Do it!! You won’t regret it!! You also won’t be the first person whose dietary choices were influenced by something the read on this site. lol
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lol my waistline has been influenced by discussion boards since July 2006. If Chowhound had stayed blue and white, if I hadn’t shown up at a Chowmeet, I think I’d still be a size 8.
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Big News
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Fav FF Chain-- DAIRY QUEEN! Unfortunately there’s not an easy one for us to get to but I was just surprised by seeing how many stores there are here in Maine (223).
Of the big FF’s for me it’s (in order)
- Wendy’s
- TIE Burger King & MacDonald’s
- Subway
Five Guys is where we went the most but COVID put the in-town location Out of Biz.
In our local Mall’s food court–
- Panda Express (always my first choice but often slammed at lunch time so would look elsewhere)
- Arby’s (hardly ever had a line)
For me though an independent diner here or in New Jersey trumps all chains.
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Amen to that Wallace !!!
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Is Qdoba acceptable?
What’s good at Qdoba? I’ve never been.
I used to purchase the burrito bowl with the whole wheat tortilla on the side, aka a naked burrito. The server would create my bowl with black beans, brown rice, a ladle of the soup, pico, corn, sour cream, cheese, a spoonful of guac on the side and a whole bunch of cilantro on top. I’d pick up a few lime wedges, squeeze over the whole bowl and procede to roll my own at the table. There would be filling left in the bowl to take home. This was before the pandemic and shutdowns. Our Q has never recovered, fully.
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That burrito bowl sounds good.
How would you compare Qdoba and Chipotle? Which do you prefer?
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I like Qdoba’s tortilla soup either on its own or the loaded version which is similar to the way mts constructs a burrito bowl. In general I prefer Chipotle over Qdoba, but I think Qdoba’s chicken is more flavorful than Chipotle’s. I really like Chipotle’s guacamole. I think guacamole is still free at Qdoba, but it’s not nearly as good as Chipotle’s.
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Costco foodcourt.
Nothing like their hot dog ($1.49), chased with a warm churro ($1.49) dipped in some vanilla ice cream ($1.99), all for less than the price of a McDonald’s Big Mac Meal Deal ($4.99)
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Local Austin fast food burgers…Short Stop
Larger chain…Whataburger
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I just went to the famous Korean fried chicken franchise Bonchon. The fried chicken sliders are: small (as expected), a bit over cooked (especially the buuns), but still pretty tasty overall.
Sorry, it was a fair dark restaurant, so my iPhone is already doing a better job than I have expected.
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Local (Houston) -
James Coney Island/JCI Grill - ‘legacy’ hot dogs, old fashioned chili con carne, Frito pie, tamale plate
Frenchy’s - Creole fried chicken, sides, sausage po’boy
Used to hit FF a lot more before retirement, have avoided it since. Never a favorite among the big ones - I like variety. McD’s only for breakfast, Wendy’s, Whataburger, Jack in the Box (often something other than a burger).
Not local: Culver’s, Freddy’s (Wichita)
I’ve driven 95% of the way across the Houston Metro area for Culver’s after discovering them on the road. Freddy’s is closer but still close to an hour round trip. I like Freddy’s a little better - steak burgers, shoestring fries, fry sauce, hot dogs, decent chili, custard and a little more nostalgic vibe.
South Texas: Taco Palenque
None of these have I been to even a half dozen times; if I had, I might pass them by too 
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I was surprised how good Bonchon was after reading lots of negative reviews and do like it but none of the Korean fried chicken places I’ve been to have been anywhere near fast.
The demise of the Polish sausage did not sit well in this household.
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I think Bonchon is kind of the gold standard. It is the largest franchise so it be viewed a bit ‘boring’. This alone has invite hates. Bonchon cannot be that bad. It is the largest franchise of Korean fried chicken and it is not cheaper.
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I haven’t eaten fast food in over 20 years. Reading Fast Food Nation put me off all of that. The closest I get to fast food is Chipotle. I always get the same thing: burrito bowl with brown cilantro lime rice, black beans, barbacoa, peppers/onions, pico de gallo, corn salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream, and guac. 1 $15 bowl is good for 3 or 4 meals for me.
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I decided to Google, since I consider Chipotle Fast Food, or a subset of Fast Food.
It’s just an opinion, of course. 
I haven’t eaten at Chipotle in 7 years. It’s been 2 years and 3 months since my last food order at McDonald’s. I’ve had one burger from Wendy’s in the past year.
https://www.foodandwine.com/news/chipotle-fast-food-fast-casual
Maybe we need a thread for Which Fast Casual Chain(s) do you love?
Chipotla is a very interesting case. It went from a success story where i believe it business history and story was studied in many business schools to overnight turned into this food safety failure
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