One of the best movies ever. Check out the crab thread. I’m interested in your thoughts.
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In case you ever go back to that restaurant:
¿Qué soy yo un espejismo? Estoy en tu lista de no pagar
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I stopped there many times, when I was taking care of my sister in Silver Spring, MD…It was a half way stop for me, as I would leave NYC on Sunday morning about 5am and pull in there about 7:30 am for breakfast. It was ok, and the gas was the cheapest along the route.
My parents took a tour bus to Graceland a few years back. All the stops were at Cracker Barrels. They have no interest in ever taking another bus tour or eating at Cracker Barrel.
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Their cohorts on the tour probably thought: This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
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Two more, chain-specific:
Olive Garden’s game screens on the table, where if you don’t realize they’re not free, or accidentally hit a buton while moving it to one side so you can eat, you get charged $1.99.
Texas Roadhouse’s wait staff’s always trying to sell you more alcohol by asking if you want a “Texas pour” (basically, do you want to supersize your wine). Possibly this might be acceptable at the bar, but not in the dining area.
Cracker Barrel is fine. There’s a time and a place for it. For me, it’s when I go to PA and am looking for one cheap dinner on the trip before I blow my money on nicer places the rest of the way. Huge portions, cheap prices, but you get what you pay for. Usually above friendly service too.
Kind of like Waffle House: time and place. I, like most, need my blood to be a certain ABV before partaking.
EDIT: I didn’t mean to reply directly to RedJim. Meant to just state that as a musing.
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I’ve only been to CB three times I think in new England. I liked it. I recall they had some delicious french toast. Do all of them have a little store attached? I remember that.
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I believe they all do, though I have only been to the Lancaster location.
The only location I have seen where the floor plan differs is the original location in Lebanon,Tn. The layout is quite similar but smaller and not as well lit iirc.
Yes they all have the store and the porch and rocking chairs when you walk in. I like their chicken and dumplings and their country fried steak/chicken with white gravy. Good eats!!
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From my last visit two years ago…
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Fried okra and collard greens!! That’s the sh*t on that plate right there!!!
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This is a great thread…is there a way to bookmark it?
Can I list Olive Garden’s existence as a pet peeve? A commercial just aired advertising deep fried stuffed pastas and that further reminded me of the horror that bills itself as an Italian restaurant.
Microwave-quality entrees, tomato sauce which rivals spaghetti and meatballs at an elementary school cafeteria, their soups which aren’t bad are never hot, and lest we forget those dildo-like breadsticks which have zero flavor or texture and are sprinkled with generic garlic powder probably developed in a lab?
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Scroll to the bottom of the thread. Among the line of icons, the second from the left is “Bookmark.”
I was at a meeting in Dallas in the mid 90s and it was dinner time. The consensus was OG even though I advised strongly against it. I think I was voted down 6-1. Everybody hated it. I haven’t been since.
Every now and then they drop off those miserable breadsticks and tasteless salad at work to try and bribe employees to “dine” there.
Jimmy Johns does the same with their bad sandwiches, don’t get me started on them.
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I wish I could remember who pointed out that if your claim to fame is how fast you deliver . . . well, don’t expect good.
I spent the first 40+ years of my life in Philly and the next 10 in the Philly burbs. Given the quality of steaks, hoagies and Italian in this area, I’ll never understand how places like OG, JJ, Subway, etc. still exist. Transplants maybe?
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Olive Garden has a ‘Tour of Italy’ entree. Lasagna, Chicken Parm and Fettucini Alfredo. A local Perkins franchise sometimes offers a copycat of this as a dinner special for almost half the price of OG with soup, drink and dessert included, and it’s just as “good.”
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welp, now at least there’s a use for the unlimited breadsticks…
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