To wonder why so many of UK mid range restaurants are poor value chains

[Dr1ftw00d]

Spent a few weeks in the US over the summer and noticed how easy it is to get individual, decently cooked, good quality food and portions often in long time restaurants.

Near where I live mid range equals a chain. Microwaved stuff with no individuality and often poorly cooked.

Why is this?

I'm in Cumbria and I can't move for independent cafes, bars, delis and restaurants. They're all excellent quality with great service and use local suppliers as far as possible.

The nearest chain to here (apart from Costa) is about a 40 minute drive away!

Where I live there are independent restaurants, cafes and bars. It’s a London suburb and you can get pretty much any type of food you want from a non-chain name. We have the chains too - Nando’s, Pizza Express, Bella Italia. But it is very easy to go for lunch, dinner, coffee or cocktails in a non chain place. It’s not a gentrified hipster place either!

I live in the US (west coast) and I find eating out here to be more expensive than the UK but I live in a state which has abolished the tipped wage and has a single minimum wage for every worker. This has increased the costs. The chains here are awful. I live in a small coastal community where everything is independent and the seafood is so fresh you can see them hauling it up from the beach.

On my last visit back to the UK I did notice a lot of faux American stuff on menus. We wanted to have a nice pub meal one night and every pub in my mum’s home town seemed to be doing the same tasteless burgers. I’m actually embarrassed to take DH (he’s American) into somewhere like that.

Lots of indie restaurants in my town (SE) - no chains at all. We do have Costa & Starbucks but no chain restaurants. It's great.

I live in a city on the South coast of he UK. The big shopping area in the centre has all the chain restaurants. Once you leave that building it’s independents everywhere with some really fabulous food. None of the Independent’s can afford the rent in the shiny new mall though.

Wow where do you live with zero chains in the SE? We have family there who live near a typical town and bar the odd extortionate country pub struggle. Tickle where are you eating in the SW?

Any recommendations for non chain decent food good value places to eat near South Bank or Earls Court would be welcome,.

Am in a town on the South coast too and it’s definitely not the case here. One of the reasons we love it so much is that there is not a single chain restaurant (bar fast food places) for a radius of a fair few miles. We eat out at least weekly and often find it tough to decide as we are really spoilt for choice...

Perhaps we could collect some recommendations on here.

Addies Thai in Earls Court is great, not particularly fancy, but lovely food, and if you go down Hogarth Road opposite the tube there is a great pub and another Thai in the alley that I can’t remember the name of that are nice, pub does food too.

South Bank is more chainy, and I wouldn’t head there specifically for food, if I did Wahaca while a chain is a good one.

Are you looking for specific food? Does it have to be one of those locations?

Many thanks Non Thai or Chinese pref as teenage boy bday treat( the rest of us would love it). What is the pub? Noticed a big one somewhere there with some good reviews but think it’s s chain. Will suck up that element if it’s good and not exactly the same experience as elsewhere.

That is my point though NYC, Boston, Portland,SF, Seattle...... surely have big rents too and we’ve found fab food in every area we’ve been in. Even in small towns up the coast and inland. Was easy. Here it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Not South Bank but close by...try the Cut at Waterloo as an eating area. The South Bank is too touristy although the Real Greek is good.
I live in a large Northern city and we have amazing restaurants...We eat out at least twice a week and rarely go back to the same place twice due to choice.

We have quite a few independent restaurants in my town (north west) but they never seem to last long - they close and are replaced by another venture, which closes again.

My observation is that it's partly because many people are creatures of habit - try getting people at work to try a new restaurant on a work night out! No, they always want to go to TGI Fridays ...

Another Greater Manchester resident here. Lots of choice of independents and small chains.

Maybe you just need to move here OP!

Franco Manca sounds like it would be perfect!

I‘ve visited quite a few US states and the food situation does vary massively. In Colorado and California, for example, there is an abundance of restaurants that aren’t chains and serve very high-quality fresh food catering to all dietary requirements imaginable!

I disagree that anywhere outside of London is a food desert in the UK. Some of the best meals I‘ve had have been in Glasgow and Manchester, albeit in areas they you might not know to visit if you’re going for the first time (Finnieston in Glasgow is incredible for dining out). That’s probably the same for London - my Belgian friend (I live on the continent) complained about all of the chains in London when she took her kids, but she confined herself to the touristy areas (Leicester Square, etc).

In general there are a lot more chains in the UK than in Continental Europe though. I have no idea why. I‘d struggle to name a chain in the city I live in (other than the obvious like McDonalds). There is also much more of a culture of eating local dishes when you dine out here (as opposed to exotic cuisines) and a big emphasis on ingredients from the region that are in season. When I first moved here (a LONG time) ago, I got really upset about all of the comments about crappy British food, but I‘m guessing a lot of people will have gone to London for a city break and ended up in the chains you‘re talking about, getting very samey, mediocre food.

@gobbynorthernbird I only heard of Hatch yesterday and now you've mentioned it. I'm walking down at lunchtime today to check it out!

South MCR is teeming with great independents and small chains of 2-5 restaurants. Coffee shops are awesome too but I feel ridiculous ordering my coffee based on origin!

I love eating out in the States but the UK experience can be just as good.

Most Indian/Chinese/Thai restaurants are independent, reasonably priced and a lot of them serve pretty good food.

Around here we're lucky that in the nearest city there are loads of good independent food places.

However the only things that seem to be opening up in our town are chains.

There's been quite a lot of development but it's all the exact same - costas, frankie and bennies, Greggs, the same pub chain, etc.

It's because the rent in the places they are in is so high, and you need to commit to a ten year lease too, so it's impossible for independent businesses.

To me, like they have to make a percentage of new build housing affordable housing, they should have to make a percentage of these new business park/retail centres that are springing up everywhere affordable for independent, local businesses too.

On our last visit to Manhattan there were mid range chain restaurants everywhere. Is it possible what you thought was an indy was actually a chain. Generally the standard of food we had was sub par. Everything over fried, meat was tough and tasteless. Couldn't wait to get back for a decent meal.

*I had the same experience of food in America. Tasteless, junk full of chemicals and pesticides. Never again.

but it’s a big country and there huge swathes where an Olive Garden passes for fine dining!!

So you've been to Missouri then

Franco Manca is a good (small) chain. And there is one at Earls Court.

Found the pub - Kings Head. A good pub but are you looking for something special for the birthday, or just a usual nice meal if you see what I mean?

Near south bank try going down ‘The Cut’. There’s Tas and Ev (admittedly part of a chain of about 5 restaurants), there’s meson don Felipe for tapas, there’s the anchor and hope for excellent pub food and there’s Baltic if you’re looking for something a bit more special.
If you’re wandering along the river, yes, it’s all going to be chains because it’s only them that can afford the ridiculous rents, but London is awash with excellent independents when you’re off the beaten track.

Thanks for all these recommendations. Really helpful will get googling in my lunch hour. Doesn’t have to be posh, we don’t get to eat out s lot so anywhere good will be a treat.

Yes the North does seem to be better. If anybody had some SW recommendations that would be fab.

They exist all over, just not in the most prominent places due to high rents and business rates.

Down The Cut is a good suggestion. The Fire Station is quite nice but gets busy, further on from there is a street called Lower Marsh which has a few more places although not been down there that recently.

Or slightly further around, but Bermondsey St just south of London Bridge has some nice places along it.