20 June 2011
The 5 Worst Chain Restaurants — And 3 Nutritionista-Approved Chains!
If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you know how I feel about chains (hint: not the warmest). In case you’re new here, this is how I feel about chains:
Here’s my philosophy: if you’re going to eat out and indulge, do it right. Pick a hole-in-the-wall Thai or Mexican place, a really upscale new American restaurant, or your local bar and grill. Don’t waste your calories or money on crappy chain restaurant food. It’s unhealthy and it just doesn’t taste all that great. Plus, it’s really not THAT cheap.
But there are some chains that just take the cake (or should I say take the jalapeno poppers?) in terms of most hazardous to your health and least tasty food. Here they are, in no particular order:
- Applebee’s. Ugh, gag. I hate Applebee’s with the fire of a thousand suns. The food is nasty (seriously, have you really considered the food? It’s gross!), and everything NOT on the “WeightWatchers” menu is a nutrition nightmare. I commend them for having a lighter menu, but if you’ve ever ordered off of it and gone home completely satisfied… well, I’m impressed. Uh, also, apparently they were posting incorrect nutrition info. Not cool, Applebee’s. Not cool.
- Macaroni Grill. It’s no surprise that I’m not a fan of a place that touts 2000-3000 calorie pasta dishes as its bread and butter (quick review of Nutritionista philosophy: bread = boo for the most part, butter = yay!). I can’t say the food at MacGrill isn’t tasty. From what I remember the last time I went there (the year 2000?), it was. But still, totally not worth it.
- The Cheesecake Factory. I think this place is dangerous because their menu reads like a novel. I mentioned it in my former anti-chain rant as a place I occasionally indulge, but I wish I never had to step foot in that place. They do have healthier options, I’ll give them that. And everything I’ve had tastes mighty good. But with so many options, both regular menu and cheesecake, it just seems like an accident waiting to happen.
- Panera. I know this one is going to get people mad — I know quite a few Panera devotees. But the chain literally only has one thing I can recommend: the Chopped Chicken Cobb. Everything else is either full of bad carby stuff or just not tasty. Also, from what I hear, nothing is prepared fresh. It’s all frozen. Not to say that’s not standard practice among chains, but it’s still disappointing.
- Red Lobster. I admit that I tried Red Lobster for the first time a couple weeks ago with coworkers. I was expecting to be blow away by the biscuits everyone raves about. Consider me totally unblown. They weren’t worth it. The shrimp and scallop dish I had was pretty pathetic too. Served lukewarm and super salty. Ew.
Okay, now for the good news! Here are 3 chains I get totally get behind (if you MUST go to a chain):
- Chipotle. This is probably a “duh” one, but Chipotle salads are just outstanding. My Chipotle philosophy? Skip the tortillas and rice and fill up on their delicious meats and guacamole. Their meat isn’t perfect ethically speaking, but I really do believe in their “food with integrity” philosophy. I also enjoy their clever marketing ploys. I totally thought the lorem ipsum bag was a huge blunder at first!
- Jimmy John’s. This is another chain I’m constantly recommending to clients because I think their unwich is genius. Basically, you can get any sandwich wrapped in lettuce. All the deliciousness, no filler. I love it. And it’s cheap!
- J. Alexander’s. For a higher end chain, this is probably my pick. They always have nice fish dishes on the menu, and their grilled artichokes are probably one of my favorite (chain) restaurant dishes of all time. ALL TIME.
Okay, so I know I’ve probably alienated at least half of you with my chain disses and picks. So you tell me: which chains are your favorite, health and taste-wise?
