Convenient Chain Restaurants Cater to Families, Specialty Diets

Religion, politics and chain restaurants. Looking for tense conversation? Talk about a love of The Cheesecake Factory or Macaroni Grill around people who fancy themselves food connoisseurs. Want to offend a friend? Act thoroughly disgusted when he suggests going to Houlihan’s or California Pizza Kitchen for dinner.

What’s appealing to some is appalling to others. But the truth is, chain restaurants serve their purpose, offering good value, convenience for families, and better food than they used to. The majority of people probably split their dining-out time between independent restaurants and chains like Chili’s or P.F. Chang’s.

Marc Phillips has fond memories of his Wyckoff family riding along Route 17 or Route 4 and stopping at a chain for Friday night dinners when he was growing up. While the 21-year-old college student can fire off 10 independent Bergen County restaurants as favorites, he also counts Houlihan’s and The Cheesecake Factory as good spots for a meal.

"The price point is there, you can expect the quality to be the same," says Marc’s mother Sandy in explaining the lure of the chains.

But there was one other thing for the Phillips family.

"That’s where my husband and I met, when Houlihan’s was in Riverside Square," says Sandy Phillips. "We just thought it would be nice to go back to that type of an environment where we could feel young again and whatnot. Here we are with our son, but showing him this is what we used to do back in the day."

Even for those who don’t have a personal history with a particular restaurant, there are plenty of reasons to stop in at a chain during the crazed holiday months. Here are some of the biggest:

1. Menu

 Chains offer value, variety and predictability. Even in a large and diverse group, everyone can find something on these familiar and gigantic menus. While some of the higher-end chains might seem pricier, the typically large portions still offer value. If patrons are eating a recommended healthy amount, they will pack up at least half of that huge salad for a second meal the next day. The food might not be highly rated by Zagat, but the quality is consistent from one restaurant to another so there’s little risk in ordering standard fare from a chain restaurant, whether it’s in Paramus or Pasadena.

2. Convenience

Particularly during the shopping season, chains seem to always be in the right place at the right time. Often attached to a mall, they offer an easy in-and-out for a real meal, as opposed to grabbing something at the food court. The Cheesecake Factory draws crowds at Willowbrook Mall and The Shops at Riverside. There’s a California Pizza Kitchen at Willowbrook and Garden State Plaza, which also boasts chains like Legal Sea Foods and Joe’s American Bar and Grill with more expensive options. If a chain outlet is not located at a mall, it’s sure to be found on one of the highways surrounding it.

3. Kid friendly

This does not mean children should run wild or scream at the table, but there is comfort for a parent in knowing that not only will there be a kids menu that meets the needs of the pickiest eaters, but other customers won’t be staring disapprovingly at them every time a toddler drops a fork. Most of these places have crayons and offer a placemat to color. At the Macaroni Grill, it’s the entire table with a paper tablecloth. Even the high-end chains like Legal Sea Foods make it easy and fun for kids with grilled cheese and fish-shaped ravioli on the menu. The downside at some of these places, however, is the often lengthy wait for a table.

4. Specialty diets

Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, low-sodium, low-sugar: All of these restricted diets can beaccommodated at the chains – often in a better way than they can at independent restaurants. On the California Pizza Kitchen website, the menu gets broken down for every kind of restriction. P.F. Chang’s has an extensive gluten-free menu and serves each dish on a plate with a special logo that identifies it as gluten-free. Chains can often do a better job of protecting against cross-contamination, with bigger kitchens, and in some cases an off-site centralized kitchen. Gregg Piazzi, P.F. Chang’s director of culinary operations, says that chains have the edge here because they can hire a nutritionist and offer detailed kitchen and server training.

5. Nutritional information

Patrons might not want to know, but thanks to government regulations, chain menus tell them exactly how many calories and how much sodium, etc., can be found in each menu item. For dieters or anyone following a specific diet for health reasons, this is particularly important. The often high numbers can sway someone into a healthier choice – and many chains now offer a menu of lighter options along with traditional, calorie-laden favorites.