What makes a restaurant popular? Is it the service, the food, the atmosphere, or a combination of all three? Of course, even successful restaurants have their fair share of detractors. Recently, diners from all over the country gathered in an online forum to discuss restaurants that don't live up to their wide popularity.
So if you see your favorite eatery on this list, you may want to reconsider dining there the next time you want to enjoy a night out!
1. Panera Bread
Described by one food critic as "nothing more than fancy hospital food," Panera Bread appears on this list due to countless people agreeing with this particularly rough sentiment. The fast-casual restaurant chain has also been accused of using subpar bread, with one diner declaring their sandwiches hurt his teeth and gums. I don't blame you for crossing Panera Bread off your list; I just did!
2. P.F. Chang's
Since P.F. Chang's opened their first bistro in 1993, the casual Chinese restaurant has enjoyed massive success with over 300 locations currently worldwide. However, the chain has its fair share of naysayers, particularly ex-employees who admit P.F. Chang's health and safety standards aren't up to par.
"I guess that explains why I had food poisoning after eating there a few years ago in Las Vegas," one person revealed. "I filed a complaint, and they completed an investigation and found out that the oil used to fry the food was bad. I almost ended up at the hospital because my fever was out of control."
3. The Cheesecake Factory
According to countless people, the fact that The Cheesecake Factory has a menu that is "approximately 30 pages long" means that no employee in the kitchen can master any single item. The needlessly extensive menu translates into substandard food standards passed on to each paying customer.
Although it remains one of the most successful restaurant chains in the United States, many members of the online discourse have decided never to revisit The Cheesecake Factory.
4. Chipotle
Once known as the darling of the fast-casual dining space, multiple diners have admitted that the chain has gone downhill in recent years. "I remember the portions used to be awesome and huge. Not so much anymore," one diner confesses.
"Plus, they went from being reasonably priced food to overpriced junk. I'll pass." Although Chipotle remains incredibly popular, reviews like this won't do the business any favors in the long run.
5. Applebee's
Let's get one thing out of the way: nobody will mistake Applebee's for a fine dining restaurant. The chain primarily focuses on providing family-friendly meals at an affordable price, targeting diners that look for value in their meals.
However, Applebee's value proposition doesn't match accusations of their meals being prepared by microwaves using inferior ingredients. Even if diners are trying to save a few bucks, many vow to only eat at Applebee's again if changes are made on the kitchen side of the business.
6. California Pizza Kitchen
Many diners theorize that California Pizza Kitchen is popular because it has the word "California" in its name and is simply piggybacking off the state's inherent cool factor. Unfortunately, the food is the opposite of cool, however.
According to countless diners, the chain's pizzas can best be described as overpriced flatbreads that leave you feeling ripped off. In addition, California Pizza Kitchens are usually located in high-traffic areas like malls, resulting in crowded restaurants and poor service.
7. Olive Garden
Established in 1982 to bring home-cooked Italian meals to discerning American palettes, Olive Garden has enjoyed massive success over the years. In 2022, the chain took in $4.5 billion in revenue - a number most restaurants can only dream about making.
But, unfortunately, an endless amount of diners have decried Olive Garden's food quality. One person called out their pasta: "It tasted like a microwave dinner with cheap marinara sauce."
8. Texas Roadhouse
Regarded as having one of the least-inviting atmospheres out of all the restaurants on this list, Texas Roadhouse has a reputation for playing in-house music very loudly. One current employee confirmed many people's suspicions that the chain uses a "churn and burn" strategy with its customers. "I work there," she reveals.
"The entire business model revolves around getting you to pay money and then leave. We don't want customers to linger so that we can seat more customers after you leave and make more overall money for the night." I, for one, don't enjoy being rushed through my meal - and neither should you.
9. Buffalo Wild Wings
Although many admit that Buffalo Wild Wings is a great place to watch sporting events since there are dozens of televisions in every location, more than one diner laments that their wings are some of the lowest quality wings you could find. If you're going to have the word "wing" in the name of your restaurant, I think you should have the best wings in town! Sadly, for Buffalo Wild Wings, that isn't the case.
10. Red Lobster
Red Lobster primarily focuses on seafood and while the restaurant generally received positive reviews, many diners confess to only dining when certain items are discounted. In other words, if you're not taking advantage of their endless shrimp specials, you're wasting your time eating at Red Lobster!
This thread inspired this post.
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