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Not sure if this was mentioned, but I was at University Plaza yesterday and the old Mongolian Grill has now been branded as "Lobster Burger Bar" with a coming soon sign on it. According to their website the only other one is in Downtown Toronto on King Street across from Roy Thomson hall.
An IHOP will be opening in Waterloo in the next few years

https://www.kitchenertoday.com/local-new...oo-4228050
Does IHOP serve real maple syrup?

EDIT: Preliminary research suggests no. IHOP should take their HFCS and get out of town.
I had one of my worst breakfasts ever at an IHOP at Niagara Falls 2 years ago. Are they all that bad or is it just the tourist trap nature of the falls that makes the quality suffer?
(08-17-2021, 10:46 PM)JoeKW Wrote: [ -> ]I had one of my worst breakfasts ever at an IHOP at Niagara Falls 2 years ago.  Are they all that bad or is it just the tourist trap nature of the falls that makes the quality suffer?

I was thinking of Waffle House, but there is that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waffle_House_Index
So I tried Chick-Fil-A yesterday after work. I was done work at 2, so I thought that traffic wouldn’t be bad, but the place was packed. On the upside, the cars moved fairly quickly.

As for the food, at least yesterday, it was some of the best friend chicken (Spicy tenders) that I have had. I think only State&Main has better tenders, if that is what you want. The waffle fries were excellent, as were the shakes. Other family members got chicken nuggets (they were good too, as I sampled), not processed meat like Ron’s Diner, and the chicken sandwich was great too.

Drink were milkshakes, all very good.

So for a chicken sandwich (Deluxe), 3 tenders, pack of nuggets (8 I believe), 2 med waffle fries and 2 reg milkshakes, cost at $37.xx.

Will go again.
I forgot to mention earlier that Wineology (on King St W, near Ontario St) is now open. They were doing a soft opening last week (with a limited menu) but we were able to enjoy a very nice wine selection and some good-quality pizza on their patio. A welcome addition to downtown!
https://www.wineologybar.ca/
(08-19-2021, 10:19 AM)jeffster Wrote: [ -> ]So I tried Chick-Fil-A yesterday after work [...] but the place was packed

I still see lineups for that place when I pass it on the bus. I'm amazed so many people are willing to line up for greasy fast food in sweltering heat and give money to a company that has poured millions upon millions of dollars to attack LGBTQ+ people just to shove chicken into their face.
(08-19-2021, 10:19 AM)jeffster Wrote: [ -> ]...

Will go again.

Why?! We have lots of places that have much better food than a corporate fast food chain. And as a bonus, your money won't be spent to dehumanize people in our community.

(08-31-2021, 10:26 PM)ac3r Wrote: [ -> ]
(08-19-2021, 10:19 AM)jeffster Wrote: [ -> ]So I tried Chick-Fil-A yesterday after work [...] but the place was packed

I still see lineups for that place when I pass it on the bus. I'm amazed so many people are willing to line up for greasy fast food in sweltering heat and give money to a company that has poured millions upon millions of dollars to attack LGBTQ+ people just to shove chicken into their face.

I don't always agree with you, but this is on point. I really don't get it, so many people in our society are corporate sheep.

Whether I agree with it or not, I understand the not caring about what the corporation's beneficiaries do with their profits. I get the "I just need a quick meal while traveling, and I don't know where to go but this is familiar", or even the "I just need dinner quick and this is open and close"....even I go to subway on occasion. But I just cannot comprehend the excitement over even better than average fast food. We have lots of local restaurants in the region that make great food including fried chicken. I get excited about real restaurants, not corporate chains whose main competitive advantage is that they are able to build a supply chain to scale their service continent wide (which has absolutely no benefit to local people in KW). It just makes no sense to me.
I think a big part of why people here are flocking to Chick-fil-A is because of American soft power. It's one of those cultural exports that we all hear about and people become fixated by it. The marketing and Twitter memes work. By now - given how well known the controversy with the company is - I suppose that the people lining up, sweating through their t-shirts to get a bad processed chicken sandwich...just don't care about LGBTQ+. Even if the company reportedly does not contribute to those sort of charities anymore...they did and they obviously hold seriously messed up views about people's sexuality or gender identity, using their company to suppress people's freedoms to be who they are. Just them not giving money anymore does not negate that truth: that they're bigots selling chicken sandwiches to fund their hatred. Stuff like this is even worse than the Westboro Baptist Church clowns that hold signs saying God Hates Fags, because they have poured millions of dollars into this idealism they hold.

There are definitely much better restaurants to eat at, as you say. It's sad that people are willing to line up for this shit day after day, instead of supporting wonderful local businesses or even just learning some techniques and applying their own niche skill to create their own fried chicken at home.

It's like...if suddenly McDonald's was found to be pouring millions into anti-white hate groups or anti-Asian hate groups or anti-abortion groups, I bet people would be a hell of a lot more upset. But this? Anytime I see a discussion about them, supporters just basically say "whatever they don't donate anymore" or "stop being a pussy soy boy" as if it somehow negates the fact the owners are still hateful individuals. And I'm a vegan, but I'm sure the food fucking sucks anyway lmao. The people lining up for a bun, two pickles and processed chicken must have the palettes of a 10 year old child. Makes no sense.
Canadians are always curious about new things that we've heard about on TV for years and now have an opportunity to check out. In most cases, that means a surge at the beginning and then people fall back to their regular patterns. Think Target or Krispy Kreme.

As for Chik-Fil-A, while I haven't checked it out myself yet, it's my understanding that they changed their philanthropic model in 2020 and no longer donate to any groups that take an anti-LGBTQ stance. On the one hand, why support a restaurant that has a history of donating to anti-LGBTQ organizations when there are other food options that don't have that association? On the other hand, if we actively campaign against and punish an organization for past behaviour, even when they have ceased that behaviour, it removes the principle incentive for change.

I'll probably end up trying their sandwich eventually out of curiousity, hopefully when the line ups have ended.
The simplest expanation is that they've had good reviews of their product and chicken sandwiches are the hot ticket these days. All the rest seems like noise to me.
(09-02-2021, 07:56 AM)jamincan Wrote: [ -> ]As for Chik-Fil-A, while I haven't checked it out myself yet, it's my understanding that they changed their philanthropic model in 2020 and no longer donate to any groups that take an anti-LGBTQ stance. On the one hand, why support a restaurant that has a history of donating to anti-LGBTQ organizations when there are other food options that don't have that association? On the other hand, if we actively campaign against and punish an organization for past behaviour, even when they have ceased that behaviour, it removes the principle incentive for change.

The problem with them isn't that the "used to" donate to anti-LGBTQ+ groups, but that they got caught, promised not to do so, then started up again after the attention died down. This is the second time they've made this promise.
(09-02-2021, 11:02 AM)Bytor Wrote: [ -> ]The problem with them isn't that the "used to" donate to anti-LGBTQ+ groups, but that they got caught, promised not to do so, then started up again after the attention died down. This is the second time they've made this promise.

Anybody who is sufficiently anti-LGBTQ+ to donate money for the purpose of advancing such bigotry is fundamentally disordered. I wouldn’t expect them to be honest or consistent.
I guess I should not have been surprised that some members here feelings towards Chick-Fil-A, most likely regarding Chick-Fil-A's donations to the Salvation Army (which is usually the one referred to, as that organizations less than stellar treatment to certain marginalize groups, specifically, our LGBTQ+ community in the past) are not wishing to dine there.

That said, I hope that those same members feel the same way about all the other businesses that donate to the Salvation Army and would treat them just the same way:

Google, Walmart, NFL, Toyota, Ford, UPS, FedEx, Budweiser, Lowes, Bass Pro Shops, Delta, Hanes plus several others. Google is a huge sponsor, in fact. So no more using their services. No more shopping at Walmart. No Bud for you (though who, really does...yech). Find an alternative to FedEx and UPS, and avoid companies that use their services. Perhaps the progressives should run Google and Toyota out of town.

Now, Chick-Fil-A has gone as far as to be decided not to donate to anti-LGBTQ+ organizations, apparently (since, who knows, maybe they still do), but the above mentioned companies, and hundred of other ones, haven't stop donating. I think you can go even as far as places like Sobeys, the malls, Zehrs, etc., that still allow their volunteers to ask for money at Christmas time.

No donations to Salvation Army anymore: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/18/chick-fi...tests.html

Business that donate to the Salvation Army: https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/cor...tnerships/

This is my way of saying: if your feelings towards Chick-Fil-A are based on their past (or even present) behaviour -- you need to treat the above mentioned companies the same way. If you can't do that, you're part of the problem. And it makes you a hypocrite the moment you Google something. The moment you accept a package from UPS or FedEx. The moment you set foot in a grocery store or mall. The moment you watch football. And talk to your councillors regarding the donation that Chick-Fil-A made to the food bank, as they shouldn't have accepted it.

And I know that not many want to hear (read) what I said. It is what it is. Judge Judy used to say something to the effect: you have to come in with clean hands.

And let me be clear: all businesses need to be accepting of all people, no matter their background, ethnicity, nationality, religion, political slant, sexual orientations, their gender, etc. But also no should be allowed to cherry pick which business they support and which business to protest if you're not treating other "like" business the same, nor should anyone tell anyone what businesses they should avoid.