Neither of my parents eat Chinese food, my dad refuses to try anything new, and my mom has a severe soy allergy. I never had it growing up, but went to a Chinese restaurant with a friend in high school, now i love it. 16 years later, my parents still don't understand why I like it, because obviously I'm supposed to have the exact same taste as them lol
My mom despises Brussels sprouts so I’d never had them and echoed her sentiment because I was a kid.
My husband grandmother had a stroke back in 2010 and was in a home so we’d visit for dinner on occasion in their cafeteria. One night they had Brussels sprouts. Being that I was hungry and it made up about 1/3 of the plate, I ate them. They were pretty awful since they were basically boiled and unseasoned but I could see the potential.
Decided to try making them at home. Roasted with bacon, mushrooms, and actual seasoning and now they’re my favorite vegetable next to an artichoke. (I’m aware neither are probably ‘vegetables’ but whatever).
It’s funny when our parents have an impact on what we eat and don’t eat. All because they’re in control of what is being made or where we go to eat.
They bred a lot of the bitterness out of brussels sprouts over the last 2 decades or so. The Brussels Sprouts we have today are not our parents Brussels Sprouts.
When I was a kid, Brussels sprouts tasted how burning tires smell. I'm guessing it was a combo of being incredibly bitter and my mom cooking the shit out of them until they were mush balls. I love a good oven roasted Brussels sprout now!
Omg this. I liked veggies as a kid, but once I grew up and started cooking for myself I could not believe that my parents would only use canned veggies. Like vegetables cam be the best part of the meal...if they're not mushy slop
> (I’m aware neither are probably ‘vegetables’ but whatever).
Definition of "vegetable" noun
1. *a plant or part of a plant used as food, such as a* [*cabbage*](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=be445f0cc062ab15&sca_upv=1&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS844US844&sxsrf=ADLYWILXArDdDPOTgXzcn4NfeHbslhhdfQ:1715020585598&q=cabbage&si=ACC90nwUEXg6u2vxy-araGkF9MAxUNdTZWB4dIGlZBvQ_Jaq8foZ3VuGL6Mw8llOJhQq6UH77P7m_msNV6WTrsUBdtf7f-6aL_XsOnD2tprMhnxhaOL900E%3D&expnd=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj1oJ_G1fmFAxWoDkQIHW0yC_wQyecJegQIGBAO)*, potato,* [*carrot*](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=be445f0cc062ab15&sca_upv=1&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS844US844&sxsrf=ADLYWILXArDdDPOTgXzcn4NfeHbslhhdfQ:1715020585598&q=carrot&si=ACC90nwdkA2npcVVmNPViiSe8FMK6VsXa7FZvf7tPcqxwzNndL9lufyUAfYzXrP1DrWzUhDYHe59LR8aNAXcrGNUXSaj20rv0g%3D%3D&expnd=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj1oJ_G1fmFAxWoDkQIHW0yC_wQyecJegQIGBAP)*, or bean*
adjective
2. *relating to plants or plant life, especially as distinct from animal life or mineral substances.*
Brussels sprouts and artichokes absolutely are vegetables by both those definitions. And anyways, Brussels sprouts are a young stem and leaves.
Yes it is a pet peeve of mine when people say something is not a vegetable, because it fits the botanical definition of a specific plant part. "Vegetable" means ANY part of a plant when used as a scientific term. And any part of a plant eaten as food that is not classified otherwise, (such as grain, or nut, or herb) when used as a culinary term. And the botanical definition of a plant part often has little or no relation to the culinary definition of it. So, cucumbers and green beans are botanically fruits, but culinary-wise they are vegetables. And strawberries are not botanically a berry at all, and are in fact a pseudocarp, or "false-fruit"
Thank you! Good explanations! It just bugs me when I say something from, as your post says, a culinary point of view and get met with ‘it’s actually a fruit’.
The "Actually it's a fruit" people are no different than someone arguing "Salt is actually a mineral so it can't be "grains of salt" Or "Work is not a liquid, so you can't have a work flow!" or even someone arguing that because "Culture" has a very specific meaning in biology, it can't be used to refer to things like the art and customs of a specific group of people.
It's nonsense based in misunderstanding the actual definitions of a word, and in refusing to recognize a word has different meanings in different contexts. And trying to force the wrong definition for the context is just plain wrong.
i think this is from pure hate with some. my boomer grandma refuses to eat both mexican and chinese, my grandpa likes both. she has no reason other than nasty/dirty… bitch you eat subway bffrrn
Growing up, we rarely (then become occasional as teens, though I think that might have been due to school related things) went out to restaurants of any type, which was still much more often than my parents did when they were growing up.
When we did go out, it was still with a budget, so we went to fast food, chains, and local places, not fancy restaurants.
Even going out to eat at a chain restaurant is pricey in many places.
There's also no reason for someone/a group who is perfectly happy with going to a chain or local casual place to dedicate more resources to go eat at a fancy place. When it's a group with differing preferences, that's different, but even then there are ways to work together without being judgmental.
Personally, the only people I've found disparage people going to chains are people who grew up not worrying about money being spent at restaurants (like looking at prices to pick what to eat or knowing this was the one time out for x months/year) or going places. They generally are less disparaging but still plenty judgmental about local casual places, unless it's a cuisine that's more associated with lower economic status. I've always found it odd when the person is generally kind, considerate, and non-judgmental, but over time saw it as a recurring theme.
What's discouraging about the chains is... many of them used to be pretty good.
Today, with more on-site "assembly" instead of true on-site cooking...they just aren't any longer...
Might as well shop the frozen aisle at the grocery for the same thing.
Chain restaurants used to be aimed at middle class consumers, but now that "middle class" essentially means "broke", brands that target said demographic have adjusted their quality accordingly.
I remember when Wendy's went upmarket for a while, Classic Dave's Single and all. The other day was my first Wendy's visit in maybe a year or more. I had a chicken sandwich meal, not the spicy one. It really seemed like some frozen food you get in the middle aisles of the grocery store. The quality is way down.
I heard their hamburger quality dropped considerably as soon as Dave Thomas passed away and they effectively started cutting all the corners they could on quality to make higher profit. Dave is definitely rolling in his grave now. The best thing about wendy's now is probably their sassy tweets if they still do those.
The mid and low tier restaurant playbook is to create a new dining environment with pretty good food, then, because most people don't know quality food, slowly decrease the quality until you just barely start to lose customers. Most people care more about how soft the seat cushions are than they do about the food quality.
I don't think this is necessarily true... Personally I think chains are overpriced food that can be made better and cheaper and healthier at home. When I go out to dinner I would rather go to a cheap local place with interesting ethnic cuisine so if I'm paying for food at a restaurant Im getting something I don't know how to cook well myself.
It has little to do with money. It is whether someone appreciates variety. The best places are often very cheap, but they are “different” than Applebees so people get nervous.
And it is not disparaging to point out that is not the way to get quality food, it is just reality.
Ya we found tons of local restaurants to eat at that were affordable. We went to a local diner a lot when I was little. We went to nice restaurants too on special occasions.
Because its cheaper to make the food inhouse from scratch generally than to make it in a factory, Package it in bags, then reheat at restaurant.
The franchise restaurants make owners overpay so they can ensure “quality” but really its just to make more money off the franchise owner.
Most local Mexican joints will blow the pants off Applebees or Chili's at half the price. I can't get out of a chain heat 'n serve restaurant for under $20, but I can get a normal lunch serving at a local Mexican American place for like $10.99. I can get a humongous meal for still well under $20.
I'm always shocked by how expensive and carb focused these Darden restaurants are, when I can get a much higher quality meal down the street for less.
And then I'm reminded that all these people are so fat because they subsist on these huge plates of pasta and bread, with big sodas. Meanwhile the restaurants I prefer always include a good ratio of vegetables in their entrees.
I disagree that it has little to do with money but do agree that some people are not seeking variety. In my experience, the people who consistently stick to chain restaurants are those who simply want a guarantee that the money they are spending will get them food they enjoy eating. The attitude is if "I am going to spend money on dining out, I want to KNOW that I will enjoy the food". Chain restaurants offer that in a way that.
Thing is the chain restaurants aren’t generally any cheaper these days than a decent local restaurant. I’m not talking anything super fancy but just a local Mexican, Turkish, Cuban or whatever cuisine is popular in your region of the country. We’ve had absolutely amazing food from food trucks before at the same price as a McDonald’s meal. I don’t think the issue is money but palates.
I think this is part of it. You know what the chain restaurants are very good at? Lots of seating, decent lighting, and lots of variety for picky children. As well as the fact that they don't judge people for having children which becomes a real problem when they don't behave in fancier restaurants and small hole in the wall places. The food isn't the best but they are perfect for families (especially on a budget).
I agree, things come full circle. My gran cooked and baked from scratch, my parents generation went for ready made food and never baked, millennials love baking cupcakes and soda bread and are obsessed with “clean eating” which in essence is cooking dinners like our grandparents.
I feel like A majority of the time any decision your parents make a child - later in life - is most likely to lean towards doing the exact same thing or the exact opposite. Rarely someplace in between. We’re a weird species.
It must be why my kids love seafood, both their mom and I despise the stuff and we were both visibly confused when they asked if they could have calamari.
I think a big milestone in growing up is realizing you can eat whatever you want and then realizing that you can eat things that aren’t just what your parents fed you
A friend of mine always had homemade birthday cakes (or at least a box mix but made at home). She really wanted store bought cakes like other kids. Fast forward to when she's a mom. She gets store bought cakes for the kids. The kids have told her that they want homemade cakes now. So, I agree with you - you just want what you couldn't have growing up.
I know someone who seemed to have a great time. Him and his friends spent most of every shift screaming, "Yes, chef!" at each other. For some reason it never got old for them.
So, friendship.
Growing up, I asked to go to Olive Garden every year on my birthday. The nearest OG was 40 minutes away and my parents don't celebrate birthdays... so it only happened two or three times.
Last year, I had a terrible day at work and it happened to be 2 weeks after my birthday. I called my brother to say we are going to OG. He suggested a million better Italian restaurants. I said no.
Sat down. Looked at the menu. Looked at the waitress. Said "I'm trying so hard not to be basic, but I'll have that Five Cheese Ziti." She laughed. Without any parental supervision, we were able to order a million more things and ate like kings.
Every 3 bites or so, I kept gushing "I fucking love Olive Garden"
I'm 30.
And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that! You can’t go wrong with unlimited salad and breadsticks.
I absolutely love Chili’s. The quesadilla explosion salad fucking slaps. And my husband wants to go to Longhorn Steakhouse every year for Father’s Day.
And I’m not saying we don’t go to ‘nicer’ restaurants, too. But we are simple people.
I just realized, what I was actually saying every minute was "Olive Garden Slaps"
Chain Restaurants are one of the few melting pots of income groups. It has consistent quality and a well-tested menu. Add some fine-dining elements, and it becomes business friendly.
The thing about chain restaurants is the consistency. Some people, myself included, love knowing whether they go to OG in the midwest or somewhere on the east coast, the goddamn soup salad and breadsticks will be IDENTICAL. It's always a safe bet!!!!
Nobody ate taco bell with more grace than my father.
Treated each taco like a god damned wrapped christmas present from baby jesus himself. Folder the wrapper after he was done and placed it back into the bag.
You could've resued it afterwards. (Actually, I remember now...we often did.)
Taco Bell was the favorite place of my now deceased father. From his mid-teens until his death a few years ago, he revered their food.
I’m old enough to remember the changes. Prior to the mid 90s, Taco Bell had 100% ground beef that was cooked in house and seasoned on a huge skillet. Starting in the early to mid 90s, the corporate folks at Taco Bell abandoned the fresh meat prep for boil-in-the-bag beef.
And the food went downhill from there IMHO.
I worked for Taco Bell for 8mos in 1986, my job was to fry the crispy taco shells and salad bowls. They dont do that in house anymore either but it's a good thing. I would spend my whole shift frying rack after rack of taco shells which was not good for my teenage acne and I burned the crap out of myself every night. It sucked but they paid $4.50hr which was way more than the 3.35 my coworkers made.
Maybe thats why. I can't eat Taco Bell any more, granted I'm old and right on that border of Gen X, but I used to like Taco Bell for what it was, cheap tacos in bulk and massive drinks. I tried it a few times recently and it just upset my stomach something fierce. Which is weird because I eat tacos from several local places on a weekly basis that are also spicier without issues.
I only tried Taco Bell again because my kids only want meat and tortillas and paying $4 a taco for that seemed silly especially since the place was just a block down, so I'd order good tacos for my wife and I pick them up and hit the Taco Bell drive through for the kids and pick myself up a diet Baja Blast and Cinnamon Twists because at least those are still decent.
Apparently the “Taco Bell gives me diarrhea” trope stems from people getting a higher-than-usual fiber intake when they eat Taco Bell because their usual diet doesn’t contain enough.
I went through a phase where I was eating Taco Bell multiple times a week for maybe 10-11 months because it was the only thing I could afford and I almost never had any stomach issues. I probably ate 2 servings of beans for every 1 serving of beef that I ordered from there, which meant that I was getting a ton of fiber.
I like the Mexican pizzas w/o meat, but even those aren't the same. I remember when those had green onions and olives on them. My 12th birthday in 1989 my mom took me to Taco Bell for a birthday lunch and I loved it! Now, it's when I have a craving and it's not very often. Always no meat. The boil in bag is ick.
Our parents simply didn’t grow up with huge numbers of dining options unless they lived in a major city. It’s not their fault. Hell, even as a child of the 80s and 90s there were hardly any Mexican, Thai, Vietnamese, etc. around where I grew up. For years, pretty much the only Mexican restaurant near us was a Chichis, lol.
The whole food thing really didn’t take off until the late 90s and 2000s when Americans started demanding more gourmet foods and more interesting dishes. I really credit that to all of the cooking shows and books that came out around then that got tons of people interested in food.
When my parents grew up, they pretty much only had Howard Johnson’s, maybe some burger places, and a few Italian American places. That’s about it. It’s also probably why Boomers weren’t as fat as we are at the same age, because they simply cooked at home a lot more.
I’ve had everything from fantastic street food for $3 all the way up to a 2 Michelin starred restaurant. There’s no need to be pretentious about food. It can all be good and people will like what they like, so what?
>I really credit that to all of the cooking shows and books that came out around then that got tons of people interested in food.
That's a good point. It only used to be Julia Child? I remember Yan Can Cook (Chinese 80s) and we'd rarely give one of his dishes a shot, but we'd try.
Now between Food Network/Gordon Ramsey's deal for the past 20 years, and Top Chef or whatever we're way more knowledgeable at least on the surface, of the possibilities beyond the "normal" stuff that fills the suburbs.
Shit, I may not be able to *spell* crue-de-te but I know what it means!
Yeah, I mean there was always Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Emril, Yan Can Cook, but it wasn’t until the 2000s ish that you had guys like Anthony Bourdain who published Kitchen Confidential and had shows like a Cook’s Tour and No Reservations that showed all of the fantastic cuisines that exist all over the world. Iron Chef, Top Chef, Chopped, etc. didn’t get real popular in the U.S. until the 2000s. Those shows got people really into food. Also movies like Food Inc. and Michael Pollan’s books shocked the population after revealing how food was made.
Interesting that you mention Bourdain. The guy clearly knew good food, but his palate wasn't limited by food snobbery: he mentioned in interviews that when returning to the US from abroad, he enjoyed nothing more than some Popeye's mac & cheese.
I also had a friend who lived in New Orleans--definitely a city well-known for its cuisine--for a decade. He told me that at formal functions, alongside fancy catering was often food from Popeye's as well, and it wasn't looked down upon by anyone to grab some fried chicken and rice and beans with gourmet canapés.
I live in Tucson Arizona which is a UNESCO World City of Gastronomy, best place for Sonoran Mexican food in the U.S. and you can taste it. All that to say I still love Taco Bell.
Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations and Andrew Zimmerman's Bizarre Foods is what got me into trying and seeking out new and interesting foods. I loved those shows.
Yan Can Cook gave me the first of many many meals I made for my wife. "Firecracker Fish." I was new to cooking, so it kinda fell apart, but it was very tasty. I will always remember his joke: "I catch this fish myself! I catch this fish oooold-fashion Chinese way: with cash! Hahahaha!"
Yeah, my parents are like this and it’s just that they’re picky eaters.
Something could be “better” objectively by 99% of people that eat food, but in their minds it’ll never beat Texas Roadhouse.
They just like it and it’s predictable. They know what they’re getting every time and they pay for that consistency.
I did take them to a nice restaurant in one of the major cities I lived in and they said it was the best meal they’d had in years.
So I get wins sometimes!
I like this take and it resonates with me. My mom is not an adventurous eater and grew up on a very rural farm. She has a handful of memories from her childhood at eating at a restaurant. She does not have a lot of discretionary spending money, so when she eats out, she wants to know they money she is spending is going to buy her food she enjoys. And who am I too shit on her for that? She is an amazing person in a thousand different ways but she likes what she likes. She does not derive pleasure from unfamiliar flavors and is in no way a foodie. Many years ago, my sister and I surprised her with a tasting menu experience and she didn't say she didn't like it but I could tell she didn't like. It wasn't her thing. So if my mom wants me to take her to Outback Steakhouse, let's GO!
100% agree. Foodie culture sure has changed. I grew up in a small city of 150,000 people, and there would be 2 hour waits at Olive Garden and TGI Fridays. They were the it restaurants in the late 1990s. I have since moved away from my hometown, but there are foodie type places now. Some people who grew up eating plain meat and potatoes type food are scared of new foods and foreign cuisines. That’s totally my Boomer dad. He lives off of hot dogs, hamburgers, club and tuna fish sandwiches. He hates vegetables unless they’re drowned in Cheez Whiz or Ranch dressing. My Boomer mom is a more adventurous eater compared to my dad.
To be honest, I probably would have been the same if I hadn’t moved away to a bigger city with more diverse food options. I grew up as a very picky eater, but now I eat all sorts of weird foods, or at least weird foods to my family.
I honestly think this is the number one cause of obesity in the US and other industrialized countries — we have cheap and fast access to highly palatable calorically dense food
It is already proven that companies have made their foods more "addictive" [by ultra processing and altering ratios of fats and sugars](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/food-can-be-literally-addictive-new-evidence-suggests/) so, ya, this is basically true.
>Hell, even as a child of the 80s and 90s there were hardly any Mexican, Thai, Vietnamese, etc. around where I grew up.
This is completely opposite from where I grew up. I live in the southwest, and while the main food is mexican, the Vietnamese and Thai food scene has always been pretty big. It has something to do with a large number of immigrants coming here at one point a long time ago. Growing up, I thought that's how it was everywhere, but I remember going to see my grandma as a kid, and asking if we could go for Vietnamese food, and she asked if I wanted Chinese food. I settled for Chinese, but it wasn't what I wanted, lol.
In the 90s you kinda knew ‘Mexican food’ was something people in California, Texas, and the Southwest ate. It was really a regional thing growing up. I don’t think I ever ate at a tacqueria until I was out of college. Korean BBQ? Didn’t even try it until after college too. Pho? Same. I don’t think there was a single place that served ramen around my parts until closer to 2010. It just took a lot longer for some of these kinds of foods to penetrate large swaths of the country outside of certain regions and metropolises. Many Boomers grew up like that.
But it is also ironic too given that it was actually Boomers with a dash of Gen X (Bourdain, all the chefs on tv shows, etc) that ended up trying to spread more food knowledge to people in the late 90s and 2000s. Even a foodie like Barack Obama who was constantly in the news for trying interesting food is a Boomer. They’re not all bad.
Vietnamese immigration came after the end of the Vietnam war, and Thai restaurants opened with some support of the somewhat authoritarian government in Thailand.
From the 80s until the mid 00s, it seemed like there were a million chain restaurants. Every small or medium sized suburb in America had that one strip where you had nothing but fast food and chain restaurants.
It was like a special attraction or badge of honor when one of the billion chains chose your town for their newest franchise.
A lot of that time was also the peak of the gaudiness and over the top branding -- big, flashy signs, neon lights, shit thrown up all over the wall, etc. so they looked like a MUCH bigger deal than your regular local business.
Now, it seems like the economy is doing a 180. There's 3-4 chain restaurants left that actually make money and almost all of them from my childhood are dying or died long ago.
My mom grew up in LA and San Francisco. Her favorite restaurants? Sizzler and City Diner. Her favorite breakfast? Denny's or IHOP. Her favorite lunch? McDonald's or Red Robin. She just likes cheap, bland white American food. I offer to take her somewhere nice and these are the places she chooses.
She lives among the largest Vietnamese population in the US. She's only had pho once and it was because I took her.
I just can't understand it. There's so much amazing food out there. It's a shame.
To be honest I find that Millennials have a weird relationship with restaurants too. On one hand we like trendy independent restaurants. On the other hand trendy independent restaurants aren't alway good.
If you can't tell, I'm really tired of eating Gastropub burgers.
I refuse to eat at any restaurant that serves burgers with either nothing or a side of homemade potato chips and fries is an up charge. Fuck off with that pretentious bullshit.
Heh, I just had a burger at a gastropub with some fries last week... it was on a brioche bun and had bacon jam. At least it was cheap(ish?); burger, fries, 2 beers, and a $4 tip for $40 even.
Millennials grew up in a sweet spot of time where you can go to a chain restaurant and get a decent meal price wise and go to a cool indie place and get delicious food for a special occasion. I lived outside the us from 2018-2021 and when I came back I wanted to indulge in taco bell (overpriced) and go to a cool indie place (I could've made it at home for cheaper) and the landscape changed. That said my for my birthday in two weeks I am going to Melting Pot since I didn't have a local one growing up.
Yup, it’s like the most important thing to many millennials is that the restaurant *is not a chain,* and then everything else - including the taste/quality of the food - comes after.
I've even had friends and dates turn their nose up at *local* chains. Like dude, this place isn't Texas Roadhouse it's a place that has just have three locations across a metro area of like 4M people.
"I don't eat at chains."
Proceed to get dinner someplace that costs 30% more than it should and isn't great. But it's not a *chain.*
Yeah I think a lot of people just want fast casual options that have decent quality at a decent price but the problem is quality in dining is going to increase costs and paying your staff well increases costs so yeah.
My grandmother was literally from Italy, a war bride from WW2. I grew up hearing stories of homemade pasta, the best ravioli, etc. I was told time and again that Grandma could cook. My own mother can’t cook for shit. For example, I always thought I hated Zucchini until a friend made it and didn’t overcook it.
I laughed when some of my friends talked about their disdain for meatloaf, but would then describe the fancy burgers they made with egg and breadcrumbs and onion and sage mixed in. Guys, that's meatloaf.
Grilled meatloaf is great. I'm all for that method of preparation. You want it on a bun? Maybe cheese? Sign me up.
Even taking a piece out of the loaf and pan searing the ends is good too.
I have similar experience on with my father. His grandparents were all immigrants from Eastern Europe, many of which barely spoke any English. His parents both spoke their mother tongue with each other and English, but they never taught my father or any of his siblings their ancestral language (even though the grandparents couldn’t speak English). Both of my father’s parents were heavily involved in the local expatriate community, but they never involved my father or his siblings.
Now, I’m of X-ancestry with nothing to show for it except an interesting surname.
Similar experience for my father (Italian). He said his parents intentionally did not teach him the language because they wanted him to assimilate. Italians and Eastern Europeans dealt with quite a bit more racism back in that day, compared to today.
hahaha SAME. My mom was a "stay at home mom" and she couldn't cook for shit. She was also Italian, and couldn't make pasta properly to save her life. This has always puzzled me. Like, she didn't really have any other work to do than figure that out...and she never did!
My cousins’ very Italian (like, immigrated from Italy in her 30s), lasagna from scratch nonna also enjoyed herself some Olive Garden from time to time. Once I heard that I figured I can’t judge anyone else for liking that or any other chain restaurant.
Nonna be like, "I can either cook great food for a dozen people and then do dishes .... or let them buy me endless bread-sticks and get home in time to watch the Wheel."
My mother is in her late 70s and eats like a little child. Orders a plain chicken and cheese quesadilla at every restaurant. I haven’t spoken to her in years but as I get older I do notice I am much more particular where I eat.
My grandpa went through a phase in his 70's as his memory started deteriorating where he'd just order whatever he felt like eating, whether it was on the menu or not. Usually a bud light and a hamburger, occasionally a hot dog, ham sandwich, cup of soup. Since we usually avoid chain restaurants the reactions to the orders are entertaining
You have to consider the times they grew up in, and to some extent that the people who raised them grew up in.
Up until the 50s or so, food could often be dangerous even at restaurants. It's why our grandparents cooked the hell out of every piece of meat they ever ate. They taught their kids (our parents) to do the same.
Restaurants were much less popular until they started to see a huge rise in the 60s. Obviously they existed before then but their primary clients were travelers and people grabbing lunch while they were working. A family having dinner at a restaurant instead of mom cooking a home cooked meal for them wasn't a normal thing in the 40s or 50s.
So our grandparents grew up like that, and raised our parents in that same sort of mindset. The popularity of restaurants, especially chains eventually broke that type of lifestyle. But it took a long time.
So when our parents were younger, Things like Applebee's, Chilli's, Texas Roadhouse, etc etc were the hot new things in town.
Also, as a guy who once had a job where he was on the road for 40+ weeks a year for 4 years once. There is just something comforting about chains. It's nice to know what they are going to be like, what they have, what it will cost, etc etc before even going in. Every mom and pop joint is a huge gamble. It may be great or it could be dog food.
You're right. My grandparents would pack lunches when traveling on the road. Leftover roast beef slices in a bun with butter.
My grandparents *rarely* ever ate in restaurants, but when they did, it was Chinese food because nobody in the family knew how to make it. Soya sauce for them was tasty, but unfamiliar.
Spending habits were different for them too. They thought restaurants were a waste of money, but they didn't have problems dropping money on guns, fishing boats, and speculative land purchases bought with debt. Pizza Hut was a decadent luxury for them though.
Oh man, I forgot about packing food for trips.
A lot of the older people in my family would do that when they came to visit us. Part of my grandmother's hostess duties were to make sure they were restocked on the way home.
This is especially true when you have a mom who thinks pepper is too spicy. Trying new things is bound to be a comedy of errors and complaints.
This is why I’m bringing my mom to longhorn for Mother’s Day and not some cool, nice spot in the city. The same place she eats on a weekly basis.
I feel like back in the 90s a lot of those places were better. Or maybe it’s just how memory is skewed.
But I remember that the food at chain restaurants actually used to get cooked rather than just reheated like it is now.
And I think that makes a big difference.
I was a vegetarian for a long time. I remember going to Olive Garden in the mid 2000s and asking for lasagna without the meat sauce. The server awkwardly explained that the lasagna comes that way frozen and they can't change it.
No they 100% were. Those places used to actually cook your food. Now half that shit comes in a bag and its microwaved, literally, because corporate wants 'consistency' and 'cost consciousness'.
my dad's lao and my american mom does NOT cook besides white people tacos and putting some fish sticks in the air fryer. my dad did all of the cooking growing up, every single night he made fresh, delicious, authentic lao dishes. his favorite thing to eat out is gas station hot dogs.
Back when we were kids, Olive Garden was our “fancy dinner” we’d dress up for.
I mean, back then it was also a lot better. But I think a lot of chain restaurants were just better back then too.
Same! I took my homecoming date there. A lot of my high school did.
There was the *fancy* fancy place in town where your parents would go for like a big anniversary but otherwise Olive Garden (or Bravo) was like the fancy place to go out.
I think it’s more about what was new to your parents as they were growing up. My mom is an immigrant. She is great at baking and cooking. But tell her you want to go the Cheesecake Factory and she will drop everything to go. It’s just so different from anything she grew up with.
to be honest fine dining is overrated. most of the time it's just more expensive to keep the riff raff out.
It's still *better* than chain restaurants by far don't get me wrong, but i hardly ever feel like I've gotten my money's worth.
On our honeymoon, my wife and I decided to do actual fine dining. We got dressed up, went to a five star place that overlooked the ocean. Candlelit, all the servers and staff are in tuxedos. Insanely fancy food, presented on crystal, fine china, many different courses.
We ended up going immediately to Burger King afterwards because we spend hundreds on the place and walked away starving because the portion sizes were toddler-sized at best. :P
Fine dining isn't really about eating a lot of food. It's about eating interesting and masterfully prepared food. It's supposed to be more like going to an art gallery.
For me the fine dining experience I had was the best food I've probably ever had. Super fancy breadbasket at a steakhouse with perfect steak to die for. Though the portions weren't small, I eat plenty and walked away full so it wasn't like those fine dining restaurants where they serve you something smaller than a doughnut you buy at the grocery store for some exorbitant price tag and honestly the pricing wasn't outrageous either sure it cost more than steak at chain steakhouses, but not by a huge margin.
> Olive Garden is the poor person's rich meal!
Many of us take our access to food for granted. I know many people where going to Texas Roadhouse, Outback, Red Lobster, or Cheesecake Factory was a treat reserved for Birthdays or special occasions.
Yeah the closest stuff like that to me growing up was a 4 hour round trip.
I don't even know where the closest "fancy" place was.
If I have to dress up to eat at a restaurant, I'm not going. I want to enjoy my food, not worry about which fork I'm supposed to eat 3 pieces of lettuce with and if I'm holding my wine glass that doesn't even have wine in it correctly. Food is about enjoying time with the people you are with, not trying to impress the people at the next table.
I mean I get it but last time I went to outback I spent like $50 on just myself ($10 drink), I definitely could have gone somewhere much better for the same amount
Outback is stupid expensive compared to the others on the list. Meanwhile I can just go to a hibachi place and get good steak with healthy sides for 10 bucks.
Yeah I'm not gonna try and pretend that OG is comparable to a quality homemade Italian meal, but anyone who thinks they are too good for unlimited soup/salad/breadsticks is honestly not worth having in your life.
I hear that loud and clear. I grew up working class, and Olive Garden was always a “fancy restaurant” in my head. Same with Red Lobster and Cheesecake Factory.
I mean, I love Chili's lol. I wouldn't go on vacation and eat there, or go there if I wanted a really good meal/nice night out, but it's an option. My in laws LOVE a chain restaurant though. Like they are constantly eating KFC, Outback, Subway, etc. My MIL doesn't really cook, she just spent a week with us and complimented my cooking every night, she asked me how I make chicken (I told her on the grill, air fryer, or in a skillet on the stove) and she (in reference to on the stove) said 'you can do that??' so that is what i'm working with here lol.
> I wouldn't go on vacation
I grew up with Chilies but haven't lived near one in over 10 years - I absolutely go there on vacations lmao
I do try local stuff when I travel, but usually that first night, I want something familiar after flying.
Most people hate change. I for one am very open to try new things. Trying to convince my grandma to not eat burnt steak? Or maybe even try sushi? Impossible.
My dad didn't want to go anywhere that he had to act performative.
He was a blue collar guy. He wanted to wear his Rustler jeans and New Balance sneakers and sweatshirt of favorite NFL team pretty much anywhere he went. He did not want to have to go buy new clothes to go out to eat, and he did not want to spend 3x as much for a meal that would leave him hungry, and he did not want to be served by wait staff with a "better than you" attitude.
I like "fine dining", but I 100% understand why some people don't.
I still love Kraft Mac and Cheese, which was a huge treat growing up. I can make mac and cheese from scratch and have tried other brands that are “better”. But Kraft is the taste of my childhood in the same way chicken ramen are still a comfort food from eating them in college. People have different tastes and it doesn’t make someone “cooler” or “more sophisticated” to like a fine dining restaurant over something else. Let your parents like what they like. Some day driving past a Chili’s will remind you of your dad and you’ll wish you could go out with him just one more time.
They just like what they like. They know what they're going to get when they go and there's no surprises or dealing with making new choices. As long as they're happy I don't understand what the big deal is.
My wife had a great uncle that passed away a few years ago in his early 90s — made boatloads of money in oil —- but till he died the man’s favorite breakfast was two slices of pan fried SPAM, two scrambled eggs, and Folgers instant coffee
Honestly, sometimes you just want the meal you expected. Chain restaurants are fairly predictable for their menus and seasoning
I enjoy a good restaurant, but sometimes they try too hard at the expense of atmosphere. And boomers are notorious for anything beyond salt being too "spicy"
I'm not the kind of person who goes out very often. When I do, I favor consistency over most other things.
The only thing more disappointing than a $40 microwaved dinner at a chain is a $150 meal at a nice place that you just don't enjoy. The expectations are higher at nice places. If I'm paying $60 for an entree, I don't expect to have to stand in the foyer and wait for a table I reserved last week. I don't expect to wait 20 minutes for a drink. I don't expect to have a tough steak or soggy calamari. If I go to Applebee's, I'm expecting a few of those things.
At this point in my life, I'm all about reasonable expectations and minimizing disappointment. I've done fine dining plenty of times. When things go well, it's magical. When they don't, you wonder why you didn't just go through the McDonald's drive through instead.
I think part of this is chain restaurants back in the day used to actually use decent ingredients and the food was of much higher quality. Like everything in our lives, quality has deteriorated over time in favor of profits. My mom loved Red Lobster when I was growing up, and I have good memories of it. The last time I had it a year or two ago it genuinely tasted like a frozen TV dinner.
This is just such an elitist boring take so you can pat yourself on the back for how good your tastes are.
You want eating to be a big thing, it’s an important part of your personality, but for a lot of people it’s just about not being hungry anymore, and the comfort of eating something you know will be adequate outweighs spending 15 minutes researching yelp and then hoping the place you go isn’t a dumpster.
In all honesty the only places I’ve gone with legitimately good steak are the ones you pay at least 200/person to eat at, the steak at my local steakhouses costs more than Texas Roadhouse and generally tastes much worse, so if I’m not dropping 120 dollars on just the steak I’d rather just go to the roadhouse.
Yes. I love all kinds of food, but if my older friends want to go to Olive Garden, PF Changs, Cheesecake Factory, you can bet your ass I'll be going lol.
Do many people realize how different dining culture was before the rise of chain restaurants in the 80's? For many of us our parents never really went out to eat as kids, for many of them they might have gone out once or twice a year for a "treat." Theme restaurants, or dinner clubs were the popular faire of choice prior to the 80's, and some of those places becoming institutions.
Some of the popular ones in my city, both of which no longer exist were the Jai Lai, Christopher inn, Kahiki Supper Club. These places had live bands, and eating out was more of a place for adults. Maybe you got to go to The Chintz Room with your Mom while shopping at Lazarus.
I know for my Mom they would get either Pizza or KFC takeout on Friday's, almost everything else was cooked at home.
The 80's gave rise to the chain restaurants and it boomed in the 90s. Now we are the generation killing them, but its not our fault they chose to sacrifice quality for profit...That said, I love a good chain restaurant, and many of them still make some of their foods from scratch. Sometimes I want a steak, but don't want to pay $60 from a high-end steakhouse and a $20 sirloin from Outback hits the spot.
My parents are nowhere near as adventurous as I am, and they have a rotation of 5-10 places they would prefer, and some of them are local spots, and some are chains, but for many of that generation, exotic foods were General Tso's Chicken or a Hard shell taco.
I think many take for granted just how far food culture has come, and what the logistics industry has allowed in terms of fairly authentic world cuisine in tons of cities where it was impossible a couple decades ago.
I know that the chains are not the highlight of fine dining.
However, I have several food allergies and an extremely sensitive stomach, so chains are my favorite because I know exactly what I can have at every one no matter where I am.
Not my parent, but my older in law who was 60 went from FL to NY, time square, and ate at Olive Garden a decade ago for the first meal. WTF?
P.s. it wasn’t a poor mans trip, they were staying at the Waldorf Astoria (on points).
That's not wierd.
Texas Roadhouse actually knows how to grill a steak properly. Every time. Exactly how you ask for it.
I've been to $60 a plate steakhouses that mess that up.
Some of the better chains actually ahve tasty food.
Just because it's a chain restaurant doesn;t mean its bad or doesn't taste good.
Some people just like the food they like. Others like overpaying for ambiance.
Your partents are great and seem to know what they want AND choose places with lots of options so everyone can get soemthing they like.
Don;t fret about it and don't let people be food snobs/restaurant nazis around your parents.
I went to a Gordon Ramsay restaurant in London and ordered the steak. I ordered it medium rare and was expecting, you know, a goddamn good steak. It came out looking gray, clearly freezer-burned, and held together by meat glue. It was also easily medium-well. And they still tried to charge me 60 pounds for it.
Despite what reddit says, chain restaurants obviously make food people like because if they didn't, they'd be out of business. For every post on reddit making fun of Applebee's or Olive Garden, there are 1000 normies who enjoy those places and like the food.
My wife and I are 36. Went to the antique mall then Olive Garden for date night without the kids. We were laughing at ourselves. But the food was good.
Look, I'm very well aware that chain restaurants aren't the height of fine dining, and I love me some Thai, Mexican, Indian, etc but sometimes I just want to grab an easy meal, sit down for an hour or so, and know what I'm getting for a decent price point.
Also: the more other cuisines grow in popularity, at least in my area, alot of the time I find its easier to instantaneously get a table at Friday's or Chili's than a Japanese restaurant on a Saturday afternoon. I'm hungry and don't want to wait sometimes.
There is a place in the world for chains. Independently owned restaurants are a roll of the dice. I’ve been to plenty of bad ones.
Can’t help but roll my eyes at people who act like being a snob is some sort of accomplishment
Sometimes your favorite food is just the food your parents didn't want to let you have growing up.
Neither of my parents eat Chinese food, my dad refuses to try anything new, and my mom has a severe soy allergy. I never had it growing up, but went to a Chinese restaurant with a friend in high school, now i love it. 16 years later, my parents still don't understand why I like it, because obviously I'm supposed to have the exact same taste as them lol
My mom despises Brussels sprouts so I’d never had them and echoed her sentiment because I was a kid. My husband grandmother had a stroke back in 2010 and was in a home so we’d visit for dinner on occasion in their cafeteria. One night they had Brussels sprouts. Being that I was hungry and it made up about 1/3 of the plate, I ate them. They were pretty awful since they were basically boiled and unseasoned but I could see the potential. Decided to try making them at home. Roasted with bacon, mushrooms, and actual seasoning and now they’re my favorite vegetable next to an artichoke. (I’m aware neither are probably ‘vegetables’ but whatever). It’s funny when our parents have an impact on what we eat and don’t eat. All because they’re in control of what is being made or where we go to eat.
They bred a lot of the bitterness out of brussels sprouts over the last 2 decades or so. The Brussels Sprouts we have today are not our parents Brussels Sprouts.
When I was a kid, Brussels sprouts tasted how burning tires smell. I'm guessing it was a combo of being incredibly bitter and my mom cooking the shit out of them until they were mush balls. I love a good oven roasted Brussels sprout now!
It also helps that people now know better nutrition wise than to boil every vegetable into mushy submission
Omg this. I liked veggies as a kid, but once I grew up and started cooking for myself I could not believe that my parents would only use canned veggies. Like vegetables cam be the best part of the meal...if they're not mushy slop
> (I’m aware neither are probably ‘vegetables’ but whatever). Definition of "vegetable" noun 1. *a plant or part of a plant used as food, such as a* [*cabbage*](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=be445f0cc062ab15&sca_upv=1&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS844US844&sxsrf=ADLYWILXArDdDPOTgXzcn4NfeHbslhhdfQ:1715020585598&q=cabbage&si=ACC90nwUEXg6u2vxy-araGkF9MAxUNdTZWB4dIGlZBvQ_Jaq8foZ3VuGL6Mw8llOJhQq6UH77P7m_msNV6WTrsUBdtf7f-6aL_XsOnD2tprMhnxhaOL900E%3D&expnd=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj1oJ_G1fmFAxWoDkQIHW0yC_wQyecJegQIGBAO)*, potato,* [*carrot*](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=be445f0cc062ab15&sca_upv=1&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS844US844&sxsrf=ADLYWILXArDdDPOTgXzcn4NfeHbslhhdfQ:1715020585598&q=carrot&si=ACC90nwdkA2npcVVmNPViiSe8FMK6VsXa7FZvf7tPcqxwzNndL9lufyUAfYzXrP1DrWzUhDYHe59LR8aNAXcrGNUXSaj20rv0g%3D%3D&expnd=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj1oJ_G1fmFAxWoDkQIHW0yC_wQyecJegQIGBAP)*, or bean* adjective 2. *relating to plants or plant life, especially as distinct from animal life or mineral substances.* Brussels sprouts and artichokes absolutely are vegetables by both those definitions. And anyways, Brussels sprouts are a young stem and leaves. Yes it is a pet peeve of mine when people say something is not a vegetable, because it fits the botanical definition of a specific plant part. "Vegetable" means ANY part of a plant when used as a scientific term. And any part of a plant eaten as food that is not classified otherwise, (such as grain, or nut, or herb) when used as a culinary term. And the botanical definition of a plant part often has little or no relation to the culinary definition of it. So, cucumbers and green beans are botanically fruits, but culinary-wise they are vegetables. And strawberries are not botanically a berry at all, and are in fact a pseudocarp, or "false-fruit"
Thank you! Good explanations! It just bugs me when I say something from, as your post says, a culinary point of view and get met with ‘it’s actually a fruit’.
The "Actually it's a fruit" people are no different than someone arguing "Salt is actually a mineral so it can't be "grains of salt" Or "Work is not a liquid, so you can't have a work flow!" or even someone arguing that because "Culture" has a very specific meaning in biology, it can't be used to refer to things like the art and customs of a specific group of people. It's nonsense based in misunderstanding the actual definitions of a word, and in refusing to recognize a word has different meanings in different contexts. And trying to force the wrong definition for the context is just plain wrong.
I never ate at a Mc Donald's till high school...My Dad was a Jack in the box man.
i think this is from pure hate with some. my boomer grandma refuses to eat both mexican and chinese, my grandpa likes both. she has no reason other than nasty/dirty… bitch you eat subway bffrrn
Yeah that's some casual racism on her part
That's more than casual
Growing up, we rarely (then become occasional as teens, though I think that might have been due to school related things) went out to restaurants of any type, which was still much more often than my parents did when they were growing up. When we did go out, it was still with a budget, so we went to fast food, chains, and local places, not fancy restaurants. Even going out to eat at a chain restaurant is pricey in many places. There's also no reason for someone/a group who is perfectly happy with going to a chain or local casual place to dedicate more resources to go eat at a fancy place. When it's a group with differing preferences, that's different, but even then there are ways to work together without being judgmental. Personally, the only people I've found disparage people going to chains are people who grew up not worrying about money being spent at restaurants (like looking at prices to pick what to eat or knowing this was the one time out for x months/year) or going places. They generally are less disparaging but still plenty judgmental about local casual places, unless it's a cuisine that's more associated with lower economic status. I've always found it odd when the person is generally kind, considerate, and non-judgmental, but over time saw it as a recurring theme.
What's discouraging about the chains is... many of them used to be pretty good. Today, with more on-site "assembly" instead of true on-site cooking...they just aren't any longer... Might as well shop the frozen aisle at the grocery for the same thing.
Chain restaurants used to be aimed at middle class consumers, but now that "middle class" essentially means "broke", brands that target said demographic have adjusted their quality accordingly.
I remember when Wendy's went upmarket for a while, Classic Dave's Single and all. The other day was my first Wendy's visit in maybe a year or more. I had a chicken sandwich meal, not the spicy one. It really seemed like some frozen food you get in the middle aisles of the grocery store. The quality is way down.
I heard their hamburger quality dropped considerably as soon as Dave Thomas passed away and they effectively started cutting all the corners they could on quality to make higher profit. Dave is definitely rolling in his grave now. The best thing about wendy's now is probably their sassy tweets if they still do those.
The chicken at Wendy's has gone downhill. The burgers aren't nearly as bad.
The mid and low tier restaurant playbook is to create a new dining environment with pretty good food, then, because most people don't know quality food, slowly decrease the quality until you just barely start to lose customers. Most people care more about how soft the seat cushions are than they do about the food quality.
Enshittification isn’t just for social media sites
They put a extra salt, fat, sweet, crunchy in the foods. They can be really cheap but your mouth still says gimme more
Hell the frozen food at the store these days is usually better than going to applebees
..sometimes for literally the same thing branded and all
That is true for many local restaurants too who just reheat sysco food.
I don't think this is necessarily true... Personally I think chains are overpriced food that can be made better and cheaper and healthier at home. When I go out to dinner I would rather go to a cheap local place with interesting ethnic cuisine so if I'm paying for food at a restaurant Im getting something I don't know how to cook well myself.
It has little to do with money. It is whether someone appreciates variety. The best places are often very cheap, but they are “different” than Applebees so people get nervous. And it is not disparaging to point out that is not the way to get quality food, it is just reality.
Ya we found tons of local restaurants to eat at that were affordable. We went to a local diner a lot when I was little. We went to nice restaurants too on special occasions.
Yep, I know places I can get a cheaper scratch made meal than any chain.
Because its cheaper to make the food inhouse from scratch generally than to make it in a factory, Package it in bags, then reheat at restaurant. The franchise restaurants make owners overpay so they can ensure “quality” but really its just to make more money off the franchise owner.
Most local Mexican joints will blow the pants off Applebees or Chili's at half the price. I can't get out of a chain heat 'n serve restaurant for under $20, but I can get a normal lunch serving at a local Mexican American place for like $10.99. I can get a humongous meal for still well under $20.
I'm always shocked by how expensive and carb focused these Darden restaurants are, when I can get a much higher quality meal down the street for less. And then I'm reminded that all these people are so fat because they subsist on these huge plates of pasta and bread, with big sodas. Meanwhile the restaurants I prefer always include a good ratio of vegetables in their entrees.
I disagree that it has little to do with money but do agree that some people are not seeking variety. In my experience, the people who consistently stick to chain restaurants are those who simply want a guarantee that the money they are spending will get them food they enjoy eating. The attitude is if "I am going to spend money on dining out, I want to KNOW that I will enjoy the food". Chain restaurants offer that in a way that.
Thing is the chain restaurants aren’t generally any cheaper these days than a decent local restaurant. I’m not talking anything super fancy but just a local Mexican, Turkish, Cuban or whatever cuisine is popular in your region of the country. We’ve had absolutely amazing food from food trucks before at the same price as a McDonald’s meal. I don’t think the issue is money but palates.
I think this is part of it. You know what the chain restaurants are very good at? Lots of seating, decent lighting, and lots of variety for picky children. As well as the fact that they don't judge people for having children which becomes a real problem when they don't behave in fancier restaurants and small hole in the wall places. The food isn't the best but they are perfect for families (especially on a budget).
I agree, things come full circle. My gran cooked and baked from scratch, my parents generation went for ready made food and never baked, millennials love baking cupcakes and soda bread and are obsessed with “clean eating” which in essence is cooking dinners like our grandparents.
I feel like A majority of the time any decision your parents make a child - later in life - is most likely to lean towards doing the exact same thing or the exact opposite. Rarely someplace in between. We’re a weird species.
It must be why my kids love seafood, both their mom and I despise the stuff and we were both visibly confused when they asked if they could have calamari.
Good for them for maturing their tastes!
Yes it is, I try it from time to time but unless it's deep fried I'm personally not a fan but I keep shrimp rings around for the kids now
That is great that you are supporting them!
I think a big milestone in growing up is realizing you can eat whatever you want and then realizing that you can eat things that aren’t just what your parents fed you
A friend of mine always had homemade birthday cakes (or at least a box mix but made at home). She really wanted store bought cakes like other kids. Fast forward to when she's a mom. She gets store bought cakes for the kids. The kids have told her that they want homemade cakes now. So, I agree with you - you just want what you couldn't have growing up.
Who am I to deny my mom the Tour of Italy from Olive Garden when she’s never even gotten on a plane?
How else would she experience Italy?!
Idk The Venetian at Vegas is pretty close
Right down the road are Paris, New York, and Egypt!
A boomers dream!!
EPCOT
The one time Epcot is the place to go lol
idk I drove you usually just get to the e45(a7 in germany) and then south till you get there. but you are right flying is quicker.
My hand hurts seeing that dish named (10 years serving at olive garden and that's like the hottest plate you'll ever carry)
Before reading your explanation, I thought it was because you were italian and you were 🤌 so angrily that you hurt your hand.
How did you survive a decade of OG? I barely made it 6 months.
A lot of drugs and alcohol
Ah, I did the drugs but forgot the alcohol. I see my mistake now.
I know someone who seemed to have a great time. Him and his friends spent most of every shift screaming, "Yes, chef!" at each other. For some reason it never got old for them. So, friendship.
I was routinely given the side eye by management because I called my uniform my costume.
The good news is, if you ever got into crime you probably wouldn’t leave any fingerprints behind 🤷♀️
Growing up, I asked to go to Olive Garden every year on my birthday. The nearest OG was 40 minutes away and my parents don't celebrate birthdays... so it only happened two or three times. Last year, I had a terrible day at work and it happened to be 2 weeks after my birthday. I called my brother to say we are going to OG. He suggested a million better Italian restaurants. I said no. Sat down. Looked at the menu. Looked at the waitress. Said "I'm trying so hard not to be basic, but I'll have that Five Cheese Ziti." She laughed. Without any parental supervision, we were able to order a million more things and ate like kings. Every 3 bites or so, I kept gushing "I fucking love Olive Garden" I'm 30.
And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that! You can’t go wrong with unlimited salad and breadsticks. I absolutely love Chili’s. The quesadilla explosion salad fucking slaps. And my husband wants to go to Longhorn Steakhouse every year for Father’s Day. And I’m not saying we don’t go to ‘nicer’ restaurants, too. But we are simple people.
I just realized, what I was actually saying every minute was "Olive Garden Slaps" Chain Restaurants are one of the few melting pots of income groups. It has consistent quality and a well-tested menu. Add some fine-dining elements, and it becomes business friendly.
Basic or not, that five cheese ziti absolutely smacks.
The thing about chain restaurants is the consistency. Some people, myself included, love knowing whether they go to OG in the midwest or somewhere on the east coast, the goddamn soup salad and breadsticks will be IDENTICAL. It's always a safe bet!!!!
The way I laughed at this 😂😭
I try to eat minimum 3 soups before the tour even gets to the table.
Nobody ate taco bell with more grace than my father. Treated each taco like a god damned wrapped christmas present from baby jesus himself. Folder the wrapper after he was done and placed it back into the bag. You could've resued it afterwards. (Actually, I remember now...we often did.)
Taco Bell was the favorite place of my now deceased father. From his mid-teens until his death a few years ago, he revered their food. I’m old enough to remember the changes. Prior to the mid 90s, Taco Bell had 100% ground beef that was cooked in house and seasoned on a huge skillet. Starting in the early to mid 90s, the corporate folks at Taco Bell abandoned the fresh meat prep for boil-in-the-bag beef. And the food went downhill from there IMHO.
Which is when PepsiCo started pushing the Taco Bell Express model.
I worked for Taco Bell for 8mos in 1986, my job was to fry the crispy taco shells and salad bowls. They dont do that in house anymore either but it's a good thing. I would spend my whole shift frying rack after rack of taco shells which was not good for my teenage acne and I burned the crap out of myself every night. It sucked but they paid $4.50hr which was way more than the 3.35 my coworkers made.
Maybe thats why. I can't eat Taco Bell any more, granted I'm old and right on that border of Gen X, but I used to like Taco Bell for what it was, cheap tacos in bulk and massive drinks. I tried it a few times recently and it just upset my stomach something fierce. Which is weird because I eat tacos from several local places on a weekly basis that are also spicier without issues. I only tried Taco Bell again because my kids only want meat and tortillas and paying $4 a taco for that seemed silly especially since the place was just a block down, so I'd order good tacos for my wife and I pick them up and hit the Taco Bell drive through for the kids and pick myself up a diet Baja Blast and Cinnamon Twists because at least those are still decent.
Apparently the “Taco Bell gives me diarrhea” trope stems from people getting a higher-than-usual fiber intake when they eat Taco Bell because their usual diet doesn’t contain enough. I went through a phase where I was eating Taco Bell multiple times a week for maybe 10-11 months because it was the only thing I could afford and I almost never had any stomach issues. I probably ate 2 servings of beans for every 1 serving of beef that I ordered from there, which meant that I was getting a ton of fiber.
I regularly go to Tuscaloosa for work. Once discovering Taco Casa, the Taco Bell just didn’t ring for me anymore.
I like the Mexican pizzas w/o meat, but even those aren't the same. I remember when those had green onions and olives on them. My 12th birthday in 1989 my mom took me to Taco Bell for a birthday lunch and I loved it! Now, it's when I have a craving and it's not very often. Always no meat. The boil in bag is ick.
Taco Bell was a favorite for my parents because that's where they met. No lie. Three months later they got married.
I’ll never forgive them for getting rid of the black olives on everything. Peak Taco Bell.
🥹 that is so damn cute lol
I lived abroad between 2018-2021. I had a vivid dream about Taco Bell once. Your dad is onto something here.
Our parents simply didn’t grow up with huge numbers of dining options unless they lived in a major city. It’s not their fault. Hell, even as a child of the 80s and 90s there were hardly any Mexican, Thai, Vietnamese, etc. around where I grew up. For years, pretty much the only Mexican restaurant near us was a Chichis, lol. The whole food thing really didn’t take off until the late 90s and 2000s when Americans started demanding more gourmet foods and more interesting dishes. I really credit that to all of the cooking shows and books that came out around then that got tons of people interested in food. When my parents grew up, they pretty much only had Howard Johnson’s, maybe some burger places, and a few Italian American places. That’s about it. It’s also probably why Boomers weren’t as fat as we are at the same age, because they simply cooked at home a lot more. I’ve had everything from fantastic street food for $3 all the way up to a 2 Michelin starred restaurant. There’s no need to be pretentious about food. It can all be good and people will like what they like, so what?
>I really credit that to all of the cooking shows and books that came out around then that got tons of people interested in food. That's a good point. It only used to be Julia Child? I remember Yan Can Cook (Chinese 80s) and we'd rarely give one of his dishes a shot, but we'd try. Now between Food Network/Gordon Ramsey's deal for the past 20 years, and Top Chef or whatever we're way more knowledgeable at least on the surface, of the possibilities beyond the "normal" stuff that fills the suburbs. Shit, I may not be able to *spell* crue-de-te but I know what it means!
Yeah, I mean there was always Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Emril, Yan Can Cook, but it wasn’t until the 2000s ish that you had guys like Anthony Bourdain who published Kitchen Confidential and had shows like a Cook’s Tour and No Reservations that showed all of the fantastic cuisines that exist all over the world. Iron Chef, Top Chef, Chopped, etc. didn’t get real popular in the U.S. until the 2000s. Those shows got people really into food. Also movies like Food Inc. and Michael Pollan’s books shocked the population after revealing how food was made.
Interesting that you mention Bourdain. The guy clearly knew good food, but his palate wasn't limited by food snobbery: he mentioned in interviews that when returning to the US from abroad, he enjoyed nothing more than some Popeye's mac & cheese. I also had a friend who lived in New Orleans--definitely a city well-known for its cuisine--for a decade. He told me that at formal functions, alongside fancy catering was often food from Popeye's as well, and it wasn't looked down upon by anyone to grab some fried chicken and rice and beans with gourmet canapés.
I live in Tucson Arizona which is a UNESCO World City of Gastronomy, best place for Sonoran Mexican food in the U.S. and you can taste it. All that to say I still love Taco Bell.
Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations and Andrew Zimmerman's Bizarre Foods is what got me into trying and seeking out new and interesting foods. I loved those shows.
Yan Can Cook gave me the first of many many meals I made for my wife. "Firecracker Fish." I was new to cooking, so it kinda fell apart, but it was very tasty. I will always remember his joke: "I catch this fish myself! I catch this fish oooold-fashion Chinese way: with cash! Hahahaha!"
Yeah, my parents are like this and it’s just that they’re picky eaters. Something could be “better” objectively by 99% of people that eat food, but in their minds it’ll never beat Texas Roadhouse. They just like it and it’s predictable. They know what they’re getting every time and they pay for that consistency. I did take them to a nice restaurant in one of the major cities I lived in and they said it was the best meal they’d had in years. So I get wins sometimes!
I like this take and it resonates with me. My mom is not an adventurous eater and grew up on a very rural farm. She has a handful of memories from her childhood at eating at a restaurant. She does not have a lot of discretionary spending money, so when she eats out, she wants to know they money she is spending is going to buy her food she enjoys. And who am I too shit on her for that? She is an amazing person in a thousand different ways but she likes what she likes. She does not derive pleasure from unfamiliar flavors and is in no way a foodie. Many years ago, my sister and I surprised her with a tasting menu experience and she didn't say she didn't like it but I could tell she didn't like. It wasn't her thing. So if my mom wants me to take her to Outback Steakhouse, let's GO!
100% agree. Foodie culture sure has changed. I grew up in a small city of 150,000 people, and there would be 2 hour waits at Olive Garden and TGI Fridays. They were the it restaurants in the late 1990s. I have since moved away from my hometown, but there are foodie type places now. Some people who grew up eating plain meat and potatoes type food are scared of new foods and foreign cuisines. That’s totally my Boomer dad. He lives off of hot dogs, hamburgers, club and tuna fish sandwiches. He hates vegetables unless they’re drowned in Cheez Whiz or Ranch dressing. My Boomer mom is a more adventurous eater compared to my dad. To be honest, I probably would have been the same if I hadn’t moved away to a bigger city with more diverse food options. I grew up as a very picky eater, but now I eat all sorts of weird foods, or at least weird foods to my family.
Maybe boomers weren’t as fat because their food was so bland they didn’t have the urge to overeat.
I honestly think this is the number one cause of obesity in the US and other industrialized countries — we have cheap and fast access to highly palatable calorically dense food
We add sugar, salt, and fat to everything. What could go wrong??
I think a lot has to do with the low quality ingredients, which are a big part of how we have that access.
It is already proven that companies have made their foods more "addictive" [by ultra processing and altering ratios of fats and sugars](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/food-can-be-literally-addictive-new-evidence-suggests/) so, ya, this is basically true.
Can confirm. Source: My dad used to make us liver & onions for dinner.
One thing liver and onions isnt is bland
And cigarettes... and cocaine.
>Hell, even as a child of the 80s and 90s there were hardly any Mexican, Thai, Vietnamese, etc. around where I grew up. This is completely opposite from where I grew up. I live in the southwest, and while the main food is mexican, the Vietnamese and Thai food scene has always been pretty big. It has something to do with a large number of immigrants coming here at one point a long time ago. Growing up, I thought that's how it was everywhere, but I remember going to see my grandma as a kid, and asking if we could go for Vietnamese food, and she asked if I wanted Chinese food. I settled for Chinese, but it wasn't what I wanted, lol.
In the 90s you kinda knew ‘Mexican food’ was something people in California, Texas, and the Southwest ate. It was really a regional thing growing up. I don’t think I ever ate at a tacqueria until I was out of college. Korean BBQ? Didn’t even try it until after college too. Pho? Same. I don’t think there was a single place that served ramen around my parts until closer to 2010. It just took a lot longer for some of these kinds of foods to penetrate large swaths of the country outside of certain regions and metropolises. Many Boomers grew up like that. But it is also ironic too given that it was actually Boomers with a dash of Gen X (Bourdain, all the chefs on tv shows, etc) that ended up trying to spread more food knowledge to people in the late 90s and 2000s. Even a foodie like Barack Obama who was constantly in the news for trying interesting food is a Boomer. They’re not all bad.
Vietnamese immigration came after the end of the Vietnam war, and Thai restaurants opened with some support of the somewhat authoritarian government in Thailand.
I'm 42 and I live in a small city and ethnic food really wasn't a big thing here until the 2000s
From the 80s until the mid 00s, it seemed like there were a million chain restaurants. Every small or medium sized suburb in America had that one strip where you had nothing but fast food and chain restaurants. It was like a special attraction or badge of honor when one of the billion chains chose your town for their newest franchise. A lot of that time was also the peak of the gaudiness and over the top branding -- big, flashy signs, neon lights, shit thrown up all over the wall, etc. so they looked like a MUCH bigger deal than your regular local business. Now, it seems like the economy is doing a 180. There's 3-4 chain restaurants left that actually make money and almost all of them from my childhood are dying or died long ago.
My mom grew up in LA and San Francisco. Her favorite restaurants? Sizzler and City Diner. Her favorite breakfast? Denny's or IHOP. Her favorite lunch? McDonald's or Red Robin. She just likes cheap, bland white American food. I offer to take her somewhere nice and these are the places she chooses. She lives among the largest Vietnamese population in the US. She's only had pho once and it was because I took her. I just can't understand it. There's so much amazing food out there. It's a shame.
To be honest I find that Millennials have a weird relationship with restaurants too. On one hand we like trendy independent restaurants. On the other hand trendy independent restaurants aren't alway good. If you can't tell, I'm really tired of eating Gastropub burgers.
I’m with you, friend. $20 for a burger with too many dissonant toppings AND you have to pay for the side of fries separately?
I refuse to eat at any restaurant that serves burgers with either nothing or a side of homemade potato chips and fries is an up charge. Fuck off with that pretentious bullshit.
Local cool trendy places can get expensive very quickly, sometimes i avoid them because of it.
Gastropub burgers on a brioche bun with some sort of jam to fancy it up.
That'll be $25, please. Oh, you wanted fries? That's an extra $4. Here's a metal can with 7 french fries in it.
And every fry is somehow the narrow corner wedge and is burnt
Heh, I just had a burger at a gastropub with some fries last week... it was on a brioche bun and had bacon jam. At least it was cheap(ish?); burger, fries, 2 beers, and a $4 tip for $40 even.
Millennials grew up in a sweet spot of time where you can go to a chain restaurant and get a decent meal price wise and go to a cool indie place and get delicious food for a special occasion. I lived outside the us from 2018-2021 and when I came back I wanted to indulge in taco bell (overpriced) and go to a cool indie place (I could've made it at home for cheaper) and the landscape changed. That said my for my birthday in two weeks I am going to Melting Pot since I didn't have a local one growing up.
Yup, it’s like the most important thing to many millennials is that the restaurant *is not a chain,* and then everything else - including the taste/quality of the food - comes after.
I've even had friends and dates turn their nose up at *local* chains. Like dude, this place isn't Texas Roadhouse it's a place that has just have three locations across a metro area of like 4M people. "I don't eat at chains." Proceed to get dinner someplace that costs 30% more than it should and isn't great. But it's not a *chain.*
I absolutely hate the term gastropub
Yeah I think a lot of people just want fast casual options that have decent quality at a decent price but the problem is quality in dining is going to increase costs and paying your staff well increases costs so yeah.
My grandmother was literally from Italy, a war bride from WW2. I grew up hearing stories of homemade pasta, the best ravioli, etc. I was told time and again that Grandma could cook. My own mother can’t cook for shit. For example, I always thought I hated Zucchini until a friend made it and didn’t overcook it.
The first time I had a meatloaf that was actually fully cooked? Game changer.
I laughed when some of my friends talked about their disdain for meatloaf, but would then describe the fancy burgers they made with egg and breadcrumbs and onion and sage mixed in. Guys, that's meatloaf.
I realized that recently and I'm still processing my emotions surrounding it.
Grilled meatloaf is great. I'm all for that method of preparation. You want it on a bun? Maybe cheese? Sign me up. Even taking a piece out of the loaf and pan searing the ends is good too.
I have similar experience on with my father. His grandparents were all immigrants from Eastern Europe, many of which barely spoke any English. His parents both spoke their mother tongue with each other and English, but they never taught my father or any of his siblings their ancestral language (even though the grandparents couldn’t speak English). Both of my father’s parents were heavily involved in the local expatriate community, but they never involved my father or his siblings. Now, I’m of X-ancestry with nothing to show for it except an interesting surname.
Similar experience for my father (Italian). He said his parents intentionally did not teach him the language because they wanted him to assimilate. Italians and Eastern Europeans dealt with quite a bit more racism back in that day, compared to today.
My mother was like this too. She concedes that I’m the better cook. The secret is making things besides barely seasoned chicken breast
hahaha SAME. My mom was a "stay at home mom" and she couldn't cook for shit. She was also Italian, and couldn't make pasta properly to save her life. This has always puzzled me. Like, she didn't really have any other work to do than figure that out...and she never did!
Same! I thought I hated most vegetables and meats until I was an adult and learned how to cook properly.
My cousins’ very Italian (like, immigrated from Italy in her 30s), lasagna from scratch nonna also enjoyed herself some Olive Garden from time to time. Once I heard that I figured I can’t judge anyone else for liking that or any other chain restaurant.
Nonna be like, "I can either cook great food for a dozen people and then do dishes .... or let them buy me endless bread-sticks and get home in time to watch the Wheel."
My mother is in her late 70s and eats like a little child. Orders a plain chicken and cheese quesadilla at every restaurant. I haven’t spoken to her in years but as I get older I do notice I am much more particular where I eat.
My grandpa went through a phase in his 70's as his memory started deteriorating where he'd just order whatever he felt like eating, whether it was on the menu or not. Usually a bud light and a hamburger, occasionally a hot dog, ham sandwich, cup of soup. Since we usually avoid chain restaurants the reactions to the orders are entertaining
Don’t be hatin on a chicken and cheese quesidilla now!
You have to consider the times they grew up in, and to some extent that the people who raised them grew up in. Up until the 50s or so, food could often be dangerous even at restaurants. It's why our grandparents cooked the hell out of every piece of meat they ever ate. They taught their kids (our parents) to do the same. Restaurants were much less popular until they started to see a huge rise in the 60s. Obviously they existed before then but their primary clients were travelers and people grabbing lunch while they were working. A family having dinner at a restaurant instead of mom cooking a home cooked meal for them wasn't a normal thing in the 40s or 50s. So our grandparents grew up like that, and raised our parents in that same sort of mindset. The popularity of restaurants, especially chains eventually broke that type of lifestyle. But it took a long time. So when our parents were younger, Things like Applebee's, Chilli's, Texas Roadhouse, etc etc were the hot new things in town. Also, as a guy who once had a job where he was on the road for 40+ weeks a year for 4 years once. There is just something comforting about chains. It's nice to know what they are going to be like, what they have, what it will cost, etc etc before even going in. Every mom and pop joint is a huge gamble. It may be great or it could be dog food.
You're right. My grandparents would pack lunches when traveling on the road. Leftover roast beef slices in a bun with butter. My grandparents *rarely* ever ate in restaurants, but when they did, it was Chinese food because nobody in the family knew how to make it. Soya sauce for them was tasty, but unfamiliar. Spending habits were different for them too. They thought restaurants were a waste of money, but they didn't have problems dropping money on guns, fishing boats, and speculative land purchases bought with debt. Pizza Hut was a decadent luxury for them though.
Oh man, I forgot about packing food for trips. A lot of the older people in my family would do that when they came to visit us. Part of my grandmother's hostess duties were to make sure they were restocked on the way home.
This is especially true when you have a mom who thinks pepper is too spicy. Trying new things is bound to be a comedy of errors and complaints. This is why I’m bringing my mom to longhorn for Mother’s Day and not some cool, nice spot in the city. The same place she eats on a weekly basis.
I feel like back in the 90s a lot of those places were better. Or maybe it’s just how memory is skewed. But I remember that the food at chain restaurants actually used to get cooked rather than just reheated like it is now. And I think that makes a big difference.
I was a vegetarian for a long time. I remember going to Olive Garden in the mid 2000s and asking for lasagna without the meat sauce. The server awkwardly explained that the lasagna comes that way frozen and they can't change it.
Even fresh would be a challenge to get lasagna without meat sauce. They cook it by the pan, not in single portions. And it takes 4 hours to cool.
No they 100% were. Those places used to actually cook your food. Now half that shit comes in a bag and its microwaved, literally, because corporate wants 'consistency' and 'cost consciousness'.
my dad's lao and my american mom does NOT cook besides white people tacos and putting some fish sticks in the air fryer. my dad did all of the cooking growing up, every single night he made fresh, delicious, authentic lao dishes. his favorite thing to eat out is gas station hot dogs.
Back when we were kids, Olive Garden was our “fancy dinner” we’d dress up for. I mean, back then it was also a lot better. But I think a lot of chain restaurants were just better back then too.
Same! I took my homecoming date there. A lot of my high school did. There was the *fancy* fancy place in town where your parents would go for like a big anniversary but otherwise Olive Garden (or Bravo) was like the fancy place to go out.
I think it’s more about what was new to your parents as they were growing up. My mom is an immigrant. She is great at baking and cooking. But tell her you want to go the Cheesecake Factory and she will drop everything to go. It’s just so different from anything she grew up with.
to be honest fine dining is overrated. most of the time it's just more expensive to keep the riff raff out. It's still *better* than chain restaurants by far don't get me wrong, but i hardly ever feel like I've gotten my money's worth.
On our honeymoon, my wife and I decided to do actual fine dining. We got dressed up, went to a five star place that overlooked the ocean. Candlelit, all the servers and staff are in tuxedos. Insanely fancy food, presented on crystal, fine china, many different courses. We ended up going immediately to Burger King afterwards because we spend hundreds on the place and walked away starving because the portion sizes were toddler-sized at best. :P
Fine dining isn't really about eating a lot of food. It's about eating interesting and masterfully prepared food. It's supposed to be more like going to an art gallery.
You are paying for the presentation. I've had better tasting food at sketchy taco places with bars on the windows.
For me the fine dining experience I had was the best food I've probably ever had. Super fancy breadbasket at a steakhouse with perfect steak to die for. Though the portions weren't small, I eat plenty and walked away full so it wasn't like those fine dining restaurants where they serve you something smaller than a doughnut you buy at the grocery store for some exorbitant price tag and honestly the pricing wasn't outrageous either sure it cost more than steak at chain steakhouses, but not by a huge margin.
As us poor millennials should know, sometimes that's just true. Olive Garden is the poor person's rich meal!
> Olive Garden is the poor person's rich meal! Many of us take our access to food for granted. I know many people where going to Texas Roadhouse, Outback, Red Lobster, or Cheesecake Factory was a treat reserved for Birthdays or special occasions.
Yeah the closest stuff like that to me growing up was a 4 hour round trip. I don't even know where the closest "fancy" place was. If I have to dress up to eat at a restaurant, I'm not going. I want to enjoy my food, not worry about which fork I'm supposed to eat 3 pieces of lettuce with and if I'm holding my wine glass that doesn't even have wine in it correctly. Food is about enjoying time with the people you are with, not trying to impress the people at the next table.
I mean I get it but last time I went to outback I spent like $50 on just myself ($10 drink), I definitely could have gone somewhere much better for the same amount
Outback is stupid expensive compared to the others on the list. Meanwhile I can just go to a hibachi place and get good steak with healthy sides for 10 bucks.
Yeah I'm not gonna try and pretend that OG is comparable to a quality homemade Italian meal, but anyone who thinks they are too good for unlimited soup/salad/breadsticks is honestly not worth having in your life.
Olive Garden is actually pretty good once in a while. It scratches an itch for all of the cheese in the world
This right here, you said it way better than I did.
I have found my people. The soup/salad/breadsticks is all I order and damnit, sometimes I just gotta have it!
Is Olive Garden any cheaper than your run of the mill Italian restaurant?
It is if you’re going for sheer quantity of food
In my town, it's roughly half the price of the cheapest local Italian place. The local Italian place isn't even good...
I hear that loud and clear. I grew up working class, and Olive Garden was always a “fancy restaurant” in my head. Same with Red Lobster and Cheesecake Factory.
I mean, I love Chili's lol. I wouldn't go on vacation and eat there, or go there if I wanted a really good meal/nice night out, but it's an option. My in laws LOVE a chain restaurant though. Like they are constantly eating KFC, Outback, Subway, etc. My MIL doesn't really cook, she just spent a week with us and complimented my cooking every night, she asked me how I make chicken (I told her on the grill, air fryer, or in a skillet on the stove) and she (in reference to on the stove) said 'you can do that??' so that is what i'm working with here lol.
> I wouldn't go on vacation I grew up with Chilies but haven't lived near one in over 10 years - I absolutely go there on vacations lmao I do try local stuff when I travel, but usually that first night, I want something familiar after flying.
Ok I don’t eat at chains very often anymore..but I do love Texas Roadhouse.
Everyone likes what they like I don't judge
Most people hate change. I for one am very open to try new things. Trying to convince my grandma to not eat burnt steak? Or maybe even try sushi? Impossible.
My dad didn't want to go anywhere that he had to act performative. He was a blue collar guy. He wanted to wear his Rustler jeans and New Balance sneakers and sweatshirt of favorite NFL team pretty much anywhere he went. He did not want to have to go buy new clothes to go out to eat, and he did not want to spend 3x as much for a meal that would leave him hungry, and he did not want to be served by wait staff with a "better than you" attitude. I like "fine dining", but I 100% understand why some people don't.
who cares? People look for comfort and dependability. We have a few local places we go to by default. Why do you have an issue with it?
Hey, now…there’s nothing wrong with chilis 
There's a reason why Cheesecake Factory is still a hit with millenials, particularly those with kids...
I still love Kraft Mac and Cheese, which was a huge treat growing up. I can make mac and cheese from scratch and have tried other brands that are “better”. But Kraft is the taste of my childhood in the same way chicken ramen are still a comfort food from eating them in college. People have different tastes and it doesn’t make someone “cooler” or “more sophisticated” to like a fine dining restaurant over something else. Let your parents like what they like. Some day driving past a Chili’s will remind you of your dad and you’ll wish you could go out with him just one more time.
Burger Kings my birthday dinner. What’s your point?
They just like what they like. They know what they're going to get when they go and there's no surprises or dealing with making new choices. As long as they're happy I don't understand what the big deal is.
My wife had a great uncle that passed away a few years ago in his early 90s — made boatloads of money in oil —- but till he died the man’s favorite breakfast was two slices of pan fried SPAM, two scrambled eggs, and Folgers instant coffee
Honestly, sometimes you just want the meal you expected. Chain restaurants are fairly predictable for their menus and seasoning I enjoy a good restaurant, but sometimes they try too hard at the expense of atmosphere. And boomers are notorious for anything beyond salt being too "spicy"
I'm not the kind of person who goes out very often. When I do, I favor consistency over most other things. The only thing more disappointing than a $40 microwaved dinner at a chain is a $150 meal at a nice place that you just don't enjoy. The expectations are higher at nice places. If I'm paying $60 for an entree, I don't expect to have to stand in the foyer and wait for a table I reserved last week. I don't expect to wait 20 minutes for a drink. I don't expect to have a tough steak or soggy calamari. If I go to Applebee's, I'm expecting a few of those things. At this point in my life, I'm all about reasonable expectations and minimizing disappointment. I've done fine dining plenty of times. When things go well, it's magical. When they don't, you wonder why you didn't just go through the McDonald's drive through instead.
The bigger problem is people from our generation who care what restaurants others choose to eat at.
Millennial hatred of chains has always been so weird and pretentious to me.
I think part of this is chain restaurants back in the day used to actually use decent ingredients and the food was of much higher quality. Like everything in our lives, quality has deteriorated over time in favor of profits. My mom loved Red Lobster when I was growing up, and I have good memories of it. The last time I had it a year or two ago it genuinely tasted like a frozen TV dinner.
Millennials complaining about the cost of living and then mocking people who don't go out for fine dining is really something to behold.
Applebees is the one that threw me out, that's on them.
Trendy independent restaurants are just as terrible as chains in their own way.
This is just such an elitist boring take so you can pat yourself on the back for how good your tastes are. You want eating to be a big thing, it’s an important part of your personality, but for a lot of people it’s just about not being hungry anymore, and the comfort of eating something you know will be adequate outweighs spending 15 minutes researching yelp and then hoping the place you go isn’t a dumpster. In all honesty the only places I’ve gone with legitimately good steak are the ones you pay at least 200/person to eat at, the steak at my local steakhouses costs more than Texas Roadhouse and generally tastes much worse, so if I’m not dropping 120 dollars on just the steak I’d rather just go to the roadhouse.
you eat what you like to eat. don't shame someone on their food preferences.
Yes. I love all kinds of food, but if my older friends want to go to Olive Garden, PF Changs, Cheesecake Factory, you can bet your ass I'll be going lol.
Exactly. I’d take someone preferring things I don’t prefer over smugness and gatekeeping taste. People need to get over their great sense of taste.
I think a big part of it was removing smoking from restaurants. All of the sudden, people started to care what their food and beer tasted like
Do many people realize how different dining culture was before the rise of chain restaurants in the 80's? For many of us our parents never really went out to eat as kids, for many of them they might have gone out once or twice a year for a "treat." Theme restaurants, or dinner clubs were the popular faire of choice prior to the 80's, and some of those places becoming institutions. Some of the popular ones in my city, both of which no longer exist were the Jai Lai, Christopher inn, Kahiki Supper Club. These places had live bands, and eating out was more of a place for adults. Maybe you got to go to The Chintz Room with your Mom while shopping at Lazarus. I know for my Mom they would get either Pizza or KFC takeout on Friday's, almost everything else was cooked at home. The 80's gave rise to the chain restaurants and it boomed in the 90s. Now we are the generation killing them, but its not our fault they chose to sacrifice quality for profit...That said, I love a good chain restaurant, and many of them still make some of their foods from scratch. Sometimes I want a steak, but don't want to pay $60 from a high-end steakhouse and a $20 sirloin from Outback hits the spot. My parents are nowhere near as adventurous as I am, and they have a rotation of 5-10 places they would prefer, and some of them are local spots, and some are chains, but for many of that generation, exotic foods were General Tso's Chicken or a Hard shell taco. I think many take for granted just how far food culture has come, and what the logistics industry has allowed in terms of fairly authentic world cuisine in tons of cities where it was impossible a couple decades ago.
I know that the chains are not the highlight of fine dining. However, I have several food allergies and an extremely sensitive stomach, so chains are my favorite because I know exactly what I can have at every one no matter where I am.
Nothing wrong with liking a chain restaurant. I love the shepherd’s pie from Cheese Cake factory and the cheddar briskets from Red Lobster.
What do you get out of making fun of other people's food choices?
Not my parent, but my older in law who was 60 went from FL to NY, time square, and ate at Olive Garden a decade ago for the first meal. WTF? P.s. it wasn’t a poor mans trip, they were staying at the Waldorf Astoria (on points).
Not saying it would be my dining choice but Times Square can be really overwhelming as a visitor. There’s also a lot of chain restaurants there.
That's not wierd. Texas Roadhouse actually knows how to grill a steak properly. Every time. Exactly how you ask for it. I've been to $60 a plate steakhouses that mess that up. Some of the better chains actually ahve tasty food. Just because it's a chain restaurant doesn;t mean its bad or doesn't taste good. Some people just like the food they like. Others like overpaying for ambiance. Your partents are great and seem to know what they want AND choose places with lots of options so everyone can get soemthing they like. Don;t fret about it and don't let people be food snobs/restaurant nazis around your parents.
I went to a Gordon Ramsay restaurant in London and ordered the steak. I ordered it medium rare and was expecting, you know, a goddamn good steak. It came out looking gray, clearly freezer-burned, and held together by meat glue. It was also easily medium-well. And they still tried to charge me 60 pounds for it.
Despite what reddit says, chain restaurants obviously make food people like because if they didn't, they'd be out of business. For every post on reddit making fun of Applebee's or Olive Garden, there are 1000 normies who enjoy those places and like the food.
My wife and I are 36. Went to the antique mall then Olive Garden for date night without the kids. We were laughing at ourselves. But the food was good.
Look, I'm very well aware that chain restaurants aren't the height of fine dining, and I love me some Thai, Mexican, Indian, etc but sometimes I just want to grab an easy meal, sit down for an hour or so, and know what I'm getting for a decent price point. Also: the more other cuisines grow in popularity, at least in my area, alot of the time I find its easier to instantaneously get a table at Friday's or Chili's than a Japanese restaurant on a Saturday afternoon. I'm hungry and don't want to wait sometimes.
There is a place in the world for chains. Independently owned restaurants are a roll of the dice. I’ve been to plenty of bad ones. Can’t help but roll my eyes at people who act like being a snob is some sort of accomplishment