Golden Corral tastes like it came from a future dystopian society that recycles their waste products and garbage back into food. I expect to see Charlton Heston come running out of the restroom and screaming about Soylent Green.
I forgot Stake and Shake and to some degree Dunkin Donuts. At least in Florida. Uses to like Stake and Shake's burgers but hated the smell of those restaurants.
20 years ago they seemed really innovative and a nice alternative to McDonald's/BK/Subway, I go maybe once a year now and am always disappointed. The Bagels seem stale and the sandwiches aren't as good. The one that opened near me was always immaculate but now they all seem dirty. No idea if this is due to their corporate management or just bad luck with the ones I go to.
Many of them near me have closed. There used to be one in every shopping center. They were everywhere and they were somewhat good. I agree that the quality has suffered.
I also agree with whoever mentioned Baja Fresh. That was a huge hit for about 10 years and then it suddenly disappeared.
Adding Boston Market to the list. I loved them when they first opened but the past ten years have been a steady decline and now I would not set foot in there, if they are even around anymore.
I’m not sure, but I’ll give credit where it’s due: McDonald’s is a winner. I hadn’t been to a McD’s in maybe 10 years. My daughter was begging for a milkshake the other day, so I caved and went to the drive through. I was hungry and short on time, so I grabbed a cheeseburger. I couldn’t believe how good it was. I eat top notch burgers pretty regularly and was quite impressed with this fast food burger. I checked out the nutrition online afterwards and was still impressed. Probably fewer ingredients and healthier than my local gourmet burgers. Good job, McD’s.
20 years ago they seemed really innovative and a nice alternative to McDonald's/BK/Subway, I go maybe once a year now and am always disappointed. The Bagels seem stale and the sandwiches aren't as good. The one that opened near me was always immaculate but now they all seem dirty. No idea if this is due to their corporate management or just bad luck with the ones I go to.
I hate the current iteration of Panera so much that my abject refusal to get work team lunches there became a running joke at my company. I'd rather eat cardboard - overpriced sub-Boston Market quality now, and that's sad because it was fairly decent when it first opened.
Applebee's is dreadful. All the food comes out of the freezer and 50 percent of it is microwaved.
I've been saying this for years. If you want Applebee's food just go to the walmart that is more than likely across the street, walk to the frozen section, get the frozen Applebee's branded food, and throw it in chef mic. That what they do at the restaurant anyway.
Even if they didn't suck, food-wise, I'd be permanently banned from that place after breaking their sound system when I heard that stupid 'Fancy Like' song play for the 15th time during my meal. My niece was a server there and said it was like the CIA designed that song as a torture method.
I don't know which has fallen the hardest, but after all these years, you can still count on Olive Garden for your fine Italian food dining.
Drove by an Olive Garden this weekend and they looked busy. Haven't been in years
As for the hardest fall? Burger King for sure. They are closing up 10 BK's near me and we went recently for fun and were left very disappointed. The burgers were tiny and the dining section was filthy and they were not busy at all. Good riddance. They did it to themselves by downgrading their beef over the last two decades.
Also TGI Fridays. I went to my first one back in the 90's and it was excellent. They were also pretty good in the early 00's. But we have one near us that is attached to a hotel, we walked in and it smelled terrible and the floors were greasy. We didn't even bother getting a seat.
TGI Fridays .. don't get me started. Used to be fun and had pretty reliable menu items. That apple crisp for dessert when I used to crave sweets was divine (for chain dining). But then they started messing with their menu and doing cross-promotions with Top Chef. And now it's pretty empty whenever I drive by one. Then the one by George Washington U in DC
Red Lobster still seems packed, but I never got the appeal of greasy fish and biscuits. My parents loved it.
It might not be the hardest fall, but a month of so ago, I went to an Applebee's for the first time about 7 years.
The menu wasn't good. The food wasn't good. The atmosphere wasn't good. How is that place still in business?
But for it to fall, it had to have been good once upon a time. When was Applebee's ever good? I've been unfortunate enough to have eaten there a few times over the last few decades, and it has sucked every time.
I'd agree with Burger King falling the hardest and breaking their crown.
Yet Burger King is advertising like crazy these days. That makes me think they are "fighting for it" a little bit and not just giving up. They'll always be Pepsi to McDonald's Coke.
What happened to Skippers? Is Sizzlers still a thing? Fast food fish restaurants and low-priced steak restaurants should be out of business...
BBBBBBKKKKKKK have it your way..... Literally can't get this out of my head...AAAAHHHH!
I think (hope) fast food, in general, in falling out of favor with large portion of ppl. I think folks are starting to really draw the connection between the explosion in obesity and more importantly, cancers, and the mainstream food supply.
Fast food joints are really nothing more than heart disease and cancer suppliers. The amount of preservatives, chemicals, and hormones in those foods is terrifying.
Good luck with that! Fast food is as popular as ever. We are a society of convenience. There's a bunch of crap in most of what people buy at the grocery store too...at least in the US. It takes effort to buy stuff that doesn't have crap in it (pesticides, fungicides, preservatives, flavor enhancers, color, and on and on).
The biggest culprit of them all is plain old sugar...now the prime suspect in heart disease AND cancer.
I don't understand why a thread about "which restaurant has fallen the hardest" seems to only mention restaurants that have always been trash.
Because everyone isn't nearly as pretentious as you.
I hear you but Im not pretentious and agree that a lot of the fallers were garbage. Even compared to their comp. Zaxbys? I never got it. Pondo/Bonanza was good but got replaced by Outback and Texas Roadhouse in the 80s. Burger King- I hate it but understood why it was popular. The good hamburger place has exploded all over, I dont know how long Mickey Ds and BK survive. They gotta stay cheap.
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