- Thread starter NALs
- Start date
Red Lobster, Olive Garden, and Longhorn Steakhouse in the DR
what? i thought they have shops all over USA? are they all owned by the same person/group?
i want to go there. penny works in a cheesecake factory restaurant...
REALLY?
Have you ever eaten at a Mcdonalds, or Burger king?
Ya, I think I know the answer......
But you won't eat at a Red Lobster, Olive Garden, or a Longhorn Steakhouse??
That's just not believable.........
Why not believable? I know a lot of people who would say the same thing. I would only eat in one of them in the unlikely scenario that all the other restaurants in town were closed, or if I was outvoted by a group of people, but luckily most of my friends share my preference for non-chain restaurants. I've never eaten at a Wendy's and it's 30 years since I ate at a McDonald's and 20 since I ate at Burger King, and the latter was only because they used to do veggie burgers (in the UK).
Well,
The key word in her post...(RGVgal) was NEVER, and it's just really hard to believe.......
No biggie.....
I am sorry to say but I feel there aren't that many great local restaurants around. They do have many bad few decent to good one but they definitely don't have many greats. I also try and trying to go all local food but if I can choose I rather not. I feel there isn't that many variety or nutrition values in everyday eats for locals. I eat just like local during my working hours which is Monday-Thursday its breakfast to dinner and breakfast and lunch for Friday and Saturday. And I can honestly say that I grew to like fried salami, boiled yucca and sprinkles of pickled onions and now I do crave them at least once or twice a week but if I have a chain restaurants near my place. I would rather order from there knowing that I will know 100% what I am getting.
I ordered local restaurant's hamburger, hot dog, pizza and many others, when I had the crave. But if you had a bite of fried hamburger I had last night you would think differently on Big Mac and Double Whopper.
Thing about these local restaurants are, order tend to taste different every time you go. For example, I've dined in Mariscos Centros several time, one day I had great tasting food so I go back next week with clients and it's ok at best.
Sure it is. Burger King makes no pretense about being a real restaurant and you can be in and out in five minutes. The chains are practically reheating TV dinners and charging you for food that was actually cooked to order. I hit a burger place maybe twice a month for a quick bite, but avoid franchise "fast casual" places like the plague. Where they really bone you is on beer and drinks. Around here I can get a POUND of wings AND a pitcher of beer for $10 at a local restaurant for Monday night football. Good luck trying to get just the beer for $10 at a franchise. A pound of wings for $10? Maybe.
Curiosity? Powerful incentive,
Quality control,
Knowing what your getting. Some people like something prepared exactly the same, or like a specific item on the menu.
As opposed to the (sometimes) crapshoot you get in Santo Domingo.
As in "I hope they don't f-ck my order up"
To each his own, but never say never.....
Have a great day Chiri!!!!
I ate at a Longhorn's Steakhouse in FTL a few weeks ago for the first time, and I was impressed with the quality of the steaks and the prices. A good steak is sometimes hard to find in the DR, they will certainly see my business.
That is the big selling point for franchises. They want a Big Mac to taste the same in Tokyo as it does in NYC. A well-managed independent restaurant values consistency over quality. I had to mildly reprimand a very good line cook once because he would embellish the standard main courses on the slower days when he worked. I had to explain that the trained monkeys who worked on the busy weekends can't be expected to be overly fancy when they were putting out 100-150 covers an hour on busy Friday nights. We compromised by letting him run some higher end specials during mid-week.
It's just not "PC" to admit that you eat at any fast food, franchise restaurants!
Just like the "PC" crowd, ONLY watches "Public Teleevision, and "PC" men, NEVER pay to get "Laid"!
Yah, Riiiiiiiight!
I like "Applebee's".
Boneless Buffalo Wings" with a TON of Blu Cheese dressing!
I went to "Tony Roma's" here in SD about 10 years ago, "Disgusting"!
"Krispy Kream" has so few patrons their sold their parking lot!
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Just like the "PC" crowd, ONLY watches "Public Teleevision, and "PC" men, NEVER pay to get "Laid"!
Yah, Riiiiiiiight!
I like "Applebee's".
Boneless Buffalo Wings" with a TON of Blu Cheese dressing!
I went to "Tony Roma's" here in SD about 10 years ago, "Disgusting"!
"Krispy Kream" has so few patrons their sold their parking lot!
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What's wrong with nuked TV dinner, if they are consistently good? IMHO. There's no difference when they boils pre-packaged squids and shrimp chunks, sprinkled over mediocre pasta and try to pass it as gourmet seafood pasta and rob you in many place in DR. There is no difference. Only that gourmet some times tastes good and some day not.
I beg to differ - I don't eat all local food but I lived in Santo Domingo long enough to find a few places that I consider good: Italian (La Lasagna), Taiwanese (Para T?), Middle Eastern (Baladi and Falafel), Dominican (Mes?n de Bari and Adrian Tropical) and there is a long list of places that I would try before going anywhere near any of the international food chains. My one exception might be pizza, but not if I had the choice of a proper Italian-made pizza. And it's over 30 years since I ate any kind of burger.
Hey CC - do you think I'm just saying it for effect?
I'm not a food snob in that I don't really go for the posh gourmet nonsense - I was simply raised to eat healthy, home-cooked food. BTW we don't watch any sort of television at all at home - what does that make us?
Curiosity - yeah maybe - but correct me if I'm wrong: None of those places prepare and cook their food from fresh ingredients and I can always taste the difference. I went to Chef Pepper (a Dominican-owned chain) not expecting much and although the menu was reasonably imaginative and even palatable there was an artificial aftertaste that means I won't be going back in a hurry. Same with I HOP (I was outvoted by the friends I was with
) - everything had a slightly chemical, non-fresh taste to it. YMMV of course.That is the other thing that is competing with the fast casual chains. There are some very good frozen dinners out there that are at least as good as some of the food you can get in chains(some are actually the same product). But I wouldn't pay $12.99 plus tip for something that was simply stuck in a microwave or fryer and then another $10 for drinks. I worked at an Applebees when I was in college about 10 years ago and they had six microwaves on their cooking line and all of the sauces came in plastic bags.
I like to cook at home, but even I have some quick frozen meals once in a while. The Healthy Choice line makes some nice products(though still too much sodium). I can get those at around $3 each.
Beef Merlot - Caf? Steamers - Healthy Choice
Area mom could have made same meal for less. The Onion
http://www.theonion.com/articles/area-mom-could-have-made-same-meal-at-home-for-muc,1379/
"Chiri" you are the "Real Deal" and have been "Eating Healthy" for decades!
I am refering to the "PC" crowd that gives "Lip Service" to the "Liberal/Progressive Mantra", while eating "Junk Food", and watching "Jersey Shore", and "Real Housewives" in secret!
I really do have "Hipocracy"!
I say, eat junk food, watch "PORN",Abuse alcohol and drugs, smoke to excess, pay for sex, and enjoy yourself!
But don't hide the facts, and pretend to be "Mister/Misses "PERFECT!
I Don't!
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I am refering to the "PC" crowd that gives "Lip Service" to the "Liberal/Progressive Mantra", while eating "Junk Food", and watching "Jersey Shore", and "Real Housewives" in secret!
I really do have "Hipocracy"!
I say, eat junk food, watch "PORN",Abuse alcohol and drugs, smoke to excess, pay for sex, and enjoy yourself!
But don't hide the facts, and pretend to be "Mister/Misses "PERFECT!
I Don't!
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