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.

Oh who remembers berni inn steak and strawberries for a fiver

I like Wagamama and at least the food is fresh there. It's quite expensive but I'd far rather pay a tenner there than in nandos or F&Bs.

I was a F&B virgin until last Sunday when DS insisted on going there after his birthday outing to the cinema.

TBH it would be the only place I would consider taking ten 11 year old boys to and not be lynched by other diners. Boys loved the pizza and burgers. And I could have a beer

And it didn't matter too much that within minutes they'd sucked up all the helium from the balloons on the table and spent a funny 30 seconds or so talking in even higher pitched voices than normal.

Would never, ever, ever go there as a twosome though and God forbid being proposed to there.

Ah that explains it. Our nearest retail parks are shocking affairs on Purley Way or in Colliers Wood - neither of which I'm going to head out of town for in a hurry. I just bet there's a F&B at one of those.

I like Wagamama too. Their menu is a bit hit and miss, but like you say BG it's fresh, and some things are positively yummy. Good, quick service too.

I will not hear a word said against Nandos (as I sit here chowing down on my chicken in a pitta}. YUM.

my work colleagues love it there and always want to go for cocktails as well, aaagh they cook the pasta for about half an hour, it just dissolves on impact!

I agree that Zizzi, Strada and Pizza Express are nothing special, but in Cheltenham they are in really nice locations so feel like a nice treat to eat in (Zizzi is in a spectacular conmverted church).

Never been to Jamie O or Wagamama.

Giraffe is a compolete waste of time - went to the one in Cabot Circus and it was rubbish.

Bella Pasta - no, I aint paying a tenner for a craply made dish of pasta which I can do at home with my eyes shut.

Agree I like going to local family run places mainmly - there are a load of pubs round here which serve brilliant food and aren't a chain.

HaHAAA! Never been called MN royalty before . Cheers Monkeyface

I object to Italian restaurants generally, as I can make most of it at home for so much less money.

Agree belligerent.

I know it's not the point but I do baulk at forking out money for ingredients which would cost all of 25p.

Noddy - I certainly remember Berni Inn steak and strawberries for a fiver, because I WORKED in our local Berni as a waitress in the summer holidays of my first year at Uni. It was quite a fun job, actually.

I remember once someone left me a 2p tip!

It was the ultimate treat in our house!

I have never even heard of berni inn. Was it like Beefeater?

I am prob ancient compared to you

have had food poisoning which started within an hour or two, when my Ex made me some chicken nuggets he found in the freezer of his rented flat ..was definitely food poisoning and was extremely nasty!

I have just asked DP (bit older than me) whwta a berni Inn was, and he is astonished taht I never went to one in early 80s.

Mind you I grew up in deepest Devon, not much there apart from chippies and cream tea rooms.

I had campylobacter poisining once, and it came on 3 days later. It was nasty.

yes, i have had salmonella too and it took a while to come on..I am not lucky in the tummy department...

I would be mortified if I was proposed to in F&B.

ESPECIALLY with the whole restaurant watching.