And readers have some ideas of their own.
Says Tropicalchrome:
A couple of other reasons to review chains:- they're open Monday nights. - the dish the reviewer mentions is likely (although not guaranteed) to be there in six weeks when you get around to eating there. - so is the restaurant, for that matter. - they don't use fennel in everything. - many of them have parking. I know that by mentioning this it makes me automatically not hip enough to read Westword. - people eat there and would like to know what the food/atmosphere/service is like ahead of time.
I strongly prefer to go to local restaurants, especially when we have out of town guests, or even when I just want a good meal out. A good local restaurant beats the heck out of even the best chain. But like others, my budget - both money and time - does not always stretch to cover the cost of the places I'd really like to eat. (And that Monday night thing has bit me hard the past couple of weeks when we had folks from out of town who wanted to do dinner and had only Monday night free.)
Is reviewing fast-food restaurants a good idea? Or a lousy one? Join the conversation already under way here, or post your comments below. And while you're at it, what local restaurant would you recommend for a Monday night dinner?
