The Worst Chain Restaurant in America

[mean]

Interestingly, I managed to avoid Steak and Shake entirely until a couple months ago. I assumed it was absolutely terrible, but was pleasantly surprised. Different location, though. This one was on either SMPkway or JO Drive out around Mission. Thought their burgers were a decent representation of the old fashioned slidery style.

[chrizow]

steak and shake is insanely inconsistent with service.  i used to go to the one in columbia for the requisite 2am munchies, and it generally seemed like the less busy it was, the crappier the service.  if it was packed with obnoxious drunks, you got really good service.  go figure.

[KC0KEK]

My buddy was a manager at subway a few years ago and the Turkey they got said Ham Based Turkey Breast.

I bet it's like the imitation crab and lobster, which is some other mild fish meat flavored and colored to resemble crab or lobster.

[chrizow]

On The Border. Horrible Mexican food.

agreed.  on the border, along with the fake chipotle at crown center, are the two mexican restaurants i just cannot abide--and i am even good with bad mex like taco via or don chilitos cheesey-mex if the mood strikes me.  On the Border is like some sort of fisher-price "mexican food" playset.  like, how can you put together onions, tomatoes, peppers, marinated meats, salsas, etc. together in such a way that the end result is completely and utterly bland? 

i would also like the approximately 4 years of my life back that i spent waiting and eating at black-eyed pea at 40 and noland.  i bet i ate 500 chickens' worth of "chicken tenders" with honey mustard dressing there as a kid. 

[pstokely]

Crappy chain restaurants have a following because of marketing and they give out lots of coupons. They are able to get good locations because landlords are afraid to rent a local one location independently owned place that might go out of business in 6 months in a high fail industry. You can get the same average to crappy food and service at chain place all over the country while a one location local place on a low traveled street might be hit or miss. You see lots of abandoned chain McDonalds and Taco Bells turned into independent places that go out of business not long after they open. They have an Olive Garden in Times Square.

http://www.notfoolinganybody.com/

[pstokely]

steak and shake is insanely inconsistent with service.  i used to go to the one in columbia for the requisite 2am munchies, and it generally seemed like the less busy it was, the crappier the service.  if it was packed with obnoxious drunks, you got really good service.  go figure.

I guess they staff then better when their loyal customers are likely to come

[phuqueue]

Whenever I feel like I smell rancid meat in the air, if I look around I'm pretty sure I'll see a Subway nearby.  I have no idea how people actually eat at this place.

steak and shake is insanely inconsistent with service.  i used to go to the one in columbia for the requisite 2am munchies, and it generally seemed like the less busy it was, the crappier the service.  if it was packed with obnoxious drunks, you got really good service.  go figure.

This is really the only way Steak and Shake should be experienced.  I don't get people hating on this place at all because if you're drunk and it's the middle of the night it totally hits the spot, and if you're not drunk or it's daylight out you shouldn't be here anyway.  If you want good service, go to a real restaurant.  Since I'm not in college anymore I will probably never go to a Steak and Shake again but there's nothing wrong with that.  I am just past the Steak and Shake/drunkenly wandering the streets late at night phase of my life now.

That said I don't think it's entirely fair to compare fast food like Subway or Jimmy John's or Hardees or quasi-fast food like Steak and Shake with legitimate sitdown restaurants like Applebee's and Chili's.  Fast food is pretty uniformly bad (although if I'm traveling or something I can handle grabbing a quick bite at McDonald's or Wendy's) but it is what it is.  These sitdown places are bad in a way that's far less excusable than a greasy fast food place.  And Olive Garden is definitely the worst, any list that Olive Garden doesn't top is just wrong.  Applebee's is up there too.  Chili's probably has the dubious honor of being the "best" of these places.  Friday's and Ruby Tuesday are somewhere in the middle.

[aknowledgeableperson]

I love Jimmy Johns, great bread and fresh ingredients, they actually use real turkey unlike Subway which uses Ham Based Turkey (Not sure if they still do this)

What about Mr Goodcents?  For me a sandwich place is mostly a sandwich place.  For my son though when he is in town he has to always get a Mr. Goodcents. 

[phxcat]

And (thinking about that video with the coupon) Olive Garden is freakin' expensive.  Not in absolute terms, but compared to the quality of their food, they price themselves like a night on the town place.

[aknowledgeableperson]

Over the years the quality of OG has gone down.  The salad bowl use to be filled to the top, now you barely get enough for two people.  Breadsticks were always coming to the table, now you beg for more.  Wife still loves the place though.  To me a Fazoli's at a higher price.

Know many of you probably didn't experience Italian Gardens.  It was a famous space, kinda like the Gates of Italian food, but the times I ate there didn't impress me.  Jasper's though still has it.

[phuqueue]

Olive Garden's problem isn't the quantity of the food they serve, it's the quality.  Place is disgusting.  I wouldn't give it to a dog.

[pstokely]

http://eater.com/archives/2011/03/01/co ... -video.php

[KCMax]

I have yet to go to a Steak n Shake that didn't have just outrageously - almost hilariously - terrible service. But I keep going back because Steakburger + fries + chili = awesome. They could dump a bowl of chili on my head and tell me to f-myself and I'd still go back.

[aknowledgeableperson]

I have yet to go to a Steak n Shake that didn't have just outrageously - almost hilariously - terrible service. But I keep going back because Steakburger + fries + chili = awesome.

Never could undersand the appeal of their, or Winsted's, steakburger.  Need a double or triple to get any taste.  Way too thin.  Milkshake though not too bad.

[FangKC]

They have an Olive Garden in Times Square.

That Olive Garden in Times Square has been there for a long time. It was there when I moved to NYC in 1992.

I never could understand why anyone would eat at Olive Garden in NYC when there are so many better Italian places there.  My sister and niece wanted to go in there when they visited, but I insisted on taking them to a place in Little Italy instead.  They both were orgasmic eating at the place in Little Italy, and were so glad I took them there instead.

Many people are just indoctrinated into only going to chains, and seeking out food that is familiar.  When people used to visit me in NYC, I would never allow them to eat at chains.

My mother and sister, who grew up just miles from the Missouri River, had the best catfish of their life in NYC.

[pstokely]

I never could understand why anyone would eat at Olive Garden in NYC when there are so many better Italian places there.  My sister and niece wanted to go in there when they visited, but I insisted on taking them to a place in Little Italy instead.  They both were orgasmic eating at the place in Little Italy, and were so glad I took them there instead.

These are the same kinds of people who would go to Red Lobster in a coastal area or Famous Daves at P&L.

[pstokely]

They also have Applebees, TGI Fridays, and several other crappy chains in Times Square

[FangKC]

They have to be frequented by tourists, because in the 10 years I lived in Manhattan, I never once had a friend who lived there suggest we go to any of those places. 

[pash]

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[cityscape]

Long John's Silver by FAR is the worst chain.  Fast food seafood????  They only reason they have chicken on the menu is to lure normal people in.  I have no idea how they've managed to stay in business so long.