IHOP is now a burger joint?

In reply to Stefan :

My parents took us on lots of road trips growing up and the only times we stopped at a chain it would be a McDonalds or Burger King and even then it was because someone couldn’t wait for a bathroom.  I had assumed everyone was like this and was shocked to learn I was in the minority. My inlaws rarely left their zip code and love an Applebee’s. They made the mistake of hitching a ride to Florida with us when their friends moved down.

She couldn’t believe we walk into hotels without reservations or reading reviews just going by if it looked safe or not, and driving past perfectly good chains for things we’d never tried. We did go to a WH but I’d never been to one before and then when we got to Daytona I stopped in a pizzeria that had a homemade sign.  In her eyes I might as well have just eaten out of a dumpster.  Once we parted company they ate at Pizza Hut every night the rest of the trip and I sent them pictures of food we ate in a shed and a guy on the side of the road with little smoker.

As someone who travels for 90% or their job, I want to point out there are TONS of Mom and Pop places that will make you wish chose a chain (even a Subway) instead.  

Any restaurant that serves that fake soda fountain tea (5 Guys, seemingly every non-chain place in the Northeast) should go out of business.  Its the Sanka of coffee.

As a very picky eater & IBS/lactose-intolerant sufferer I confess to choosing chains/fast food over local places most of the time, but there’s often only one menu item I’ll eat at any given place, so it’s nice to know what I’m getting myself into. 

A wiser traveler than I once recommended that you eat where you find the cop cars.  They usually go to places that are inexpensive, haven't been closed by the health department and have the fewest felons in the kitchen.  I've rarely gone wrong following this advice.  

In reply to kazoospec :

And least likely for you to get mugged in the parking lot

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kazoospec said:

A wiser traveler than I once recommended that you eat where you find the cop cars.  They usually go to places that are inexpensive, haven't been closed by the health department and have the fewest felons in the kitchen.  I've rarely gone wrong following this advice.  

This routinely will deliver the best local food you can get. 

If I want good pancakes or waffles I got all I need to make them myself. I always look for local breakfast places when travelling, but convenience of location can win out. 

I grew up on LI. Best breakfast was made by my Dad on the cook top at the delis he worked at over 30 years. 

Two eggs, sausage and cheese,  salt,  pepper, ketchup on a hard roll. Done

/thread

Mndsm said:

And Jason's has free ice cream!

Not a plus if you're lactose intolerant... 

logdog said:

As someone who travels for 90% or their job, I want to point out there are TONS of Mom and Pop places that will make you wish chose a chain (even a Subway) instead.  

Any restaurant that serves that fake soda fountain tea (5 Guys, seemingly every non-chain place in the Northeast) should go out of business.  Its the Sanka of coffee.

While I’m one to speak ill of chains, I do agree with this as well. There are enough local places here that are garbage. Then a recall one road trip through Iowa off of the interstate that was particularly tasteless and was followed by a thankful stop at a gas station that luckily sold baby wipes. 

As a follow up to my last post, I have to say that if you’re like me (someone who mostly makes their own food and it’s mostly plant based), remember to bring baby wipes any time you’re on vacation. I eat out on vacation, and I eat for real. We’re talking all the meats, and all the local ethnicities. The baby wipes are a total game changer. 

Which hole we talking about wiping?

In reply to Appleseed :

I assume the exit!  

Heres the thing; IHOP is more like Bob Evans than it is like Waffle House. (Personally, I'll take Bob Evans over IHOP, IHOP just feels overpriced for what it is).

Waffle House: Cheap greasy spoon. Not great dining, its honest to what it is. I'll eat at them and every now and again seek one out. Superior for their open hours and ability to get hashbrowns at 3am. 

Dennys: I have to be drunk to eat at one.  Had one in walking distance of my house when I lived in western MD.  I would drive 30 min to go to an all night truck stop over them. I mostly ate at Dennys with the autocross crowd, stumbling over after good times at the bar. 

Wanna talk about awful?   Golden Corral, might taste ok, but I got food poisoning at those more than every other place combined by at last a 2x margin. Wont eat at one now, but my parents loved one growing up. 

I saw something on a food show awhile back about the prevalence of chains. I cant remember who said it, but its true.  People go to them because no matter where they are, they promise the exact same experience every time, even if its mediocre. People would rather have a "C" meal every time than risk a "D" or "F" every now and again by trying new things. People have a lower fear of food poisoning with the chains.

Its true, I end up at them out of laziness. Especially in this modern age of internets and yelp. I wish google/yelp would create a "no chains" option in their search engines for food. 

BTW, baltimore diners...  Paper Moon is awesome!

Waffle house is awesome. I have only had breakfast food there though, and they do that fantastically.  I sit at the bar, watch my food being made. Good coffee(although i had to quit consuming caffeine sadly), eggs, hashbrowns, toast, bacon. Cheap, tasty and fast. Its no frills good food. I dont need a song/dance or some fancy building. 

Only ever been to ihop a few times and it was always gross. It and dennys arent on my list of options when it comes to breakfast restaurants. 

We got a red robin locally not long ago. Ate there 1 time a few months after opening. The floors and tables were sticky, flies landing on the table, bathroom was like a truck stop and the amount of extremely overweight people there cramming in unlimited fries combined to make it a thoroughly regretful experience. The food was also pretty sad and overpriced. Maybe its better elsewhere.   

5 guys.  I’ll just go ahead and throw my money in the toilet, thats where its gonna be within about 30 minutes of eating one of those grease sponges. 

In-n-out is a masterpiece. A work of art. Its simple food but just done right.  Its one of the main things i look forward to if i have to travel west. 

That all said, i’ll stop at a non-chain restaurant anywhere and try it out. Some of my favorite places are in crappy areas and look like they should be condemned. But the food is SOOO good. 

As for people that prefer chains, its a routine or familiarity. When im on the road i may just be looking for something easy and reliable. A familiar chain is all i need. 

I was explaining this to my wife the other day when we were traveling, there is times when the only place to eat is a shady fast food joint. In that case, you dont necessarily order what you want, you order what you think the hardest thing to screw up is. Or order the most common item in hopes its going to be fresh vs having been sitting for hours waiting to make you sick. 

Haven't eaten at IHOP in 20 years.   Ordered Eggs Benedict and the "Hollandaise" clearly came out of a bucket--it was more silicone goo than food.   I've not had a bad meal at WH but the prices kill me.   Then again, I'm cheap.   The hash browns are good, though.   Denny's has been acceptable but nothing great.  

TJL said:

Waffle house is awesome. I have only had breakfast food there though, and they do that fantastically.  I sit at the bar, watch my food being made. Good coffee(although i had to quit consuming caffeine sadly), eggs, hashbrowns, toast, bacon. Cheap, tasty and fast. Its no frills good food. I dont need a song/dance or some fancy building. 

Only ever been to ihop a few times and it was always gross. It and dennys arent on my list of options when it comes to breakfast restaurants. 

We got a red robin locally not long ago. Ate there 1 time a few months after opening. The floors and tables were sticky, flies landing on the table, bathroom was like a truck stop and the amount of extremely overweight people there cramming in unlimited fries combined to make it a thoroughly regretful experience. The food was also pretty sad and overpriced. Maybe its better elsewhere.   

5 guys.  I’ll just go ahead and throw my money in the toilet, thats where its gonna be within about 30 minutes of eating one of those grease sponges. 

In-n-out is a masterpiece. A work of art. Its simple food but just done right.  Its one of the main things i look forward to if i have to travel west. 

That all said, i’ll stop at a non-chain restaurant anywhere and try it out. Some of my favorite places are in crappy areas and look like they should be condemned. But the food is SOOO good. 

As for people that prefer chains, its a routine or familiarity. When im on the road i may just be looking for something easy and reliable. A familiar chain is all i need. 

I was explaining this to my wife the other day when we were traveling, there is times when the only place to eat is a shady fast food joint. In that case, you dont necessarily order what you want, you order what you think the hardest thing to screw up is. Or order the most common item in hopes its going to be fresh vs having been sitting for hours waiting to make you sick. 

Shake Shack > In-N-Out

Paper Moon in Baltimore is solid, the neighborhood of Remington is full of amazing places to eat, it's quietly one of my favorite areas in the city.

When I was LE we often ate where we got the biggest discount, or where the portions we're the biggest, firefighters are the ones who know where the good food is. 

Shake Shack uses the cheapest of the cheap whereas IN-N-OUT uses quality meats and veggies.

Interestingly all the IN-N-OUTs near me were closed yesterday because the buns they were getting from the distributor wasn't up to standards.  Things like that make me like it even more.

Just look at the stuff you get at Jack in the Crack and others like it.  Brrrrr shiver

IHop sucks ass. But then again I rarely like sweet breakfast and if it is sweet I only really care for French toast.

Also In-N-Out was the single most overhyped chain I have ever been too.

In terms of burger chains,

Five Guys>Whataburger>>>>> In-N-Out

93EXCivic said:

Also In-N-Out was the single most overhyped chain I have ever been too.

In terms of burger chains,

 

Five Guys>Whataburger>>>>> In-N-Out

Billy Goat Tavern was the most over-hyped restaurant I ever ate at.   Krystal was the worst burger chain.   

yeah, but the problem with 5 guys is that they overcook all the flavor out of their meat.  at least at the ones I have been to.  

I think IHOP, WH, Red Robin must vary a lot from region to region and store to store.  There are two IHOPs near me, food is okay, but the service at one of them is awful enough I’m never going back.  Red Robin is passable, and I have no problems getting a medium well burger there.  I’ve been to several terrible Waffle Houses, but a few decent ones, too.  I think they’ve been working on cleaning up their reputation.

For fast food burgers, give me Freddy’s.  Love the burgers with the crispy edges, and the thin fries.

spitfirebill said:

Stick with the Lizards Thicket. 

Are they a South Carolina thing? I haven't seen them elsewhere.

For fast food burgers / shakes / fish sandwiches, try Culver's.   They started in Wisconsin, and are starting to spread throughout the country.   Food made to order, a little higher end than a typical chain, and the service has always been top notch when I've gone.   Great shakes too! 

eastsideTim said:

Red Robin is passable, and I have no problems getting a medium well burger there.

Getting a medium-well burger is never a problem.  Getting places to cook them rare or medium-rare is the problem.