How to tell if restaurant food is pre-made...

[caseydog]

And my SIL wonders why we won't go to the chain restaurants with them...


And yet we've had very good steaks when we've eaten at a Texas Roadhouse, pretty much the one chain we'll visit infrequently regular. If there is such a thing. Then again, they do have a cooler with raw steaks as you walk in, so they just might cook them from scratch.

Yeah, Texas Roadhouse does cook up a pretty good steak.

CD

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

I cant remember the last time I ate in a sit-down chain restaurant. Maybe 6 years ago? Except Maggianos since its across the street from my office.


That video was pretty DUH ....

OH MY GOSH!! Love them!
DH and I went to Philadelphia back some years ago and
stayed at the Marriott downtown on Market. Across the street
was the Redding Market and Maggiano's Italian kitty-corner.
The Redding Market was being overhauled and closed at the time
to our disappointment, so we went to Maggiano's.
That was really good, even for DH-American-Italian... didn't know
at the time it was a chain.

 

[caseydog]

OH MY GOSH!! Love them!
DH and I went to Philadelphia back some years ago and
stayed at the Marriott downtown on Market. Across the street
was the Redding Market and Maggiano's Italian kitty-corner.
The Redding Market was being overhauled and closed at the time
to our disappointment, so we went to Maggiano's.
That was really good, even for DH-American-Italian... didn't know
at the time it was a chain.

I've only been to Maggiano's once. I enjoyed my meal -- pretty good immigrant Italian. But, I'm betting that their sauce is made in a factory (Sysco?), and shipped to the restaurants in five-gallon buckets.

CD

 

[Just Cooking]

Yeah, Texas Roadhouse does cook up a pretty good steak.

CD

I agree... I think I said something about them in a post last year..

Now that I'm back in Springfield, MO, I intend to go there again..

Ross

 

[jd_1138]

Ugh, seems like ordering all that pre-made slop and then reheating it would cost a lot more than just buying raw ingredients and having a more limited but higher quality menu selection?

Not to mention the inferior quality of the pre-made slop costing you customers.

The local pub down the street has a very simple menu -- like 4 entrees as in burgers, wraps, spaghetti/pasta, fish. It's all fresh made. I see them press the raw hamburger into a patty press. They hand dredge their onion rings in a batter and fry them. Fresh cut fries.

Plus it's a mom and pop place. I'd rather give them my hard earned money than a chain place serving frozen junk.

Heck, even Waffle House offers "a la minute" dining. You order bacon, eggs, and a waffle, and they place the raw bacon on the grille, and they crack your eggs, and pour the batter mix into the waffle iron. Their waffle batter is pre-made I think.

 

[buckytom]

Quick cooking foods like breakfasts are exactly the opposite of the intention of this thread, me thinks.

Although, what about homefires, or hash browns. Are they really peeling potatoes to order?

 

[caseydog]

Quick cooking foods like breakfasts are exactly the opposite of the intention of this thread, me thinks.

Although, what about homefires, or hash browns. Are they really peeling potatoes to order?

There is a certain level of pre-made I am willing to accept at a restaurant. Pre-shreded frozen hash browns that are cooked on a flat-top to order is okay with me. Pre-cooked meats and sides that are reheated in a microwave is not.

If I am going to pay a restaurant to cook a meal for me, I want them to actually COOK a meal for me.

CD

 

[jd_1138]

Quick cooking foods like breakfasts are exactly the opposite of the intention of this thread, me thinks.

Although, what about homefires, or hash browns. Are they really peeling potatoes to order?

True, the hashbrowns are probably pre-shredded.

 

[jd_1138]

There is a certain level of pre-made I am willing to accept at a restaurant. Pre-shreded frozen hash browns that are cooked on a flat-top to order is okay with me. Pre-cooked meats and sides that are reheated in a microwave is not.

If I am going to pay a restaurant to cook a meal for me, I want them to actually COOK a meal for me.

CD

True. If I wanted warmed over Sysco processed junk, I could do that at home for 1/4th the price. Or better yet, buy some raw ingredients and make a superior meal for 1/10th the price.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

...The local pub down the street has a very simple menu...I'd rather give them my hard earned money than a chain place serving frozen junk.

Heck, even Waffle House offers "a la minute" dining...

The "Mom and Pop" works only when they ARE down the street. When you travel, sometimes it's nice to know that a plain, ordinary but still reliable chain is along your route. We drive from MA to OH at least twice a year to see our kids. We know which chains are trustworthy. We drive from MA to FL once a year. Again, we know where a safe bet meal is. We've tried the suggestions of people along the way at times. Sometimes they're a hit, other times they're a miss. When we walk out of the bad places we look longingly at that chain restaurant we passed by on our way to the local spot.

 

[caseydog]

The "Mom and Pop" works only when they ARE down the street. When you travel, sometimes it's nice to know that a plain, ordinary but still reliable chain is along your route. We drive from MA to OH at least twice a year to see our kids. We know which chains are trustworthy. We drive from MA to FL once a year. Again, we know where a safe bet meal is. We've tried the suggestions of people along the way at times. Sometimes they're a hit, other times they're a miss. When we walk out of the bad places we look longingly at that chain restaurant we passed by on our way to the local spot.

I'm kind of the opposite when I travel. I get on the interwebs, or talk to people I know in the area, and try to find places that are NOT chains, and give them a try. Once-in-a-while, I get burned, but overall, I've mostly had really good meals.

Sometimes I get really lucky, and when I ask the owner of a car I'm shooting where I should eat, he'll offer to take me to one, and pick up the tab. Other times, he will just tell me where to go (in a good way).

I'm also not afraid of hole-in-the wall places, or places in "bad" neighborhoods.

I remember this one time when I flew into Phoenix early in the morning, and was very hungry when I got there. I asked the guy driving the rental car shuttle where I could get some really good breakfast food. He told me about a place a few blocks from the rental car center. I got there, and there were bars on the windows and doors. I was the only guy in the place who spoke English. The staff treated me great, and the breakfast burritos where absolutely incredible -- and cheap.

The last time I was in NYC, my hotel was in the Red Hook area of Brooklyn. OMG, I found some absolutely fantastic sandwiches at the local bodegas.

CD

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

There is a certain level of pre-made I am willing to accept at a restaurant. Pre-shreded frozen hash browns that are cooked on a flat-top to order is okay with me. Pre-cooked meats and sides that are reheated in a microwave is not.

If I am going to pay a restaurant to cook a meal for me, I want them to actually COOK a meal for me.

CD

HERE HERE Casey
I so agree!

 

[Cooking Goddess]

...I'm also not afraid of hole-in-the wall places, or places in "bad" neighborhoods...

Oh, we take chances on finding something local. Only problem is we aren't much for traveling during normal-people hours due to Himself having worked 4-midnight for ages when he was working. If you think it's hard to reset your body clock to a different schedule, try resetting HIS to a different one. In the case of the local spots, pretty much all but the bars are closing by the time we're ready for supper. I need to turn him into more of a daytime person, or trade him in for someone who is.

Best Ribs Ever in Kansas City. Drove through about five miles of serious ghetto. We were the only light-complexioned people, and the only non-beater car. About a quarter mile from the rib house, that started to change. Inside the place it looked like the U.N., so many nationalities and peoples thoroughly enjoying danged good food. It was like a community party, even if you weren't ever there before. Too bad real life can't be like that rib joint.

 

[Rocklobster]

Chain restaurants are trying to eliminate the cooks and the expense of training them..this way, they can pay them less because it doesn't require much skill to follow a few instructions like a microwave..
You want somebody to actually cook something from a raw/fresh state, then you should support small, individually owned places where they have kitchen employees who have made their jobs their careers. Who will put their face and reputation behind everything that comes out of that kitchen..
You may get the odd bad meal from a mom and pop, but you probably get just as many from chains..I'd rather take my chances and have four really good meals and one bad one that were cooked on the premises than 5 sad, mediocre reheated, over priced ones that were cooked 1000 miles away and reheated by somebody who couldn't fry an egg and will probably be gone in a few weeks..
At least I know I am probably supporting some hard working owners and not some share holders or franchise owners who don't work weekends, evenings or holidays but expect the minimum wage employees to..

 

[RPCookin]

The "Mom and Pop" works only when they ARE down the street. When you travel, sometimes it's nice to know that a plain, ordinary but still reliable chain is along your route. We drive from MA to OH at least twice a year to see our kids. We know which chains are trustworthy. We drive from MA to FL once a year. Again, we know where a safe bet meal is. We've tried the suggestions of people along the way at times. Sometimes they're a hit, other times they're a miss. When we walk out of the bad places we look longingly at that chain restaurant we passed by on our way to the local spot.

I can go with this when we're on the road, but not exclusively. If I get a tip about a place to try, and if it's convenient when the time comes to eat, I'll take a chance. When we are exploring with no set time to be anywhere, then anything goes. We have found some gems in some out of the way places. (If you are ever in or near Pella, Iowa, try Kaldera - good food. Interesting town... the town square looks like something transplanted from Holland. They even have a spring festival called Tulip Time)

If we are just trying to get from point A to point B with minimal stress and anxiety, then we will usually go for tried and true.

 

[Just Cooking]

I can go with this when we're on the road, but not exclusively. If I get a tip about a place to try, and if it's convenient when the time comes to eat, I'll take a chance. When we are exploring with no set time to be anywhere, then anything goes. We have found some gems in some out of the way places. (If you are ever in or near Pella, Iowa, try Kaldera - good food. Interesting town... the town square looks like something transplanted from Holland)

If we are just trying to get from point A to point B with minimal stress and anxiety, then we will usually go for tried and true.

One of the things I like about Missouri..

Ross

 

[buckytom]

When we're on road trips, we always look for something new, out of the way, or unique. That's part of the trip. We rarely go to chain joints when travelling.

At home, though, like after a day of holiday shopping, or when we're looking for appliances or furniture, we'll hit up a chain restaurant largely because it's quick and cheap and we probably just spent a lot of money earlier that day.

I've agreed to go to Olive Garden on occasion for $10 salad and pasta, or Cracker Barrel for $10 salty entrees, but I refuse to go to Crapplebees, or the Outhouse -Outback.

 

[jd_1138]

The "Mom and Pop" works only when they ARE down the street. When you travel, sometimes it's nice to know that a plain, ordinary but still reliable chain is along your route. We drive from MA to OH at least twice a year to see our kids. We know which chains are trustworthy. We drive from MA to FL once a year. Again, we know where a safe bet meal is. We've tried the suggestions of people along the way at times. Sometimes they're a hit, other times they're a miss. When we walk out of the bad places we look longingly at that chain restaurant we passed by on our way to the local spot.

With Yelp, you can find good non-chain places where the locals eat. Might take a few minutes of research on your smart phone.

Chain places may be reliable in that you know what to expect, but they are each managed by a different manager. So your food and service may still suck.

Not that we don't occasionally eat at chains, though. I do like Cracker Barrel and Waffle House. But you can find good mom and pop type places with a little research. Also a lot of times you can get a great meal at a pub/tavern that has a kitchen. The best pizza I ever had is at a local pub/restaurant.

 

[jd_1138]

Oh, we take chances on finding something local. Only problem is we aren't much for traveling during normal-people hours due to Himself having worked 4-midnight for ages when he was working. If you think it's hard to reset your body clock to a different schedule, try resetting HIS to a different one. In the case of the local spots, pretty much all but the bars are closing by the time we're ready for supper. I need to turn him into more of a daytime person, or trade him in for someone who is.

Best Ribs Ever in Kansas City. Drove through about five miles of serious ghetto. We were the only light-complexioned people, and the only non-beater car. About a quarter mile from the rib house, that started to change. Inside the place it looked like the U.N., so many nationalities and peoples thoroughly enjoying danged good food. It was like a community party, even if you weren't ever there before. Too bad real life can't be like that rib joint.

You guys don't hit the road until like 4pm? I'd be sitting a thermos of coffee on his chest at like 10am and say "get up!".

Though it depends on you all's traveling style. If you guys drive straight through and don't stop at a motel for the night, then leaving at around 4PM would put you in Ohio sometime in the morning so you can start visiting the kids. But if you left at 10AM, you'd get to Ohio like at 2AM.

 

[caseydog]

Chain restaurants are trying to eliminate the cooks and the expense of training them..this way, they can pay them less because it doesn't require much skill to follow a few instructions like a microwave..
You want somebody to actually cook something from a raw/fresh state, then you should support small, individually owned places where they have kitchen employees who have made their jobs their careers. Who will put their face and reputation behind everything that comes out of that kitchen..
You may get the odd bad meal from a mom and pop, but you probably get just as many from chains..I'd rather take my chances and have four really good meals and one bad one that were cooked on the premises than 5 sad, mediocre reheated, over priced ones that were cooked 1000 miles away and reheated by somebody who couldn't fry an egg and will probably be gone in a few weeks..
At least I know I am probably supporting some hard working owners and not some share holders or franchise owners who don't work weekends, evenings or holidays but expect the minimum wage employees to..

Absolutely. Not that mom and pop places can't fall into the same "pre-cooked" and cheap labor routine. But, you can also find some outstanding mom and pops. It is a gamble, but like you say, it is better than predictably mediocre food, IMO.

CD