Snobby about chain food

[limeandwater]

Are people on MN snobby about chain restaurants?

I only ask because some of the comments on the £52 lunch thread.

I consider myself a bit of a foodie and enjoy fine dining.

But I also enjoy an American Hot at Pizza Express, a burger at GBK, the Katsu curry at Waggamamma's, a wrap at Nando's.

Am I a wrong un?

Wags has really gone downhill. The last few times, have been disappointing

I agree. When we go out to eat as a family, we usually go to one of two local independent pubs/restaurants. It's good to support small businesses and the food is always excellent.

It's just a whole load of crap and snobbery. I am better than you. Try not to care and laugh at the snobs. Half the time they pretend to enjoy things they dont. If things get much worse it will be back to the 70s when a takeaway every six months was a red letter day and restaurants were for holidays.

No food snob here, i’ll eat anywhere and do like a good bargain meal at spoons or a 600 cal pizza at Pizza express. Eating out is expensive and I enjoy eating out with friends / colleagues but thankfully no-one is snobby about chains.

Dare anyone admit on Mumsnet that they enjoy the salad bar at Harvester?

I’ll eat at a chain restaurant if that’s the group preference, and I can always find something ok, but it wouldn’t be my choice. And it’s nothing to do with being “snobby”. One of my favourite restaurants is a hole in the wall, cheap as chips Japanese, where the katsu curry is immense. And cheaper than wagas.
And yes, I do like a Harvester Salad bar. I used to like their curly fries too.

You enjoy a variety and thats great. Ide love to try all different restaurants, street food across the world (especially US)

I agree with you. I understood what you meant.

You like what you like, OP! Enjoy it!

I only refuse to eat in chains as they're mostly overpriced for what you get.

They were owned by a bristol company up until last year i think.

i’m definitely a food snob. Processed, microwaved meals are not appealing and that’s largely what chains offer.

part of the snobbishness comes from being able to cook, I hate spending £30 and thinking I could do better.

so a chain feels like paying for convenience rather than food quality. It might be nice but that’s all the sugar and salt they’ve added.

i love investigating the really good places when travelling, not Michelin Star usually (I’m too poor/tight) but somewhere that looks local and quirky.

total snob and not ashamed.

Not all chains are made the same! The pub I work in has been taken over by a chain company and the food is just awful now but there are plenty chains with decent food too.

I think it's mostly people wanting to appear middle class and educated on this site :p And to be honest, people who want to appear middle class are usually the ones who aren't really, because people who truly are a bit 'posh' tend not to believe themselves to be!

I don't particularly like mcdonalds, and I've never eaten in wagamamas, nandos et al, but I quite like 5 guys burgers and I would devour a burger king whopper.

You could probably get better at ALDI for half the price and certainly at Sainsbury. For the would middle class Mumsnet brigade

I take this opportunity to also mention the very sad and imminent demise of the English Fish and Shop. Especially the ones where you could eat in.

They were the original takeaway in this country and served us all very well for years.. Even if we did fish nearly all the Cod and Plaice out of Irish and North Sea by the end of the Sixties.

Medium size cod and chips comes in at around £13 where l live. You can get chips and horid tasteless fish like Basa
for around a tenner if you are really desperate.

RIP
🙏🐟
X

I don’t like it either. But I’m happy with any other restaurant! Ranging from McDonald’s to Nando’s to fine dining. The thing I don’t like is when restaurants change top prices and they are crap! So long as it does what it says on the tin, then that’s fine!

I would love a KFC gravy chicken box. Unfortunately our KFC is absolutely dire.

Nonsense. It one I work for ( and a previous one ) the gravy ( base sauce) is made from fresh ingredients. In fact I've never know one to buy it in

It depends why I'm eating. If it is just eating for the sake of consuming some food as part of another event, like theatre or sports or museums, then I don't mind certain chains. I've had to use them more since being diagnosed coeliac as they tend to be good with allergies; better than similarly priced independent places.

If the occasion of leaving the house is going out to eat or to celebrate something, then I will head somewhere independent for fine dining. They also tend to do allergies better.

(I now coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease and not technically an allergy but it is treated as such by restaurants)

I like the chicken bakes.

I like small independent restaurants and chains. Pizza Express vegan pizzas are delicious and I have tried lots of vegan pizzas that are not. My DD and I always enjoy Wagas together, it is our tradition when we go to the airport to eat there. Am not that keen on Nando’s but my family like it so I go occasionally. I have enjoyed McDonalds and KFC much less as I’ve got older so never go through choice. As others have said though, I wouldn’t go to any of them if I am away somewhere different or on any kind of special occasion. They serve a purpose and are good for fussy kids.

I'm not sure if I'd count as snobby. I don't avoid chains because I think they're beneath me or look down on the clientele or anything. But I don't enjoy eating out like I used to, because I cut out most upf a few years ago and my tastes have changed so I'm much more aware of food quality now.

I wouldn't refuse to go to a chain with a group of friends though. I'd enjoy Wagamamas and Bella Italia. Wouldn't enjoy Nandos or GBK.

Yeah this is basically how I feel. I don’t avoid places like Wagamamas because of snobbery, but because eating out is expensive and I prefer not to spend my money somewhere that I don’t particularly enjoy. If I was with a group and they wanted to eat at Pizza Express I wouldn’t moan because I’m not rude, and sometimes my kids will ask for a Nando’s or something, but if the choice was entirely down to me then I probably wouldn’t choose a chain restaurant.

I have just rediscovered Harvester. And Wetherspoons Breakfasts.

Sometimes you don't need some extortionately expensive boutique restaurant.

I have to confess that I had two McDs last year and one was so bad that the other one was free and also terrible. I'm not sure I'd eat there at all now.