"_____'s Famous _____" Restaurants

[Aurabolt]

I was walking through Boston's Dudley Square when I passed a Sub Shop named Joe's Famous Steak Subs. To humor the restaurant's name I walked to the Bus Depot next door and polled 25 people. Of them, 8 knew about the restaurent but of that number only 2 had actually eaten from there. Both said the food's good but they've had better elsewhere.

My questions to you guys are as follows:

1. How many "Famous" restaurants have you been to?

2. Do they stand up to the name "famous" and if so, are they well known as advertised?

3. Why do people use the word "famous" so liberally in restaurants? Don't they know that if the investment fails they look like fools?!

...Just something I've been thinking about for a while. If a restaurant uses the word "famous" to advertise itself or a product I don't think I'm wrong to expect a 4-star meal/experience.

[JonBoy2001]

It's a good way to start up a restaurant by fooling potential customers into thinking they should eat there because it's famous, somehow. It's almost a psychological buzzword that people will latch on to.

[Pachycrocuta]

We have one in our town. "Bello's Famous Pizza". It's "famous" in this town, because it sponsors a lot of stuff that gets put on the radio station. The pizza tastes like complete crap, and I honestly don't know why people continue to eat there. And knowing the living conditions of 4 of the employees that worked there (one still does), it has definitely turned my off of ever eating there again.

For those curious, those employees were mother and daughters (triplets), and they had roaches crawling everywhere (and did nothing about them), cat and dog shit everywhere as well. Whenever I would walk past their house I would hold my breath, and I would almost barf if they opened the door as I passed by. Was so happy to finally move away from there.

[smelltheglove]

in my experience, "famous" in a restaurant name can be correctly substituted with "for the love of god don't eat here". results may vary though

[Blueobelisk]

I don't really see too many, but I also don't go looking.

I'll tell you, I went for a weekend to Boston this year during a school break and I went to this one place famous for their seafood, and the way my Mom found the place was because it was featured on Travel Channel or some cooking TV channel or something.

The food was great, I had a lobster sandwich, and the place was really REALLY packed/busy (so busy that they took our phone number and said they'd call us when a table opened (in an hour)).

[drwelfare]

It is famous for putting people on the toilet all day.

[apepi]

A real famous restaurant does not need the word 'famous' in it.

[Xl House lX]

Lee's Famous Recipe.

And its the best damn chicken I have ever ate in my life, and I eat there all the time.

Also, it gives me the worst shits too, but that may be a TMI issue with you guys... oh well.

Also also, I live in Kentucky, and despite rumors, KFC is NOTTTTTTTT better in Kentucky. If anything its probably worse.

[Uriel]

I have never been to a "famous" restaurant.
But I know several which are well known among my circle of aquaintances. Does that count as "famous"?
my favorite restaurant serves exceptional good chinese food for little money... even though it is literally at the "ass of the World" (german figure of speech) many people know it and agree with me about the quality.

[Aurabolt]

That's my line of thinking too.

I can usually tell if a restaurant I'm visiting for the first time is famous/good if 2 or more of the following apply when I enter the establishment:

- Line at or out the door during non-peak times.

- Food smell wafting out the building (screams "EAT HERE!")

- Seating hard to get unless reserved in advance

- You need to actually take a minute to place your order.