Best and Worst Chains in America


If for some strange reason you feel the need to head out to one of Philadelphia’s fine chain restaurants, you should take a look at Consumer Report‘s newest survey of 102 of America’s biggest chains. What they found probably won’t surprise you. Of their four ratings attributes only nine had high marks across the board — only one of which, Bob Evans, has restaurants close to Philly.

Unfortunately for us, three of the five lowest-ranked chains, Friendly’s, Hard Rock Cafe, and Johnny Rockets, all have plenty of locations nearby. Others that fared low in their categories include Buca di Beppo, The Melting Pot, Denny’s, IHOP, and TGI Fridays, all of which you can find pretty easily, too.

The most common complaint among the survey was noise level, which occurred during almost a quarter of the 100,000+ meals surveyors participated in. Buffalo Wild Wings and Hard Rock Cafe were among the top five offenders in that category.

Looks like we have the short end of the already-short stick. At least we can thank Consumer Report for one thing: giving us another reason to check out the unique eateries around the city.

To find out more about how others gauged your most loved/loathed local chains click here (subscriber-only content).