Yeah, we did the Red Robin twice this month, once as a take-out and once as a dine-in. The burgers were great both times but I prefer the take-out. It was not an enjoyable dine-in experience. The place was full of children, most of them under the age of 10. Each table other than ours and one other had between two to five children seated. The kids far outnumbered the adults in the dining room! They weren't bad kids, just really loud and there was food all over the floor because, well, young kids are just messy! Our poor server was frazzled and in a hurry to leave, and he came by before we were finished eating and asked if he could go ahead and check us out because his shift was almost over and he had some end-of-shift tasks to take care of before he could go home. I will do another RR take-out in a heartbeat.
I like Olive Garden only for soup, salad, and breadsticks. I used to take my husband's grandma once a month when she was at the nursing home before she got too sick to be able to go anywhere, and she passed away last year so I haven't been in a long time. For some reason she loved OG and Red Lobster. Talk about a place that sucks! Our RL is a dirty, overpriced restaurant with mediocre food. But, it wasn't about me, it was about her, so I would always let her pick and those two places were where she wanted to go.
I'd love to find out who does Ruth Chris as well. Maybe it's time for me to go back through the official list and see who I am not signed up with. But, I would end up having to drive 40 miles because there isn't one in my city.
Coyle has some good restaurants that are small regional chains that are pretty good, but they also are 40 miles away. After a glass of wine and a good meal, that's a long drive home.
I agree about doing shops at places you love. I usually give a place a few tries just to be sure that it wasn't a fluke when I went and it was bad. Applebee's was just that bad. I take the Fleming's when it shows up because I don't normally go out and spend $200 on a steak dinner and I also am in hope that they will get it together and it will be an awesome experience. Like I said, it's good, just not $200 worth of good.