Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

I worked at Olive Garden for 1 day.  I learned that all of their food is both boiled and frozen.  I always figured that does something at the molecular level....you're putting a ceiling on the quality of your food when you both boil and freeze it.

I used to travel a lot for work. In many of the cities/towns that I was traveling too, there were usually very limited options. And in a lot of cases, I really didn't have time to scout and find a good restaurant and would simply go to a familiar chain. What I found was that Outback was really different from town to town and usually not very good. Longhorn and Texas Roadhouse were pretty consistent so that I stood a good chance of getting something that I liked. 

But as usual, if I had the time to talk with the locals and scout around, the small mom and pop place, always was a better option. And I found some pretty good ones over the years. 

As for Carrabba's, I had never eaten at one until one day when I had about a 2 hour layover at O'Hare in Chicago. There was a Carrabba's in one of the terminals and I ordered the Fettuccine and it was very good, (or I was very hungry). I then ate at one in Charleston SC, and it was subpar. So it really does seem that even though you are at a chain were you would expect that there was some consistency, it really is hit or miss. 

We used to do that when we had kids in the house. It worked out quite well - got the meat from NW Iowa, through Fearless. It was very good. We found a butcher down here, so we're set when we want great cuts. Costco does pretty OK.

I worked at Olive Garden for 1 day.  I learned that all of their food is both boiled and frozen.  I always figured that does something at the molecular level....you're putting a ceiling on the quality of your food when you both boil and freeze it.

That is exactly what the food there tastes like- like it has been thawed out/boiled/cooked in a microwave. Makes sense.

Ed Zachery,I've eaten at all of them at least once and would go again - bunch a posers.But now with prices/covid we make most of our own

As for Carrabba's, I had never eaten at one until one day when I had about a 2 hour layover at O'Hare in Chicago. There was a Carrabba's in one of the terminals and I ordered the Fettuccine and it was very good, (or I was very hungry). I then ate at one in Charleston SC, and it was subpar. So it really does seem that even though you are at a chain were you would expect that there was some consistency, it really is hit or miss.

It's interesting the airport one was good and the Charleston one wasn't. Granted, with the different clientele, maybe a different approach. 

I had a good work trip food story a few weeks back. It was late on a Monday, and I asked a local guy for a place. I wasn't expecting much with the timing, but hoping maybe for a secret local place. He said there was a Zaxby's and a Wendy's and that he was more of a Wendy's man. That made me extra confident in my plan to go to Cookout. 

yup, and Toyotas and Fords are popular