Chit-Chat: What's On Your Mind Today?

[PRgal]

20 minutes ago, kristen111 said:

Yesterday, they announced Red Lobster is closing all their restaurants.

A lot of people my age just don't want to go to chains we grew up going to unless it's fast food.  But even then...my son has not been inside a McDonald's since BEFORE he could have solids.  So essentially, he's never been in one and I think he's basically had a Happy Meal once or twice in his life (takeout, since it was the during the pandemic).  We typically go to local/independent restaurants, so it's not like he's never dined out.  A new Chipotle-like Mexican place opened at a foodcourt...errr...sorry, FOOD HALL near us and we're probably going to take him there to try the food soon.  

[peacheslatour]

4 minutes ago, PRgal said:

A lot of people my age just don't want to go to chains we grew up going to unless it's fast food.  But even then...my son has not been inside a McDonald's since BEFORE he could have solids.  So essentially, he's never been in one and I think he's basically had a Happy Meal once or twice in his life (takeout, since it was the during the pandemic).  We typically go to local/independent restaurants, so it's not like he's never dined out.  A new Chipotle-like Mexican place opened at a foodcourt...errr...sorry, FOOD HALL near us and we're probably going to take him there to try the food soon.  

Anybody remember Red Robin restaurants? They were THE place to go for dinner and cocktails when I was in college.

[Bastet]

23 minutes ago, kristen111 said:

Yesterday, they announced Red Lobster is closing all their restaurants.

Not all of them.  They've already closed some (with no notice to employees), but when they announced their bankruptcy filing yesterday, they said the 500-something remaining are intended to remain open during the chapter 11 process.  After that, who knows; they have a bid to buy the chain, but there's no information on what the proposed new owners intend to do with it if the deal goes through.

I've never eaten there.  (I tend not to eat at chains since I have so many great independent options, but I've been to some, just not Red Lobster, as I never heard anything good about it to tempt me to try it -- even for endless shrimp.)

[bluegirl147]

1 minute ago, peacheslatour said:

Anybody remember Red Robin restaurants? They were THE place to go for dinner and cocktails when I was in college.

They are still around. There are two within 50 miles of me.  Not my favorite but if I'm with someone who wants to go to one I will go.

[Bastet]

2 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Anybody remember Red Robin restaurants? They were THE place to go for dinner and cocktails when I was in college.

Around here, they tend to be in malls, as that's how they get people in to eat their mediocre food -- by being the only restaurant in the mall where you can get booze. 

[bluegirl147]

1 minute ago, Bastet said:

I've never eaten there.  (I tend not to eat at chains since I have so many great independent options, but I've been to some, just not Red Lobster, as I never heard anything good about it to tempt me to try it -- even for endless shrimp.)

I don't like seafood but many years ago my then boyfriend and I were away for the weekend and we wanted to go someplace "nice". Where we were didn't have a lot of options so we went to Red Lobster.  I thought surely they will have something other than seafood. At the time they did not in fact have something other than seafood. I ended up getting a piece of key lime pie and then we went back to our hotel and ordered pizza.

My son ended up being allergic to shellfish so every mother's day his wife goes to Red Lobster with her grandmother and sister in law while  he watches the kids.

[Dimity]

6 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I've never eaten there.  (I tend not to eat at chains since I have so many great independent options, but I've been to some, just not Red Lobster, as I never heard anything good about it to tempt me to try it -- even for endless shrimp.)

My mother loved Red Lobster so we used to eat out there fairly often.  I was the one at the table having the chicken.

2 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

My son ended up being allergic to shellfish so every mother's day his wife goes to Red Lobster with her grandmother and sister in law while  he watches the kids.

This is my son-in-law, so whenever we are out with  my daughter but without him we hit the closest sushi place!

Edited May 20 by Dimity

[partofme]

4 minutes ago, Dimity said:

My mother loved Red Lobster so we used to eat out there fairly often.  I was the one at the table having the chicken.

I haven’t been to a Red Lobster since I was in high school, but I always liked their chicken, it was the only thing I ever ordered there.  
 

I had never heard of Red Robin until they opened one a few years ago in a mall by my mom in NJ, I have never eaten there.  

[Dimity]

I am in Canada so while we do have some (who am I kidding, we have a lot of) American chain restaurants we also notably don't have some that I gather are fairly big.  I base this on how often I hear them referenced on TV.  We don't have, for example, The Cheesecake Factory, Olive Garden, Red Robin, White Castle, In and Out just to name a few.  I've gone to the Olive Garden when in the States and liked it but so far haven't tried any of the others.

[PRgal]

2 minutes ago, Dimity said:

I am in Canada so while we do have some (who am I kidding, we have a lot of) American chain restaurants we also notably don't have some that I gather are fairly big.  I base this on how often I hear them referenced on TV.  We don't have, for example, The Cheesecake Factory, Olive Garden, Red Robin, White Castle, In and Out just to name a few.  I've gone to the Olive Garden when in the States and liked it but so far haven't tried any of the others.

We have Cheesecake Factory here!

 

https://locations.thecheesecakefactory.com/on/north-york-1501.html

We HAD Olive Garden, but they all shuttered around 2000, maybe earlier.  I think our equivalent is East Side Mario’s.  Haven’t been there in years. Toronto is getting its first Shake Shack (first in Canada) this summer. 

[bluegirl147]

4 minutes ago, Dimity said:

I am in Canada so while we do have some (who am I kidding, we have a lot of) American chain restaurants we also notably don't have some that I gather are fairly big.  I base this on how often I hear them referenced on TV.  We don't have, for example, The Cheesecake Factory, Olive Garden, Red Robin, White Castle, In and Out just to name a few.  I've gone to the Olive Garden when in the States and liked it but so far haven't tried any of the others.

I had always heard Cheesecake Factory referred to on BBT.  I've been to one at least 5 times and always ordered something different each time because I never liked what I ordered previously. And it was always super crowded with a line out the door.  I've come to the conclusion I just don't like the Cheesecake Factory.  

Olive Garden for me is like fast food pasta.  I like my sauce so much better.

Went to White Castle once and thought this is what people rave about?

[Dimity]

3 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Olive Garden for me is like fast food pasta.  I like my sauce so much better.

This is pizza for me.  I like pizza from what I think of as authentic Italian restaurants and I like the pizza I make at home.   Most delivery pizzas though are ok at best.

8 minutes ago, PRgal said:

We HAD Olive Garden, but they all shuttered around 2000, maybe earlier.  I think our equivalent is East Side Mario’s

I forgot we once had them!  Ironically the one closest to me closed down and became a Red Lobster.  If it shutters I wonder what will rise up and take its place.

[partofme]

40 minutes ago, Dimity said:

I am in Canada so while we do have some (who am I kidding, we have a lot of) American chain restaurants we also notably don't have some that I gather are fairly big.  I base this on how often I hear them referenced on TV.  We don't have, for example, The Cheesecake Factory, Olive Garden, Red Robin, White Castle, In and Out just to name a few.  I've gone to the Olive Garden when in the States and liked it but so far haven't tried any of the others.

Cheesecake Factory is another chain that I think has great chicken.(specifically their chicken littles is my go to order).  I love Italian food but Olive Garden is absolute garbage, hate their food.  Also hate White Castle.   Have never been to an In and Out, I think they’re only in California and I didn’t go to one when I was there.  

Edited May 20 by partofme

[Bastet]

24 minutes ago, Dimity said:

I like pizza from what I think of as authentic Italian restaurants and I like the pizza I make at home.   Most delivery pizzas though are ok at best.

The only chain pizza I've ever found remotely decent is Round Table (they're not nationwide, just in the western US).  The rest (of those I've tasted -- Pizza Hut, Domino's, Little Caesars, and Papa John's) range from meh to ugh. 

The one chain restaurant I frequented, and miss, is The Elephant Bar (they were mostly in California) -- the menu had a nice variety, so it was a good place to meet as a group.  The food wasn't great, especially for L.A., but it was good, and reasonably priced.  They had good happy hour deals - including on their outstanding artichoke dip - and had booths, not just tables, in the bar.

I've been to Cheesecake Factory several times, as a friend loves it.  I think it's just okay, and not worth the price (plus, I don't like cheesecake), but I was willing to go there with her sometimes (she no longer lives in the area).  The menu was insanely huge.

Edited May 20 by Bastet

[Dimity]

3 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I think it's just okay, and not worth the price

This is me with most chain restaurants now.  If I am going to pay crazy prices it's going to be for  a rare meal out in a high end restaurant (or all you can eat sushi at our favourite place!)  We went to a middle of the road type place a few weeks ago and ended up paying almost $80 for just ok type food.  Nope.  If we need to eat out and we aren't prepared to go upscale we stick with places like  Tim Horton's or Subway.  At least you can still get away with a "two can dine for 20.99" type deal!

[Anela]

2 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

I don't like seafood but many years ago my then boyfriend and I were away for the weekend and we wanted to go someplace "nice". Where we were didn't have a lot of options so we went to Red Lobster.  I thought surely they will have something other than seafood. At the time they did not in fact have something other than seafood. I ended up getting a piece of key lime pie and then we went back to our hotel and ordered pizza.

My son ended up being allergic to shellfish so every mother's day his wife goes to Red Lobster with her grandmother and sister in law while  he watches the kids.

I don’t like seafood either, so I’ve never been to red lobster.  I’ve eaten at Olive Garden once, a month after mum died, because we had a gift certificate.  I think that’s where I made the mistake of getting a huge plate full of cheese-filled ravioli.  I like smaller amounts of food, not a huge plate of the same thing.  It was either there, or another Italian place that was too expensive, November 2016.  
 

my current favorite is Chile Colorado, made with chicken.  From a place called La Loma.  We don’t enjoy pizza, anymore.  I think we might still have a Red Robin, but I can’t remember eating there.  
 

there is always a line (sometimes a double line), of cars around cane’s chicken.  I don’t know why it’s so popular.  

[kristen111]

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Too much endless shrimp bankrupted them.

So many places shutting down.  I read today, Costco is raising their prices again.  I don’t have room for bulk.  I rather shop in the supermarket.  I don’t need a six pack of green olives you have to buy.

[Browncoat]

We have a Red Robin, and I've eaten there once or twice.  I like the steak fries, but I also don't like so much stuff on my cheeseburger.  As I recall, their menu is huge, but it was really hard to find just an ordinary cheeseburger on it.  

I've eaten at Olive Garden a bit more, and it's fine.  It'll do, but it's not my favorite.

I do like Red Lobster, though, and I'll be sad if the one in my town closes.  I love the cheddar biscuits, and they have a stuffed flounder I enjoy.  I've had some really good salmon there, too.  I suspect, though, that if I lived closer to a coast, I might not like it quite as much.  My options for seafood where I live are pretty much limited to Red Lobster or Long John Silver's.  

[Annber03]

8 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Back in the 90s when women my age were still having kids it was not uncommon to become a mom in one's mid 30s, especially among women that worked.  

My parents were "old" to have me.  My mom was already 29 when they got married (he was 26) and I didn't come along until she was 34.  Today that would be a normal age but back in the late 50s that was considered ancient.  If things had worked out differently for them I could have been born 10 years earlier.  That would make me 75 right now!  

I think about that sort of thing, too. My parents got married in 1977, when they were both 20 (my mom would've turned 21 a few months later). Yet I didn't come along until my mom was 27, almost 28 years old. And my mom was 32 when she had my sister. So if I'd been born shortly after my parents got married, I'd be in my mid 40s now. 

And meanwhiel, here I am, turning 40 later this year...and no children. I'm literally the only one left of my group of friends who doesn't have any kids. Even my sister has a kid. So I can relate to that whole thing of being childless for years. Except I'm not looking to have kids anytime soon (if ever). 

[EtheltoTillie]

When we were in college we used to go to a long-gone chain called Steak and Brew. All the (watered down) beer, wine or sangria you could drink.  The drinking age was 18 back then, and we didn’t drive. We took the subway.  You also got bad steak and a shrimp platter. There was one near Lincoln Center in NYC. It was a great treat for a crowd of poor college students. 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

And meanwhiel, here I am, turning 40 later this year...and no children. I'm literally the only one left of my group of friends who doesn't have any kids. Even my sister has a kid. So I can relate to that whole thing of being childless for years. Except I'm not looking to have kids anytime soon (if ever). 

I had 3 daughters when I was 25, 30, and 35 respectively. 
The older 2 are now 40 and 45 and do not plan to have children or even step-children (or get married) — although the older one is pseudo-step-mom to a friend's kid, and she does like kids.
My caboose daughter fulfilled her 5-year plan of marrying by 30, having a baby at 33 and another this past winter at 35.
I didn't want grandchildren, but now that I have them I adore them. However, my body is growing weaker (will see a neurologist in about a weak) so I wish I was younger when they were born. 

 

About restaurants and fast food establishments: I've never been much of a restaurant goer, but Sacramento had an In-N-Out Burger.

[PRgal]

When I was little, we'd mostly order pizza from a chain called Pizza Pizza.  Looking back, it wasn't the world's best pizza (but there was a lot less choice in the 80s and 90s.  It was that, Pizza Hut, Dominos and Pizza Nova for chains.  There was a place called Pat & Mario's which was one of the first in Toronto to start offering wood burning oven pies, but I don't think the city was ready for that kind of pizza yet.  It was much thinner crust, more Neapolitan style).  Kind of bad, actually.  These days, you'll probably find us ordering from Pi Co (yes, Pi as in 3.14) which has been popping up EVERYWHERE recently.  I think there are as many Pi Cos as there are Tim Hortons and Starbucks near me!  Okay, maybe not a many as the coffee places I mentioned...lol.

[Annber03]

29 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I had 3 daughters when I was 25, 30, and 35 respectively. 
The older 2 are now 40 and 45 and do not plan to have children or even step-children (or get married) — although the older one is pseudo-step-mom to a friend's kid, and she does like kids.
My caboose daughter fulfilled her 5-year plan of marrying by 30, having a baby at 33 and another this past winter at 35.
I didn't want grandchildren, but now that I have them I adore them. However, my body is growing weaker (will see a neurologist in about a weak) so I wish I was younger when they were born. 

Oh, wow, the one who fulfilled her five year plan. I can't imagine being that precise with my life plans, but good for her for being able to achieve all she wanted. I'm glad it's working out for her :). 

And yeah, I like kids, too - I love my baby niece, she's precious and it's been fun getting to watch her grow and learn things. I just don't think I have it in me to personally raise any kids. I'm just...not ready, on any level for that. Plus, I always felt that if I ever were to have kids someday, I'd kinda like to adopt if I had the means and money to do so. 

My mom's kinda like you as well, in that she was never pushing me or my sister to have children, but she adores her granddaughter and loves being able to spend time with her :D. I'm sorry about your health issues - I hope all goes well with your visit to the neurologist. 

Quote

About restaurants and fast food establishments: I've never been much of a restaurant goer, but Sacramento had an In-N-Out Burger.

I've heard so many good things about that place - if I ever find myself somewhere that has one, I'd like to try their food sometime. 

I've never been to a Red Lobster. We used to have one here, but it closed down a few years back. I have been to an Olive Garden, and yeah, they're okay, but it wouldn't be my first place to go for food. 

We used to have a restaurant here in my town called Papa's American Cafe that my family liked to go to, but they've combined with another restaurant in recent years. Otherwise, for nicer places to eat, Pasta Bella is a favorite, and I like going to China Buffet every now and again, too. 

For burgers and fries, though ,I generally stick to the basics - McDonald's, Burger King, and the like. I also like Culver's, their cheeseburgers are really good. 

[annzeepark914]

55 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I didn't want grandchildren, but now that I have them I adore them. However, my body is growing weaker (will see a neurologist in about a weak) so I wish I was younger when they were born.

Good luck at your appointment 🤞🍀. 

[shapeshifter]

2 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Good luck at your appointment 🤞🍀. 

Thanks. 
Heh. A bit of a Freudian slip in my typo:

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

will see a neurologist in about a weak

(should be "in about a week")

 

[shapeshifter]

17 hours ago, PRgal said:

When I was little, we'd mostly order pizza from a chain called Pizza Pizza.  Looking back, it wasn't the world's best pizza (but there was a lot less choice in the 80s and 90s.  It was that, Pizza Hut, Dominos and Pizza Nova for chains.  There was a place called Pat & Mario's which was one of the first in Toronto to start offering wood burning oven pies, but I don't think the city was ready for that kind of pizza yet.  It was much thinner crust, more Neapolitan style).  Kind of bad, actually.  These days, you'll probably find us ordering from Pi Co (yes, Pi as in 3.14) which has been popping up EVERYWHERE recently.  I think there are as many Pi Cos as there are Tim Hortons and Starbucks near me!  Okay, maybe not a many as the coffee places I mentioned...lol.

When my daughter who is your age was in elementary and middle school, we occasionally "went out" to a local Pizza place.
The Pizza was very forgettable, but the walls had murals of cartoonish knights of the round table.
Maybe it was a chain that some here might know? 
Later, when my youngest was that age, we lived in a town with really great Chicago-style pan pizza. I regret not getting a few more slices before I moved away, but it was the height of the pre-vaccine pandemic. 

I have yet to eat food in Rochester NY that was worth it.

A couple of times I was treated to food at classy places — once in Oregon and once in Kona Hawaii — and it really was excellent.

The private college and the private high school where I worked both usually had at least one catered event per year. They had fabulous tiramisu.

Edited May 21 by shapeshifter

[Dimity]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

I didn't want grandchildren, but now that I have them I adore them.

I guess I wanted grandchildren eventually but hadn't really given it much thought.  But my daughter surprised us by having her first child just over a year after she married.  I'd assumed she and her husband would have waited a little longer than that.  I admit though the minute I saw my grandson for the first time it was love at first sight.

 

[Anela]

4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I had 3 daughters when I was 25, 30, and 35 respectively. 
The older 2 are now 40 and 45 and do not plan to have children or even step-children (or get married) — although the older one is pseudo-step-mom to a friend's kid, and she does like kids.
My caboose daughter fulfilled her 5-year plan of marrying by 30, having a baby at 33 and another this past winter at 35.
I didn't want grandchildren, but now that I have them I adore them. However, my body is growing weaker (will see a neurologist in about a weak) so I wish I was younger when they were born. 

 

About restaurants and fast food establishments: I've never been much of a restaurant goer, but Sacramento had an In-N-Out Burger.

We lived in the Sacramento area for a few years, and I don’t know if I ever tried that.  I see people posting about it, and wish we had.  I think I’d remember if we had.  
 

we’ve never been able to afford to eat out much, but mum and dad would take clients to places to eat, when they signed documents, and after we lost mum, we would go out more often, because we didn’t want to be home.  Before Covid, we got into the habit of sometimes going to our favourite Mexican place, after food shopping, if it was late.  We can’t afford it as much now.  It seems like prices have doubled (at least).  

Edited May 21 by Anela

[ECM1231]

4 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

When we were in college we used to go to a long-gone chain called Steak and Brew. All the (watered down) beer, wine or sangria you could drink.  The drinking age was 18 back then, and we didn’t drive. We took the subway.  You also got bad steak and a shrimp platter. There was one near Lincoln Center in NYC. It was a great treat for a crowd of poor college students. 

I remember Steak and Brew. When they closed sometime in the 70s, they became Beefsteak Charlie's. My friends and I went there all the time. 

I've never cared much for chain restaurants. Applebee's, Red Lobster, Chili's, TJ Fridays, Chipotle, Olive Garden are the popular ones around here. We went to Olive Garden once for a family graduation. It was okay,but being Italian American, I'm fussy about Italian cuisine. I don't even like going out to the nicer Italian restaurants. We went to the Cheesecake Factory once for my birthday, but I don't remember what I had, or if it was good. We picked up a huge strawberry cheesecake for the guests who were coming over later. We have an Outback Steakhouse in town that we frequent a few times a year; my husband loves prime rib.

I may be weird, but my favorite place to eat out is any diner. I love the sheer variety of menu items offered.

Edited May 21 by ECM1231

[Yeah No]

8 hours ago, Bastet said:

Not all of them.  They've already closed some (with no notice to employees), but when they announced their bankruptcy filing yesterday, they said the 500-something remaining are intended to remain open during the chapter 11 process.  After that, who knows; they have a bid to buy the chain, but there's no information on what the proposed new owners intend to do with it if the deal goes through.

So far all the Red Lobsters in CT are staying open.  Several months ago when they first announced that the chain was in trouble we went to the one closest to us (which is still about 1/2 hour away) and boy did we have menu-shock at the prices!  $50+ for a typical entree, not even anything that special.  I had to spend 20 minutes looking over the menu to find something more affordable.  If I want to pay those prices I'm not going to do it there, that's for sure.  The food is not on the level to justify those prices.  Their fish may be fresh but everything else is frozen.  When I want to have seafood I go down the shore and pay $50 for a huge lobster dinner that you know is fresh.

They backed themselves into a corner with those endless shrimp promotions.  When you can wait for that why pay $50 just for an entree and salad, never mind adding on anything else?  Also their portion sizes are way too large.  If they cut them down to a more reasonable size maybe they could lower the prices.  But they backed themselves into a corner with that too.  The entrees kept getting bigger and bigger so people have come to expect that and wouldn't like it if they shrunk them now even if they did charge less for them.

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

When we were in college we used to go to a long-gone chain called Steak and Brew. All the (watered down) beer, wine or sangria you could drink.  The drinking age was 18 back then, and we didn’t drive. We took the subway.  You also got bad steak and a shrimp platter. There was one near Lincoln Center in NYC. It was a great treat for a crowd of poor college students. 

 

26 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

I remember Steak and Brew. When they closed sometime in the 70s, they became Beefsteak Charlie's. My friends and I went there all the time. 

I used to go to the Steak & Brew on Fordham Rd. in the Bronx with my parents.  Then later on I'd go with my friends and my husband to Beefsteak Charlie's up on Central Ave. in Scarsdale/Hartsdale in Westchester all the time.  Talk about "endless shrimp" at the salad bar, LOL.  

Then as those were fading out another steak chain called "Charlie Brown's" opened up in Yonkers also on Central Ave.  That lasted until just about 10 years ago.  I used to go there with my father and his friends.  The place looked like a library inside and had a ginormous salad bar.

Another similar steak chain was "Victoria Station".  Does anyone remember that?  That one was my favorite.  The restaurant was a bunch of train cars put together.  I used to call Charlie Brown's "the poor man's Victoria Station".  Their prime rib was fantastic.

CT has its own retro steak chain called "Chuck's Steakhouse".  There are only two still open.  I went to one of them a few weeks ago when we met with my husband's sister and her husband in Danbury.  It's not as good as it used to be but I loved the retro salad bar.  It had been some time since I'd had an old fashioned salad bar and for that alone I loved it!

Also a holdover from the bygone era of steak/salad bar places was "Dakotah".  There were a few in CT and the last one closed with the pandemic.  I was sad to see that one go.  Now it's a "Longhorn" steakhouse.  These new steakhouses just aren't as good as the old ones!

And of course there was "The Ground Round", another place I'd go with friends all the time.  They sometimes had live entertainment and there was sawdust on the floor.  And popcorn.  They had all you can eat popcorn, LOL.  My favorite entree there was "Ribs wings and onion rings", LOL.  Yeah, I could eat that and still weigh 110 lbs. back then!

As for Red Robin, there's one a few miles from here down near the mall.  I went there once.  The food is generally too fattening for me.

[annzeepark914]

Central Ave in Hartsdale, NY. I used to live in an apt complex there, back when I worked for Union Carbide.  Re: Olive Garden? I always defend it (when Italian friends criticize it) because of two items:  zuppa toscana, and eggplant parmigiana (the coating of the eggplant is *crisp*, not bready). I need to go back and see if this is still true (haven't been in a while). We usually go to independent restaurants (stand-alone? non-chain?).

[Ohiopirate02]

I will occasionally hit up my local Olive Garden for lunch, and by lunch I mean as much of their salad and breadsticks I can eat.  I know you can buy their Italian dressing at the grocery store and there are similar breadsticks there in the frozen foods aisle, but they just do not hit the same.  None of their entrees appeal to me, there are multiple local places either closer or the same distance away from my house that do a better sauce.  

[Anela]

12 hours ago, Yeah No said:

So far all the Red Lobsters in CT are staying open.  Several months ago when they first announced that the chain was in trouble we went to the one closest to us (which is still about 1/2 hour away) and boy did we have menu-shock at the prices!  $50+ for a typical entree, not even anything that special.  I had to spend 20 minutes looking over the menu to find something more affordable.  If I want to pay those prices I'm not going to do it there, that's for sure.  The food is not on the level to justify those prices.  Their fish may be fresh but everything else is frozen.  When I want to have seafood I go down the shore and pay $50 for a huge lobster dinner that you know is fresh.

They backed themselves into a corner with those endless shrimp promotions.  When you can wait for that why pay $50 just for an entree and salad, never mind adding on anything else?  Also their portion sizes are way too large.  If they cut them down to a more reasonable size maybe they could lower the prices.  But they backed themselves into a corner with that too.  The entrees kept getting bigger and bigger so people have come to expect that and wouldn't like it if they shrunk them now even if they did charge less for them.

I read that Red Lobster was bought by a company, who turned around and started charging them more for rent? It had nothing to do with their prices. 

[bluegirl147]

The only thing I think is better than anyplace else is the rolls at Texas Roadhouse.  Anything else I have eaten at chains even though they might taste good I always think my (fill in the blank) is better. Or some local small business restaurant does it better.  But those rolls are great. 

3 minutes ago, Anela said:

I read that Red Lobster was bought by a company, who turned around and started charging them more for rent? It had nothing to do with their prices. 

Yes. They made a lot of changes that benefitted the private equity firm that bought Red Lobster but was detrimental to Red Lobster. Unfortunately this is happening all too often. 

[Anela]

I went through a Bob Evans pot roast phase. 2017/2018. This past winter, I was hungry one night, but didn't want any of the usual fast foods available, and I realized I was craving that pot roast. 

[Ohiopirate02]

20 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

The only thing I think is better than anyplace else is the rolls at Texas Roadhouse.  Anything else I have eaten at chains even though they might taste good I always think my (fill in the blank) is better. Or some local small business restaurant does it better.  But those rolls are great.  

Texas Roadhouse is my go-to chain for when I want a steak and don't feel like cooking.  They do a good steak for a good price, and those rolls with their butter cannot be beat.  

[Jaded]

12 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I used to go to the Steak & Brew on Fordham Rd. in the Bronx with my parents. 

Steak & Brew was before my time. I do remember Steak & Ale though. One of my things is watching urban exploration videos so this is one I had in a playlist.
 

___
I thought this old commercial with Whitney Houston singing the jingle was a good one to add.
 

 

Edited May 21 by Jaded

[Notabug]

1 hour ago, Anela said:

I read that Red Lobster was bought by a company, who turned around and started charging them more for rent? It had nothing to do with their prices. 

Red Lobster was bought out by a private equity outfit that tries to wring all the cash out of a business for its investors.  Prior to the purchase, the Red Lobster corporation owned its own restaurants and rented them to franchisees at minimal cost to them.  Once the new regime took over, they sold off all of the stores to finance the purchase which lead to huge rent increases for each store. The stores were sold to a single real estate entity which then locked them into leases where they have to pay above the market rate for rent.  The private equity guys didn't much care since it was the franchisees who were affected, but it caused huge financial problems for many of the stores.

The private equity folks, in one of several really bad decisions, decided to do the endless shrimp promotion and allowed one big seafood supplier, Thai Union to be their main provider.  As part of the deal, they allowed the Thai Union folks, not US based, to make a lot of financial decisions involving the management of the restaurants and they changed the menus and instituted cost-cutting measures that were really unpopular with employees and customers; mainly because they knew nothing about running a US restaurant chain.  This also helped fuel huge losses.

So, in addition to not updating its image and product to fit with modern US restaurant management; the private equity firm made decisions to profit their company which drove Red Lobster into a ditch.

Edited May 21 by Notabug

[Ancaster]

My name is Ancaster and I'm a food/restaurant snob.

[Kimboweena]

14 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Another similar steak chain was "Victoria Station".  Does anyone remember that? 

We had one in Jacksonville, FL.   I've heard of the Ground Round, but think I saw them elsewhere.

[Kimboweena]

2 hours ago, Jaded said:

. One of my things is watching urban exploration videos

I've seen more pictures than videos, but I love urban exploration too.  Opacity.us has some really cool pictures.  My favorites are the old abandoned mental asylums.

[Calvada]

I've eaten at a Red Lobster a couple of times during the past few years, but not by my choice.  The only one "near" me is about a 40 minute drive, but it's close to where a family member lives and their kid loves Red Lobster.  I think it's the popcorn shrimp he loves.  They usually have some type of salmon entree that is OK.  But it's not the kind of place that I would ever suggest going.  Give me a family-run supper club any day - start with an old fashioned, then have a steak, or maybe the lake perch or walleye.  Yum.  There are about four within 20 to 45 minutes drive from where I live. 

We're supposed to have severe storms (potential tornadoes) tonight, so I just checked the local ABC affiliate online to see when they predict it will hit and they have a notice there that says they may interrupt prime time programming for weather updates.  The worst of the storms is supposed to be from 7 to 10 pm.  I've never seen this before; I wonder if it's something new they do or if I just never noticed.  But I watch two Tuesday ABC shows, one having their season finale (Will Trent) and one having their series finale (The Good Doctor) so I'll be trying to avoid spoilers until I have a chance to watch online tomorrow.  But I'm glad there are online options; it used to be if weather updates interrupted a favorite program, your only option was hoping to catch the repeat months later. 

Our big breaking news:  the 17-year cicadas are beginning to emerge in Wisconsin. 

[Annber03]

16 minutes ago, Calvada said:

We're supposed to have severe storms (potential tornadoes) tonight, so I just checked the local ABC affiliate online to see when they predict it will hit and they have a notice there that says they may interrupt prime time programming for weather updates.  The worst of the storms is supposed to be from 7 to 10 pm.  I've never seen this before; I wonder if it's something new they do or if I just never noticed.  But I watch two Tuesday ABC shows, one having their season finale (Will Trent) and one having their series finale (The Good Doctor) so I'll be trying to avoid spoilers until I have a chance to watch online tomorrow.  But I'm glad there are online options; it used to be if weather updates interrupted a favorite program, your only option was hoping to catch the repeat months later. 

I've never seen that sort of notice before, either, but I wouldn't be surprised if some stations started doing things like that because of all the angry complaints they got from viewers who were grumpy about their shows being interrupted for storm coverage. I guess they figure it's better to give people a heads up. 

But yeah, we've got a chance of severe storms in my area today, too - we're currently under a PDS (particularly dangerous situation) tornado watch, they're especially concerned about tornadoes here in Iowa today. At one point the entire state was under a tornado watch, but now some of the far southwestenr corners look to be out of theirs, so that's good news for them. Our watch goes until 9 pm, but the storms look like they'll be clearing my area by 6, 7 pm, so my town should be in the all clear by the time "Good Doctor" starts. Which will be nice :D. 

But yes, hope things don't get too bad in your area and you're also still able to watch your shows :). 

[Ohiopirate02]

29 minutes ago, Calvada said:

I've eaten at a Red Lobster a couple of times during the past few years, but not by my choice.  The only one "near" me is about a 40 minute drive, but it's close to where a family member lives and their kid loves Red Lobster.  I think it's the popcorn shrimp he loves.  They usually have some type of salmon entree that is OK.  But it's not the kind of place that I would ever suggest going.  Give me a family-run supper club any day - start with an old fashioned, then have a steak, or maybe the lake perch or walleye.  Yum.  There are about four within 20 to 45 minutes drive from where I live. 

 

Is that a brandy old fashioned sweet or sour?  Never been to Wisconsin, but I am curious to know how those taste especially with some of the garnishes I see people put in them like olives.  Olives belong in dirty martinis and bloody marys not old fashioneds.  Though I make my old fashioneds the way nature intended with a good bourbon.  

[Ancaster]

11 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

 

But yeah, we've got a chance of severe storms in my area today, too - we're currently under a PDS (particularly dangerous situation) tornado watch, they're especially concerned about tornadoes here in Iowa today.

Thank you for spelling out PDS.  I know I've posted about this before somewhere or the other, but we're not all familiar with every initialism/acronym under the sun.

[Annber03]

2 minutes ago, Ancaster said:

Thank you for spelling out PDS.  I know I've posted about this before somewhere or the other, but we're not all familiar with every initialism/acronym under the sun.

You're welcome :D. Yeah, I'm familiar with that acronym simply because I'm a weather nerd and I live in an area where we've had those kinds of watches before, but figured it'd be good to share for those who may not know/aren't used to those kinds of watches, just in case, god forbid, they ever do find themselves in one :). 

[shapeshifter]

44 minutes ago, Calvada said:

We're supposed to have severe storms (potential tornadoes) tonight, so I just checked the local ABC affiliate online to see when they predict it will hit and they have a notice there that says they may interrupt prime time programming for weather updates.  The worst of the storms is supposed to be from 7 to 10 pm.  I've never seen this before; I wonder if it's something new they do or if I just never noticed. 

Just now, Annber03 said:

You're welcome :D. Yeah, I'm familiar with that acronym simply because I'm a weather nerd and I live in an area where we've had those kinds of watches before, but figured it'd be good to share for those who may not know/aren't used to those kinds of watches, just in case, god forbid, they ever do find themselves in one :). 

My family moved to the midwest from the east coast when I was 10. Mom always made us get up in the middle of the night and go down to the basement whenever there was a tornado warning or watch announced — I think on the radio. 

I wound up living in Illinois for most of the next 10 years, and then another 20 years more recently, and never experienced a tornado damaging my home or my neighbors' homes (and neither did my parents). 
My understanding is that if you live where the terrain is not so flat, you're somewhat protected, because the irregular terrain disrupts the circular motion of the wind necessary to form a tornado. I lived where there were either tall buildings in a city; a tall, dense forest; or a bluff by the Lake. 

Do those of you in the potential path of a tornado have basements?

 

[Anela]

36 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

I've never seen that sort of notice before, either, but I wouldn't be surprised if some stations started doing things like that because of all the angry complaints they got from viewers who were grumpy about their shows being interrupted for storm coverage. I guess they figure it's better to give people a heads up. 

But yeah, we've got a chance of severe storms in my area today, too - we're currently under a PDS (particularly dangerous situation) tornado watch, they're especially concerned about tornadoes here in Iowa today. At one point the entire state was under a tornado watch, but now some of the far southwestenr corners look to be out of theirs, so that's good news for them. Our watch goes until 9 pm, but the storms look like they'll be clearing my area by 6, 7 pm, so my town should be in the all clear by the time "Good Doctor" starts. Which will be nice :D. 

But yes, hope things don't get too bad in your area and you're also still able to watch your shows :). 

Our "local" weatherman (an hour from me), got rude complaints from people on his social media, when he had to interrupt shows in March, because of huge tornados, and the possibility of more forming. 

2 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

My family moved to the midwest from the east coast when I was 10. Mom always made us get up in the middle of the night and go down to the basement whenever there was a tornado warning or watch announced — I think on the radio. 

I wound up living in Illinois for most of the next 10 years, and then another 20 years more recently, and never experienced a tornado damaging my home or my neighbors' homes (and neither did my parents). 
My understanding is that if you live where the terrain is not so flat, you're somewhat protected, because the irregular terrain disrupts the circular motion of the wind necessary to form a tornado. I lived where there were either tall buildings in a city; a tall, dense forest; or a bluff by the Lake. 

Do those of you in the potential path of a tornado have basements?

 

We have a basement, but it still freaks me out. The idea of possibly being stuck down there. Of anything that could start a fire, or hurt us, exploding. We rarely get the worst weather here, our main threat would be our huge trees, but the year before my parents bought this place, they said a tornado went through town. 

That reminds me of when my parents moved me here, against my will, in the 90s. Mum's friends and dad's family, wanted us to move here, and one said they never got big snow storms, or tornados anymore. When we drove into town, it looked like a Christmas card, and that Summer, we had so many bad thunderstorms, and ended up in the basement with other residents of the too-small "apartments" built into the old house. We grabbed our cat, dog, and bird, and had them with us. 

In another house, we didn't have a basement, so we would be in the hallway, putting the cats and bird cage in the cupboards. We'd be surrounded by couch cushions and pillows. One time, I was alone for the weekend, and ended up having to do that by myself. Mum called a friend to come and check on me. 

[Annber03]

4 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

My family moved to the midwest from the east coast when I was 10. Mom always made us get up in the middle of the night and go down to the basement whenever there was a tornado warning or watch announced — I think on the radio.

My dad worked in radio, and if the storms hit during a time when he was off work, he would often go in to report on the storms, and we would go to the station with him and just take shelter there, 'cause when I was a kid my family lived in a trailer park and, well...those are not the best places to be during a tornado. Better to be at the radio station, where things were more stable and sturdy. 

Quote

I wound up living in Illinois for most of the next 10 years, and then another 20 years more recently, and never experienced a tornado damaging my home or my neighbors' homes (and neither did my parents). 
My understanding is that if you live where the terrain is not so flat, you're somewhat protected, because the irregular terrain disrupts the circular motion of the wind necessary to form a tornado. I lived where there were either tall buildings in a city; a tall, dense forest; or a bluff by the Lake. 

It's not a guarantee that'll disrupt a tornado, 'cause tornadoes can and will hit wherever they damn well please (there's been tornadoes that have gone up the side of mountains), and the 2011 Super Outbreak happened in a lot of hilly areas in the southeastern U.S (which was one reason so many people didn't realize the tornadoes hit until t was too late, 'cause the landscape kind of obscured them). 

But yes, flat lands do tend to make it easier for tornadoes to really gather steam, since there's virtually nothing in their way. 

Quote

Do those of you in the potential path of a tornado have basements?

I have lived in homes with basements, but where I currently live, no, we do not have one. I live in a second floor apartment, so we've gone downstairs to my landlord's first floor home sometimes if need be.

But there's also my sister's place - she has a basement we can stay in, so we'll probably go there if the situation warrants.