I've been to El Chico and Sir Pizza exactly once each--when my family first moved to Nashville. They didn't make much of an impression on me.

When I lived in Southern California, many students liked to go to Zankou Chicken (the main dish is this weird looking chicken stuff--amazingly it was also featured in the New York Times a few weeks ago for being "hip" ) or Roscoe's House of Chicken 'n' Waffles (which served chicken and waffles/pancakes/grits in the same dish).

I'm afraid there are no restaurant chains out in the boondocks of New England.

Those sound interesting.

As a rule, I don't like chain restaurants much. But here in the Boston area, we have just about every one known to humankind.

Of the chain places I do like, one of my favorites is Carrabba's Italian Grill. I also like Border Cafe, which I think is just a small local Mexican chain...only two or three locations.

Another local chain that I like is Legal Seafoods ("if it isn't fresh, it isn't Legal").

We're just getting Papa John's pizza up here, and I've heard good things about it, so maybe we'll try it next time we want pizza.

Chains in other places: Margarita's, another Mexican place, located mostly in Maine and New Hampshire. Chelo's in Rhode Island...kind of a combination sports bar and family restaurant with decent food at cheap prices. We always go to Chelo's after seeing a Pawtucket Red Sox game.

When we went to Canada last year, we stopped at Tim Horton's a lot when we were on the road. However, the only one I ever saw in the states is in South Portland, Maine.

That's about all I can think of for now! :-)

2 words:
HAPPY JOES
http://www.happyjoes.com/

oh man, their pizza is to die for.

also, what's really good is culpeppers. they have the best chicken wings.(next to hooters of course!) :smile:
http://www.culpeppers.com

i'll think of others, but i don't go out to eat often.

Thanks for the suggestions, all. We do have Carrabba's here in Savannah but have only eaten at it, once.

Girl, you are in my neck of the woods.

Outside of Applebees, Longhorns, and that really nice restaurant in Savannah that I can't remember the name of, I am totally clueless.

Most of the restaurants are somewhere on Abercorn. Abercorn at the mall. Abercorn at the other mall. Abercorn and I-95. Abercorn & _______.

Jesse's if you ever get to Harrisonburg, VA and finish it with some ice cream from Kline's Dairy Bar (the most popular place in our town). El Charo is pretty authentic mexican, you've just got to go when they have cooks who haven't yet been deported.

Oh, and Texas Steakhouse...yum. The coconut fried shrimp are delicious.

Okay, I already mentioned Lum's. That's about as obscure as it gets, and it seems that there are still a couple in business, however there is apparently no Lum's corporate website. The Lum's I went to was on US Hwy 41 in Clarkesville, TN.

A good obscure chain restaurant around here is Pizza Factory. Back when my last girlfriend, Arlyn, and I were just starting our relationship, we would drive from Federal Way to Edmonds (forty miles or so), and then catch the ferry over to Kingston just to get pizza, because that's where the closest Pizza Factory was.

Village Inn (I affectionally call it 'Village Idiot') is another bizarro favorite. They tend to place these in the strangest locations.

When in California, I always try to partake of In-n-out Burger, although the name of the chain seems to speak more for the velocity and rapidity with which their food travels my gastro-intestinal tract than their speedy service.

Shari's is where I go to when I want all-night diner food off of a real menu, instead of the little late-night card that Denny's gives you.

4-B's is a Montana chain I've eaten at. In fact, this quiet, unassuming Denny's-ish place had the hottest salsa I've ever eaten. And let me tell you, I love hot food. Man, I cried for miles.

Perkins has been a family favorite since they opened one blocks from our house in Eau Claire, WI in 1976. Any time I have to go east on I-90 for any real distance, I try to stop at the Perkins in Ellensburg.

Many people of a certain age remember Sambos Restaurant. There is one left, the original.

How about Stuckey's?

Another chain that went through a bit of a decline was Shakey's Pizza. At least in the States anyway. In the early 1990's when Shakey's around the nation were 'closing for remodelling' and staying closed, they were building these like mad in places like South Korea, Japan and the Phillipines.

If I think of more, I'll post them.

Oh, they all sound good.

I've been to Texas Steakhouse back in 2000 at the Morrisville, NC location. It reminded me of Logan's, the restaurant.

There is a Village Inn located off Atlantic Blvd. in Jacksonville. However, I haven't eaten there. But I saw it!

I've never eaten at Stuckey's but it's a shame to see them dying out around the South.

I love Macaroni Grill (good Italian food), and Fresh Choice (like Hometown Buffet, only healthier), and A&W, but that's pretty national, isn't it?

We have Macaroni Grill grill in Savannah that just opened in the mall, last year. However, I wasn't too thrilled with it.

A&W is like Sir Pizza. Something my parents ate at when I was a young child but I don't really remember. You don't see too many of them in Georgia.

Sticky Fingers in Chattanooga. When are we going, Shawn?