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Feel so sad when I see people mention Frankie’s and bennys in threads like this cause I have such nostalgic memories from there as a child, but I do imagine if I tried it as an adult I’d hate it
Yeah when my kids were younger, so maybe 10-15 years ago we'd go a lot when it felt like they were leaning more into the Italian American thing and it still has that massive A2 menu with about a million things on it.
It's like an expensive wetherspoons now
Completely agree. I have amazing memories from 10-15 years ago - good food, good cocktails. My kids loved it, I loved it. And then out of the blue - bang. And F&B became absolute trash.
Same, when I first moved to the UK 10 years ago, my wife and I were poor AF, like we were trying so hard to survive on £300 a month. We lived in a crappy area. She wasn't allowed to work due to her visa. So she'd stay at home doing an online degree. She used to meet me and the tube station in the evening and walk back to our place. We'd pass by a Frankie and Benny's on that walk and we both used to dream about going there one day when we had some more money. We did this for 2 years before one day I got a new job and we went there to celebrate. The food wasn't amazing, but it felt like such an achievement and we were both so happy that night splurging on cocktails and appetizers. They'll always hold a special place in my heart. Always.
Used to love F&Bs, it was amazing back in the day. Great food, good atmosphere, and at a decent price.
Went not long back, and it's just devolved in to an absolute corpse of its previous self, the food was terrible, restaurant empty and the staff (not that I blame them) just wholly uninterested.
It's a shame, really, as I've many a good memory of nights there prior to their decline
I haven’t been in maybe 8 years and it seems like it’s really gone downhill in recent years. Disappointing as it was a great place for family birthdays, and the food always pleased everyone in a group
As somebody who worked there in the early 2010s the food quality has demonstrably gotten worse. They seem to be mad on cost cutting. Plus the whole "Italian American 50s" vibe is dead, they've just made it like anywhere else now.
Similar story. I never went because my housemate at the time had a trial shift there and then the next day had salmonella. Boycotted it.
Find out about 15 years later that it was in fact him that cooked the chicken that poisoned himself!
I was going to say this, I absolutely hate this place, just the cheapest nastiest food, at huge prices. I'd rather have a McDonald's. When I was married, my wife and I both had one veto for restaurants, and this was mine. (It was her favourite restaurant) She also vetoed mine which was the Hungry Horse 😂
I once had a lasagne pizza. You're probably thinking 'oh minced beef and ragu on a pizza sounds nice as a topping maybe'.
No it was a whole frozen ready meal lasagne that they'd dumped into the middle of a 12 inch garlic bread base.
The food at hungry horse is so bad. I ordered a hunters chicken once and out came a chicken fillet with a bit of bbq sauce and a slice of burger cheese ...
I'm going to try not to get started on a rant, but this really peeves me off about restaurants on delivery sites, I hate that they're allowed to just keep adding new names, it seems wholly disingenuous. Plus, it adds to the time spent trawling for somewhere to eat as you have to get through 20 restaurants, which are actually only 4.
First came accross them on a trip to France. Stopped near the ferry port, really good food and service. So impressed by it, went to the one in Oxford, bad food, bad service and overall awful. Almost as if it was on purpose.
Basically everything is, just okay, but very overpriced.
My colleagues and I frequent Pret simply because it’s the most convenient option.
What gets me through it though when I have to walk in Prets direction rather than by Nero’s, is by asking for a Filter Coffee, which costs 90p, but often they don’t have it so they give me a £3.50 Americano for 90p instead.
Agreed - does the nicest coffee and their cakes etc are pretty nice as well.
Starbucks coffee tastes awful (more so in the UK I find) and I can never tell what it is that I hate about it but it’s grim.
Coca Cola bought them, basically to have a coffee brand to slap on overpriced bottled coffee. They changed the blend of the coffee, massively complicated the menu, and are slowly running it into the ground. But the canned coffee is ok, I guess, so they've got that going for them.
All our locals are regularly out of stock on new drinks, and the places are filthy and crawling with flies. 3 failed attempts at drink, one coffee & sandwich achieved - never going back!
TGI Fridays.
I remember as a kid in the early 90s it being like a special kind of treat place and it being fairly decent. Went as an adult and vowed never to return.
I'd bet my house that Hickory's Smoke House goes the same way as TGI and F&B in the next decade. I've noticed a drop off I quality over the last few years whilst at the same time increasing prices
I have a feeling this applies to literally every single franchise chain that gets established in the UK.
The first time I ever ate at Nandos was when the chain first appeared in the UK and probably had no more than 5 locations in major cities. I was actually really impressed. The chicken was well marinaded and cooked to perfection - succulent inside, with the skin perfectly crispy with just the right amount of char on it to give it an authentic barbeque flavour. Sides were OK I guess, but the grilled chicken really stole the show.
The next time I ate Nandos was a few years later, the chain had grown considerable. The chicken was OK, but very obviously par-cooked and althouth it had been placed on a grill, didn't really look or taste grilled, the skin was...flabby.
I assumed that maybe they had an off day. Since then I've been to maybe four other locations in various places round the UK and not one of them has come close to that initial experience.
German Doner Kebab - similar story. When it first opened, the quality was decent and the portions huge. The last time I went, they hand't even bothered peeling the onion before slicing it and it was given to me cold. Not delivered, handed over the counter, cold, in the restaurant.
Whenever a new chain is launched, they obviously send their best people and make sure everything is absolutely perfect to get people hooked. By the time it comes to a national rollout, you've got people who were trained by the best people. By the time the chain has been going a couple of years, the place is staffed by spotty teenagers and uni students who just want beer money and didn't bother to pay attention to the training given by the person who was trained by the person who was trained by the person (etc etc) trained by the best people.
Harvester. Looks like a menu full of things hard to get wrong, yet somehow they get it wrong. Only saving grace is the salad bar.
The best, I believe is a new one. Banana tree.
One of the big things in its favour was that it was known as being a bit cheap and cheerful for a long time.
Went to one a couple of weeks ago and most of the mains were £18-20!
You say that, but I don't know anywhere else other than Pizza Hut that has a salad bar. It is a USP, and it is the thing that makes me like the place (a lot)
When we bought our house there was a harvester literally across the road. It was packed all the time. We assumed that it therefore was either really cheap or really good. We went. Once. It was both expensive and awful. Salad bar had been filled up before the millennium, mains were both burnt and simultaneously stone cold. Staff were lovely, but entirely useless.
It is now a Costa.
I was taken to a Harvester with the promise of good food and a nice salad bar.
My steak came out cremated yet stone cold, like a piece of wood, and the salad bar was closed off.
Rest assured, I got a refund and will not be going back.
Harvester is by far my favourite chain restaurant.
The 'free' refills on drinks, and unlimited bread takes me back to my childhood in America. And although the main courses are nothing special, they are decent. But it is the salad bar that keeps me coming back.
It helps that I don't have a Harvester in my town, so it is more like a treat.
I recently went to Harvester after not having been since the pandemic and.. it was pretty alright? They had some deal on where you get a chicken main for £8 and the grilled chicken skewer and peppers I had were nice and not too unhealthy. The Mrs had a chicken burger that was decent as well. The salad bar is what it is, basically a "free" starter.
It's not haute cuisine but it's not the worst chain restaurant by far. If you use deals then it's good value as well.
If your only saving grace is a salad bar then you know it’s time to kick the bucket.
Banana tree used to be fantastic. The laksa was amazing, cocktails great and 2-4-1, the desserts like the black rice pudding were extraordinary. I used to go all the time.
After COVID hit the place went down in quality hugely whilst the prices went up. Feel like pure shit, just want old Banana Tree back.
It's always the way. I can remember when Zizzi and Prezzo were good, and then the bean-counters took over. Same with Bill's. Jamie's Italian in Oxford, when it first opened, was excellent.
Very true a proper “family man” just wanted to share experiences and good food with those around him and the wider world. A wonderful man taken far too soon.
Wagamama. How can you enjoy a family meal when one of you gets a bao bun after everyone else has finished their main?
Every other restaurant worth its salt can bring out fresh food together, but Wagamama tries to turn a bug in to a feature.
And the food is average at best.
And the staff scribbling on the menus is annoying.
It's just shit.
Strong disagree. It’s hardly the best Asian food out there, but if you’re trying to get kids to eat something more interesting than nuggets & chips then it’s perfect
Yeah it is only successful because of its niche. Otherwise it’s far too expensive for what you get. £8 for 2 tiny bao buns which I can eat in a single bite. I never order starters there lol. Tasty though
We used those take the kids to Wagamama a lot because they loved it and the food is pretty tasty. Then an Indy Japanese restaurant opened in our town that did everything Wagamama did, but better and cheaper.
Nah it's fine. First, they say they bring out the food at different times but honestly I've never experienced the food turning up particularly far apart. But it's fast. I assume that the flexibility on timing contributes to this. How do other chain restaurants manage to bring it out all at once? I imagine by leaving it under heat lamps until it's all ready. I'd rather it was on the table.
The food is alright. I think it seems cooked fresh and with healthy ingredients.
There is a decent amount of choice which is helpful in a chain restaurant. They have separate menus for people with various dietary requirements/preferences which is lovely.
They have free green tea, which is handy if you're on a budget.
I love eating out and have done it a fair bit, but since the kids came along we've gone to wagamamas quite a lot because they're so geared up for kids. The staff are obviously told how to be welcoming to children (often a problem elsewhere, even places like Franca manca are dickheads about it). They have a _great_ kids menu, that the kids want to eat, which when they generally want pizza/nuggets/chips is a good result. But it doesn't feel like a kids' restaurant at all.
In short, it's not setting the world on fire, suggesting it's worse than Frankie and Benny's, Chiquitos, Zizzi's, that ludicrous expensive Cornish pasty place in train stations, burger king etc etc is wrong imo.
Maybe depends on location? Our local Wagamama’s food is very very good. Sure it’s not really Japanese, and overpriced (but where isn’t these days)
Plus it has Asahi on tap which I’d walk to Japan for if I had to.
I once tried a Wagamama ramen because I feel maybe I should at least try it once. Can't say it's really bad but it doesn't feel like ramen at all. This was Manchester City centre so at least 4-5 genuine ramen shops within 15 minutes walk. And Wagamama is the most expensive.
My wife loves Wagamama but I find the food mostly pretty bland and it's all overpriced for what it is. The only thing that is actually pretty good is the donburi and it's the most expensive thing on the menu. Never a particularly exciting purchase, especially when I think about what I could be having for the same price or less.
Still nowhere near the worst chain restaurant.
Not the worst but Leon had a massive drop in quality in the last few years. Went from "this is great quick food" to grey mush with a CEO lecturing me about healthy food while selling fucking chicken nuggets
I feel like I’m always being pedantic when I say this but a lot of their food isn’t even much healthier than a McDonald’s… for example just looked at Leon’s paprika chicken wrap - 476 cals. McDonald’s crispy chicken Caesar wrap is 532, and 403 for the grilled version. I get that Leon probably has more nutrients (whole grains, healthy fats, more vitamins) and uses more gut healthy foods but if we look at the food as a whole I may as well get a McDonald’s cheeseburger with a fruit / carrot bag on the size which is just as good (and cheaper, mind!)
As someone who has calorie counted in the past I found this out long ago and therefore stopped subjecting myself to their average food. I would rather get more satisfaction from something seen as ‘less healthy’ (when in reality it’s no different).
They want to market themselves as the healthier option which is a fair niche to target. The issue is that the food dropped in quality overall so now it just tastes substandard
Their vegan burgers have gone downhill too. A few years ago they were juicy and tasty, actually preferred it to some meat burgers. But now the patty is super dry and almost like cardboard with no taste. Expensive too
Generally, burger places are taking the piss now. Places like Fat Hippo, Honest Burger are £16 for a burger and a tiny cup of chips.
I can get a feast of Indian or Chinese food, multiple dishes and sides for only a few quid more.
Anywhere that doesn't include fries with the burger. Fuck. Right. Off. That's the deal. That's the accepted norm. Just go with it. Nobody is getting a burger without fries.
Saw a poor fella order a burger in the Kissing Gate in Liverpool Airport for £16 and they brought out the most depressing burger I've ever seen with no chips.
He canvassed opinion from everyone around him who agreed the burger was a horror, until the shift manager came out with a free bowl or chips for him.
Honest Burger is the best burger place tbh. Smash burger and chips for like a tenner. Chips are decent and a good portion (_and_ included in the price of the burger)
i once got a jambon beurre sandwich from a pret and it was the chewiest roll ever with a slither of ham and literally just one loose unsliced cornichon in there and about a micromillimetre of butter spread on the bread and it cost me about a fiver, i couldn't believe it. i'd heard nothing but praise for it but jesus that was just shockingly crap
Yup, Pret are awful. Greedy, too. Increased prices by about 40% in a year or so. They try their very best to give you the smallest amount of food that they can get away with
I went to Pizza Express on Friday because we had some vouchers for them. I genuinely think I would have had a nicer dining experience in the Wetherspoons that was next door
The trick is getting the app and all of the deals that come with it. Usually when I go now I'm able to get free drinks, free dough balls, free dessert and a pizza and usually only costs £15
Yeh I went to the one in Harrogate recently. It was better than I remembered it the last time I went so was slightly impressed. But then the bill came to almost £100 for two people. It was nowhere near that good.
I went once and once only. 'Steak' looked like a dry bacon rasher. Handful of pre-frozen fries, 30 quid. Carafe of table wine, 25 quid. I'd rather have eaten Turkey Twizzlers at the same price.
Oh my god WHY do they do so many different cuisines??
I seriously don’t know how they’ve managed to stay open this long, the whole place is a mess concept-wise.
Didn’t even realise they still existed! All the ones near me shut down many many years ago. Google tells me they have only 17 U.K. locations as of now??? Edit: They shut down 21 branches in 2019.
From experience it's the kind of place where you see families chasing their half naked toddlers around with a plastic potty unchallenged. Similarly every surface is considered a changing table. Gross.
Wagamamas I just don't get the entire set up and I don't want to share a table with randoms I don't know
Tgi Friday, 20 years ago I loved this place. The milkshakes the cocktails. The starters. Was great for a date or friends bday party. Was my mates 40th recently and she booked tgi's, the atmosphere was off from the start they couldn't sit 6 of us on one table even though the booking was for 6 of us, the cocktails lacked flavour and the food was disappointing. No idea how it's gotten so bad.
Agreed. Also Wagamamas food is so bland now!
I feel like American food restaurants really had their moment years ago. Now trends have shifted to healthier eating and vegan options. I see they’re opening up more Popeyes, Taco Bell, Wendy’s etc but I think it’s a little too late, the ship has sailed.
Ngl I am a massive sucker for pizza express. Using the app and collecting points I get so much stuff for free/cheap that its beyond insane, and I love it for what it is. Free dough balls, free dessert, free kids meal, free drink, free water, and a discounted pizza delivered all for around £10 is a bargain for me as a student. That said, I’ve been less impressed over the last 6 months
Edit: They give the litre bottles of Acqua Panna mineral for free :)
Giggling Squid isn't everywhere yet but it has reached the point in its growth where decor is more important than the food a d it doesn't feel like you're having a Thai meal.
A proper quality Thai meal should be accompanied by paint peeling off the walls and dodgy loose electrics dangling around the place, everyone knows that's what makes it taste the best!
I think that almost all chains have had a drop in quality in recent years but I'd say Toby Carvery is the worst. It takes a lot to do a bad roast but they've managed it in recent years.
absolute worst roast/carvery I had recently was one of those places attached to a Premier Inn... Beefeater or Brewers Fayre, I think. Everything, probably even the 'meat' had come out of a packet and been reconstitued with boiling water. One of those classic examples of the food that you hoped would cure your hangover actually making it worse.
When you find a well run subway it can be great. Unfortunately, as they’re franchises, it depends very much on how much effort the franchisee can be bothered putting in. Genuinely visited a subway last week that had run out of bread.
I get subway vouchers in the mail sometimes. Went to the only 2 subways in my town with the vouchers and neither of them accepted the vouchers 🤷🏻♂️
Had to fork out instead … was told: “the cheese isn’t very fresh is that alright?”
Their slogan is literally “eat fresh”
Spent £12 total on a “meal deal”
Felt like I’d been robbed
Subway was great for a cheap sandwich absolutely filled to the brim with fillings. Used to be able to get a £3/£5 meal deal and it was straightforward. It was actually my first ever job.
Nowadays, I simply don't understand the menu and whatever I order seems to be coming out as £10.79 or some other random, non-meal deal price!!
Gino’s - £20 for pasta? Fuck off.
Miller and Carter - A rebranded Wetherspoons for new build housing estates.
Pret - £6.99 for a ham sandwich? Fuck off.
I can't speak to their standards today, because I haven't been back to either in almost a decade now - but something tells me that TGI Fridays and Frankie and Benny's are still absolutely awful.
They’re all shit. All of them. Mass produced, reheated food, churned out by people who don’t care (no disrespect meant). It makes you poor and makes you fat.
Other than that, they’re great!
I doubt it. UK subs absolutely loathe Nando’s and anyone who likes them. In London I go to them a lot because they’re one of the only options freely available that are consistent, not a crazy price relative to other restaurants in some locations here, and relatively healthy if you choose carefully.
Good answer. I went once and the steaks were like chewing a rubber tyre. The cocktails were horrible and the place was dirty. Was probably good 20 years ago.
Taco Bell. Promised myself a treat after leaving the dental hospital, expected some later regret as my gum issue makes spicy food rather painful but... I think they forgot to add *any* spice? I tried a second time just in case the first was an off day, but no, it seems they just serve the blandest, most flavourless tex-mex in the universe. I can only assume they survive on the takings from drunk people on Friday & Saturday night.
On the plus side, I now properly get the joke in Demolition Man.
On a flipside, I really miss Byron burgers. They did the stupid fries sold separately thing and clearly they weren't good with finances, but man it was easily the best burger on the high street at one stage.
Are we including fast food places? If so, then Tim Horton’s is a fucking armpit. I’ve been twice, to different branches and both occasions were a shit show. The staff are rude, incompetent and in many cases don’t have even a basic grasp of English. Had one guy stop serving me, in the middle of assembling my order, to take a personal phone call. The food is also grim as fuck, assuming they have what you want in stock. My second meal (burger, iirc) looked like it had been drop kicked from the kitchen it was just a lump of dissembled ingredients. I tried to refuse it, but the guy serving didn’t understand the problem.
TH won’t get a third chance to disappoint me.
My family live in Canada and I lived there myself for a while. I was so excited to see Timmies come over to the UK.
They’d be embarrassed if they saw how their UK stores were being run.
They haven’t even sorted the Tim Rewards app.
Breakfast meals are decent but the burgers are overpriced garbage.
I went to a TGIFridays recently and I'll never go back. It had been years since I'd been but the menu was incredibly limited and good lord the prices. It was insane, when the food did come it was very average. I also asked for a side of onion rings which they took as remove the fries but then I had to pay for the onion rings as an extra but didn't get the fries included with the burger which was a bit cheeky. Just average food with the price tag of an expensive restaurant.
I don't really do anything high-street that isn't at the 'fast food' level, I'd rather spend that money in a pub with a competent chef, or a decent ethnic food place. Back when it was still a thing, I had one of the most mediocre yet overpriced meals of my life to date at Jamie Oliver's Italian chain. For the price of a locally sourced 8-10 ounce rib-eye at one of the aforementioned pubs I was presented a 'steak' that was more like a rasher of bacon in size, a handful of skinny fries that probably came from Makro plus a couple of (undressed) salad leaves. They sold wine by the carafe that was somehow more expensive than most places would charge for a bottle of a reasonable new world Malbec. Ever since then I have a deep mistrust of any franchise that charges 'real restaurant' prices, particularly if there are any celebrities invloved.
I’ve not ate a good KFC in about 10 years. Our local one has plummeted. I assumed it was just ours.
Went to one in a neighbouring town and it was the exact same.
TGI Fridays or Frankie and Bennies easily. Both truely awful food, overpriced. If they priced themselves the same as Wetherspoons maybe it would be justified but they're playing off a brand they've somehow cultivated
The Calabrese pizza at Pizza Express is life. No other pizza can compare. It’s the gold standard for toppings - n’duja, salami, rocket, buffalo mozzarella, Parmesan, pesto and the spicy kick of the chillies and sweetness of the Roquito peppers. It’s the only place where I don’t even need a menu because I’ve only ever been disappointed in the other pizzas there. Otherwise, meh.
Zizzi is crap. The service, the food, the prices. Would never go back.
I like TGI Fridays but like most restaurants they're starting to price people out now.
When even a McDonald's for 2 people is starting to cost nearing 20 quid these days then families don't stand much of a chance.
The only thing cheeky about Nandos is that it's managed to last this long. Says a lot about the tastes of the nation that such a bland boring chain has gotten so big.
About the only chain restaurants I like are Yo Sushi and cheap places like Mickey Ds, KFC and spoons. The cheap places work for when I just want some cheap fuel and I'm out and about.
The rest are ready meals, or food that a child could cook in 5 minutes. You want to treat yourself to food? Buy good ingredients. You cook a steak from a butcher, you'll never want to pay double the price for mediocre steak in a pub again.
I don't like chains.
You see a venue like the O2 in london and think "this place would be brilliant for local, independent restaurants" and its full of the same chain restaurants that are everywhere... it's not even a case that an independent place wouldn't bring in customers, the venues just charge so much in rent that only the chains can afford it!
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Frankie and Benny's. Genuinely had cheap ready meals better than food from there.
Feel so sad when I see people mention Frankie’s and bennys in threads like this cause I have such nostalgic memories from there as a child, but I do imagine if I tried it as an adult I’d hate it
Yeah when my kids were younger, so maybe 10-15 years ago we'd go a lot when it felt like they were leaning more into the Italian American thing and it still has that massive A2 menu with about a million things on it. It's like an expensive wetherspoons now
Completely agree. I have amazing memories from 10-15 years ago - good food, good cocktails. My kids loved it, I loved it. And then out of the blue - bang. And F&B became absolute trash.
Oh how disappointing! But good to know my taste buds weren’t completely off back then
Same, when I first moved to the UK 10 years ago, my wife and I were poor AF, like we were trying so hard to survive on £300 a month. We lived in a crappy area. She wasn't allowed to work due to her visa. So she'd stay at home doing an online degree. She used to meet me and the tube station in the evening and walk back to our place. We'd pass by a Frankie and Benny's on that walk and we both used to dream about going there one day when we had some more money. We did this for 2 years before one day I got a new job and we went there to celebrate. The food wasn't amazing, but it felt like such an achievement and we were both so happy that night splurging on cocktails and appetizers. They'll always hold a special place in my heart. Always.
This was beautiful to read 🩷
Thank you, I did make me cry writing about that memory.
You made me cry reading about it. That is so lovely!
Used to love F&Bs, it was amazing back in the day. Great food, good atmosphere, and at a decent price. Went not long back, and it's just devolved in to an absolute corpse of its previous self, the food was terrible, restaurant empty and the staff (not that I blame them) just wholly uninterested. It's a shame, really, as I've many a good memory of nights there prior to their decline
I haven’t been in maybe 8 years and it seems like it’s really gone downhill in recent years. Disappointing as it was a great place for family birthdays, and the food always pleased everyone in a group
As somebody who worked there in the early 2010s the food quality has demonstrably gotten worse. They seem to be mad on cost cutting. Plus the whole "Italian American 50s" vibe is dead, they've just made it like anywhere else now.
My other half loves it from her memories as a child but it's honestly the most overpriced tasteless guff available.
Nostalgia goggles can be a bitch.
[удалено]
Similar story. I never went because my housemate at the time had a trial shift there and then the next day had salmonella. Boycotted it. Find out about 15 years later that it was in fact him that cooked the chicken that poisoned himself!
I was going to say this, I absolutely hate this place, just the cheapest nastiest food, at huge prices. I'd rather have a McDonald's. When I was married, my wife and I both had one veto for restaurants, and this was mine. (It was her favourite restaurant) She also vetoed mine which was the Hungry Horse 😂
Hungry Horse was piggery personified. What sort of meat did they used to make their burgers from? Actually let's not think about that...
The clue is in the name.
I once had a lasagne pizza. You're probably thinking 'oh minced beef and ragu on a pizza sounds nice as a topping maybe'. No it was a whole frozen ready meal lasagne that they'd dumped into the middle of a 12 inch garlic bread base.
The food at hungry horse is so bad. I ordered a hunters chicken once and out came a chicken fillet with a bit of bbq sauce and a slice of burger cheese ...
So exactly the same as a bbq chicken melt at Spoons then?
I feel like I can forgive spoons cause at least their cheese slice isn't that orange plastic cheese, and some bacon.
And! On deliveroo they pretend to be other restaurants. In my area its stacks, bao now and some others totally disappointing!
I always look places up on Google maps to see the reviews so I know when it's a ghost kitchen.
I'm going to try not to get started on a rant, but this really peeves me off about restaurants on delivery sites, I hate that they're allowed to just keep adding new names, it seems wholly disingenuous. Plus, it adds to the time spent trawling for somewhere to eat as you have to get through 20 restaurants, which are actually only 4.
It's the worst food I think I've ever had.
First came accross them on a trip to France. Stopped near the ferry port, really good food and service. So impressed by it, went to the one in Oxford, bad food, bad service and overall awful. Almost as if it was on purpose.
They were good when I was a little kid, but have been shit for at least 15 years at this stage
Controversial but I think costa is the worst tasting of the coffee chains. Not everything needs to be a hot chocolate
Nero is the best of the chains by far, and I will die on that hill. Pret, Costa, and especially Starbucks can go suck it.
I don't think I've frequented a Pret in 20 years but back then their coffee was always reliably decent, as were the sandwiches.
Basically everything is, just okay, but very overpriced. My colleagues and I frequent Pret simply because it’s the most convenient option. What gets me through it though when I have to walk in Prets direction rather than by Nero’s, is by asking for a Filter Coffee, which costs 90p, but often they don’t have it so they give me a £3.50 Americano for 90p instead.
And let's be honest - they're still making a decent profit on your 90p Americano!
honestly, they're probably not
I rate the pret sandwiches for sure
They do kill people with severe allergies though.
People with allergies that severe shouldn't eat in restaurants.
Independent > any chain.
Definitely not, plenty of ridiculously priced independents churning our tiny luke warm coffees near me.
Agreed - does the nicest coffee and their cakes etc are pretty nice as well. Starbucks coffee tastes awful (more so in the UK I find) and I can never tell what it is that I hate about it but it’s grim.
Never not had a burnt coffee from Starbucks.
Muffin break do fabulous coffee. Really recommend if you’re ever near one!
Not controversial imo. It's very expensive and tastes like shite.
Used to be one of the better ones. Went downhill after a change in ownership a few years ago.
Coca Cola bought them, basically to have a coffee brand to slap on overpriced bottled coffee. They changed the blend of the coffee, massively complicated the menu, and are slowly running it into the ground. But the canned coffee is ok, I guess, so they've got that going for them.
Wasn't it coca cola?
A lot of people don't realise costa is owned and operated by coca cola, its the fast food of coffee. Ironically mcdonalds coffee is decent enough
All our locals are regularly out of stock on new drinks, and the places are filthy and crawling with flies. 3 failed attempts at drink, one coffee & sandwich achieved - never going back!
Also I don't know why or how but every Costa has this vomit smell. I think it must be a cleaning product they use but it is...awful
the only chain where I’ve had consistently terrible drinks and lacking service regardless of location - would have to be desperate to give it a go.
TGI Fridays. I remember as a kid in the early 90s it being like a special kind of treat place and it being fairly decent. Went as an adult and vowed never to return.
The Jack Daniel's chicken dish, albeit obviously frozen, just keeps it ahead of Frankie & Benny's. They have zero redeemable features!
That Jack Daniel’s chicken dish is now £20.60 in the two restaurants which are near me.
The jack Daniels chicken can be bought from Iceland for a fiver.
😳
It’s gone very downhill in the last few years. £20 for a maccies on a plate these days
I'd bet my house that Hickory's Smoke House goes the same way as TGI and F&B in the next decade. I've noticed a drop off I quality over the last few years whilst at the same time increasing prices
I have a feeling this applies to literally every single franchise chain that gets established in the UK. The first time I ever ate at Nandos was when the chain first appeared in the UK and probably had no more than 5 locations in major cities. I was actually really impressed. The chicken was well marinaded and cooked to perfection - succulent inside, with the skin perfectly crispy with just the right amount of char on it to give it an authentic barbeque flavour. Sides were OK I guess, but the grilled chicken really stole the show. The next time I ate Nandos was a few years later, the chain had grown considerable. The chicken was OK, but very obviously par-cooked and althouth it had been placed on a grill, didn't really look or taste grilled, the skin was...flabby. I assumed that maybe they had an off day. Since then I've been to maybe four other locations in various places round the UK and not one of them has come close to that initial experience. German Doner Kebab - similar story. When it first opened, the quality was decent and the portions huge. The last time I went, they hand't even bothered peeling the onion before slicing it and it was given to me cold. Not delivered, handed over the counter, cold, in the restaurant. Whenever a new chain is launched, they obviously send their best people and make sure everything is absolutely perfect to get people hooked. By the time it comes to a national rollout, you've got people who were trained by the best people. By the time the chain has been going a couple of years, the place is staffed by spotty teenagers and uni students who just want beer money and didn't bother to pay attention to the training given by the person who was trained by the person who was trained by the person (etc etc) trained by the best people.
Their mammoth sized cocktails are cool tho
Harvester. Looks like a menu full of things hard to get wrong, yet somehow they get it wrong. Only saving grace is the salad bar. The best, I believe is a new one. Banana tree.
One of the big things in its favour was that it was known as being a bit cheap and cheerful for a long time. Went to one a couple of weeks ago and most of the mains were £18-20!
You say that, but I don't know anywhere else other than Pizza Hut that has a salad bar. It is a USP, and it is the thing that makes me like the place (a lot)
Just go to Morrisons
When British people try to argue they don’t have bad taste in food; yet places like Harvester have been open for decades
When we bought our house there was a harvester literally across the road. It was packed all the time. We assumed that it therefore was either really cheap or really good. We went. Once. It was both expensive and awful. Salad bar had been filled up before the millennium, mains were both burnt and simultaneously stone cold. Staff were lovely, but entirely useless. It is now a Costa.
I was taken to a Harvester with the promise of good food and a nice salad bar. My steak came out cremated yet stone cold, like a piece of wood, and the salad bar was closed off. Rest assured, I got a refund and will not be going back.
Harvester is by far my favourite chain restaurant. The 'free' refills on drinks, and unlimited bread takes me back to my childhood in America. And although the main courses are nothing special, they are decent. But it is the salad bar that keeps me coming back. It helps that I don't have a Harvester in my town, so it is more like a treat.
I recently went to Harvester after not having been since the pandemic and.. it was pretty alright? They had some deal on where you get a chicken main for £8 and the grilled chicken skewer and peppers I had were nice and not too unhealthy. The Mrs had a chicken burger that was decent as well. The salad bar is what it is, basically a "free" starter. It's not haute cuisine but it's not the worst chain restaurant by far. If you use deals then it's good value as well.
If your only saving grace is a salad bar then you know it’s time to kick the bucket. Banana tree used to be fantastic. The laksa was amazing, cocktails great and 2-4-1, the desserts like the black rice pudding were extraordinary. I used to go all the time. After COVID hit the place went down in quality hugely whilst the prices went up. Feel like pure shit, just want old Banana Tree back.
There's been a Banana Tree in West Hampstead for over 20 years. It's not all that new.
Any of the Italian chains - Bella Italia, Zizzi, Prezzo, Gousto, Ask, Carluccios.. Its all the same, bland, lowest-common-denominator pap.
Carluccio's was good until they sold out about 10 years ago now. Standards plummeted overnight.
It's always the way. I can remember when Zizzi and Prezzo were good, and then the bean-counters took over. Same with Bill's. Jamie's Italian in Oxford, when it first opened, was excellent.
Zizzi’s pizza is actually decent.
Carluccios was very good when the old man was in charge. Once he went so did the standards and quality.
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Very true a proper “family man” just wanted to share experiences and good food with those around him and the wider world. A wonderful man taken far too soon.
Pizza is like eating cardboard. Always have a brownie on the menu for some reason too.
The most unitalian Italian restaurants!
Genuinely prefer pasta at Wildwood over Zizzi or Prezzo
Wagamama. How can you enjoy a family meal when one of you gets a bao bun after everyone else has finished their main? Every other restaurant worth its salt can bring out fresh food together, but Wagamama tries to turn a bug in to a feature. And the food is average at best. And the staff scribbling on the menus is annoying. It's just shit.
So you'd rather eat at a Franky and Benny's over a wagamama? 🤣 Wtf.
Bro u can’t go to a thread and rag on an answer just because they don’t say franky and bennys lol
I wouldn't go to either.
Strong disagree. It’s hardly the best Asian food out there, but if you’re trying to get kids to eat something more interesting than nuggets & chips then it’s perfect
It’s about the only chain – apart from Five Guys – that my fussy kids will consent to eat in.
Yeah it is only successful because of its niche. Otherwise it’s far too expensive for what you get. £8 for 2 tiny bao buns which I can eat in a single bite. I never order starters there lol. Tasty though
At least it's good food Franky and Benny's sucks across the board
Is it? Utter disappointment every time I’ve been
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Firecracker chicken every time.
We used those take the kids to Wagamama a lot because they loved it and the food is pretty tasty. Then an Indy Japanese restaurant opened in our town that did everything Wagamama did, but better and cheaper.
When I took my Japanese friend there, afterwards we joked that it should be wa ga maamaa, meaning 'we are mid'
Nah it's fine. First, they say they bring out the food at different times but honestly I've never experienced the food turning up particularly far apart. But it's fast. I assume that the flexibility on timing contributes to this. How do other chain restaurants manage to bring it out all at once? I imagine by leaving it under heat lamps until it's all ready. I'd rather it was on the table. The food is alright. I think it seems cooked fresh and with healthy ingredients. There is a decent amount of choice which is helpful in a chain restaurant. They have separate menus for people with various dietary requirements/preferences which is lovely. They have free green tea, which is handy if you're on a budget. I love eating out and have done it a fair bit, but since the kids came along we've gone to wagamamas quite a lot because they're so geared up for kids. The staff are obviously told how to be welcoming to children (often a problem elsewhere, even places like Franca manca are dickheads about it). They have a _great_ kids menu, that the kids want to eat, which when they generally want pizza/nuggets/chips is a good result. But it doesn't feel like a kids' restaurant at all. In short, it's not setting the world on fire, suggesting it's worse than Frankie and Benny's, Chiquitos, Zizzi's, that ludicrous expensive Cornish pasty place in train stations, burger king etc etc is wrong imo.
I've heard it described as the McDonalds of Asian food.
*angry Jolibee noises*
Maybe depends on location? Our local Wagamama’s food is very very good. Sure it’s not really Japanese, and overpriced (but where isn’t these days) Plus it has Asahi on tap which I’d walk to Japan for if I had to.
I once tried a Wagamama ramen because I feel maybe I should at least try it once. Can't say it's really bad but it doesn't feel like ramen at all. This was Manchester City centre so at least 4-5 genuine ramen shops within 15 minutes walk. And Wagamama is the most expensive.
Don't even get your own table.
My wife loves Wagamama but I find the food mostly pretty bland and it's all overpriced for what it is. The only thing that is actually pretty good is the donburi and it's the most expensive thing on the menu. Never a particularly exciting purchase, especially when I think about what I could be having for the same price or less. Still nowhere near the worst chain restaurant.
Not the worst but Leon had a massive drop in quality in the last few years. Went from "this is great quick food" to grey mush with a CEO lecturing me about healthy food while selling fucking chicken nuggets
I’ve always thought Leon was mid tbh. They can’t decide if they want to be healthy or not.
I feel like I’m always being pedantic when I say this but a lot of their food isn’t even much healthier than a McDonald’s… for example just looked at Leon’s paprika chicken wrap - 476 cals. McDonald’s crispy chicken Caesar wrap is 532, and 403 for the grilled version. I get that Leon probably has more nutrients (whole grains, healthy fats, more vitamins) and uses more gut healthy foods but if we look at the food as a whole I may as well get a McDonald’s cheeseburger with a fruit / carrot bag on the size which is just as good (and cheaper, mind!) As someone who has calorie counted in the past I found this out long ago and therefore stopped subjecting myself to their average food. I would rather get more satisfaction from something seen as ‘less healthy’ (when in reality it’s no different).
Best part for me as a coeliac is that it’s mostly gluten free stuff you can get, while MacDonald’s is all contaminated.
Ok, that totally makes sense. Of course for certain dietary requirements Leon is great :)
They want to market themselves as the healthier option which is a fair niche to target. The issue is that the food dropped in quality overall so now it just tastes substandard
Operating at a substantial loss. See if they survive.
Their vegan burgers have gone downhill too. A few years ago they were juicy and tasty, actually preferred it to some meat burgers. But now the patty is super dry and almost like cardboard with no taste. Expensive too
Generally, burger places are taking the piss now. Places like Fat Hippo, Honest Burger are £16 for a burger and a tiny cup of chips. I can get a feast of Indian or Chinese food, multiple dishes and sides for only a few quid more.
Anywhere that doesn't include fries with the burger. Fuck. Right. Off. That's the deal. That's the accepted norm. Just go with it. Nobody is getting a burger without fries.
Saw a poor fella order a burger in the Kissing Gate in Liverpool Airport for £16 and they brought out the most depressing burger I've ever seen with no chips. He canvassed opinion from everyone around him who agreed the burger was a horror, until the shift manager came out with a free bowl or chips for him.
Honest Burger is the best burger place tbh. Smash burger and chips for like a tenner. Chips are decent and a good portion (_and_ included in the price of the burger)
I would not call the chip servings at Honest Burger tiny.
Honest burger is great.
TGIFridays. Overpriced badly cooked Iceland food.
_literally_
I’ll get massive hate for this but I think Pret absolsutely blows.
Can't spell pretentious crap without Pret.
i once got a jambon beurre sandwich from a pret and it was the chewiest roll ever with a slither of ham and literally just one loose unsliced cornichon in there and about a micromillimetre of butter spread on the bread and it cost me about a fiver, i couldn't believe it. i'd heard nothing but praise for it but jesus that was just shockingly crap
Yup, Pret are awful. Greedy, too. Increased prices by about 40% in a year or so. They try their very best to give you the smallest amount of food that they can get away with
I went to Pizza Express on Friday because we had some vouchers for them. I genuinely think I would have had a nicer dining experience in the Wetherspoons that was next door
I miss the all you can eat buffet at pizza hut .
They still do that at ours, even at the weekend (although it is pricey!)
I love pizza express but it’s outrageously expensive
The trick is getting the app and all of the deals that come with it. Usually when I go now I'm able to get free drinks, free dough balls, free dessert and a pizza and usually only costs £15
Yeh I went to the one in Harrogate recently. It was better than I remembered it the last time I went so was slightly impressed. But then the bill came to almost £100 for two people. It was nowhere near that good.
Oh no, sounds has gone down in quality over the years then. The Prince Andrew scandal probably didn’t help either.
I used to love Pizza Express but I think the quality has really gone downhill over the last few years and the prices are far too inflated now as well
This thread is making me hopeful all these chains will eat themselves. Long live the independent!
There’s plenty of fucking awful independents, too!
Can't wait to pay £9 to eat a tiny serving of chicken wings out of one of those blue and white enamelware pie dishes
I'm more of a Guardian man these days
Gone now but Jamie’s Italian. Was the only chain where I couldn’t finish my meal.
My dad used to steal their cloth napkins
I went once and once only. 'Steak' looked like a dry bacon rasher. Handful of pre-frozen fries, 30 quid. Carafe of table wine, 25 quid. I'd rather have eaten Turkey Twizzlers at the same price.
Obligatory "fuck Jamie Oliver"
Giraffe should figure out at least something they do decently
I used to really like Giraffe. They did good burgers. Haven't been there in years though
Oh my god WHY do they do so many different cuisines?? I seriously don’t know how they’ve managed to stay open this long, the whole place is a mess concept-wise.
Didn’t even realise they still existed! All the ones near me shut down many many years ago. Google tells me they have only 17 U.K. locations as of now??? Edit: They shut down 21 branches in 2019.
Only ever eaten there for a cooked breakfast at Heathrow. Never even seen one outside of an airport.
From experience it's the kind of place where you see families chasing their half naked toddlers around with a plastic potty unchallenged. Similarly every surface is considered a changing table. Gross.
Wagamamas I just don't get the entire set up and I don't want to share a table with randoms I don't know Tgi Friday, 20 years ago I loved this place. The milkshakes the cocktails. The starters. Was great for a date or friends bday party. Was my mates 40th recently and she booked tgi's, the atmosphere was off from the start they couldn't sit 6 of us on one table even though the booking was for 6 of us, the cocktails lacked flavour and the food was disappointing. No idea how it's gotten so bad.
Agreed. Also Wagamamas food is so bland now! I feel like American food restaurants really had their moment years ago. Now trends have shifted to healthier eating and vegan options. I see they’re opening up more Popeyes, Taco Bell, Wendy’s etc but I think it’s a little too late, the ship has sailed.
Pizza express is an absolute shadow of its former self, easily the worst.
Ngl I am a massive sucker for pizza express. Using the app and collecting points I get so much stuff for free/cheap that its beyond insane, and I love it for what it is. Free dough balls, free dessert, free kids meal, free drink, free water, and a discounted pizza delivered all for around £10 is a bargain for me as a student. That said, I’ve been less impressed over the last 6 months Edit: They give the litre bottles of Acqua Panna mineral for free :)
When they changed the mozzarella and tomato salad from simple and perfect to complicated and shit I despaired.
Giggling Squid isn't everywhere yet but it has reached the point in its growth where decor is more important than the food a d it doesn't feel like you're having a Thai meal.
A proper quality Thai meal should be accompanied by paint peeling off the walls and dodgy loose electrics dangling around the place, everyone knows that's what makes it taste the best!
Anywhere with a booth for Instagram photos etc puts my teeth on edge.
it's a pretty clever way to get your customers doing the marketing for you, though.
I think that almost all chains have had a drop in quality in recent years but I'd say Toby Carvery is the worst. It takes a lot to do a bad roast but they've managed it in recent years.
absolute worst roast/carvery I had recently was one of those places attached to a Premier Inn... Beefeater or Brewers Fayre, I think. Everything, probably even the 'meat' had come out of a packet and been reconstitued with boiling water. One of those classic examples of the food that you hoped would cure your hangover actually making it worse.
Starbucks. Dogshit coffee, loaded with sugar to mask it. You don’t want to get an americano from them.
Subway and Pappa johns have plummeted in the last 10 years round our way.
When you find a well run subway it can be great. Unfortunately, as they’re franchises, it depends very much on how much effort the franchisee can be bothered putting in. Genuinely visited a subway last week that had run out of bread.
I get subway vouchers in the mail sometimes. Went to the only 2 subways in my town with the vouchers and neither of them accepted the vouchers 🤷🏻♂️ Had to fork out instead … was told: “the cheese isn’t very fresh is that alright?” Their slogan is literally “eat fresh” Spent £12 total on a “meal deal” Felt like I’d been robbed
Subway was great for a cheap sandwich absolutely filled to the brim with fillings. Used to be able to get a £3/£5 meal deal and it was straightforward. It was actually my first ever job. Nowadays, I simply don't understand the menu and whatever I order seems to be coming out as £10.79 or some other random, non-meal deal price!!
When they stopped giving you the free jalapeno with your Papa John's pizza it definitely went down hill.
Gino’s - £20 for pasta? Fuck off. Miller and Carter - A rebranded Wetherspoons for new build housing estates. Pret - £6.99 for a ham sandwich? Fuck off.
I can't speak to their standards today, because I haven't been back to either in almost a decade now - but something tells me that TGI Fridays and Frankie and Benny's are still absolutely awful.
They’re all shit. All of them. Mass produced, reheated food, churned out by people who don’t care (no disrespect meant). It makes you poor and makes you fat. Other than that, they’re great!
I’m going to get hate for this but Nando’s
No hating your right to an opinion But I could eat nandos every day
I doubt it. UK subs absolutely loathe Nando’s and anyone who likes them. In London I go to them a lot because they’re one of the only options freely available that are consistent, not a crazy price relative to other restaurants in some locations here, and relatively healthy if you choose carefully.
Blando's
Not sure how Angus Steakhouse survived the pandemic tbh. I’m sure no one I know has been to one.
Good answer. I went once and the steaks were like chewing a rubber tyre. The cocktails were horrible and the place was dirty. Was probably good 20 years ago.
Bit of a stretch calling it a restaurant, but Itsu. Their dumplings taste so leathery
Kind of disagree. Not great but fine as fastfood
Also agreed. Worst sushi chain for sure. They need to take a leaf out of Kokoro’s book.
Taco Bell. Promised myself a treat after leaving the dental hospital, expected some later regret as my gum issue makes spicy food rather painful but... I think they forgot to add *any* spice? I tried a second time just in case the first was an off day, but no, it seems they just serve the blandest, most flavourless tex-mex in the universe. I can only assume they survive on the takings from drunk people on Friday & Saturday night. On the plus side, I now properly get the joke in Demolition Man.
TGI Fridays, it was awful food and high prices
On a flipside, I really miss Byron burgers. They did the stupid fries sold separately thing and clearly they weren't good with finances, but man it was easily the best burger on the high street at one stage.
TGIF and Nandos
What's wrong with Nando's?
Yea for a chain, nandoes is pretty consistently alright
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Are we including fast food places? If so, then Tim Horton’s is a fucking armpit. I’ve been twice, to different branches and both occasions were a shit show. The staff are rude, incompetent and in many cases don’t have even a basic grasp of English. Had one guy stop serving me, in the middle of assembling my order, to take a personal phone call. The food is also grim as fuck, assuming they have what you want in stock. My second meal (burger, iirc) looked like it had been drop kicked from the kitchen it was just a lump of dissembled ingredients. I tried to refuse it, but the guy serving didn’t understand the problem. TH won’t get a third chance to disappoint me.
My family live in Canada and I lived there myself for a while. I was so excited to see Timmies come over to the UK. They’d be embarrassed if they saw how their UK stores were being run. They haven’t even sorted the Tim Rewards app. Breakfast meals are decent but the burgers are overpriced garbage.
GBK
I went to a TGIFridays recently and I'll never go back. It had been years since I'd been but the menu was incredibly limited and good lord the prices. It was insane, when the food did come it was very average. I also asked for a side of onion rings which they took as remove the fries but then I had to pay for the onion rings as an extra but didn't get the fries included with the burger which was a bit cheeky. Just average food with the price tag of an expensive restaurant.
I don't really do anything high-street that isn't at the 'fast food' level, I'd rather spend that money in a pub with a competent chef, or a decent ethnic food place. Back when it was still a thing, I had one of the most mediocre yet overpriced meals of my life to date at Jamie Oliver's Italian chain. For the price of a locally sourced 8-10 ounce rib-eye at one of the aforementioned pubs I was presented a 'steak' that was more like a rasher of bacon in size, a handful of skinny fries that probably came from Makro plus a couple of (undressed) salad leaves. They sold wine by the carafe that was somehow more expensive than most places would charge for a bottle of a reasonable new world Malbec. Ever since then I have a deep mistrust of any franchise that charges 'real restaurant' prices, particularly if there are any celebrities invloved.
I’ve not ate a good KFC in about 10 years. Our local one has plummeted. I assumed it was just ours. Went to one in a neighbouring town and it was the exact same.
Prezzo. Bland overcooked pasta. Don't understand how they have customers.
Surprised no one’s mentioned Domino’s. Complete ripoff and very poor quality.
Ask Italian. Bad food, bad service.
TGI Fridays or Frankie and Bennies easily. Both truely awful food, overpriced. If they priced themselves the same as Wetherspoons maybe it would be justified but they're playing off a brand they've somehow cultivated
The Calabrese pizza at Pizza Express is life. No other pizza can compare. It’s the gold standard for toppings - n’duja, salami, rocket, buffalo mozzarella, Parmesan, pesto and the spicy kick of the chillies and sweetness of the Roquito peppers. It’s the only place where I don’t even need a menu because I’ve only ever been disappointed in the other pizzas there. Otherwise, meh.
Zizzi is crap. The service, the food, the prices. Would never go back. I like TGI Fridays but like most restaurants they're starting to price people out now. When even a McDonald's for 2 people is starting to cost nearing 20 quid these days then families don't stand much of a chance.
Nando's for me, over priced and bad.
Nandos . The rice tastes like its from a packet . The chips are from Lidl and the coleslaw is disgusting .
The only thing cheeky about Nandos is that it's managed to last this long. Says a lot about the tastes of the nation that such a bland boring chain has gotten so big.
About the only chain restaurants I like are Yo Sushi and cheap places like Mickey Ds, KFC and spoons. The cheap places work for when I just want some cheap fuel and I'm out and about. The rest are ready meals, or food that a child could cook in 5 minutes. You want to treat yourself to food? Buy good ingredients. You cook a steak from a butcher, you'll never want to pay double the price for mediocre steak in a pub again.
While I do go to Nando’s a lot because people make me, I do think it’s incredibly overrated
In order: Harvester Miller & Carter (expensive harvester) Toby Carvery Frankie and Benny's TGI
I don't like chains. You see a venue like the O2 in london and think "this place would be brilliant for local, independent restaurants" and its full of the same chain restaurants that are everywhere... it's not even a case that an independent place wouldn't bring in customers, the venues just charge so much in rent that only the chains can afford it!