Chains you refuse to do any business with...

Are there any chains out there you flatout refuse to do business with? Even if you were so hungry and that was the only restaurant around for miles, you still will not eat there.

I myself dont have a chain that I actually can say that I "hate", but for many years Subway came close. Overpriced ( still is to a degree ) and the fact that around my neck of the woods they stopped selling and making subs a half-hour before closing time and often the employees were downright nasty. Of course all those problems were corrected once the franchise changed hands.

Even though both chains made changes to correct their problems with discrimation I still have many African-American and Gay friends who still to this day refuse to eat at Denny's and Cracker Barrel.

Also I have some gay friends who also refuse to eat at Red Lobster and Olive Garden for the same reason. One of them told me of a story about how two lesbians were asked to not to set together at a Red Lobster ( as in on the same side in a booth ). I myself did some research on this online and turned up nothing so I wonder if this is an urban legend.

Flying J Truckstops are pretty big around here but I know a few who believe this place is owned and operated by the Mormon church and they believe that the money spent there goes to that religion so therefor they won't eat there. I don't believe Flying J is owned by the Mormon church but since they are based in Utah and many people believe anything that is based in the state, they assume the church has a hand in it. Shame people believe that as they do serve some really good food.

Every place I won't eat at has done the damage via horrible service and horrible food. That list is long lol

The biggest, nastiest places I won't frequent, Applebee's, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Cracker Barrel, Micky D's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Chili's, TGI Fridays and Wendy's. All of those because I can't even gag their food down.

Now, if they have stupid signs up or try to shove their ideals down my throat before I even get my food, I'm outta there. I'm paying for food not a history lesson or a morals lesson. I may even agree with what they are talking about yet still leave. Using a personal business as a platform for reaching the public with anything other than good food and good service is one sure fire way to not see my wallet.

If it has smoking, then it dosn't need my money. I'd rather not die from cancer caused by second-hand smoking. By golly, if I wanted lung cancer, I'd do the smoking myself. I don't see why they allow it any where. It stinks and is very cross. I will also not step foot inside of a Chick-fill-a, Applebes, Ruby Tuesdays or Fridays. To clique and their food looks gross and slimy. I also can respect the first two due to the fact that they advertise themselves at elementary schools. The cow costume kinda scares a person after the umpteenth time seeing it...

I don't like any national chain, but the ones I really can't stand are Subway, Taco Bell, Mickey D's, Dunkin Donuts, KFC, Domino's and any sit-down chain (TGIF, Applebees, Olive Garden, etc.) I'd rather go hungry than eat at those places.

I can't think of any food chains I dislike enough to flat out refuse to eat there. There are a number that I'd rather not eat at though.

About the only chain I refuse to do business with is Circuit City because of how they have treated their employees. Twice that I know of.

MikeS.

From Chris; Flying J...snipped...Shame people believe that as they do serve some really good food.

Chris, I've eaten at Flying J's literally across the country a couple times. I would never classify their food as really good. Decent and priced well yes and convient too. Just not reall good food.

MikeS.

I travel quite a bit and I do not know of any chain restaurant that I refuse to eat at. Some I have gone into and left because of crowds, cleanliness or other problems but sometimes, any port in a storm applies.

Try sitting in a airport for many hours when the only thing available is a chain. You can only refuse so long with your hunger dominates your good sense.

Try driving on a schedule in the middle of the night when the only thing open is a chain and your hunger dominates.

When I travel, I rarely eat at a fast food chain. My company will allow me to eat where ever I wish. There are rare times that I have no choice and I will not rule any place out in those events unless they violate some of my needs.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Hardee's and McDonald's are my two biggest NayNays. There are others, but particularly Hardee's -- I'd starve first.

Quiznos is the chain I can't stand. I am also not really big on the Daily Grind ( a Virginia-based coffee house like Starbucks ). The latter is mainly more for their politics than anything else.

A lot of times I end up scratching my head when I hear someone give a reason why they wont eat/shop at a certain restaurant or store besides the usual bad food, poor service, the cost or even if they allow smoking. I have a good friend who is deeply religious for example. She loves coffee but she refuses to go to Starbucks or even buys their products at the grocery store because she "heard" that several
of their employees had posed nude in Playboy.

In my husband's hometown last year Kohls was under fire. Why? Not because of the quality and price of the merchandise or even customer service but rather some "rumor" that one of their employees appeared in a gay porn video.

If people are that religious, why are they viewing gay porn videos or reading Playboy?

I do eat at FF restuarants but bsolutely refuse to eat never again at Taco Bell. Their quality (at one one time many moons ago it actually was fairly good) has gone down the drain. Not only do they screw the orders up but the food taste terrible. The last time I ordered there was a taco salad and I had to search for the meat at the bottom, the lettuce was very dry tasting and it had about 4 crubles of cheese on it. After this experience I said never again. There are too many other FF restaurants to subject my self to this. Subway is another one I probably won't go to again. After having a meatball sandwhich the other day from Firehouse Subs (which was wonderful) I will stay away from Subway.

Pizza Hut is one FF chain I can easily do without. Their products can really vary from outlet to outlet.Cardboard crusts and bland sauce can be replaced with much tastier food overall in any mom & pop.A local Pizza hut today had 3 cars in its parking lot at 12:15pm, that can't be good for their bottom line.

Domino's and Little Caesar's. They shouldn't be allowed to call their product pizza, Little Caesar's especially.

I avoid all of the Yum! brands (Taco Bell, KFC, A&W, Pizza Hut, Long John Silvers) All their food is very bland and artificial tasting, even worse than most other fast food places. Politics don't bother me when choosing a place to eat. Quality and customer service should be the deciding factor. I figure about every company, fast food and otherwise either supports a political cause I don't agree with, or has some unspeakably horrible business practices. So it's either occasionally support an establishment whose beliefs you disagree with, or cease being a consumer all together. The bottom line, If the food is good, I'm going to eat there.

Chili's, Applebee's, TGIF and Ruby Tuesday.

There probably aren't any that I would flat out refuse to eat at if I was hungry enough and no other restaurants or food were around, but it would take some extreme circumstance (*not counting if it was someone's special day and they picked their special day restaurant)to get me into Red Lobster, Hardees, Applebees, Olive Garden, Ruby Tuesdays, Wendys, and Dominoes.

Andrea

quote:

Originally posted by BhamBabe

Now, if they have stupid signs up or try to shove their ideals down my throat before I even get my food, I'm outta there. I'm paying for food not a history lesson or a morals lesson. I may even agree with what they are talking about yet still leave. Using a personal business as a platform for reaching the public with anything other than good food and good service is one sure fire way to not see my wallet.

Same here. Back around the turn of the century I ran across a coffee shop type chain down South when I was driving over the road trucks. Can't remember the name, but they had Christian propaganda everywhere. Being a lifelong atheist, I don't appreciate proselytizing from any religion, especially when I'm the one opening up my wallet to buy their grub.

Never went in another one, and never will. I know where the churches are if I feel the need for preaching.

I stayed away from Burger King for a long time after they put that coating on their fries that was supposed to make them crisper but that boycott ended several years ago.
Like Mike S. I will no longer set foot in Circuit City after what they did last month.

I won't eat in any FF restaurant where the food handlers don't wear those plastic gloves. I have seen them handle food after ringing up orders and taking money, and it turns my stomach.

Long John Silver's.

To paraphrase the late actress Clara Peller, "Where's the Fish?"

McD, because for me it means McDiarrhea.

Pizza Hut is one that I will not go to. Every one of them that i've been in have been dirty and lets be honest,,,the food is rancid.

Applebee's is another i've vowed off mostly due to the horrible service.

Long John Silvers - Something just doesnt seem right about a place that throws their entire menu into the same vat of grease. When I was in college, I worked maintenance for the local mall and we had to pick up LJS's garbage. I wont go into detail, but industrial size garbage bags filled with grease remnants didnt help my decision.

I can't say that I refuse to patronize any CHAIN. However, there are several individual stores of chains that I won't go into.

For me, at least, it's not about the chain itself, but the local management.

I refuse to go to O'Charley's anymore since they carded me a few years ago. When I asked why, the manager lied and said it was a new "county" law. If a place cards me, it is because of a "political correctness" policy which I find offensive, so I won't eat there.
I stopped going to most FF chains because I'm a roadfooder.

This thing about carding everybody is offensive to me as well.

I am a 52 year old bald adult male ... I have zero characteristics in common with anyone under 40.

It is clearly management deciding that their employees can't make even the most general decisions on their own. Oh yeah, one more thing ... the places that have this policy use thimble sized jiggers (or the automated equivalent) and it usually ain't worth even having a drink.

But I digress.

DENNY'S ... I will never step back into one ... they treat you bad and the food is scary.

Cracker Barrel because of what happened with gay employees, Olive Garden because the food is really bad, Long John Silver's because I once found a dead fly in my fish and they would not refund my money. I've forgiven Denny's because they tried to correct the problem.

quote:

Originally posted by wheregreggeats.com

This thing about carding everybody is offensive to me as well.

I am a 52 year old bald adult male ... I have zero characteristics in common with anyone under 40.

It is clearly management deciding that their employees can't make even the most general decisions on their own. Oh yeah, one more thing ... the places that have this policy use thimble sized jiggers (or the automated equivalent) and it usually ain't worth even having a drink.Actually it's the law in Massachusetts. Everyone must have a valid ID to purchase or consume alcohol. It may be an old blue law but none the less it is still enforceable. Something to the affect that you can not serve a known convicted fellon. All stadiums, ball parks and aditoriums card everyone.
Although I don't get carded at the track, I'm on a fist name basis with all the bartenders. Gotta find a new hobby. Chow Jim
But I digress.

DENNY'S ... I will never step back into one ... they treat you bad and the food is scary.

Not sure why that happened. I was responding to wheregregeats and my message got jumbled in. Tryed to correct it but oh well. Chow Jim

quote:

Originally posted by mr chips

Cracker Barrel because of what happened with gay employees.

Me, too.

Anywhere else I'll eat if I have to, but I'd rather find a grocery store and make my own picnic in the car than eat at Cracker Barrel.

quote:

Originally posted by felix4067

quote:

Originally posted by mr chips

Cracker Barrel because of what happened with gay employees.

Me, too.

Anywhere else I'll eat if I have to, but I'd rather find a grocery store and make my own picnic in the car than eat at Cracker Barrel.

Didn't Chick-Fil-A have a problem with their gay employees as well?

I do have a co-worker who is gay and even though he still eats there he was telling me about how they wont allow their employees time off for gay events. Say a gay pride parade and or a "bear run" is in the area and if an employee wants the time off, they will not allow it. He was saying that "....they have ways to find out if you went or not...."

It's no secret that Chick-Fil-A has conservative values but to tell their employees they can't attend a pride parade or fire someone who has a profile on an adult website, I myself find that had to believe.

quote:

Originally posted by cathyftr

Didn't Chick-Fil-A have a problem with their gay employees as well?

I do have a co-worker who is gay and even though he still eats there he was telling me about how they wont allow their employees time off for gay events. Say a gay pride parade and or a "bear run" is in the area and if an employee wants the time off, they will not allow it. He was saying that "....they have ways to find out if you went or not...."

Well, I would not get upset about this unless I knew full details. Perhaps they do not let any of their employees have time off for "non-essential" events. I think one sould be sure if this is the case before "slamming" a place on heresay.