Around these parts, we’re not really chain-restaurant boosters or bashers. Yes, a landscape dominated by big-box feeding stations is a sad future (or present, in some parts of the country) to imagine, but that doesn’t mean that going to the Cheesecake Factory every once in a while isn’t an excellent decision. And let it not be forgotten that amid all the overpriced slop there are also some legitimately tasty dishes to be found at chain restaurants.
Also worth noting: Looking at the list that customer-experience management firm Market Force just put out of America’s favorite casual restaurants, culled from a survey of 7,000 people, it’s clear that we haven’t tried them all. Golden Corral? BJ’s Brewhouse? Might need a roadtrip…
Anyway, the results might surprise anyone who agrees that Cheesecake Factory is the G.O.A.T of the chain game. While Olive Garden garnered the highest number of votes, the firm decided to weigh the results to take into consideration the number of restaurant locations. The utimate winner: Maggiano’s Little Italy. (With the weighted results, Olive Garden came in #9).
Click through the gallery above to see the restaurants that made the top five, and check out this graph of the full results.:
[via Forbes]
