ADVERTISEMENT

OOTB Chain Restaurants Tourney: John Bunting Region, Round of 32

TarHeelNation11

TarHeelNation11

Hall of Famer
Mar 9, 2007
35,722
22,247
113
Lowell, NC
Round of 32 for the John Bunting Region, Presented by Stihl. Let's keep chopping wood, y'all!! Voting will end on Wednesday, June 21st, at 11:59 p.m. I will do my absolute best to get results up on Friday, but I'll be in Chapel Hill for a 4-day workshop as part of my graduate school, so no promises. If anyone wants to volunteer to run the numbers and poast them for this round only, I'd greatly appreciate it.

The John Bunting Region, Presented by Stihl


#1 Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits vs. #8 Mellow Mushroom


#12 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen vs. #4 Hardee's


#6 Outback Steakhouse vs. #14 Fuddrucker's


#7 The Cheesecake Factory vs. #2 Cracker Barrel
 
Mellow Mushroom - I'm sorry, but Mellow Mushroom is the shit. Come at me and let's fight. Not like it matters since Bojangle's will take this matchup anyway, but Mellow Mushroom gets my vote.

Hardee's - It's getting the nod because of their biscuits. It should be Steak 'n' Shake moving forward, but OOTB never knows the correct vote, so.....

Outback Steakhouse - Bloomin' Onion

Cracker Barrel - Easiest vote of the region.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hark_The_Sound_2010 and TarHeelNation11
I was gonna take some time since we have two days on this one, but they're too easy. Generally a fan of underdogs but haveta go chalk here.

#1 Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits
#4 Hardee's
#6 Outback Steakhouse
#2 Cracker Barrel
 
And now, Raising Heel's one-word restaurant reviews.

#1 Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits vs. #8 Mellow Mushroom
Beer

#12 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen vs. #4 Hardee's
Burgers

#6 Outback Steakhouse vs. #14 Fuddrucker's
Onions

#7 The Cheesecake Factory vs. #2 Cracker Barrel
Dammit I can't say just one word about this matchup. It's unfair they should have to face off against each other in just the second round (TCF is woefully underrated). I love both of these places and want them to get restaurant-married. Only then would the world know the joy of chicken-fried cheesecake. As much as I love breakfast, as much as I love fried stuff, as much as I love Waffle House waitresses who've graduated to the big time, I have to go with Cheesecake Factory and their awesome menu here.
 
#1 Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits vs. #8 Mellow Mushroom
Pizza and beer vs. overrated fried chicken. Men vs. Boys. Love the vibe in Mellow Mushrooms, and they really should be moving on here. Don't have either one anywhere close to me, but assuming I had both - MM would be a weekly visit, I'd go to Bo's when I accidentally took more than the recommended dosage of a prescription and needed to get something to make me throw it back up. I am 100% prepared to die on this hill.

#12 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen vs. #4 Hardee's
Tough to vote out the best fried chicken place in the region, but c'est la vie. Hardee's is legit, and probably the best pound-for-pound fighter in this dance (and by that I mean, has the highest caloric value per dollar).

#6 Outback Steakhouse vs. #14 Fuddrucker's
I don't feel nearly as strongly about this one as the above two, but Outback gets the nod.

#7 The Cheesecake Factory vs. #2 Cracker Barrel
Not a cheesecake fan, but I'm a big Cheesecake fan. The rest of their menu is awesome. Not sure if I've ever eaten at a Cracker Barrel.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Raising Heel and TarHeelNation11
Bojangles
It's not even close. Maybe it could be, but not here in Fla. I can't abide by the prices here for such crappy pizza. In Atlanta, Mellow Mushroom was my shit! Alas, another reason Floida blows.

Hardee's
Tough matchup here. But those biscuits and burgers win.

Outback
Because buttfudgers sucks.

Cheesecake Factory
2 crap choices, but cheesecake wins out. Both of these places have too many damn things on the menu to be any good at any one thing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Raising Heel
#8 Mellow Mushroom

#12 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

#14 Fuddrucker's . . I'm not a fan of Outback.

#7 The Cheesecake Factory
 
Last edited:
Hark_The_Sound_2010 said:
I'd go to Bo's when I accidentally took more than the recommended dosage of a prescription and needed to get something to make me throw it back up. I am 100% prepared to die on this hill.
Click to expand...
I don't understand this animosity towards the Bo Bo. I mean hey, I voted against them, but they're not THAT bad. No love for the biscuits? The chicken tenders? The fact that you can get mac 'n' cheese at a drive-thru?
 
  • Like
Reactions: tarheel0910
Raising Heel said:
I don't understand this animosity towards the Bo Bo. I mean hey, I voted against them, but they're not THAT bad. No love for the biscuits? The chicken tenders? The fact that you can get mac 'n' cheese at a drive-thru?
Click to expand...

I do like the Bo Berry biscuits. And the Cajun fries are decent. But a milquetoast vote for Mellow Mushroom wouldn't have properly conveyed how overrated I think Bojangles is.
 
Mellow Mushroom
Hardee's
Outback (though do like Fuddruckers if u can find one still open)
Cracker Barrell (tough call)
 
Mellow Mushroom - I like Bojangles but the last few times I went there, my chicken sammich was kinda nasty. Plus I think somebody at their drive-thru skimmed my Visa card a few months ago. They are on THM probation.

Hardee's - this is a biscuit vote only.

Outback - this is a bloomin' onion vote only.

Cracker Barrel - I love their breakfast, and the lemonade is fantastic. Never been to a CF anyway.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TarHeelNation11, Hark_The_Sound_2010 and coolwaterunc
#8 Mellow Mushroom-I like Bojangles but the Mellow Mushroom is fantastic, even with a terrible IPA hangover.

#4 Hardee's-Breakfast is legit.


#14 Fuddrucker's-I just absolutely love Fuddrucker's. One of my all time favorite places to eat. This is also a bit of nostalgia as I haven't been to one in a while. And unlike shows like Night Court, I would bet if I went to one now it would be just as good as I remembered in being when I was younger.


#7 The Cheesecake Factory-This is probably my absolute favorite place to eat though. I think most people who don't like it are just confused by the menu. They have great drinks as well.
 
coryfly said:
The Cheesecake Factory-This is probably my absolute favorite place to eat though. I think most people who don't like it are just confused by the menu.
Click to expand...
The menu is too big. I've been there probably 10 times and I don't think I've gotten through the whole thing. They need to reduce their menu drastically. It's better to have a few great dishes than to have a lot of mediocre ones.
 
  • Like
Reactions: UNC '92
Chicken fried chicken, country fried steak, hash brown casserole, meatloaf, chicken and dumplings, the most southern breakfast you can get at a chain restaurant....but let's vote for the Cheesecake Factory.

giphy.gif
 
  • Like
Reactions: tarheel0910 and JuleZ '02 HEEL
coolwaterunc said:
Chicken fried chicken, country fried steak, hash brown casserole, meatloaf, chicken and dumplings, the most southern breakfast you can get at a chain restaurant....but let's vote for the Cheesecake Factory.

giphy.gif
Click to expand...
I know right. Not to mention you can sit and play giant checkers by a roaring fireplace or sit in a rocking chair on the front porch to judge people as they come and go. Or play that awesome little triangle peg game or shop for candy by weight. Cracker Barrel is totally unique in the pantheon of chain restaurants. And delicious.

Generic, no-identity Cheesecake Factory? GMAFB.
 
  • Like
Reactions: coolwaterunc and tarheel0910
This region was really tough for me because the 1vs8 pulls on my heart, and then the 12vs4 and 7vs2 are places I don't give a shit about.


#1 Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits vs. #8 Mellow Mushroom
-- I waffled back and forth hard on this one. Both are amazing, and I'll admit my liking for Bojangles has decreased over the years. But Bojangles is a staple of not only the South, but of North Carolina as well and I just can't ignore that. Plus, Boberry biscuits were one of my first loves. Mellow, you've got kickass calzones and delicious pizza... but you have shitty service because your employees are always high as a kite. Sorry, gotta go with Bojangles and their throwback slogan of Gotta Wanna Needa Getta Have-a Bojangles.
NVM, I'm going with Mellow Mushroom.

#12 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen vs. #4 Hardee's
-- don't like either one tbh.


#6 Outback Steakhouse vs. #14 Fuddrucker's
-- Bloomin' onions, cheese fries, Outback Style prime rib, kookabura wings, the pumpernickel bread. They keep it real, real snazzy at Outback. Plus they usually have really cute hostesses. Fuddruckers just has a name that's easy to slip the tongue on.


#7 The Cheesecake Factory vs. #2 Cracker Barrel
-- don't give a shit about either one, but I'll vote Cracker Barrel just because it's down home style.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Hark_The_Sound_2010
tarheel0910 said:
The menu is too big. I've been there probably 10 times and I don't think I've gotten through the whole thing. They need to reduce their menu drastically. It's better to have a few great dishes than to have a lot of mediocre ones.
Click to expand...
[Insert remedial reading joke here] What did you have that was mediocre? I've tried dozens of different dishes there and they were all excellent.

coolwaterunc said:
Chicken fried chicken, country fried steak, hash brown casserole, meatloaf, chicken and dumplings, the most southern breakfast you can get at a chain restaurant....but let's vote for the Cheesecake Factory.
Click to expand...
Chicken Bellagio, Steak Diane, Fried Macaroni and Cheese, Hibachi Steak, Louisiana Chicken Pasta .... oh, and over 30 different flavors of cheesecake. Your move.

JuleZ '02 HEEL said:
I know right. Not to mention you can sit and play giant checkers by a roaring fireplace or sit in a rocking chair on the front porch to judge people as they come and go. Or play that awesome little triangle peg game or shop for candy by weight. Cracker Barrel is totally unique in the pantheon of chain restaurants. And delicious.
Click to expand...
At Cheesecake Factory, I can have a beer or a cocktail. Next.
 
  • Like
Reactions: UNC71-00
Raising Heel said:
[Insert remedial reading joke here] What did you have that was mediocre? I've tried dozens of different dishes there and they were all excellent.
Click to expand...
Can't remember exactly what I had. Probably some type of chicken or burger. Maybe a steak. The fact I can't remember proves it's not that great, at least to me. If the food at a restaurant is good I can point to at least one menu item that is great. I'm not saying it's bad, it's just average. CB is above average. Above average is better than just average. There should be no upsets in this matchup.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JuleZ '02 HEEL and coolwaterunc
tarheel0910 said:
The menu is too big. They need to reduce their menu drastically. It's better to have a few great dishes than to have a lot of mediocre ones.
Click to expand...

I agree. This issue isn't unique to Cheesecake Factory. Many restaurants do this (ever been to MacAdoos?). And it's not just because having too many items on the menu makes it so they can't perfect any of the dishes. It's also overwhelming to the customer. I've gotten in the habit at places like that of not even looking at the menu and just asking the server what their favorite dish is and going with that. I don't really want to spend 20 minutes reading a book at dinner and it annoys me when people I'm with do.
 
gunslingerdick said:
I agree. This issue isn't unique to Cheesecake Factory. Many restaurants do this (ever been to MacAdoos?). And it's not just because having too many items on the menu makes it so they can't perfect any of the dishes. It's also overwhelming to the customer. I've gotten in the habit at places like that of not even looking at the menu and just asking the server what their favorite dish is and going with that. I don't really want to spend 20 minutes reading a book at dinner and it annoys me when people I'm with do.
Click to expand...
Yep, I just basically get tired of reading the menu. It should only be a few pages long at the most. I just looked at their website and they claim to have over 250 dishes. That's just dumb.
 
  • Like
Reactions: coolwaterunc
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Raising Heel

OOTB Chain Restaurants Tourney: John Bunting Regional Final

Replies
23
Views
427
Out of the Blue
Raising Heel
Raising Heel
Raising Heel

OOTB Chain Restaurants Tourney: John Bunting Region, Sweet 16

Replies
24
Views
463
Out of the Blue
Raising Heel
Raising Heel
TarHeelNation11

OOTB Chain Restaurants Tourney: John Bunting Region, Round of 64

Replies
73
Views
2K
Out of the Blue
Raising Heel
Raising Heel
Raising Heel

OOTB Chain Restaurants Tourney: The Final Four

Replies
36
Views
636
Out of the Blue
Raising Heel
Raising Heel
Raising Heel

OOTB Chain Restaurants Tourney: The Matt Harvey Region, Round of 32

Replies
33
Views
534
Out of the Blue
Raising Heel
Raising Heel
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT
Top Bottom
Back