Food Chains

Ever notice the number of chain restaurants along your local highway or in your neighborhood mall? It seems America has produced about a million chain restaurants from Pizza Hut to Johnny Rocket's. Some are upscale, some look like neighborhood hang outs. All in all this is
what 's feeding our country.

There are some really good chain restaurants out there. Red Lobster, for all the criticism (and the one snarky novel written about it) does serve up some mean seafood dishes at affordable pricing. Not only that but all the meals are affordable. Families can splurge every now and then on a lobster for a birthday or graduation. This same philosophy is true with Ruby Tuesday's. The chain offers some great steak cuts along with an expansive salad bar. They also have cool creative drinks that are fun for a night out. For super luxurious there's The Grand Luxe Cafe that looks like a part of an Atlantic City or Las Vegas casino (and a division of of another chain, The Cheesecake Factory). There's also Legal Seafoods which offers high class seafood and chic atmosphere at a relatively well priced rate.

The low end chains do pretty well too. Johnny Rocket's, that mall favorite offers a variety of burgers and shakes with a fun atmosphere. A relatively unheard of chain, Pollo Tropical gives people a superb taste of the islands without the high pricing. It's where foodies can dig into Caribbean favorites and follow with flan or dulce de leche.

Chain restaurants may not get a four or five star rating from critics but they're still good. They give Americans a chance for good food and fun without the high pricing.