Poll of the Day > I challenge you to name me a worse chain restaurant than Panda Express

(+) Yeah! (+)

Arbys

Red_Frog posted...

Taco Bell, CiCi's, Domino's, McAlister's, Burger King and Five Guys all spring to mind.

Oh geez, CiCi's is a contender. And it reminds me of another buffet place - Country Buffet (I think known as Hometown Buffet in other places), which might also be worse. Haven't heard of McAlister's. BK is pretty bad but not worse, the rest I like.

Dikitain posted...

Blimpie. There is no way their "food" is considered fit for human consumption. I wouldn't even feed it to my dog if he was starving to death and it was the only thing available.

I don't think I've ever eaten at one, but I've generally heard bad things

Pho Express...
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I guess my standards are low because I love BK and Subway when it comes to fast food.
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subway. All there meats taste the same except for their chicken. i have no clue how they can screw up chicken flavor since everything taste like chicken.
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How did we get this far into the topic without mentioning White Castle?

Good god, that s*** is unholy.
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Rottenmonk posted...

How did we get this far into the topic without mentioning White Castle?

Good god, that s*** is unholy.

Blasphemer!
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PyroBlade1985 posted...

Zeus posted...

WhiskeyDisk posted...

PyroBlade1985 posted...

OhhhJa posted...

MICHALECOLE posted...

HillChange posted...

Outback Steakhouse.

Outback Steakhouse is one of the highest quality restaurants when it comes to their ingredients and how they prep their food every day.

Outback is the edgy answer. It's definitely overpriced for what it is and they try to pass it off as fine dining when it isn't but it's far from the worst

Than what's a better steak restaurant?

Texas Roadhouse by far.

I loved those. Peanuts littering the floors, rustic furniture, great setting. And yeah, Outback kinda sucks.

I went to Texas Roadhouse for my birthday. It was...OK I guess. I like Outback better.

Any place named Texas Roadhouse that was founded in Indiana and currently has its HQ in Kentucky is on my shit list from day one.
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In these parts it's Cracker Barrel.
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PyroBlade1985 posted...

ssj4supervegeta posted...

yeah i'd say arbys too. hate that place.

boston market is pretty bad as well.

I like Arby's sandwiches but not the fries. WAY to spicy.

I don't find the fries that spicy but I don't like the curly fries that much. I preferred the straight cut.

Doctor Foxx posted...

I'd say the big chain restaurant stuff like Applebee's and Chili's are much more disappointing and expensive. Outback is overpriced but does at least seem to have good ingredients.

I enjoy both, although pricing is a mixed bag. Last time I ate at Chili's I had an abomination, though: Honey-chipotle crispers (fried chicken strips) on waffles. It was terrible, but I didn't want to eat beef that night.

Mead posted...

Applebees

The majority of their menu is literally microwaved frozen food

Triggered.

Dikitain posted...

Blimpie. There is no way their "food" is considered fit for human consumption. I wouldn't even feed it to my dog if he was starving to death and it was the only thing available.

Oh, you can just go to hell. I wish my area still had Blimpy's.
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Rottenmonk posted...

How did we get this far into the topic without mentioning White Castle?

Good god, that s*** is unholy.

Not sure I've ever hit up a physical location, although I've had their freezer burgers which, for freezer burgers, were okay.

PyroBlade1985 posted...

OMG! I can't believe I've forgotten about this one. OK has anyone ever tried Hardees? That place is BY FAR, the worst fast food has to offer!

wtf, dude... No, just no. I liked Hardees as a kid, however I don't believe the chain is up north. Certainly none in CT.
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I actually quite enjoy panda express. Its quick, its cheap, and it has reasonable options. I work near a mall that has one in the food court, and for a bit I had to be on a strict low fat diet for a few months for health reasons, and I lost like 30 pounds eating almost just that (no other place around had stuff that would fit the diet and I didnt have time to cook lunch). That surprised me, but their stuff isn't as horribly unhealth as you'd think (ok, the orange chicken and Beijing beef are, but still)

Monopoman posted...

Any place named Texas Roadhouse that was founded in Indiana and currently has its HQ in Kentucky is on my shit list from day one.

I don't care if they were founded in Boston and have their headquarters in Beijing, they make a mighty fine steak and their ribs are pretty good too.
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DorkLink posted...

Haven't heard of McAlister's.

It's a sandwich place, kind of deli-ish style. TBH their food would probably be okay but light mayo is fucking evil, a blight upon this universe, and I refuse to participate in such uncivilized behavior.

My top 3 worst restaurants

1. Del Taco
2. Panda Express
3. Subway

Olive Garden
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IMO, the bottom tier of fast food is something like this:

Little Caesar's - Basically any other pizza place is better.
Sonic - I once got a slice of lime in a cup of ice when I ordered a lime slush.
KFC - Nothing they make is good.


Doctor Foxx posted...

They don't have Panda Express in Canada.

Maybe not in your part of Canada, but there's one about 5 minutes from where I work, near Toronto.
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Ultima_Dragoon posted...

My top 3 worst restaurants

1. Del Taco
2. Panda Express
3. Subway

Dude Del Taco is amazing
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Del Taco has like one decent thing (the fish tacos)

white castle
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Del taco meat is probably lower quality than taco bell but it's less expensive and their packet sauce is tastier
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Jiggy101011 posted...

Olive Garden

Actually, might change my vote to this.

GameReviews posted...

KFC - Nothing they make is good.

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ur mom is a worse chain restaurant bro
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Yeah Olive Garden is pretty trash

wait Arby's has spicy fries? i thought they were just currly fries. can you ask for spicy fries there?

I just went there yesterday too.
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Mead posted...

Applebees

The majority of their menu is literally microwaved frozen food

This, although every chain restaurant is garbage tier.
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Jen0125 posted...

Applebee's

Thread over.

Also: Chili's, Fridays.
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ernieforss posted...

wait Arby's has spicy fries? i thought they were just currly fries. can you ask for spicy fries there?

I just went there yesterday too.

Those are the ones they mean. They're spiced, unlike the old straight-cut fries they sold.

Judgmenl posted...

Mead posted...

Applebees

The majority of their menu is literally microwaved frozen food

This, although every chain restaurant is garbage tier.

Zareth posted...

Jen0125 posted...

Applebee's

Thread over.

Also: Chili's, Fridays.

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Applebee's is really the only other place mentioned that comes close. Chili's is basically a better version of Applebee's. And as much as people trash olive garden it's really not THAT bad

Zeus posted...

GameReviews posted...

KFC - Nothing they make is good.

This GIF is pure bliss, and I agree

KFC is one of the better chains
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Ok panda express (and so many other fast food places) used to be WAY better. Their quality dropped drastically about 20 years ago or so. When I was in my 20's (Before most of you were born), Panda express was actually quite good in the malls. I would usually get their food if I was in a mall.

Recently though they don't have many edible foods. The teryiaki chicken is ok....IF it's a good panda express. The quality DRASTICALLY varies from one place to another. In Gilroy, of the 5 panda expresses near me, only one had decent food, the rest where horrific.

All of them in or near olympia WA are god aweful, to the point where at the mall you see nobody at the panda express and a long line at a teryiki chicken/beef place 2 kiosks down. Even the chicken at that place makes my tummy upset, so I don't eat there anymore, but at least it tasted ok.

Meanwhile I'm SHOCKED at all the Arbys hate. Seriously I have eaten at probably 20+ arbys and only had one that I didn't really like the quality of their food. I am not a fan of their curly fries either (their old fries where much better), but I love their Gyros, and their roast beef sandwiches have always been better for me then making my own from the store (and usually cheaper with deals/coupons etc). I generally get the 3 for 5$ regular roast beef special and then split the roast beef from the third between the two sandwiches. Very filling, yummy, and only $5.

Olive garden is crap.....with a range of how horrible (but not a big range it only gets up to medium quality). That being said it is fairly cost efficient if you buy the sauce to go, or if you get the 16 meatball to go special for $12 (especially since they cover it with enough meat sauce to equal a side of sauce that normally goes for $4 as well). Their meatballs are not bad at all, and unlike places like subway, togos etc, they actually cook them in a meat sauce and keep them submerged/covered with sauce (even when they pack it to go for you), adds a ton more flavor. I hate when they microwave meatballs (like at subway/togos) and then just cover them with sauce at the end...blech). So Olive garden can be a good deal if you order the right stuff. Their never ending pasta/meatball deal is good as well, and they have never ending shirley temples:)
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Okay wolfy thanks for the dissertation

DorkLink posted...

Okay wolfy thanks for the dissertation

And I was doing so good at keeping my posts short. *sigh*

Even when I'm trying, if you guys talk about food, I just can't help myself. I love talking about food.
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wolfy42 posted...

Meanwhile I'm SHOCKED at all the Arbys hate

Yeah Arby's is definitely on the higher end of quality as far as fast food goes

wolfy42 posted...

DorkLink posted...

Okay wolfy thanks for the dissertation

And I was doing so good at keeping my posts short. *sigh*

Even when I'm trying, if you guys talk about food, I just can't help myself. I love talking about food.

I liked your post.

OhhhJa posted...

wolfy42 posted...

Meanwhile I'm SHOCKED at all the Arbys hate

Yeah Arby's is definitely on the higher end of quality as far as fast food goes

i think he was being sarcastic. simpsons is probably to blame for part of it, they bashed arbys several times during the good years
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MrMelodramatic posted...

I really dislike Subway. I can tolerate the teriyaki chicken at Panda Express but yeah it's pretty low-tier.

Ugh, yep Subway now has become my least favorite fast food chain. Along with also Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins, as well. Subway has really blah sandwiches. DD has donuts that are(more than likely) trucked in from somewhere else that baked the donuts and are probably old by the time you order one, and ditto with the drinks that too often don't click with me, and ditto with their sandwiches and food. The Smoked Sausage sandwich aside, being the lone food item I've ever ordered there that I liked. I still don't think that's permanently on DD's menu and is just an item they only bring back like once or twice a year(sigh), but correct me if I'm wrong. Panda Express has a few items I'll eat once every blue moon, though I don't go there the way I used to anymore. Like another person said in this thread, I'm not sure if it's the employees they hire, or the fact I wonder if I'm no longer into their food vs. years ago. Somehow, I'm increasingly thinking it's the latter for Panda Express. :(

Not to forget Baskin Robbins, which is also blah. Every time I've tried their ice cream in the past, and also(including when I was dragged by someone else, ugh) in more recent years as well. And screw the fact I couldn't find a single location doing polar pizza samples, the day they were doing that event not long ago. It's not very surprising to me either, that Business Insider(or one of site rating fast food) gave them one of the worst ratings of any fast food chain, not long ago! With all the MUCH better ice cream/custard places out there(i.e. Oberweis, Jeni's(overpriced but I'll admit they're good), Ben and Jerry's(hate how almost all their local ice cream shops are gone, except Navy ), Culver's, plus mom & pop ice cream or custard places like Brown Cow, Capannari's, Scooter's), why bother going to BR? They deserve their worst chain rating!

wolfy42 posted...

Meanwhile I'm SHOCKED at all the Arbys hate. Seriously I have eaten at probably 20+ arbys and only had one that I didn't really like the quality of their food. I am not a fan of their curly fries either (their old fries where much better), but I love their Gyros, and their roast beef sandwiches have always been better for me then making my own from the store (and usually cheaper with deals/coupons etc). I generally get the 3 for 5$ regular roast beef special and then split the roast beef from the third between the two sandwiches. Very filling, yummy, and only $5.

Olive garden is crap.....with a range of how horrible (but not a big range it only gets up to medium quality). That being said it is fairly cost efficient if you buy the sauce to go, or if you get the 16 meatball to go special for $12 (especially since they cover it with enough meat sauce to equal a side of sauce that normally goes for $4 as well). Their meatballs are not bad at all, and unlike places like subway, togos etc, they actually cook them in a meat sauce and keep them submerged/covered with sauce (even when they pack it to go for you), adds a ton more flavor. I hate when they microwave meatballs (like at subway/togos) and then just cover them with sauce at the end...blech). So Olive garden can be a good deal if you order the right stuff.

Not sure why Arby's always gets talked negatively about, by some. A la Taco Bell, too. I think there are far worse chains, than either myself. The thing about Arby's is that you should avoid the sandwiches on the very menu, and go for the sandwiches that cost more. I especially love their Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich, myself! It's sad how few Arby's remain in Chicagoland, since I've always loved them myself.

I agree with you on Olive Garden, too. Haven't tried their never ending pasta/meatball deal, but maybe I will try that someday?
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Red_Frog posted...

@wolfy42 posted...

DorkLink posted...

Okay wolfy thanks for the dissertation

And I was doing so good at keeping my posts short. *sigh*

Even when I'm trying, if you guys talk about food, I just can't help myself. I love talking about food.

I liked your post.

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DumpsterMcNuggets posted...

Along with also Dunkin Donuts

Forgot about dunkin. They might actuslly be worse than panda

OhhhJa posted...

DumpsterMcNuggets posted...

Along with also Dunkin Donuts

Forgot about dunkin. They might actuslly be worse than panda

Yep! Don't forget Baskin Robbins, which DD also owns. Ugh, they are also shit as well. Like I said DD only has 1 item I like at all(the Smoked Sausage sandwich), which isn't even a permanent menu item to my knowledge. I think they only serve that once or twice a year, sadly.

DorkLink posted...

Red_Frog posted...

Taco Bell, CiCi's, Domino's, McAlister's, Burger King and Five Guys all spring to mind.

Oh geez, CiCi's is a contender. And it reminds me of another buffet place - Country Buffet (I think known as Hometown Buffet in other places), which might also be worse. Haven't heard of McAlister's. BK is pretty bad but not worse, the rest I like.

Dikitain posted...

Blimpie. There is no way their "food" is considered fit for human consumption. I wouldn't even feed it to my dog if he was starving to death and it was the only thing available.

I don't think I've ever eaten at one, but I've generally heard bad things

Funny you mention Cici's, since I've always wondered what they were like myself. I once tried to talk a few friends I knew into going into Cici's, but I have no darned clue why they didn't want to go there. It's really cheap, and for whatever reason his group of friends always seem to go for cheaper places. I'll probably go to that one on my own, at some point.

For Country Buffet, I'm assuming you mean Old Country Buffet. Which was extremely bad going into the final years of the one near me being open, and I feel no loss that this particular OCB location near me closed down a year or 2 ago. Honestly I stopped wanting to eat there, when the food went downhill something like 10 or 15 years ago. Ditto with Ryan's, which the company owning OCB and Hometown Buffet also owns. Golden Corral for whatever reason, always was better IMO. Though I'm still afraid to dip any food items into the chocolate wonderfall, due to how kids seem to dip their fingers too close to that thing. :)

For the remaining ones, I never had any problems with McAlister's Deli. Always liked them myself, including their desserts too. Maybe that poster ran into a badly managed McAlister's? I don't go to Burger King often, though once in an infrequent while I will go to one for the few items I like, such as the Croissan'wich. Wish BK would serve their breakfast items all day, a la White Castle, Sonic, Jack in the Box, and McDonald's. And I agree with that poster on Blimpie, ate at one years ago and it was nothing special. Not the worst ever chain I've eaten at, but still pretty forgettable.

GameReviews posted...

IMO, the bottom tier of fast food is something like this:

Little Caesar's - Basically any other pizza place is better.
Sonic - I once got a slice of lime in a cup of ice when I ordered a lime slush.
KFC - Nothing they make is good.

Little Caesar's isn't my fav pizza chain, and there are others I like more such as Jet's. However I prefer them, over(yes) Domino's. It's good for cheap pizza, that hits the spot if you don't want to spend a lot of money. And I like their breadsticks(erm, Crazy Bread). Sonic's breakfast items are good, and I don't mind that the slushes sometimes have lime bits in them. If it was like a seed, I'd spit that out, since those tend to be among the better things one can get at Sonic, along with(not to forget) their tots. Always get that over fries, if you're going to Sonic for your first time. And amen on KFC, that's another chain that went downhill years ago. :(
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Krazy_Kirby posted...

OhhhJa posted...

wolfy42 posted...

Meanwhile I'm SHOCKED at all the Arbys hate

Yeah Arby's is definitely on the higher end of quality as far as fast food goes

i think he was being sarcastic. simpsons is probably to blame for part of it, they bashed arbys several times during the good years

I've disliked Arby's well before the Simpsons came out. The roast beef is okay but several local places had much better roast beef. Their fries are either burnt or soggy.
I still try it every once in a while because people I am with will want to eat there. I never finish whatever I order. Some have mentioned Little Caesars, seeing that it grossed me out so much that it has been over 30 years since I have had them, I would probably change my answer to that.
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DumpsterMcNuggets posted...

OhhhJa posted...

DumpsterMcNuggets posted...

Along with also Dunkin Donuts

Forgot about dunkin. They might actuslly be worse than panda

Yep! Don't forget Baskin Robbins, which DD also owns. Ugh, they are also shit as well. Like I said DD only has 1 item I like at all(the Smoked Sausage sandwich), which isn't even a permanent menu item to my knowledge. I think they only serve that once or twice a year, sadly.

I think I've one ever tried like two sandwiches from dunkin and they were both awful. Their donuts are never fresh either. They always taste like they've been sitting out for two days. And their coffee sucks too. Just all around terrible

Wii3Kings posted...

Krazy_Kirby posted...

OhhhJa posted...

wolfy42 posted...

Meanwhile I'm SHOCKED at all the Arbys hate

Yeah Arby's is definitely on the higher end of quality as far as fast food goes

i think he was being sarcastic. simpsons is probably to blame for part of it, they bashed arbys several times during the good years

I've disliked Arby's well before the Simpsons came out. The roast beef is okay but several local places had much better roast beef. Their fries are either burnt or soggy.
I still try it every once in a while because people I am with will want to eat there. I never finish whatever I order. Some have mentioned Little Caesars, seeing that it grossed me out so much that it has been over 30 years since I have had them, I would probably change my answer to that.

Their market fresh sandwiches are pretty decent

My wife loved the rueben market fresh sandwiches (so did my friend chuck and his wife), I was the only roast beef sandwich eater in the family heh.

Little Ceasars has gotten much better then in the past. I didn't notice till I was teaching like 3 or 4 years ago, and they had a 4$ special on Wed (so I would get pizza's for the students on that day since it was less then 20$ to feed them all). I eventually switched to the 5$ favs at papa murphies when the special ended, but....having eaten a few pieces myself, I realized Ceasars was certainly above Pizza hut/Dominos in quality now.

I'm a pizza snob, so that isn't enough for me to eat there, but it certainly is way better then it used to be. I've head that Dominos is better as well, and the one time I tried it (they deliver here to 3am), It was not that bad. Still think Ceasars was better, but not by a huge amount.
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OhhhJa posted...

DumpsterMcNuggets posted...

OhhhJa posted...

DumpsterMcNuggets posted...

Along with also Dunkin Donuts

Forgot about dunkin. They might actuslly be worse than panda

Yep! Don't forget Baskin Robbins, which DD also owns. Ugh, they are also shit as well. Like I said DD only has 1 item I like at all(the Smoked Sausage sandwich), which isn't even a permanent menu item to my knowledge. I think they only serve that once or twice a year, sadly.

I think I've one ever tried like two sandwiches from dunkin and they were both awful. Their donuts are never fresh either. They always taste like they've been sitting out for two days. And their coffee sucks too. Just all around terrible

In case I didn't say it earlier, I'm pretty sure Dunkin trucks their donuts to most of their locations, from one or 2 locations that makes them en masse for numerous local locations nearby. Funny story is that my friend lived near a DD that used to bake donuts for all the local DD locations nearby, and the aroma late at night when I went by there would always smell really nice. Now DD no longer bakes the donuts from that location, and I miss that aroma I'd smell late at night from when donuts were being baked there. :(
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DumpsterMcNuggets posted...

OhhhJa posted...

DumpsterMcNuggets posted...

OhhhJa posted...

DumpsterMcNuggets posted...

Along with also Dunkin Donuts

Forgot about dunkin. They might actuslly be worse than panda

Yep! Don't forget Baskin Robbins, which DD also owns. Ugh, they are also shit as well. Like I said DD only has 1 item I like at all(the Smoked Sausage sandwich), which isn't even a permanent menu item to my knowledge. I think they only serve that once or twice a year, sadly.

I think I've one ever tried like two sandwiches from dunkin and they were both awful. Their donuts are never fresh either. They always taste like they've been sitting out for two days. And their coffee sucks too. Just all around terrible

In case I didn't say it earlier, I'm pretty sure Dunkin trucks their donuts to most of their locations, from one or 2 locations that makes them en masse for numerous local locations nearby. Funny story is that my friend lived near a DD that used to bake donuts for all the local DD locations nearby, and the aroma late at night when I went by there would always smell really nice. Now DD no longer bakes the donuts from that location, and I miss that aroma I'd smell late at night from when donuts were being baked there. :(

When I was homeless for a year at 16, I would sometimes go to a local DD and kick back reading a book, drinking coffee and eating donuts over night. They don't have any of them near me, nor have they for years (Think they mostly left CA, but they used to rock. Sad to hear they don't make their own donuts anymore. I'll always have a fond place in my heart for DD because of those nice nights, reading sci-fi/fantasy books while drinking coffee etc.
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I've had pretty much nothing but good experiences with the chain restaurants I've been to, and I'm surprised to see some of my favorite chains get mentioned (except Arby's, since it seems to be the 'in' thing to hate Arby's).

But tc, have you been to Little Caesar's? I like having their food on occasion (especially their cheesy bread), but if I were honest with myself I'd admit that their food is pretty low quality. Worse, in fact, than Panda Express food, which has been pretty good in my experience.

Roman Niucumir posted...

I've had pretty much nothing but good experiences with the chain restaurants I've been to, and I'm surprised to see some of my favorite chains get mentioned (except Arby's, since it seems to be the 'in' thing to hate Arby's).

But tc, have you been to Little Caesar's? I like having their food on occasion (especially their cheesy bread), but if I were honest with myself I'd admit that their food is pretty low quality. Worse, in fact, than Panda Express food, which has been pretty good in my experience.

Oh yeah, I forgot, Little Ceasars bread sticks are legit delicious. Their pizza is ok, for a chain, but the bread sticks are like 10x better then olive garden etc. I could totally munch on some right now...wish they delivered.
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