And I personally don’t wanna be anywhere I’m not wanted anyway

"Canes" (sans apostrophe) would be a good name for a lesbian bar.

R78 LGBT and Christian are not separate identities

I'm with you, OP. I lived in LA for twenty years and I think I went to In'n'Out twice, and each time I had the same reaction: WHAT is the DEAL?

Subway

KFC

R82, nobody rates those places in the first place, so they cannot be overrated.

I get the grilled chicken sandwich at Chik-Fil-A and it is delicious. The company is expanding into new areas because they make good tasting food.

Raising Cane's started opening restaurants here and I found their chicken dry.

R84 I love their Grilled Chicken nuggets also.

R84 R85 As long as you slobs are fed, that's all that matters.

Enjoy, R84 and R85!

California Pizza Kitchen and Cheesecake Factory. Also, Chili's and Outback Steak House. The reason I mention those 4 restaurants is because they're not cheap. You can end up spending a lot of $ at Outback, so my expectation is higher. At least something like In N Out is inexpensive and filling.

Chik-Fil-A is terrible, I heard people raving about it a few years ago so I wanted to know if it was really worth it. It wasn't, McDonalds and Wendys make better chicken sandwiches and I can't stand them either.

Chick-Fil-A uses real chicken. McDonald’s and Wendy’s don’t.

According to the McDonald's website, here are the ingredients for McNuggets:

[quote] Chicken Mcnuggets Ingredients: White Boneless Chicken, Water, Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil), Enriched Flour (Bleached Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Bleached Wheat Flour, Yellow Corn Flour, Vegetable Starch (Modified Corn, Wheat, Rice, Pea, Corn), Salt, Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Calcium Lactate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Spices, Yeast Extract, Lemon Juice Solids, Dextrose, Natural Flavors. Contains: Wheat. Cooked in the same fryer that we use for Buttermilk Crispy Chicken which contains a milk allergen.

I disagree on the Cheesecake Factory hating. Their menu give you a lot of choices, I've never had anything from them that taste bad, and their cheesecakes are the best.

Now Olive Garden. That's a shit factory. I don't get the love for that welfare italian restaurant.

Who's this CFA troll? Their food is horrible and their politics are even worse. Period.

Their food is good.

Right up there with Spam and Velveeta and Wonder Bread.

Chick-Fil-A uses real chicken.

So no, not like those things.

Because real chicken is the standard by which all good things are measured. Feel free to throw in more non sequiturs.

You’re comparing real chicken to things like McDonalds McChicken which is a bunch of shit.

That’s the issue.

I think we've had enough Chick Fil A threads and responses. Someone mentioned California Pizza Kitchen and I think they're right. Stopped going there FOREVER a few years ago. Horribly overpriced and you walk out hungry. They lost their way about 15 years ago.

I’ve never eaten at California Pizza Kitchen and been satisfied. Ever. So I stopped.

You stay hungry.

Also wanna say Wahlburgers. Some of their stuff is ok like the burger melt, but most very meh.

Probably In-N-Out was good way back when they started out. But their quality control has fallen apart. Last 2 times I was at an In-N-Out, I had burgers with dry, tough patties. Really unappetizing. And the lines are so long you don't feel like going back to complain. Oh well. Never again. What are the best chains?

While we’re bitching Pei Wei is another fast food restaurant that sucks. A few years ago it was great. Now it’s mediocre at best. My dad was a chef and he told me to always check the bathroom before eating. If it’s dirty then so is the kitchen.

[quote]I disagree on the Cheesecake Factory hating.

They mispronounce "bruschetta."

Wahlburger - tried it for the first time I’m Las Vegas. Not horrible but not special or memorable at all.

I'm not sure how anyone would know about In N Out having dry patties, unless you ordered it separately. The bun, fresh iceberg lettuce, tomato and sauce makes the whole thing a complete burger.

To each their own.

P.F. Chang's

Buffalo Wild Wings.

Kenji, formerly of ATK (now Serious Eats) disects In N Out.

"Real" chicken meaning loaded with growth hormones.

[quote] "Real" chicken meaning loaded with growth hormones.

Jesus Christ. What the hell is wrong with you? You are honestly arguing that Chik Fil A's REAL chicken is worse than the shit tiny minuscule amount of chicken scraps that are in chicken McNuggets and Wendy's fake chicken nuggets? You are deluded. deliriously deluded

R110 you created that argument yourself, delusional freak

I went to a work meeting that was "catered" Trump-style by Chik-fil-A, and that shit does not travel well.

Maybe when you eat it fresh it tastes okay, but wrapped up steaming with the wet pickles turns it into slop. There were bags of unopened chicken sandwiches.

Try eating any fast food cold. I never think it tastes good.

It being soggy is better than hard as a rock like McDonalds

r102 I used to like Pei Wei, but the only location near me closed a while back so I haven't had it in years.

In other news, Cracker Barrels are finally making their way into California. They avoided us for decades for various reasons. The first one opened in Victorville last year (or the year before?) and now there's one in Rialto (near San Bernardino.) They seem to be very popular; I'm sure they'll expand if they can find the right locations.

Panda Express.

P.F. Changs, good appetizers but bland entrees.

Cracker Barrel sounds like they are finding the perfect shithole cities in CA.

White Castle has the most disgusting burgers. Greasy slop.

I haven’t had White Castle is over 15 years. I wanna eat one. Lol

The frozen will work in a pinch.

Okay, now White Castle is GOOD!

[quote] I just don't like religious bigotry and I believe they have the right to be as religious as they desire.

NO ONE is stopping them from being religious or evangelizing on their packaging. They are not victims, not being persecuted. By the same token, no one can make those of us who don't want our money going to anti-gay organizations eat there. Get over it.

R121 is it? I haven’t had it in so many years I can’t remember if I liked it or if it’s just the memory of it i like lol

Almost all of these cheap chains use HFCS in all of their products plus many other chemicals. Beware.

R115, Not all Panda Express are identical. Spring Mountain & Rainbow in China Town Las Vegas uses a lot more fresh garlic & ginger as well as very fresh vegetables than most of the others in the chain. Plus their portions are much larger than the ones in malls.

I find Panda Express the worst of the Chinese restaurants. Both the fried rice and the noodles are particularly bad and frequently greasy. I prefer the mom and pop restaurants. They try harder.

The Cheesecake Factory, unhealthy, huge portions, every dish is a heart attack on a plate.

I JUST LOVE

LOVE

LOVE

ME SOME CHIC FIL A

Panda Express is awful, and very overpriced for what you get. I was blown away by how much better the food court offerings were when I was in . Vancouver, compared to any American mall. Of course Vancouver is heavily Chinese but they also had very good Vietnamese, Indian, Japanese, Thai, etc. choices. I guess Middle America would rather eat their disgusting hot dogs on sticks and greasy Sbarro pizza over anything too "ethnic."

This is a thread about overrated restaurants. White Castle isn't overrated,as it isn't rated at all. Talk about a place with no pretensions. This is it. White Castle knows what it is and why its fans love it and it dependably stays in its own lane and serves its own clientele. Within those extremely narrow confines, its burgers are great.

Cheesecake Factory. Olive Garden. Red Lobster. Their business model is to slickly pass themselves off as something far greater than they are to a bunch of unsophisticated people who don't know a carbonade flamande from a sole meuniere and don't care, just so long as the portions are huge. These places, not even restaurants, but more like troughs, are entirely over rated. But only by the unwashed, undiscerning, unsophisticated masses.

Actually, PF Chang's gets my vote. Horrible stuff. You're better of at Panda Express.

Every time (and there weren't many, I'm not That stupid) I've tried Subway, I've gotten sick. How's this for irony: There's a Subway in the Hospital in Reno! I guess they want to drum up business....

Chick Fil A - Salty, odd texture, your basic factort chciken Shake Shack: Overpriced for what it is but a stop up Panda Gourmet: Just basically crap food court Chinese Sizzler survives in Asia but bnot here Zaxby's--forgettable Waffle House--not bad for a cheap breakfast

In & Out is a step up from McDs and still cheap. Most LA burger chains are a big improvement over McDs, et al.; Five Guys is in the same league but way more expenasive

Chick Fil A isn’t salty at all.

Most complaints are that it has no salt.

While Whataburger doesn't put Bible verses on packaging, most locations of the fast-food chain have signs that read "one nation under God." The phrase is a clear reference to the Pledge of Allegiance ("under God" was added to the pledge in 1954 as an an anti-Communist effort).

Positioning Whataburger "under God" makes some customers even more loyal to the chain, which has a cult following in Texas and parts of the South.

Restaurants popular on social media are not actually as popular as the posters would like you to think.

There are tribal reasons people post about Chik-fil-A, even here on Datalounge.

Just because "people" complain there isn't enough salt doesn't mean it isn't too salty already.

And the waffle fries are revolting.

These fucking idiots posting their undying love for Chick-fil-A.

You people in denial of CFA success.

GMAFB, we're not in denial of CFA anything. We just don't need their tasteless, brainless, tactless shills posting here until they come back with some semblance of the ability to think critically.

I like CFA’s food, although I only eat there when forced by group preference or the wedding party I was in that catered from there.

R141, a wedding party catered by Chick sounds pathetic as shit.

A lot of these chain restaurants seem to put a lot of sketchy chemicals into their food.

We prefer our chemicals unsketchy.

[quote]Cracker Barrel sounds like they are finding the perfect shithole cities in CA

They're also in Santa Maria and Sacramento, further proving your theory.

Harry Ramsden Fish & Chips - Possibly the worst example of its kind anywhere in the world, none of its original authentic taste remains.

The food is now all frozen reheated crap.

R143, You're so right. I cannot understand how anyone can happily eat chemical-laden imitation food. My stomach rebels, even if I only order the smallest sandwich & water, no phony cheese.

White Castle now has multiple locations on the Strip and Downtown Fremont Street. Tried them once, never again. They put beef bouillon in their burgers. Should not have the word "beef" in bouillon as it's 100% chemicals. No wonder their burgers tasted horrible.

From what I remember reading, Cracker Barrel only puts their restaurants where the land is cheap.

I don't know anyone in Houston who thinks Whataburger is the best burger in town. It's the best [italic]fast-food[/italic] burger around, way ahead of Burger King, etc. It's the only fast food I bother with.

This thread made me go to CFA for the first time to see what all the fuss was about. I got the grilled chicken sandwich: it's bread, a piece of chicken, tomato and lettuce... That's it.

I don't get the hype. Every food truck in Albuquerque has infinitely better options.

I think part of the reason INO gets so much love, is that it's the same price as the competition but "real" food made fresh. The fries may not be the best, but it's just potatoes cut fresh and fried and salted. Not 19 ingredients.

Also, since the staff are paid well they aren't surly.

Once you get up in price like 5 Guys, you can go to a real restaurant.

[quote]Look, I personally don't like it, as a Christian, because it seems disrespectful to put Bible verses on things that are going to become trash.

Jesus.fucking.christ...

R150 Don't forget the pickle!!!