Are you more likely to go to a chain restaurant or local eatery?

Question

Both have their strengths. Chains seat more people generally. They also tend to have lower prices and better deals.

Your local restaurant on a whole tends to be higher priced but better quality and fresher ingredients.

Which do you prefer to go to if you eat out?

WhiteSteve · Accepted Answer

If a place has more than like 5 or 6 locations…. I just don’t trust it. I can do a local chain, but not national, with only a few exceptions. More of a fast food thing than a sit-down restaurant you’re probably thinking of, but I haven’t eaten McDonald’s since 1997, as an example, haha.

But that’s the underlying mentality. If I get a cheeseburger, I want the burger patty made in-house, not a pre-made one shipped in a box from some factory. I will NOT eat meat that is microwaved under any circumstances, and places like that, I wouldn’t put it past them to do that, and the idea alone (real or imagined😝) is enough to put me off.

I used to like Chili’s, but over the last 25-30 years (and the front end of those years, I haven’t really eaten at any of these places frequently in at least 15 years)…. I’ve just noticed a steep drop-off in overall quality. Like I can just tell some executive at Chilli’s HQ was like “If we switched to frozen meat, and got rid of our quality bread supplier for an average but more affordable one, and put an artificial ingredient in our fries, we could up the the price a little and cut the cost a little, and make more profits! The customer will get used to it. What are they gonna do? Cook for themselves?” [evil laughter]

Oh my god…. Pizza Hut in the 80s? Young lady, you don’t even know. YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW. Personal pan pizza was goodness gracious great balls of fire flames 🔥🔥🔥 We used to have “Book It!” contests in middle school, and you’d read as many books as you could and chart them on a paper form. If you read enough in the allotted time period, you could win prizes, the most coveted being a pan pizza from Pizza Hut. So my dumb ass actually read books to get it😂 But now, that shit is straight butt cheeks. Sad how far it’s fallen.

Quick side note: look into Yum! Brands…. basically Pepsi was getting its ass kicked in the market by Coke, at all times, but in this case, the 70s. Pepsi decided that a cheaper alternative to probably-fruitless advertising campaigns to convince restaurants to carry less popular Pepsi was to just have their own restaurants that would serve Pepsi products only.

So they started Yum! Brands and eventually bought Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Taco Bell, and they all carry Pepsi products. Then, as time passed and profit demands rose, they started mashing them together: KFC/Pizza Hut, Pizza Hut/ Taco Bell, KFC/Taco Bell, etc. And the latest phase is eliminating dining rooms and converting to drive-thru only. It’s all for profit and the greater glory of Pepsi.

Anyway, I’d prefer somewhere local and one-location to eat at. I guess I could do a Chili’s, and I make exceptions for Chipotle and occasionally Five Guys. Being able to see the food actually being cooked in plain sight goes a long way for me, haha. Chipotle is also the only easy to reach place for a decent pre-hockey meal: mostly rice, beans, and chicken. It’s controllable, like I can ask for light portions of sour cream and cheese and still keep it pretty healthy with a lot of clean carbs and protein. I can’t count the exact calories but I know how clean it is in terms of the carbs and fats. Anywhere else…. tough to manage, especially portion control.

Lucky you, I’m rambling plus nodding off, so I’ll spare you 500 more words for a simple answer, lmfao, but the answer is definitely local, annnnnndddddd 😴😴😴😴😴😴

zeitgeist057 · Accepted Answer

I have a couple chains I like, such as In-n-Out, Panda Express, or CPK. I'm fairly split on this, as I do enjoy the savings and I hit Costco food court for pizza or hot dog around 20X a year. My rough estimates for a year:

Costco food court: 30

Chain: 12

Local: 30

Are you more likely to go to a chain restaurant or local eatery?

Okay, while thinking about it, I realized that I go to local places more with friends and family (it's more special), but if I'm on my own, it's probably a 75/25 split that I'm more likely to hit a cheap option like a chain. Also, those numbers are for if I'm just staying home, I don't go out much and eat most of my meals that I make myself (Make my own lunch to take to work). Obviously when I travel I eat almost every meal out, and that's waaaay more local stuff because I want to try the local places and mostly avoid chains. This also applies when visiting certain friends/family as some of them eat out a lot, others like to cook at home, and I do whatever they do as their visitor.

The numbers for a month would be something like:

Local: 40

Chain:5

Cook at home/hostel:15

(I don't eat three meals a day, usually 1-2 and maybe get a cafe or something small/snack)

LiliTyaka · Accepted Answer

I prefer the local eateries, paying more for my food which is healthy is way higher on my list then possible unhealthy food. Like i cook every day fresh and pretty healthy which cost a lot of money these days so if i go out for a dinner then i check that i get something healthy and well done food :)

Gwendoline · Accepted Answer

I prefer local eateries and restaurants. We don't tend to eat out. A lot o chain restaurants leave me very dehydrated after eating there. Like I can't sleep at night and can't drink enough water.

James The Foodie · Accepted Answer

I lean towards local eateries because they often surprise you with unique flavors and personalized service. These places tend to use fresh, local ingredients, creating an authentic and nuanced dining experience. Every visit can become a mini adventure discovering new dishes or a chef's special creation. Plus, supporting local businesses often means supporting a community's culture and culinary heritage. 🍽️

DryGermanGuy · Answer

Outside of the usual global fastfood, I don't even know we have any restaurant chains here?

Purpleronnie · Answer

I don’t really think about whether it’s a chain and unless I have researched it I wouldn’t even know. For me it’s more about eating where I’m going to be and whether it has a decent reputation for good food & service. I don’t put much faith in online reviews though, I instead take the opinions of family , friends and folk I work with.

andreasderjuengere · Answer

I am happy enough to live in a country where junkfood chains are over-rated in prices and in quality as well. So there's no temptation to try these, because...

most local private restaurants here (and places that almost can be considered to be a restaurant) usually offer more for less.

Add my anti-consumerist ''activism'', and - voilà- the likeliness me being seen even only close to a ''chain'' temple is zero :)

Tarifa · Answer

Local for special occasions. We have an Indian restaurant nearby. They serve great food, and although it's a little more pricey , it makes for memorable dinners. The setting also helps to create that special atmosphere.

Smashingdoozy · Answer

Local is almost always better. But I check reviewsvand scan menus and call to make sure they have dairy free options

Mollylogin · Answer

Local. Chains usually don't have the variety of food. Where I like to eat, has everything from shrimp, prime rib, omelets to fried chicken and half pound burgers.

Joshydavid25 · Answer

Most likely a chain.. Local is probably better since the owner is more likely personally involved, but I don't really eat out much, and don't have a lot of local restaurants close by.. Just smaller franchises.

Xawyx-2 · Answer

Well, I voted for chain restaurants, because they are more likely to have a vegetarian menu.

Still-alive · Answer

My answer is i would love to go to more local restaurants but i end up going to fast food places for the convenience and drive thrus.

But whenever i really want to -eat eat- i definitely get my but to something more local. usually a mexican place heh

Valdemort · Answer

When I'm abroad, I always try to go for a couple of local places with the least people inside and I've never been disappointed.

exitseven · Answer

We get takout from a couple of local places and eat at a local place usually. Thee is a small local chain that is good too. I rarely got to Mc Donalds or Wendys.

just_a_potato · Answer

Chain restaurant. Because change is hard and a simple chicken tenders and French fries gets the job done if I'm out 😭

slatyb · Answer

There are few chain restaurants in Seattle. We have Subway, a couple of local chains, few national chains.

avery58 · Answer

I usually go to chain restaurants. Although local eateries are better

LiamS95 · Answer

I rarely eat out as I love to cook good food but if I do I prefer the smaller family owned restaurants. Their food is generally better quality and flavor and their prices not bad.

AviatorTom · Answer

My wife and I eat at both. A local eatery is more common.

Nikki1989 · Answer

We only eat out in quality restaurants. There's no quality in fast food places.

Drumlin2001 · Answer

Don't get to go out much these days due to kids. Would go for quality of food at local restuarant

bolverk · Answer

I prefer Local Eateries/Restaurants as they are more often than not cheaper and better quality than the chains.

TheSpaceGnome · Answer

It depends, but mostly local ones. The chain ones have mostly gone downhill in quality.

TheStaleMarshmellow · Answer

Chain restaurant is cheaper. Imagine paying $14 for 3 small street tacos

llorando · Answer

Local eatery. On in particular makes the best pizza.

Wiredone · Answer

It depends on what we're in the mood for at the time.

DrPepper12 · Answer

Both tbh. Chinese, Greek, Mexican, Japanese, Indian are all family places. Chains are for burgers, samiches or salads.

Marissa00 · Answer

I prefer the local places seem to better.

ABC1x1x · Answer

I live in a red state. Where we don't crush the little guy. We hate yucky chain poison

Circushowcowboy · Answer

Local any day!

roninzos · Answer

Neither. I do all my cooking from scratch at home.

coolbreeze · Answer

I like both for different reasons

WhitneySnow · Answer

Local restaurant

HungTexan · Answer

I like local. Chains are fine sometimes.

midnightmoon05 · Answer

1/2 n 1/2.

Lottydotty · Answer

Bout to eat somethin out

MrZameer · Answer

I always prefer locals

robocop666 · Answer

whatever is good. I go to both.

talka20 · Answer

Local

ehatsham_hussain · Answer

I prefer local.

CubaPirate · Answer

Local please

Nice222 · Answer

Local.

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