Category USA Restaurant

It is easy to diss chain restaurants in a current social environment that doesn’t have many good things to say about corporatism. Chain restaurants represent corporate greed in the minds of many consumers who would rather go hungry than choose a chain restaurant over a locally owned enterprise. But believe it or not, chain restaurants do have a very real appeal that keeps them in business.

A chain restaurant offers something that a locally owned, single location restaurant cannot possibly offer. What is that? Familiarity. Yes, you can be familiar with a locally owned restaurant by virtue of dining there regularly, but go to any other city and there are no guarantees that locally owned restaurants you find there will be similar to your favorite establishment back home. Those other restaurants will certainly not be identical.

Therein lies the appeal of the chain. A TGI Friday’s in the Chicago suburbs is going to be nearly identical to one located in the Houston area. You will find the same menu, the same ambiance, the same pricing structure, etc. This sort of familiarity is important to a lot of people.

Dining Out Can Be Scary

People can argue all day long over whether or not chain restaurants offer the same kind of quality you get from a locally owned establishment. Let us just assume that chain restaurants cannot. Let’s assume that locally owned restaurants always provide superior food. That means very little to consumers who are not normally adventurous about their food choices.

Let’s face it, dining out can be a very scary thing to people for whom food is more functional than anything else. While foodies relish in trying new things, everyone else prefers recipes they know for certain will not cause them to rethink their ordering choices.

The problem with locally owned restaurants, at least for some diners, is that you don’t know what you’re getting unless you’ve been there before. So that very first visit to a locally owned restaurant can be a nerve-racking experience. The same thing is true for chain restaurants, but the appeal of the chain is that it gives you a place to eat even when you are away from home.

Familiarity at the Local Level

There is a way to achieve familiarity at the local level: taking that locally owned operation and expanding it to multiple locations within a confined area. Salt Lake City’s Taqueria27 is a good example. This is a restaurant with several locations around town all serving the same Mexican food.

People know that regardless of the Tacqueria27 location they choose, they can get the same great Mexican food in Salt Lake City. This obviously doesn’t help people who don’t live locally, but at least it does provide familiarity to Salt Lake City residents.

Chain Restaurants Have Their Place

The desire for familiarity is one of the things that keeps chain restaurants going. That is not a bad thing. While you can certainly make the case that locally owned restaurants provide a different kind of experience that you cannot get from chains, you can also make the case that chain restaurants have their place within the rather broad dining space.

Restaurant chains may be dominated by corporate think. They may not offer the same kind of intimate and personal experience you get at a locally owned restaurant. But for people who want to know that they will be dining in a familiar environment and ordering from a familiar menu, restaurant chains are the way to go. They eat at chains because there are no surprises. There is nothing wrong with that.…

Simply enjoying wine is great, but with a bit of knowledge, you can be your own sommelier! This article will guide you through many ideas which you may never have thought of before. This will ensure that you start pouring a glass of wine which never disappoints yourself or your guests.

Wine goes extremely well with pasta dishes. To choose the perfect wine remember that red wines work best with heavy sauces such as tomato sauce. Pair white wines with white sauces and salads. For basil pestos and other meatless dishes, you should opt for a complimentary wine such as a rosé.

Simply because a bottle of wine is more expensive than another does not mean that it is necessarily better. You don’t have to buy the most expensive bottles of wine that you find. Try wine at all different price levels. You may like something better that is less expensive than what you usually buy.

Take a trip out to a vineyard. If there is one located close to you, make it a day trip. If not, consider taking a short vacation to go out and explore. An adventure such as this may help you appreciate and love wine even more than you did before.

If you drink wine with your meal and you get frequent headaches, you may want to reduce the amount you drink. Wine has sulfites in it which can cause headaches sometimes when they are consumed. Drink only in moderation to avoid headaches.

You can easily make a mulled wine with only a few ingredients. You will need a bottle of red wine such as Merlot, Zinfandel or Cabernet Sauvignon, a peeled and sliced orange, a quality brandy, honey or sugar and a few spices including whole cloves, cinnamon and ginger. Combine your ingredients into a slow cooker. Then, heat for 30 minutes and enjoy!

If you are venturing into trying new wines, it is better to get an experimental bottle over a whole case. Given the wide variety of wines and styles out there, single educational bottles are a great idea whenever drinking something new for the first time. If you like the taste, move up to a half-case.

Instead of throwing out your last bits of wine, consider saving it for a marinade for dinner the next night. Take your wine, add some seasoning and place it in a bowl. Add your favorite piece of meat to the bowl and let it sit for several hours or even overnight. This will add delicious flavor to your next night’s meal!

Believe it or not, the glass you choose to drink your wine out of can have a major affect on your drinking experience. You want a glass whose bowl is round so that the aroma can develop. Also, the top should taper inward; this prevents its essence from getting out.

Now that you’re well versed in wine tips, you should feel confident in your new knowledge. Want to learn more? Keep reading and stay on top of news in the wine world. With all of the knowledge at your fingertips, you’ll be able to take wine to astronomical new levels!…