I usually get the wing basket at those kind of places if they make good wings, comes with fries and cole slaw.

I'd rather wait to eat than eat crappy, junky food that I won't enjoy but if it can't be avoided I try to find a salad that can be ordered without any ingredients I don't want (processed meats, sugar coated dried fruit or nuts, etc.) to tide me over until I get home, where I know the food is good. :)

Unclear--jaded against ingredient quality, selections or the lifestyle? I think the more people cook at home (for whatever reason) the pickier they become re: eating out, as they well should

Yes, I've become pickier. I love eating out when you choose the restaurant for a real food reason, even if it's just great burgers. But sometimes, you find yourself elsewhere.

Oh, yeah, wings are too messy for me, I'd be wearing 1/2 of it, especially eating in the dark!

Hm, maybe a couple of Bloody Marys and I won't care what I eat?

I've had too many under done wings with floppy skin! Can't stand the bagged lettuce usually served as a salaf those places....Fries are usually good as is slaw....some places will have sweet potato fries which are a good choice...and a grilled cheese can be hard to ruin.
But I don't find floppy bacon....so if they serve breakfast all day, 1 egg scrambles bacon and whole wheat toast often works for me.

@sushipup LOL to the Applebees and Bloody Mary comments. I tend to dread most chain food for many of the reasons you cite. Inevitably, when traveling or socializing we all encounter situations where we are confronted with an Applebee's type of situation. I'll order the salad with dressing on the side (or oil and vinegar), a simple burger, omelet or roll the dice on something fried. My usual complaint is that something is way too saucy, overdressed, or too salty. And really, I'm not that particular!

I'd never heard of Movie Tavern, so looked online to see what the menu was like. Seems to be specific to each location, but they had a good variety - quality is another matter.

I very often, in the situation you describe, will order from the appetizer menu. Sometimes you can get hummus and pita, or small sliders that aren't all gooped up, or even a simple shrimp saute or skewers of some kind. Smaller plates, less $, and often simpler preparation.

eta: I noticed one location had edamame on the menu. That would be a good choice for me.

Applebees is a good example for me... I ate dinner there once. ;^)

I try to avoid eating out at places that don't interest me. If that doesn't work, I carefully check the menu for something fairly healthy and that interests me... sometimes that is appetizers. There's always the chance that the restaurant can alter a dish by request, for example, ask them to omit the bacon. :O)

ETA: I also frequently ask the server what's 'best' or most popular on the menu.

'll order the salad with dressing on the side (or oil and vinegar)

Yeah, but as a friend of mine said once, as we contemplated a dubious salad, "It looks green, but in its heart you know it's brown."

I have to agree that applebees and chilis are about as low as you can go. I'd rather eat honestly unhealthy fast food.

Reporting back: I had a better-than-expected burger with onions and bleu cheese. Fries were thin and acceptable. Jim's hot dog was a hot dog, so he was happy.

But I don't think we'll be back to eat for other reasons. I'm all of 5'0", and the seats are very deep with foot rests that rise up, and the chair back is sloped and not adjustable. The seat is so deep that I can't set all the way back, or if my knees bend, then I'm slumping low against the back. I couldn't even sip my drink thru a straw without sitting up. And the little table is far enough away that eating (in the dark!) was a hazard. They should issue bibs. And I don't like reclining anyway. I don't lie down to watch TV at home, and I dislike it at the movies. But all the theaters are going this way, I fear.

I understand what you're talking about. I have friends who are not adventurous at all, and so, if I meet them for lunch, I know it will be at a chain restaurant. I go online and pour over the menu trying to find something that I will half-way enjoy. It's harder than I would have imagined. I think the appetizer idea is a good one. Maybe you could order off the children's section too.

I was going to suggest a burger or anything short order because it's most likely to be made on site. Glad your burger worked out even if the chairs were awful!

I have to laugh about Applebee's. I frequently end up eating with a very difficult to feed person. He has a very limited number of things he'll eat, all very plain and "American" (no Italian, Mexican, Chinese, etc.), and often resorts to chain family restaurants because there's something he'll eat there even if it isn't objectively "good". There aren't any Applebee's where I live, but there are a few now within an hour's drive. We've gone there when we were near one, and I have to say it's much easier to get something that tastes something like food there than at most chains. I have had just terrible stuff served to me at places that are much fancier and more expensive. I think Applebee's may either make or assemble more food on site.

I've learned not to order anything at Applebee's except for a salad or a burger. I've had one too many bad meals there. Their biggest problem is that they are constantly changing their menu - I guess they are trying to find decent food items that work. They must spend more on new menus than they do on staff overall. And we live in a very small community, there are mom and pop places and believe me, I'd rather risk going to Applebee's. (Sounds really sad, doesn't it?) We have to drive into the next community for anything halfway decent and that's not saying much.

Oh, that does sound bad!! Maybe the Applebee's here are a bit better because of the competition? I mean, stuff that comes from the central commissary are probably pretty much the same and I don't need to pay a restaurant for boil-n-bag, but I've had real vegetables there (not the ubiquitous frozen broccoli florettes with carrot tips), and some kind of chicken breast which was cooked on premises. Not great food, but not poor or bad either.

There are so many wonderful mom and pop restaurants near me! I wish I could share! If I'm not with a difficult person, or travelling in unknown parts, they tend to be the best option. A lot of top tier restaurants aren't as good as they should be and I've been disappointed. The small, one offs, however, the ones with a good health department grade and accessible pricing, so often have real food, well prepared and tasty.

I know what you mean about the movies where they have the recliner chairs and serve food, sushipup. They have them here and they're called "La Premiere". DH and I went to a session once because it was the only time slot available that fit into our day (we didn't eat). It drove us nuts, staff constantly coming and going, delivering food, people crunching and munching and clattering their cutlery, talking like they were at home in their living room. Would never go back.

We have a couple theaters here that serve food. The concept grosses me out to be honest. And since Aurora I'm even less likely to want to see a movie in a theater setting. Happy to wait till a film comes out on DVD.

CindyMac, I also wait for the DVD, but it's because I lose focus about 15 minutes in. At home I can watch, pause the movie, fold some clothes, watch some more, start some supper, watch some more, go do the farm chores and then watch the end. Sometimes it takes me several days to watch a movie, LOL.

I don't go to Applebee's. Ashley worked there as a server while she was in college and Mother and I would have lunch there while she was working. I sincerely hope to never set foot in the place again!

Here the small Mom and Pop places are far better than our chains, which are Bob Evans, Ruby Tuesday, Applebee's, Buffalo Wild Wings and Qdoba or the ever present fast food options. I always choose the local dive bar, which was voted one of the 10 best burgers in Michigan, I've never had a bad meal there. We just met friends of Elery's there for lunch last week, a lake perch basket with sweet potato fries and horseradish coleslaw was $7.95 and delicious.

I also don't see the purpose of reclining while watching a movie. I'm also short and the chairs are always too wide, if I sit back I can't bend my knees, and if I sit so that the bend of my knee is at the front of the chair seat, I can't sit back. Even here at home you'll usually find me in the computer chair. Elery's big sectional and LaZBoy chairs are just too big.

Annie

I can't imagine eating a meal while watching a movie in a big theatre. What is the purpose? The noise and being in a pig-pen setting would do it for me.

The floor is often sticky as it is from spilled drinks without worrying about food on the seat, etc. etc.

I'll recline on the sofa to watch tv, then I often doze off.