What is the best chain fast food restaurant?

[Cadence]

DEEP dish or pan- 1/2” thick or more. Like…pizza made on biscuits or sliced bread thick.

Done right, the sauce & other toppings with liquid components soak into the bready crust. Even with LOTS of sauce, pizzas like that don’t get drippy.

When I was a kid, there was at least one chain we hit that did pizzas like that. Shakey’s, maybe? But that’s memories from 40-50 years back.

Is Shakey's the one that had the curly straws, a window you could watch them make it through, and maybe even a player piano?

 

[Cadence]

At one point the place I shift managed at had 18 stores across 4 states - down to one location so they don't count anymore.

Garcia's Flying Tomato Brothers mark 50 years of pizza in a pan

“We didn’t think we’d make it to 50 years, but if it’s working, keep going,” said Ralph Senn, who owns Garcia’s with Joe Ream.

www.news-gazette.com

They had a giant tomato hot air baloon (hence "the Flying Tomato Brothers") that was briefly famous - "The most infamous of their balloon flights had to be the time when, at a Purdue - Notre Dame game, they Line Of Sighted the broadcast dish, blocking the signal from getting from the ground to the satellite dish, meaning the entire world couldn't see the game except us at the Ross Aid Stadium, for a minute or so. " (as recounted on pizzamaking.com).

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I think Pollo Loco is different. Not long ago, I saw a news segment on a Pollo Loco in Los Angeles. I think there may be various unrelated Pollo Loco's much like we have a small local chain called Burrito Factory (which is really good) and another state has an unrelated Burrito Factory.

In all probability, yeah.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Is Shakey's the one that had the curly straws, a window you could watch them make it through, and maybe even a player piano?

Man…it could be! I can’t remember it well enough, but that does stir some ghosts of memories.

 

[billd91]

Is Shakey's the one that had the curly straws, a window you could watch them make it through, and maybe even a player piano?

I don't remember our local Shakey's having curly straws or a player piano, but they did have windows that allowed us to watch the pizzas being made. There was even a step built onto the wall below the window so younger kids could get up and see.

 

[Zardnaar]

DEEP dish or pan- 1/2” thick or more. Like…pizza made on biscuits or sliced bread thick.

Done right, the sauce & other toppings with liquid components soak into the bready crust. Even with LOTS of sauce, pizzas like that don’t get drippy.

When I was a kid, there was at least one chain we hit that did pizzas like that. Shakey’s, maybe? But that’s memories from 40-50 years back.

Sounds same here most places offer that option or at least did.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Being on the coast as I am, if fish isnt FRESH, I'm just not interested. That may be part of the problem.

I’m from NOLA, so I understand the flavor of fresh fish. But flash frozen is nearly as good, and is in some ways safer- it kills a lot of parasites.

Also, some fish you’re simply not going to get fresh. As I recall, the entire fishing season for Halibut is just one week.

That said, look at how many FF fish sandwiches are a heavily breaded fillet with cheese and tartar sauce, or a close cousin thereof. Usually, the fish is a mild whitefish like cod (a fish I love, FWIW).

It’s like they never heard of a catfish (or shrimp or crawfish) Po’Boy. Or tilapia. Or a grilled fillet (which could be frozen and zapped).

Or doing without the freaking cheese!*

Imagine a nice fillet served topped with a tangy coleslaw, for instance. One heavier on the acid (vinegar or lemon juice) side. Maybe with a bit more ground black pepper.





* I am a cheeses freak. I have accepted cheeses as my personal savor. If my fridge has under $100 in cheese in it at any time other than immediately after hosting a social gathering, something is radically wrong. And IMHO, cheese doesn’t belong on most fish sandwiches.

 

[Parmandur]

I’m from NOLA, so I understand the flavor of fresh fish. But flash frozen is nearly as good, and is in some ways safer- it kills a lot of parasites.

Also, some fish you’re simply not going to get fresh. As I recall, the entire fishing season for Halibut is just one week.

That said, look at how many FF fish sandwiches are a heavily breaded fillet with cheese and tartar sauce, or a close cousin thereof. Usually, the fish is a mild whitefish like cod (a fish I love, FWIW).

It’s like they never heard of a catfish (or shrimp or crawfish) Po’Boy. Or tilapia. Or a grilled fillet (which could be frozen and zapped).

Or doing without the freaking cheese!*







* I am a cheeses freak. I have accepted cheeses as my personal savor. If my fridge has under $100 in cheese in it at any time other than immediately after hosting a social gathering, something is radically wrong. And IMHO, cheese doesn’t belong on most fish sandwiches.

I can only assume thst the logistics of fish preparation and the logistics of fast food are radically incompatible .

 

[Zardnaar]

I’m from NOLA, so I understand the flavor of fresh fish. But flash frozen is nearly as good, and is in some ways safer- it kills a lot of parasites.

Also, some fish you’re simply not going to get fresh. As I recall, the entire fishing season for Halibut is just one week.

That said, look at how many FF fish sandwiches are a heavily breaded fillet with cheese and tartar sauce, or a close cousin thereof. Usually, the fish is a mild whitefish like cod (a fish I love, FWIW).

It’s like they never heard of a catfish (or shrimp or crawfish) Po’Boy. Or tilapia. Or a grilled fillet (which could be frozen and zapped).

Or doing without the freaking cheese!*







* I am a cheeses freak. I have accepted cheeses as my personal savor. If my fridge has under $100 in cheese in it at any time other than immediately after hosting a social gathering, something is radically wrong. And IMHO, cheese doesn’t belong on most fish sandwiches.

Can confirm used to make it.
. The flash frozen stuff is better than the "fresh" stuff at the supermarket which has that fish smell.

By the time it gets flash frozen it may have been dead fir several weeks already.

Minced fish was just the off cuts. Got msfe onto the crumbled or battered fish products at supermarket.

Big difference with fish fresh off the boat via staff sales vs supermarket or fish shop.

Exception is those places that source their fish direct off local fishermen. That's about as fresh as it gets for the consumer maybe a day or two old.

 

[payn]

I can only assume thst the logistics of fish preparation and the logistics of fast food are radically incompatible .

Outside of shrimp, yeah.