The taste difference is noticeable. I stopped going to chain restaurants about half a decade ago, but every now and then get dragged into one by relatives. Whet

The taste difference is noticeable. I stopped going to chain restaurants about half a decade ago, but every now and then get dragged into one by relatives. Whether it's Olive Garden, Applebees, Chilli's, OCharley's, IHOP, Longhorn, Outback... they all taste the same. Mediocre ingredients, assembled in a way that is convenient for their process but detrimental to taste. Ask for a rare steak, you'll either get something medium-well (because the manual says to cook for at least X mins) or something rare but with no browning whatsoever on the outside. Fish will always be overcooked. Sauces are all cornstarch based to give them a thick texture, yet don't make use of interesting fats like olive oil, butter or the meat fats from cooking. Bread tastes like it's a week old...