to wonder why the hell someone would CHOOSE to go out for dinner at Frankie & Bennies

[GetOrfMoiLand]

It has got to be the worst restaurant on earth.

And it's not even cheap.

Vile food, and every 20 mins the lights dim and 'happy birthday' gets sung out the loudspeakers.

It's up there with Harvester and Bella Pasta in my opinion.

lol restrainedrabbit - I live in Gloucester so am lucky to still be alive after eating there, obviously.

DH and I went to a Harvester recently for lunch.It wasn't that bad and wasn't full of screaming brats either.
The ribs were nice but our local sizzler pub is far better, the salad bar is a good idea, very American.

DD works for Frankie and Bennys, she makes an absolute fortune in tips, so I assume the customers are at the higher end of the socio-economic bracket. We've only eaten there once, even at half price it was overpriced crap.

If you want a truly hell on earth experience, try a Taybarn, they are grim, well ours is at any rate - it was like a Pikey's picnic!

Alive after eating in Gloucester in general - or at F&B ??

Have been once, in laws seem to really like it and treated us. Wasn't too impressed, dh's steak was like rubber, my meal was ok, but the tiny amount of ice cream they gave ds1 for dessert was laughable, about a teaspoon full!

We always clean the high chairs with disinfectant wipes wherever we are, wouldn't trust a highchair to be clean even in somewhere pos.

posh!

There is much confusion on this thread.

F&B's is aimed at families. It is a chain that has a Theme. You go with your kids for a treat.

I have video of both my dds being carried a sundae with a sparkly candle in it, in the dark, while happy friends with happy faces sang. Fun fun fun.

It is not for steaks or groups of adults or for anyone inspecting for high quality menu planning and ingredients. That is OBV.

lequeen, you are a freak for still going to a place that you hate so much. When I go out and spend £60 I have fun, I can tell ya.

I've been once to Frankie & Bennies, it was shite. My pudding was still frozen in the middle. My sister worked for them for a while and they didn't pay her properly either, so I wouldn't go there even if I hadn't had a crap meal once.

I like Nando's but it has suddenly got so expensive in the last year. I think we pay almost double what we used to So no longer think of it as the cheap, easy but not too nasty option.

None of the places mentioned so far are anywhere near as bad as (ugh) Wetherspoons though.

ruby - thanks for the Lowestoft Harvester tip! My elderly father will be really happy, he used to love going to Harvester where we used to live. It's his 78th birthday next week, will take him there.

Queefersutherland - if I am expected to foot the bill for six aduts and ten children, I am going to keep taking them to fecking pizza hut for the cheap buffet and nowhere else when they visit! She can shove Zizzi prices up her arse or pay herself. (If you are my sister, take note of that you cheap snobby cow )

I'd treat them in a place we all liked, that's all. Maybe I just like a lot more things.

DD raves about Nandos in Derby, we haven't got one here in backwards Staffordshire.

I'll tell you what is a dear do though - National Trust cafes! yes it's all yummy local fare but the last meal we had ( bowl of soup and a cake each + drinks) cost £25.

Our Wetherspoons does a cracking breakfast, the only problem is the alkies sinking pints at 9am on a Sturday morning.

I've never been to any of the places mentioned (unless I missed some posts)

The town I live in doesn't have chain eat in places unless you count Costa.

I get takeaway coffee from there occasionally.

I bet DD would like F&B's though.

YABVVVVVU and some of you are being rather snobby. F&B is fab (well, the 2 next-nearest to us are - the nearest one suffers both from lack of service and air-con so we don't go to that one).

DD loves it and as the fussiest child in the universe will actually clear her plate and happily eat the free portion of wizened broccoli and carrots providing she gets to have her cheesey garlic bread as a bribe, plus we always snaffle the fab pop-up colouring pencil which come in v. handy when not in a restaurant that provides colouring materials.

She went there on her 5th birthday specifically because she wanted Happy Birthday sung by the entire restaurant and the bear/dog/mouse/unidentifiable-nightmare-of-the-gene-pool-in-a-plaid-hat to come out of the kitchen and dance with her. So ner.

Their herby potatoes are lush. Yes, they're fairly canteenish in terms of 'real' food (although their calzones are pretty good) but if I was after 'real' food I wouldn't set foot in the place. I go because it's good value for what it is (yes it is, esp. compared with Crapdos Nandos, Harvester Bella Pasta et al nearby) and if DH is driving I can have a cocktail .

The only drawback I can see is they've started putting corn on the cob with their Chicken Parmigiana instead of greens - does anyone (DH excepted) actually need that volume of carbs with their meal?!

never been...

went to a Harvester and a Beefeater in the last year with the DDs, wasn't bad.

Don't get me started on Nandos thought, probably the worst food i have ever eaten in my life was utterly vile.

We've only ever been to F&B's at lunchtime. The service at our localish one (Ipswich) is appallingly slow. I think we only ate there once, the second time we left before ordering as it was so difficult to get the attention of the staff and we were the only people in there!

see i like taking dd to f&b's after we've been to the cinema. she likes the kids pack they give you while they make your food. and she likes the ice cream sundae for pud. oh, and she likes that the kids pizza is massive. i like the veggie burger and chips. i don't go for gourmet ooh la la food. we both like that the toilets talk italian too