I've grown tired of these "upscale" fast food restaurants. Most of their foods are pre-cooked and overpriced. And most of the time the service sucks!

I realize that not all areas of the country have access to the mom and pop home cooking type restaurants or the authentic Italian restaurants that many big city folks are lucky to have, so places like Applebees, Chilli's, Olive Garden, etc. are really the only options available to them for certain kinds of foods.

Personally I'd rather go to a Diner for a steak and a local Italian restaurant for Italian food.

And if I want drinks, appetizers like wings, nachos and those kinds of pickies, there are several local places that make those things.

However, there are times when we go out with a bunch of friends and they decide that they want to go to an Applebees or Chilli's. And I'll go. They are not that horrible and if that's what the crowd wants to do, than I have no problem going. Those places do make excellent drinks and pretty good appetizers. But personally I'd rather go to Chilli's than Applebees.