Best Chain restaurant?

[SydneyBridge]

Anyone tried the Lounges? Only been to one, but was lovely

[fiatpower]

Frank7 said:

The Ivy in West Street, near Leicester Square was the absolute bizzo, THE place for spotting A-listers in the past, whenever I went there to pick someone up when I was a taxi driver, the paps would swarm around me, “Who are you picking up?”
I’ve seen The Ivy Cafe in Blackheath, maybe it’s linked with The Ivy, I don’t know.
I’ve been in The Ivy, Tower Bridge, and The Ivy at Canary Wharf, both are good, but both think that they’re the equal of West Street, but I don’t think that they are.

I wasn't impressed with the Ivy at Tower Bridge. I went for breakfast with the missus and her sister. They both had pancakes whilst I had eggs benedict. Mine was nice, nothing special but the pancakes were crap. Both were still frozen in the middle! I understand that restaurants have to prep sometimes but reheating pancakes from frozen is ridiculous.

[Thankyou4calling]

The Ivy, West Street London is “The Ivy”

It’s an exclusive restaurant known particularly for serving theatre goers and it’s bern there over 100 years.

“The Ivy Cafe” is a chain. It trades off The Ivy name but it’s less exclusive (much less) though still very nice.

There are about 50 in the UK. They appeal to the “Ladies who lunch” brigade and are popular for special occasions.

I’d recommend there afternoon tea. You don’t get a lot but it’s excellent quality and the atmosphere (in Richmond) is buzzing.

[Europa1]

Thankyou4calling said:

The Ivy, West Street London is “The Ivy”

It’s an exclusive restaurant known particularly for serving theatre goers and it’s bern there over 100 years.

“The Ivy Cafe” is a chain. It trades off The Ivy name but it’s less exclusive (much less) though still very nice.

There are about 50 in the UK. They appeal to the “Ladies who lunch” brigade and are popular for special occasions.

I’d recommend there afternoon tea. You don’t get a lot but it’s excellent quality and the atmosphere (in Richmond) is buzzing.

Thanks for that, and for stating that the chain trades off the name of the original restaurant. That's how chain restaurants work, especially once they're owned by private equity.

[toasty]

I do like a bit of Wahaca. Service is variable but the food is always good.

[hungry_hog]

let's not knock the chains guys, works for some eh?

[RammyMP]

loskie said:

where do you think Loch Fyne is if it ain't the NW?

I live in Manchester, the nearest one is in a York. Do you need a parrot?

[matrignano]

It’s owned by Caring, like everything else these days

[anonymous-user]

The Ivy locations that were rolled out as a chain (Edinburgh, Bath, Oxford etc) are really very good in my opinion. If you are wanting a decent quality lunch, dinner and drinks, they are fine.

That aside, I love chain restaurants. Guilty pleasure. My wife hates most of them. For me, the trashier the better, long as the food is good.

UK and US favourites include:

TGI Fridays
Nandos
Frankie & Bennys
Carluccios
Hooters
Denny’s
Pizza Hut
Zizzi
McDonald’s
Burger King
Bubba Gump


Places I will never go to again:

Ed’s Easy Diner - Nothing more than a really cheap burger, bun and fries charged at a restaurant price. Awful.

Five Guys - More than twice the price of McDonald’s and half as tasty. I cannot understand why anyone likes this place. Tried it once, never again.

Cafe Rouge - Just awful cheap microwaved ‘French’ food, served badly, at a price that would expect better for.

[Jimbeaux]

Lord Marylebone said:

The Ivy locations that were rolled out as a chain (Edinburgh, Bath, Oxford etc) are really very good in my opinion. If you are wanting a decent quality lunch, dinner and drinks, they are fine.

That aside, I love chain restaurants. Guilty pleasure. My wife hates most of them. For me, the trashier the better, long as the food is good.

UK and US favourites include:

TGI Fridays
Nandos
Frankie & Bennys
Carluccios
Hooters
Denny’s
Pizza Hut
Zizzi
McDonald’s
Burger King
Bubba Gump


Places I will never go to again:

Ed’s Easy Diner - Nothing more than a really cheap burger, bun and fries charged at a restaurant price. Awful.

Five Guys - More than twice the price of McDonald’s and half as tasty. I cannot understand why anyone likes this place. Tried it once, never again.

Cafe Rouge - Just awful cheap microwaved ‘French’ food, served badly, at a price that would expect better for.

You all need a Popeye’s Fried Chicken shop. One taste and you would run KFC off the Dover Cliffs with torches and pitchforks, Frankenstein style.

[Turn7]

hungry_hog said:

let's not knock the chains guys, works for some eh?

who the fk is that ?

[Jimbeaux]

Turn7 said:

hungry_hog said:

let's not knock the chains guys, works for some eh?

who the fk is that ?

Someone with a lot of Money because that dude looks like George Hamilton’s version of Dracula.

[matrignano]

Richard Caring

[Frank7]

Europa1 said:

Frank7 said:

The Ivy in West Street, near Leicester Square was the absolute bizzo, THE place for spotting A-listers in the past, whenever I went there to pick someone up when I was a taxi driver, the paps would swarm around me, “Who are you picking up?”
I’ve seen The Ivy Cafe in Blackheath, maybe it’s linked with The Ivy, I don’t know.
I’ve been in The Ivy, Tower Bridge, and The Ivy at Canary Wharf, both are good, but both think that they’re the equal of West Street, but I don’t think that they are.

Having been to those branches of The Ivy, do you think it's a chain?

I don’t know how many Ivy Cafes there are, but I’d think of them as possibly a chain.
The Ivy at West Street, Covent Garden is owned by Richard Caring, and I’d guess that The Ivy, Tower Bridge, and The Ivy, Canary Wharf are maybe subsidiaries of the one in West Street.
These upmarket establishments could reasonably be described as part of Mr. Caring’s chain of restaurants, although possibly not be thought of as a chain, in the way that Côte and Piano & Pitcher are a chain.
In addition, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Ivy Cafes were something to do with Caring’s empire, otherwise he’d sue their a$$es for using his trade name.

[loskie]

RammyMP said:

loskie said:

where do you think Loch Fyne is if it ain't the NW?

I live in Manchester, the nearest one is in a York. Do you need a parrot?

probably as much as you need a geography lesson of the UK

[So]

Trophy Husband said:

RammyMP said:

Trophy Husband said:

Loch Fyne. Superb in my experience.

I’ve eaten there twice at two different ones and they were both very good. Ate off the set menu for starter and main and it was great value for money. It’s a shame there aren’t any in the North West near me!

Same here. Each time I've been I've bought something from the fishmonger on the way out. I've been to Cowbridge a few times plus Bath and Bristol. Always have a couple of oysters!

I've eaten at a couple and they were dismal.

The one in Nottingham served my children pasta with big chunks of un-cooked onion in it. On another occasion I had lobster, which was meant to be hot but was served tepid. So they took it away and microwaved it.

On the final occasion, my wife's dressed crab was liquid.

We won't be going back.

But as others have said above, The Ivy's spin-off chain is usually excellent, if pricy.

[loskie]

seafood is great but needs to be fresh and great care taken over the prep, cooking and presentation of it. I'm not sure that the franchise/chain model of business is right for that.

[So]

loskie said:

seafood is great but needs to be fresh and great care taken over the prep, cooking and presentation of it. I'm not sure that the franchise/chain model of business is right for that.

Exactly this.

I don't think it lends itself to chain operation.

[FiF]

loskie said:

RammyMP said:

Trophy Husband said:

Loch Fyne. Superb in my experience.

I’ve eaten there twice at two different ones and they were both very good. Ate off the set menu for starter and main and it was great value for money. It’s a shame there aren’t any in the North West near me!

g


where do you think Loch Fyne is if it ain't the NW?

I'm somewhat confused by this exchange. Loch Fyne restaurant chain is no longer anything to do with the Loch Fyne Oyster Bar which still operates on the banks of Loch Fyne at Clachan , albeit currently closed due to the current pandemic.

Having previously eaten at the original Oyster Bar, the only one of the spin off restaurant chain visited was after the sale to Greene King and was the Sheffield location opposite Hallamshire Hospital. That place has deservedly been closed, not due to virus, but back in 2016 due to being unutterably and terminally dire. Based on the experience I'd rather visit Nando's, yes it was indeed that embarrassingly dire.

[Thankyou4calling]

I’m no connoisseur of fine food though I’ve eaten plenty.

I ate at Red Lobster in the US and found it fantastic.

I know I’ll get derided as it’s probably seen as the Wetherspoons of seafood but it was great value and delicious to such an extent I actually looked at seeing if they offered franchises because in the right UK location that place would thrive.

I had some seafood platter for about $30 that included a bit of everything.

Superb.