America's Favorite Casual Restaurant Chains | HuffPost Life

America's Favorite Casual Restaurant Chains

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Market Force just released the results of its 4,500-person survey on casual dining. The results were tabulated by number of votes, and then the number of locations for each chain was factored in.

Because consumers being surveyed were more likely to have visited chains with more outposts, Market Force adjusted votes for chains' sizes. This meant that, if two chains got the same amount of votes, the smaller of the two would rank higher, as was the case for its fast food survey in August. Five Guys and In-N-Out were propelled to the top of that list, even though Chick-Fil-A received the highest number of raw votes. See the results of Market Force's fast food survey here and Zagat's fast food survey here. Flip through the slideshow below to see what casual dining chains are America's favorites.

Restaurant Chains

17. Denny's(01 of17)

Denny's may be known for its gut bomb menu items such as the mac n cheese patty melt, but survey participants were not so enthused with the offerings. (credit:Denny's)

16. IHOP(02 of17)

A stack of big fluffy pancakes is not enough to persuade people to vote IHOP #1. Instead, participants voted it number 16. (credit:IHOP)

15. Ruby Tuesday(03 of17)

Ruby Tuesday's was called out for having the healthiest menu choices, but that wasn't enough to make it a favorite chain. (credit:Ruby Tuesday's)

14. TGI Friday's(04 of17)

With a somewhat similar menu to Ruby Tuesday, TGI Friday's also did not stack up so high. (credit:TGI Friday's)

13. Chili's(05 of17)

0.7% thought Chili's fajitas, quesadillas and other offerings were worthy of the number one spot. (credit:Chili's)

12. Applebee's(06 of17)

Noticing a pattern here? Applebee's only fared a tad better than its competitors. (credit:Applebee's)

11. Golden Corral(07 of17)

Just edging into the top 10 is Golden Corral, perhaps not the best known chain, but definitely a player. Based on this survey, it seems as if buffets are still popular, and Golden Corral was considered the best value. (credit:Golden Corral)

10. Longhorn Steakhouse(08 of17)

Longhorn Steakhouse may not be the next Peter Luger's, but it makes enough diners happy enough. (credit:Longhorn Steakhouse)

9. Red Robin(09 of17)

We can't help wondering if the catchy Red Robin jingle contributes to the chain's success. (credit:Red Robin)

8. Cracker Barrel(10 of17)

Cracker Barrel has almost a cult following of fans craving Southern-inspired fare. (credit:Cracker Barrel)

7. Outback Steakhouse(11 of17)

Those bloomin' onions apparently keep bringing diners back. Oh, and the steaks. (credit:Outback Steakhouse)

6. Red Lobster(12 of17)

Endless shrimp and cheap lobster make one happy casual diner. (credit:Red Lobster)

5. Carrabba's (13 of17)

Massive portions of Italian food are enough to give this chain the number 5 spot. (credit:Carraba's)

4. PF Chang's(14 of17)

PF Chang's was the only Chinese food chain to break the Top 17. (credit:PF Chang's)

3. Olive Garden(15 of17)

Never-ending breadsticks and pasta bowls are perhaps enough to warrant a bronze medal. (credit:Olive Garden)

2. Texas Roadhouse(16 of17)

The surprising silver medalist, Texas Roadhouse, is known for its Americana fare. (credit:Texas Roadhouse)

1. Cheesecake Factory(17 of17)

The Cheesecake Factory captured 7.3% of the vote share, which was more than double the second place finisher, Texas Roadhouse. Perhaps people are digging the new Skinnylicious menu. This is the second year in a row that the Cheesecake Factory has nabbed the number one spot. (credit:Cheesecake Factory)

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