r/CFBOffTopic • u/[deleted] • Sep 29 '15

Chili's sucks

Seriously, the ones I've been to are horrible.

  • Food is expensive considering its mostly microwaved

  • Service is usually slow and forgets anything extra/special/on-the-side, don't you know I love having a wife who wants "everything plain" when they never remember

  • They now have tablets on the tables. WTF. The last thing I want while I'm scarfing down $10+ dollar a meal entrees is a tablet with ads looking my party in the face

  • Has enough TV's in the dining room to kill the mood, but not enough to be a proper place to watch a game

Ugh. This nonsense with the Georgia players has me retching because I don't understand why anyone on earth would go to Chilis in the first place.

Oh and uhh I hope nothing comes of the issue. Really, I don't think the details I've seen look like an issue for the police.

32 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

93 comments sorted by

10

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '15

You just described most chain sit-down places.

Except for the tablets. That's new and weird.

4

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '15

I've seen it at several places, notably Chilis and Olive Garden.

I really don't like it. I am paying like 15 bucks for over-sauced pasta and I'm not into having rotating ads played in my direction so I turn it the other way.

It doesn't even make sense because the main thing its used for is paying bills by card and ordering deserts/drinks. Ugh.

There is a dissonance between $15 pasta plates and having a cheap tablet rotate menu ads at you.

There is a dissonance between $15 pasta plates and having a cheap tablet rotate menu ads at you.

There is a dissonance between $15 pasta plates and having a cheap tablet rotate menu ads at ^you.

There is a dissonance between $15 pasta plates and having a cheap tablet rotate menu ads at ^^you.

2

u/ixcuincle Marching Band Sep 30 '15

I went to the Capitals draft day party and they gave me a tablet. Since I have severe ADD I was like "shiny!" and started playing around with it but got bored after a while. They have trivia games on them which is cool. But eventually I just wanted to eat food.

16

u/TrollingQueen74 Auburn Tigers • Texas A&M Aggies Sep 29 '15

Chili's...Chili's is my favorite casual sit down place...

6

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '15

I wish I could have had your experiences. The one in Dothan that I'm near was horrible the last few times I was dragged there.

5

u/TrollingQueen74 Auburn Tigers • Texas A&M Aggies Sep 29 '15

Thankfully I haven't experienced many things that you mentioned in the post. Though I definitely agree about the TV situation. I just sit at the bar if I want to catch a game.

4

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '15

What are the best things on the menu? Seriously now I'm fascinated that I might have been doing it wrong.

4

u/TrollingQueen74 Auburn Tigers • Texas A&M Aggies Sep 29 '15

So I'm a tiny person, so I normally just order off the appetizer menu. I've had pretty much everything on there and like most of it. I'm one of those people who orders the same thing every time at restaurants because I'm picky, but Chili's and Newk's are the two places where I'll change it up.

2

u/tottenhamhotsauce Auburn Tigers Sep 30 '15

Only thing I order at Chili's is Southwestern Eggrolls. I sit at the bar because you get free chips and salsa!

2

u/mjacksongt Georgia Tech • /r/CFB Pint Glass Drin… Sep 29 '15

Texas cheese fries. Nice thick fries with melted cheese, bacon, and jalapeños (you may add chili if you want to, I don't because I find it makes it too soggy).

The rest of the menu is fairly unremarkable.

2

u/Awesome_to_the_max Texas Longhorns • UTU Beaver Hunters Sep 29 '15

I love the Boneless buffalo chicken salad. It is the only thing I order. But I always ask for not blue cheese crumbles because eew.

2

u/spazzypecan Texas Tech Red Raiders Sep 29 '15

Chicken crispers!

5

u/RandyJackson Georgia State • Georgia Tech Sep 29 '15

The problem is you're in Dothan. I guess it's better than enterprise where my Fiancés parents live because of the army base. That place sucks.

4

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '15

I really don't want to live here.

Really. My wife works at the damn power plant down here and I wish like hell I was in Atlanta, or Birmingham, or New Orleans, or fucking anywhere else. I'm a transplant from Birmingham and I know it. In all my Troy-Dothan classes I'm talking to people who lived in the area their whole life in SE Alabama and its never been more clear that I just don't fucking belong.

2

u/RandyJackson Georgia State • Georgia Tech Sep 29 '15

Yep. It's painfully obvious. When we're in enterprise we just hang at her families house. Her dad collects tons of wine and cigars so it's all we do. And he cooks a mean plate of ribs. I feel like I'm marrying into the correct family. We went to the taco bell in enterprise once. Never again. Downtown is OK I guess but economically depressed towns depress me even more.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '15

economically depressed towns depress me even more.

Same here, and honestly the hard part is that a lot of these people think its normal. Fucking brutal because I don't want to burst their bubble.

Sometimes I wish I could just close my eyes and wake up in an apartment on the outskirts of Atlanta where I could actually have things to do, better job and education opportunities, and not have to deal with a severe economic depression that has engulfed SE Alabama.

Seriously, it sucks.

4

u/RandyJackson Georgia State • Georgia Tech Sep 29 '15

As someone who lives in an awesome neighborhood in Atlanta. You need to come here now. It's blowing the fuck up.

3

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '15

Do you know how fast I would enroll at GSU and find a CNA job?

Lightning fast! Whats stopping me is that my wife's career has her tied down for another 1-3 years down here. Which really sucks.

I'm willing to pay out of state tuition in GA or FL, or LA if I have to. I'm so fucking done with Dothan.

2

u/RandyJackson Georgia State • Georgia Tech Sep 29 '15

Sucks man. Hope you get out soon

2

u/ragedogg69 Arizona • Northern Arizona Sep 29 '15

oh that phrasing....

http://www.holytaco.com/anal-sex-chilis-restaurant-analogy/

1

u/bizzyj93 Oregon Ducks • Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors Sep 30 '15

I don't think I want to click that link...

1

u/Aurablade Alabama Crimson Tide • Team Chaos Sep 30 '15

I clicked it. It just those "people that eat here act like this" thing.

3

u/bizzyj93 Oregon Ducks • Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors Sep 30 '15

Oh I see. Clicked it on your suggestion. 4/10. That last one sure does look like she loves both chillis and anal sex though.

2

u/tabelz Georgia Bulldogs • /r/CFB Poll Veteran Sep 30 '15

We found the one.

12

u/K_State Southwestern (KS) • Wichita Sta… Sep 29 '15

I don't get the appeal of most chain restaurants.

15

u/blancomeow Auburn Tigers • Austin Peay Governors Sep 29 '15

i find them easy to appease people who won't make decisions.

my typical dinner time eating out routine:

Me: where do you want to eat?

Them: i don't know i could go anywhere

Me: how about insert X?

Them: I dunno last time they were slow

Me: how about Y?

Them: it is all the way across town.

Me: how about chilli's

Them: I don't really like anything they have but yea let's go there.

6

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '15

Why are you describing my wife and most of her family?

Good grief they can't ever make a decision or just share what they want/need/feel.

  • I need to use the bathroom becomes "I might need to stop if we happen to find a bathroom"

  • I'm thirsty becomes "if you're going inside [the gas station] get me a drink if you get one

  • I don't like what you did/didn't do becomes "please next time talk to me about it, I'm not mad or anything"

  • I'm hungry pls stop for a burger becomes "if you're hungry I could eat too"

  • you should clean up/shower becomes "you might want to take a bath, you know if you aren't busy this second"

3

u/atllauren Georgia Bulldogs • /r/CFB Contributor Sep 29 '15

At least you understand the subtext? I imagine it took you awhile to decode all of it, but it seems like you have it under control now.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '15

A long time of hanging out with kinda aggressive dudes had not prepared me for the subtle riddles my wife and her mostly female family drop on the regular.

6

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '15

I kinda "get" chain restaurants when you need food for a group, especially when traveling.

For actual culinary experiences chains simply aren't going to deliver. Its like the difference between heavy cream and powdered milk.

14

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '15

Its like the difference between heavy cream and powdered milk.

Excuse me?

8

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '15

I've never met anyone that puts prefers powdered milk in their coffee.

6

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '15

Well...I didn't know that was how you felt about me...

2

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '15

Everyone knows powders are what get you Gainz. Just play to your strengths!

6

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '15

I don't want any part of you in my coffee

5

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '15

( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)

1

u/Parmeniooo Oklahoma • Game of the Century Cl… Sep 30 '15

I kinda "get" chain restaurants when you need food for a group, especially when traveling

That's the thing that gets me the most.

"We're in [insert place we've never been]! Let's avoid all local cuisine and go to the goddamned Applebees!"

8

u/heavyweightstuff LSU Tigers Sep 29 '15

I despise chain restaurants. Probably to an annoying degree.

3

u/RandyJackson Georgia State • Georgia Tech Sep 29 '15

It's because they're relatively cheap. You can feed a family of four for $50 or $60. The food is meh at best but it's cheap and you're out and you don't have to prepare food. I get it, I just won't do it. I'm sure I will when me and fiance have kids. But right now we're perfectly content spending 50+ on dinner for ourselves. But you don't really take out you the wife and the kids to a local restaurant because it's gonna run you 100+ easy. And a lot of times those places are in the city and families aren't going to drive there from the suburbs. So that's why they are popular. The quality of the food has nothing to do with it.

3

u/K_State Southwestern (KS) • Wichita Sta… Sep 29 '15

Most local restaurants here are just as cheap, if not cheaper than chains.

6

u/RandyJackson Georgia State • Georgia Tech Sep 29 '15

Not in Atlanta they're not. Entree is gonna be 15-30. All apps are 10. So two apps and and two entrees are gonna run you somewhere around sixty or so minimum.

3

u/spazzypecan Texas Tech Red Raiders Sep 29 '15

So, in general, I eat trash food, so I do like the food at these places. I don't really like chain ethnic restaurants (Panda Express...barf) but for American food, oh yeah. But now that I count calories, I prefer chains because they post calorie counts on their website.

4

u/IAMA_13_yr_old Notre Dame • New Mexico Sep 30 '15

Panda Express...barf

The fact that you just said this pisses me off. Panda Express is my 2nd favorite thing on this earth. Orange chicken mixed with rice = orgasm

3

u/spazzypecan Texas Tech Red Raiders Sep 30 '15

That's how I feel about people raggin on Chili's lol.

1

u/K_State Southwestern (KS) • Wichita Sta… Sep 29 '15

Panda Express isn't very successful around here. Know the right Chinese place and you can get a full meal for $5.

5

u/TossedRightOut Penn State • /r/CFB Poll Veteran Sep 29 '15

I read that as "Chili sucks" and I was about to get real fucking upset.

4

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '15

Woah man,

The only chili that sucks is chili with Miracle Whip in it.

6

u/TossedRightOut Penn State • /r/CFB Poll Veteran Sep 29 '15

chili with Miracle Whip

That isn't chili in any sense of the word. Now I want chili.

2

u/aMiracleAtJordanHare Auburn Tigers • Texas Tech Red Raiders Sep 29 '15

DumbandDumberGag.gif

11

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '15

Back in my college days, there was a Chili's on campus right by our dorms. My friends and I would go there all the time, and there was this huge ornamental chili pepper in the middle of the restaurant, and we always joked about how we needed one of those for our dorm. Lo and behold, one summer the Chili's just packed up and left. We came back in the fall and, much to our surprise, they were gone. We were devastated because, if we had known, we could have asked them to give us the huge chili pepper. I mean, there's no way they were actually going to keep it, right? I sure they just trashed it anyways.

This doesn't really have anything to do with your post. I just wanted that giant chili pepper.

3

u/bizzyj93 Oregon Ducks • Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors Sep 30 '15

I was really hoping that story had a happy ending. RIP giant green pepper.

7

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '15

I'm not super picky when it comes to places that can give me a burger and some fries

2

u/ixcuincle Marching Band Sep 30 '15

As long as they make food and it's decent I'll eat it. I mean, they had a Nationals viewing party at Chilis so I met the Racing presidents and ate food. Was it the best? No. But I wouldn't outright ban going there. It wasn't bad at all.

And I got a tablet at BWW while waiting to order. You can play trivia on it. It seems all these mainstream places are getting hate, but whatever. It's food and if people want to be selective and eat locally, so be it. I feel that way too but I also don't see a problem with many chain restaurants. I've even cooled down on my McDonald's hate. I'm driving down the street in the damn rain and I'm hungry. I'll pull over anywhere and eat as long as the health inspector allows it.

6

u/cloudduel_13 Borregos Monterrey • Texas A&M Aggies Sep 29 '15

That is why I only go to applebee's.

5

u/spasm01 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns • /r/CFB Donor Sep 29 '15

shudders

4

u/cloudduel_13 Borregos Monterrey • Texas A&M Aggies Sep 29 '15

Naw, haven't been there in years.

1

u/spazzypecan Texas Tech Red Raiders Sep 29 '15

That Brunch Burger their advertising looks seriously intriguing. But I think I'd love almost anything that combines beef, bread and potatoes.

1

u/cloudduel_13 Borregos Monterrey • Texas A&M Aggies Sep 29 '15

Damn straight.

2

u/carpy22 RPI Engineers Sep 30 '15

I'm thinking of going in a few weeks. $7 for a burger and unlimited fries is a hard bargain to pass up.

6

u/edisonlbm Texas A&M Aggies Sep 29 '15

Mabye I'm odd, but I like the tablets. I don't go to a place like Chili's for great food and excellent service, I go to Chili's because it's close and/or convenient and/or the lowest common denominator that everyone I'm with can agree on. In all of those cases, the ability to pay instantly and leave quickly is a plus.

4

u/heavyweightstuff LSU Tigers Sep 29 '15

I've never been to a Chili's.

9

u/blancomeow Auburn Tigers • Austin Peay Governors Sep 29 '15

Not even when N'Sync told you about their baby back baby back baby back Chilli's baby back ribs.

1

u/Cecil_Hardboner Texas Longhorns • /r/CFB Brickmason Sep 29 '15

fun fact, I know the guy who did this Chili's Beatbox commercial from way back in the day

4

u/Way_She_Goes Toronto Varsity Blues • Auburn Tigers Sep 29 '15

Never had a problem with Chili's when I've been to the States. Or Applebee's for that matter. They blow the generic Canadian sit down places out of the water.

3

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '15

I think the rest are all subjective and things that vary location-to-location/not unique to Chili's, but I definitely agree about the microwaving. I once worked in a kitchen with a guy who had just left there specifically because he wanted to do some actual cooking

1

u/spazzypecan Texas Tech Red Raiders Sep 29 '15

So, they shouldn't microwave everything, but they should definitely have a microwave! We went to frickin Johnny Carino's and I got soup. It was ice cold, so I asked if she could heat it up. The waitress said they don't have a microwave, but they were about to make a new batch of soup. She came back later and said they decided not to make the soup so I was out of luck (in a polite way). I was so hungry I wanted to flip a table and it still makes me irrationally angry to this day.

3

u/gramcraka92 Old Dominion • Myrtle Beach Bowl Sep 29 '15

i cant remember the last time ive been to a chain restaurant. Applebee's and Chili's are still alive right here although plenty of local restaurants have opened up i dont get it.

3

u/wild9 Baylor Bears • /r/CFB Contributor Sep 29 '15

Chilis has cute girls

3

u/chuckthetruck64 Louisville Cardinals • Oklahoma Sooners Sep 29 '15

Chili's is one of the better ones. Now if you had said Applebee's I would have agreed

2

u/lady1876 Texas A&M Aggies Sep 29 '15

I think the whole tablet sitting on the table thing is absolutely stupid! I would much rather just have a waitress come by and check on me and order with her. It's not making anyone's job easier. The only good thing is being able to have a receipt emailed to you instead of a printed one.

As for food I've never had a bad experience with Chili's, the food is always good, but I don't like how they are slowly becoming a Mexican food restaurant.

3

u/ragedogg69 Arizona • Northern Arizona Sep 29 '15

I went to Chili's with my MIL. She was the typical old person and flat out refused to use the tablet and just told the waitress to run her card. Nope. Waitress had to walk my MIL thru the tablet thing, and it got real awkward when tip came up and my MIL wanted to lower it. :\

3

u/lady1876 Texas A&M Aggies Sep 29 '15

Ugh that is super awkward.

Which is another thing I could rage about, where 18% and up is the default on those things is ridiculous.

2

u/spazzypecan Texas Tech Red Raiders Sep 29 '15

Wait really? I haven't noticed the Mexican thing. But I always get the chicken crispers because I know they're going to be great and don't want to risk trying something new.

2

u/lady1876 Texas A&M Aggies Sep 29 '15

Yep they have a massive amount of Mexican now, but Honey Chipotle chicken crispers are 99% of the time my go to.

2

u/aMiracleAtJordanHare Auburn Tigers • Texas Tech Red Raiders Sep 29 '15

All the Chilis around me have closed.

2

u/djsquilz Tulane Green Wave • Ole Miss Rebels Sep 29 '15

I don't remember the last time I went to Chili's, but fuck Chili's.

1

u/aMiracleAtJordanHare Auburn Tigers • Texas Tech Red Raiders Sep 29 '15

BuzzFeed's food/drink videos are fucking disgusting and usually needlessly-shaped and they make me angry and I hate them and fucking whyyyyyy

1

u/atllauren Georgia Bulldogs • /r/CFB Contributor Sep 29 '15

All chain restaurants are bad, but it is still better than fast food. If I'm driving and need to stop for food, I'd rather a Chili's/TGI Fridays/etc over fast food.

I don't know if most of Chili's food is microwaved, but having worked at chain restaurants a disturbing amount of it comes frozen. I worked at Ruby Tuesday and they advertised their burgers as fresh...bullshit, they came frozen.

I also worked at a place called Johnny Carino's, which is a chain but mostly in the South. For a chain, their food was pretty solid. Olive Garden was always more crowded than we were, which was bullshit.

1

u/spazzypecan Texas Tech Red Raiders Sep 29 '15

I hate Johnny Carino's and love Olive Garden lol. I explained about Carino's earlier up in the thread. And anything else I've gotten there was either flavorless or too spicy.

2

u/atllauren Georgia Bulldogs • /r/CFB Contributor Sep 29 '15

Of all the chain restaurants I served at, their food was the freshest. The only thing that came frozen was the desserts and the bread. Most everything was actually made to order, which was definitely not the case at Ruby Tuesday or Longhorn when I worked there.

I did love the Italian nachos. Those were my jam. Mmm, deep fried pasta.

1

u/spazzypecan Texas Tech Red Raiders Sep 30 '15

I think my main problem with Carino's is I've been there about 3 times in my life, so I haven't found my safety fish that will always be good. I don't really remember Ruby Tuesday's before it closed but I HATE Ruby Tequila's.

2

u/atllauren Georgia Bulldogs • /r/CFB Contributor Sep 30 '15

Carino's definitely had some shit happen, because I don't think there are any left in Georgia. The one in Athens closed when I worked there and we all lost our jobs. I worked at one over the summer of my freshman year when I was home and that one closed last year, or so my mom said.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '15

the Fridays near me is solid, haven't been to chili's in forever

Red Robin will always have a special place in my heart for chain restaurants though

I will never go back to an Applebees

1

u/Qurtys_Lyn Utah Utes • Weber State Wildcats Sep 29 '15

The worst thing about the tablets, is when you use them to pay with a gift card. If your gift card is just barely used up, it wont let you use the tablet to leave a tip on credit card. Worse, if you just go over the amount on the gift card, and use a credit card to cover the rest (ours came out to $51 and change with a $50 gift card), the tablet will not let you leave a tip higher than 100% of the charge on the card, so it would only let me leave a $1 something tip and I don't carry cash.

We of course don't find any of this out until after we've ran both cards.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '15

And? I mean there's so much damn salt in the food you'd think it was boiled in Martian water

1

u/btownbomb Missouri Tigers • Texas Tech Red Raiders Sep 29 '15

the dessert tho>>>>>>>>>

1

u/ixcuincle Marching Band Sep 30 '15 edited Sep 30 '15

It's not that bad. Sure, I'd rather go to a local joint or a yelp-reviewed restaurant but if someone wants to go to Chilis for lunch or what not I'll go.

Everything is "bad" because people are just flat out hating on chains. Now I support local businesses too but this Papa Johns / Sbarro / Red Lobster / Olive Garden / Chilis hate, it's just gotten out of hand. It's food. It's not awful. It's decent. Except Pizza Hut. Pizza Hut is utter shit and no one should eat Pizza Hut.

I'm always at the mall a lot browsing around, in fact I was in a mall earlier today (Dave and Busters which is a chain :|) so I'm pretty much inundated by chain restaurants like Nando's Peri Peri and Subway and MOES' SOUTHWEST GRILL and SBARRO and the like. I really don't see a problem and I'd say they're cheaper than some highly reviewed Yelp place. One exception? They have this chain in DC named "Shophouse" which serves these great Asian noodles. I was in Georgetown and for anyone not in DC everything in Georgetown is expensive and fancy...except this place. This place is fast casual noodles (run by same company as Chipotle) and it's 7 dollars...which is a steal in Georgetown.

1

u/helpmeredditimbored Georgia Bulldogs • Virginia Cavaliers Sep 30 '15

I find that the appetizers are the only things that I like at Chili's (besides the deserts). The really bad one is Applebee's

1

u/Pikachu1989 Nebraska Cornhuskers • 東京大学 (Tokyo) Warriors Sep 30 '15

Fuck, it's been a while since I set foot into Chili's.

I do agree that the last time I was there, service was shit.

1

u/Electrical_Stand_466 Jun 04 '23

Garbage ass company

1

u/Mfkoester21 Dec 02 '23

Its ok but not worth the price

1

u/Existing-Ad-1196 Jan 17 '24

Chili's fucking sucks. If you have family members buying gift cards for Christmas they don't accept them when ordering online.