June 2025 – Gary Bennett Publishing

Are chain restaurants really so bad?

By Gary Bennett

A Bojangles restaurant opened in Frederick in 2024.

This article appears in the June 19, 2025 issue of Frederick News-Post’s “72 Hours” entertainment magazine.

Why do we seem to hate chain restaurants? Well, hate may be too strong a word, but you must admit that when making dinner plans, you’re usually not angling for Chili’s, Olive Garden or Golden Corral.

I believe it has something to do with them being the same old, same old. Sure, they’ll do in a pinch, and some are even guilty pleasures (KFC for me), but around Frederick, there is a whole host of delicious, standalone, homegrown eateries we’d rather try.

But really, chain restaurants aren’t so bad, are they? I don’t think so. There is a good reason they became a chain in the first place. They usually provide a consistently good (if not exciting) meal at an affordable price.

Chains have economies of scale going for them, too. That means they are large enough to keep prices relatively low, have staff committed to quality control, and can survive occasional downturns because of corporate support.

According to Restaurant Business Magazine, a chain restaurant is a group of restaurants that operate under the same brand name, offering a standardized menu and customer experience. They are typically either owned by a parent company or operated by franchisees.

Ever since A&W became the first restaurant chain in 1925, these stalwarts have trained us to look for their distinctive architecture, colors and decor. We expect consistency, familiarity and comfort in their food. Other early comers like McDonald’s and Howard Johnson’s focused on speed and affordability.

Many of us feel a certain connection to chain restaurants because it was our first restaurant experience. This was especially true for a rural kid like me. I still fondly recall our family’s first forays to a new place called McDonald’s or the now defunct Burger Chef and then seeing the same restaurants when visiting relatives a state or so away.

It seemed like magic. But more than that, it seemed like we all had something in common, some shared experiences. My parents could count on the same unsurprising food and the same relatively modest prices, and that was important with a fussy, growing family.

Also, many of us grew up working in one of these chains during our teen years and sometimes beyond. One of my best memories from my formative years was being a dishwasher at Howard Johnson’s and getting a free lunch every day, usually a grilled hot dog.

Over the years, chains have had an outsized influence on American culture. When folks speak of the “golden arches,” we know exactly what they mean. Chain restaurants made foods like pizza and Chinese cuisine accessible to everyday Americans, and that wasn’t always the case.

Popular food items at many chains became well-known by their brand names. Good or bad, everyone can conjure up images of the Big Mac, Whopper, Quarter Pounder, Bloomin’ Onion, the Frosty, the Blizzard and so on.

And who can forget the lexicon and jingles? Chances are, you can match these catchphases easily with the chain restaurant it belongs to: “Where’s the beef?” (Wendy’s), “We have the meats!” (Arby’s), “Eating Good in the Neighborhood” (Applebee’s), “Pizza, pizza!” (Little Caesars), “When you’re here, you’re family” (Olive Garden), and “In here, it’s always Friday” (TGI Fridays).

Frederick has its fair share of chain restaurants. Let’s take a look by category.

Casual dining: Applebee’s, BJ’s Restaurant, Bob Evans, Bojangles, Bonefish Grill, Buffalo Wild Wings, Cava, Café Rio, Chili’s, Chipotle, Cracker Barrel, Denny’s, Dunkin’, TGI Fridays, Golden Corral, IHOP, KFC, Krispy Kreme, Longhorn Steakhouse, Noodles & Company, Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse, Panda Express, Panera Bread, Red Lobster, Red Robin, Rosati’s Pizza, Ruby Tuesday, Texas Roadhouse and Waffle House.

Fast Food and Sandwiches: Arby’s, Auntie Anne’s, Burger King, Checkers, Chick-fil-A, Firehouse Subs, Five Guys, Jersey Mike’s Subs, Jimmy John’s, McDonald’s, Popeyes, Potbelly, Roy Rogers, Starbucks, Subway, Sonic Drive-In, Taco Bell and Wendy’s.

Frozen Desserts and Sweets: Baskin-Robbins, Bruster’s Ice Cream, Cold Stone Creamery, Crumbl Cookies, Dairy Queen, Rita’s Italian Ice and Sweet Frog.

Pizza: CiCis Pizza, Domino’s, Ledo Pizza, Little Caesars, Marco’s Pizza, MOD Pizza, Papa John’s Pizza and Pizza Hut.

The top 10 chains that originated in the U.S. by worldwide sales are McDonald’s, Starbucks, Subway, KFC, Burger King, Wendy’s, Dunkin’, Chick-fil-A, Domino’s and Taco Bell.

As far as my guilty pleasures, I try to not eat too much food that is bad for me, but, doggone it, some of these chain staples are go good, I can’t help myself. Consider these all-stars: the cheesecake case at Cheesecake Factory (like Cookie Monster in the supermarket bakery, all I can say is “What is this wonderful place?”); Cheddar Bay Biscuits at Red Lobster (top bread item in the world for me); Bloomin’ Onion at Outback Steakhouse (“What do you mean they’re shareable?”); unlimited salad and breadsticks at Olive Garden (you can make a meal out of these); free peanuts at Texas Roadhouse (peanut shells everywhere brings a smile to my face); guacamole and chips at Chili’s (I used to love it when they made the guac at your table); and, of course, KFC’s original recipe (God help me).

While we’re at it, let’s pay our respects to the dearly departed. These restaurants are no longer with us: Beefsteak Charlie’s, Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill, Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse, Burger Chef, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Chi-Chi’s, ESPN Zone, Furr’s, Good Earth, Hamburger Hamlet, Henry’s Hamburgers, Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon, Morrison’s Cafeteria, Royal Castle, Red Barn, Sambo’s, Showbiz Pizza Place and York Steak House.

The following chain restaurants are gone specifically from Frederick but not forgotten (I ate at all these at least once during my 40 years here): Baja Fresh, Beef O’Brady’s, Boston Market, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Chicago Pizza, Famous Dave’s, Ground Round, Hardee’s, Hard Times Cafe, Long John Silver’s, Mimi’s Cafe, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, Shoney’s, Smashburger and TCBY.

I got my wish recently when Potbelly came to town. But I want more! Not because I’m hung up on any of these chains, but (like most Americans) I want unlimited options.

And just to prove that we’re not all snobs in Frederick (or maybe we’re not as sophisticated as we think), I present to you some humble chain restaurants that are Best of the Best winners in Frederick. (I’ll bet you didn’t know some of these are chains!)

Best Barbecue Restaurant: Black Hog BBQ and Mission BBQ

Best Diner: Silver Diner

Best Hibachi Restaurant: Miyako

Best Mexican Restaurant: Plaza Mexico

Best Place to Eat with Kids: Cugino Forno

Best Chicken Wings: Anchor Bar

Best Cookies: Crumbl Cookies

Best Donuts: Fractured Prune

Best French Fries: McDonald’s

Best Fried Chicken: Giant Eagle

Best Pizza: Cugino Forno

Best Bagels: Zipani and Panera

Gary Bennett is a longtime Frederick resident who spends his time hiking, biking, volunteering and providing childcare for grandchildren. He is married and retired from his career as a nonprofit marketing executive.

Comedian Colin Mochrie in conversation ahead of his show in Frederick

By Gary Bennett

Thus article appears in the June 12, 2025 issue of Frederick News-Post’s “72 Hours” entertainment magazine.

Colin Mochrie, of “Whose Line Is It Anyway” fame, has made a career of making stuff up for laughs and couldn’t be prouder of it. He is one of those lucky ones who found his niche and stuck with it.

Mochrie and his buddy Brad Sherwood, also from “Whose Line,” will bring their improv comedy show “Asking for Trouble” to the Weinberg Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. June 15.

My wife and I caught their hilarious improv show in Hagerstown a few years ago, called “Scared Scriptless,” and just about split our sides laughing.

His everyman look and befuddled, dry sense of humor has made him a fan favorite for years. “Whose Line” is no longer in production, but its 17-year run over two incarnations in America makes it one of the longest running and best-known comedy shows ever. Mochrie not only starred in the two American versions (1998 to 2006 with Drew Carey on ABC and 2013 to 2022 with Aisha Tyler on the CW), he even starred in the British version from 1991 to 1998.

I spoke with Mochrie by phone in May to talk about his life, his career and the upcoming show in Frederick.

You were born in Scotland, south of Glasgow. Do you have any memories of Scotland? You emigrated when you were very young.

Yes, my parents and I would go back every summer to visit my grandparents, so I don’t have my earliest memories of Scotland but certainly going back there and, of course, as an adult going back there for the Edinburgh Festival and other things, I have those memories.

Why did you and your parents move to Canada?

I think my dad was one of those rare Scottish people who thought he could do better elsewhere. He had friends who had moved to Canada, so he moved my mom, brother and me, and yeah, it certainly worked out well for all of us.

First it was Vancouver, I believe, and then you moved to Toronto?

We started in Montreal, which was an odd choice — none of us spoke French, and nobody could understand our brogue. Then I ended up in Vancouver and then moved to Toronto, where I am now.

Why did you move to Toronto?

It was right after Expo ‘86 in Vancouver, and I sort of felt that I had done all I could at that point. I got hired for the Second City comedy troupe in Toronto by the woman who later became my wife. So it was a good move.

I am interested in the Theatresports league you played at in Vancouver. What exactly is that?

That’s where it all started for me. It was a strangely named theater. One of the local owners quite generously said, “You can have weekends after the main show here.” So we started our shows at 10 or 11 o’clock. We would go into McDonald’s next door and sort of wrangle audience members. They’d say “Well, what’s the show about?” and we’d say “We don’t know! You’ll have to help us!”

I understand that you were valedictorian of your high school class. Is that right?

I was, yes.

Obviously, you are very quick-witted. Were you studious and serious or just naturally very bright?

I was a bookworm. I was studious. It wasn’t until a friend of mine dared me to go out for a school play that things changed. My plans were to be a marine biologist — and then I got my first laugh and bye-bye biology. It was all about “now this is what I want.”

Getting laughs must be intoxicating.

You’re right. It is intoxicating to be able to get an entire audience to laugh at something you said. It just gave me something that I didn’t realize I needed.

You’ve written, produced and acted. What’s your favorite thing to do?

Acting! I love that I get to work with someone I trust. When I improvise, it’s usually with people I know, good friends. I love that. If you’re doing a movie or television, there are so many fingers in the pie. You have the director, the writers, the producers, and what you do may not end up in the final project. I love that when I‘m onstage and improvising, all the responsibility is on us. If we suck, it’s because we have sucked; we can’t blame anyone else. If it goes well, it’s because we did well.

I do want to ask about “Whose Line” a little bit. You’ve said that you worked with friends. You go way back with Ryan Stiles. How about the other two that were on the show? Wayne Brady was on most of the time, and there was a fourth person that sort of rotated. Was working with them as easy as with Ryan, or did that take more work?

It was pretty easy with Ryan. From day one, we kind of had the same sense of humor. It just fit very well. And with Wayne, Brad and Chip and all those guys, it was fairly easy. They are all excellent improvisors. I think that part of the reason that “Whose Line” did so well was that we really enjoyed each other. We had fun playing off each other.

I know you’re touring with Brad, so this may be hard to answer. But besides him, who was your favorite number four person on the show?

That is tough. Greg Proops is one. I first met Greg when we were doing the British “Whose Line,” so I’ve probably known him the longest, and he’s just one of my favorite people. It was always fun when he was on the show. Chip Esten is a lot of fun. Jeff Davis, too. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings (laughs).

You didn’t mention Jonathan Mangum. I really like him.

Oh God, I hate him! He’s horrible! (Laughing.) Again, he’s lovely. I think one of the uniting things about the people is that they’re all really nice people, which is unusual in comedy. Some people are not so nice.

So I also have to ask: Drew Carey or Aisha Tyler?

Yes! What I love about Drew is he was a big fan of the show. He just loved watching it and was the biggest laugher. And he was incredibly generous. He would take us on trips every year that would cost him quite a bit of money, but he’d say, “You guys work your asses off.” And Aisha added a new element. When I first heard she was going to do it, I thought “Oh, what are we going to do with her. She’s beautiful, she’s smart, she’s funny.” Then you find out she’s just a big nerd. She would give as good as she’d take. So both had their special skills.

What were some of your favorite games? I really loved when you did sound effects with the audience members and when you were the newscaster in front of the green screen — that was great. How about you?

My favorite was always Greatest Hits. Because, first of all, I got to sit down, which is always good. Then Ryan and I just bantered and handed it over to the two incredible improv singers. I got to be a participant and a viewer and it never failed to tickle me. I loved watching the singers, but there’s also a deep, piercing jealousy, thinking, “Why don’t I have that in my utility belt?” They were not only improvising, coming up with the lyrics, but also just sounding so good, being able to parody the genres that we threw at them.

I’ve seen Hoedown. You’re not a singer, are you?

(Laughing) I’m not. And that’s what makes this show so exciting with Brad. We started doing this thing where our second act includes a tribute [song] to the town that we’re playing in. That makes it exciting that only one of us can actually sing well.

Have you ever been to Frederick?

I think we have. But I think it’s been a while.

What were some of your least favorite games?

Hoedown, right off the top! I also wasn’t a fan of Props, because they would bring us these two big things that immediately reminded you of some kind of genitalia. So you’d try to think of other things. That was always a tough job.

You have said that you weren’t paid fairly for the show. Can you explain?

We basically provided all the content for the show as writers, in a way, but there was no credit given for that because there’s really no classification for improv. I mean, we weren’t getting Ted Danson money, but we were doing OK. But you’d think, “Somebody’s making more money than we are, and we are the reason there’s a show.” Also, there were no residuals. They sort of classified us as a reality or game show or something to get around that. Don’t get me wrong — everything I have, I owe to” Whose Line,” but there are times when you go, eh. I went to the producer’s house in London once and thought, “Well, this is where the money went.”

How did your tour with Bard come about? You’ve been touring with him since 2002?

Yeah, it was during the Drew years. Drew one day said, “Hey, I’m doing a gig Super Bowl weekend in Vegas — why don’t we all go? We’ll do improv instead of me doing standup.” So we said, “Great!” That became sort of a yearly thing. The only downside was that there were 10 of us so we really didn’t get a lot of chances to do stuff. Brad suggested we try a two-man thing where we just go on tour and do improv. We did a test run for 10 days, and it seemed to go well. That was 23 years ago, and we’re still going strong.

What’s next for you? Do you have any projects that you are working on or are going to be working on soon?

I’m doing these two tours, and then my wife and I are going to be starring in a film to be shot in Ontario this summer, and then there are a couple of television things in the works up here.

This interview has been edited for space and clarity.

‘You’re gonna need a bigger boat!’ Jaws celebrates 50 years

By Gary Bennett

This article appears in the June 5, 2025 edition of the Frederick News-Post’s entertainment insert “72 Hours.”

Has there ever been a more famous quote from a movie? A few may come to mind, but I’ll wager none serve to sum up the shocking, new-found peril faced by the protagonists like this famous one in the classic 1975 movie “Jaws.”

The well-known utterance from Chief Brody (played by Roy Scheider) came right after seeing for the first time the size and scale of the danger they faced as it glided past their small boat. It was said with a kind of matter-of-fact resignation and wide-eyed shock that seems to define the entire movie.

“Jaws” is celebrating its 50th anniversary this summer, having been released on June 20, 1975. Numerous festivities and events are planned. It will be re-released in theaters soon and is receiving a new home video release on June 17 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, with an additional two hours of bonus footage. “Jaws” currently streams on Peacock.

“Jaws” was highly advertised and anticipated in 1975. In those days, online pre-sales were not a thing, of course, and long lines dominated every theater in which it played. It was not unusual for theaters to sell out repeatedly for weeks, disappointing many theatergoers (including myself) more than once. “Jaws” became one of the first giant summer blockbuster movies.

The director of the film was a young, largely unknown auteur named Steven Spielberg. The threat of a good scare drew theatergoers in, but the masterful work of Spielberg and three first-rate actors kept us coming back for more. The movie propelled Spielberg to unprecedented heights as a director, and the three stars, especially a young Richard Dreyfuss, to bigger and better roles and movie stardom.

“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” — Chief Brody played by Roy Scheider

To say that “Jaws” had an outsized effect on popular culture in 1975 may be the understatement of all time. People were so afraid of going into the water that long stretches of beach up and down both coasts, but especially in New England where the movie was set, were largely deserted. I saw this firsthand in Ocean City in 1975 and will never forget the eerie scene. Inexplicably, people were even queasy about swimming in lakes, rivers and pools, lest they be surprised by a wayward great white.

There are many things that made “Jaws” a brilliant movie, much more than the promised maritime mayhem. Foremost was the work of Spielberg. He insisted on filming “Jaws” in the ocean rather than a tank. The rough seas made for shaky cameras and a realism that belied the subject matter. Secondly, and much like Alfred Hitchcock before him, much of the terror is never seen but implied. It is left up to the audience’s wild imagination to amp up the terror.

Take, for instance, the opening scene. A tipsy female partygoer decides to go skinny dipping in the ocean late at night. First you hear the ominous theme music — “duh dum, duh dum, duh dum” — but then all you see is the young lady struggling in the water in the dark and being pulled under repeatedly. She can’t see the beast as it attacks her, dragging her along the surface of the water until he finally decides to eat her alive under the water and out of sight. The ocean turns red.

This creative decision by Spielberg puts the viewers in the shoes of the doomed partygoer. Theaters were largely quiet during this scene — not even gasps from the shocked audience who were just settling into their seats. Spielberg later admitted that problems with the mechanical shark (nicknamed Bruce) forced him to keep it largely unseen until the end of the movie when audiences were already hooked.

Another classic scene is the death of a little boy playing innocently in a nearby lagoon, sent there because of shark sightings in the ocean. There’s a lot happening along the crowded beach. The film keeps cutting back and forth to the boy playing in the lagoon, a dog playing fetch, and Chief Brody worriedly watching the chaos in the ocean. When the shark’s famous melody kicks in, we know the boy and dog are in trouble. First the dog disappears and then the boy struggles for a short time and is pulled under with a shriek. In an instant, it is over.

Perhaps even better than Spielberg’s direction is the work of the two veteran actors, Robert Shaw as Captain Quint and Roy Scheider as Chief of Police Brody, and Dreyfuss as oceanologist Matt Hooper.

Doomed skinny-dipping partygoer just minutes into the movie.

The case can be made that “Jaws” is a buddy movie. It doesn’t start off that way as Quint and Hooper are constantly at each other’s throats, while Chief Brody tries heroically to keep them focused. Brody hires the salty, grizzled Quint to catch the shark while Hooper comes along at Brody’s behest, packed with all manner of hi-tech, shark-catching gizmos that Quint scoffs at. “I’ll bring you as ballast,” Quint sneers to the young Hooper.

After a few days of sighting the beast, spearing it with barrels and following it, the shark turns the tables and begins to hunt them, nearly pulling the doomed vessel apart. Then, late at night, as the three settle in for a short rest with a few well-deserved drinks, Quint and Hooper bond over injuries they’ve sustained in pursuit of their jobs.

Then comes THE MONOLOGUE. It is set right before the three have their final showdown with the shark. Even in a crowded theater, you could hear a pin drop as Quint tugs on his cap and speaks.

This long, sad remembrance of Quint’s doomed shipmates on the USS Indianapolis after they delivered the atom bomb in World War II cements Quint as one of the iconic movie characters of all time. As Brody and Hooper sit silently hanging on every word, Quint recalls the miserable tale of shipmates being eaten one by one by a host of sharks as the men bobbed helplessly in the Pacific Ocean waiting for rescue after their torpedoed ship goes down.

No matter how many times I see it, the power and delivery by Shaw is captivating. I challenge anyone reading this to find a clip of the monologue, watch it start to finish, and not be mesmerized. It is a stunning performance. Shaw should have won an Oscar for this monologue alone, but alas, he was not even nominated. The theory is that the three lead actors canceled each other out in the Oscar voting.