The chain restaurant gives the average person certain perks. One always knows what to expect when walking into a familiar chain restaurant even if he/she happens to be across country or perhaps even out of the country. The décor is the same. The atmosphere is the same. The food is the same. The uniforms are the same. It’s safe and cozy.
While this can seem monotonous to some, when traveling in a new and different place, it always feels reassuring to find somewhere familiar and comforting. However, some restaurant chains take this overboard and make them so familiar you don’t even have to open your eyes to find the bathroom.
Olive Garden handles the chain restaurant niche very well. Many of their locations have differing floor plans and buildings, although they do keep the same kinds of decorations so it feels like you are still in their domain but just simply in a different wing of the Olive Garden mansion. This effect is also enhanced by the employees who all wear the same uniform but look different and have different personalities.
The menu is one thing that doesn’t change across the different locations. This ensures that you will always have your favorite dish at any Olive Garden you may visit. And since the menu itself is so large, it will still offer a variety of tastes if you are looking for something different.
Olive Garden is the average-Joe's paradise. It offers just the right amount of high class (napkins you actually have to wash and servers with ties) with the right amount of middle class casual (you don’t have to dress up to get in and you can slurp on your pasta an no one will give you a dirty look). And, of course, their creamy sauces and chewy pastas always fill you up and keep you coming back.
I feel the same about the Cafe Rouge locations in London, while they're all essentially part of the same brand they all have their own little quirks that set it apart from the rest. So you get what you expect food and service wise but there's a novelty to trying a different venue.
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