Let’s be real—just because a restaurant has locations all over the country doesn’t mean it’s worth your time (or your appetite).
Some chains serve up food that’s meh at best and mystery meat at worst. Whether it’s bland dishes, tired menus, or service that’s just not it, not all sit-down spots are created equal.
I’ve rounded up 15 restaurants that fall flat—and 5 that take “bad” to a whole new level.
1. Applebee’s
This place used to be the go-to for cheap eats and happy hour. Now it’s more like microwaved meals in a sports bar setting.
The menu’s huge but mostly forgettable, and the flavors are as exciting as cardboard. You won’t leave angry—just unimpressed.
2. Ruby Tuesday
Ruby Tuesday feels stuck in time, and not in a fun, retro way. The salad bar is fine, but the rest?
Overpriced, overcooked, and often underseasoned. It’s hard to find a reason to go when there are better burgers and steaks pretty much everywhere else.
3. TGI Friday’s
The “fun” vibe only goes so far when the food is a letdown. While the drinks are passable, the appetizers taste like they’ve been sitting in the freezer for a decade.
It’s not the worst, but it’s definitely not worth your Friday night.
4. Cheesecake Factory
Sure, the menu’s the size of a novel and the portions are huge—but bigger isn’t better.
The food is hit-or-miss, the prices are high, and the vibe is pure chaos. You’re better off grabbing cheesecake to-go and skipping the rest.
5. Olive Garden
When you’re here, you’re family… but maybe the kind of family that uses canned sauce and overcooks the pasta.
Unlimited breadsticks can’t hide the fact that most of the food tastes more like a microwave meal than Italian cooking.
6. IHOP
The pancakes are fine at 2 a.m., but beyond that? Eh. The eggs are rubbery, the bacon’s flimsy, and the service is usually slow.
It’s breakfast food, but not at its best.
7. Chili’s
Chili’s tries to be a little bit of everything—Tex-Mex, burgers, ribs—but ends up being kind of nothing.
The food’s bland, the portions are shrinking, and it just doesn’t hit the way it used to. You’ll leave full, but not happy.
8. Friendly’s
This place is mostly memories now. The ice cream is still solid, but the actual meals? Not so much.
Slow service, outdated decor, and food that tastes like it came from a school cafeteria make it tough to recommend.
9. Buffalo Wild Wings
The wings should be the star, but they’re often small, dry, and drowning in sauce.
Add in noisy crowds, inconsistent service, and prices that feel steep for what you get, and it’s more miss than hit these days.
10. Denny’s
Good for a post-midnight food fix, maybe. But during regular hours, it’s just a bland mix of greasy breakfasts and lifeless lunches.
Don’t expect fresh ingredients or quick service—this diner’s more about survival than satisfaction.
11. Red Robin
The bottomless fries are still a draw, but the burgers? Not what they used to be.
Toppings are sloppily thrown on, and the patties often taste like they’ve been sitting under a heat lamp. It’s just not worth the hype anymore.
12. Perkins
Think of Perkins as Denny’s quieter cousin—same vibe, same problems.
Stale pastries, soggy hash browns, and eggs that are always just a little off. It’s the kind of place you end up at, not choose.
13. Golden Corral
Buffet fans might defend it, but Golden Corral’s food is quantity over quality.
Lukewarm dishes, mystery meat, and questionable cleanliness make it feel more like a gamble than a meal.
14. Joe’s Crab Shack
Seafood should be fresh and flavorful—Joe’s is neither. It’s loud, overpriced, and the crab tastes like it’s been sitting in the freezer since last year.
You’ll get messy for nothing.
15. Boston Market
Once a comfort food staple, Boston Market has lost its charm.
Dry chicken, sad-looking sides, and a weirdly empty atmosphere make it feel more like a ghost of what it used to be.
16. Sbarro
You’ll find Sbarro in every mall food court—and wish you hadn’t. The pizza is greasy, bland, and somehow both soggy and overcooked.
It’s fast food pretending to be Italian and failing miserably.
17. Hometown Buffet
Hometown Buffet feels like a bad dream. Everything tastes like it came from a can or a box, and the food trays sit out way too long.
The only thing “hometown” about it is the disappointment.
18. Long John Silver’s
Grease. That’s the main flavor here. The fried fish is limp, the hushpuppies are dry, and the entire place smells like an oil spill.
It’s fast food seafood at its worst.
19. Fazoli’s
It’s supposed to be fast-casual Italian, but it’s more like drive-thru pasta with a side of regret.
The breadsticks are salty bricks, and the sauces taste like jarred leftovers. Hard pass.
20. Chuck E. Cheese
Kids might love the games, but the food? Nope. The pizza is barely edible, the salad bar is sad, and everything else is just filler.
Go for the fun, eat somewhere else.