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Episode 95

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Published on:

1st Sep 2025

WELCOME TO OUR KITCHEN: We're reacting to a list of the top chain restaurants in the United States!

What are the top chain restaurants in the United States? Have we been to them? What do we think about them? You might be surprised by how many we have (or haven't!) been to.

We've also got a one-minute cooking tip about better batters for pancakes or cakes. And we're very happy about pork belly this week.

We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, authors of over three dozen cookbooks. Our latest is COLD CANNING: small batch preserving and canning without the need of any canner at all. If you'd like to check it out, please find it at this link.

Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:

[01:07] Our one-minute cooking tip: Never overmix a batter!

[03:25] The top fifteen chain restaurants in the United States . . . and what we think about them

[28:48] What’s making us happy in food this week? Pork belly two ways!

Transcript
bruce:

Hey, I am Bruce Weinstein and this is the podcast Cooking with Bruce and

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mark: Martin.

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And I'm Mark s Scarborough.

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And together with Bruce, we have

written 37 cookbooks, not counting

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Bruce's two knitting books, not

counting my memoir, not counting books.

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We wrote for celebrities, which we

can't talk about except one because

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they forgot a confidentiality agreement.

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Dr.

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Phil.

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They forgot that.

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Mm-hmm.

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I like to think that, uh, it's

just one of many mistakes he's

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made over the course of his career.

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bruce: Mm-hmm.

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But we emphasis on many.

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mark: Ye many, but we are not talking

about any of that in this episode.

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This episode of our podcast about food

and cooking is going to be about the top

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chain restaurants in the United States.

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And we're gonna go down the list of what

are the absolute top restaurants in the

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United States and whether we've been to

them and what do we think about them?

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And you might be surprised

by these answers.

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Uh, and we have some very strong

reactions to some of these.

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Mm-hmm.

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So, uh, we're gonna talk through that.

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And what are the top, let's say about

15 restaurants in the United States?

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Based on both sales and

number of locations.

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We've got a one minute cooking

tip and we'll tell you what's

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making us happy in food this week.

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So let's get started.

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bruce: Our one minute cooking tip.

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Never overmix a batter.

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Whether you're making pancakes or

banana bread, it doesn't matter.

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Leave the batter.

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Slightly lumpy.

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Most cake batters, slightly grainy.

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Exactly.

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You don't wanna activate the

weak gluten and begin to stretch

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them out and make it tough.

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mark: In our, in our book Alamo and

other books that we've written, Alamo,

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which is this ice cream cake pairing

book where every recipe is for a

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cake and an ice cream to go with it.

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Anyway, in that book, make

a big deal about you cannot.

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Overmix the butter and the eggs,

but you can definitely overmix

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it once you add the flour.

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Mm-hmm.

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That you could, once that butter and eggs

are starting to cream together, you, you

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can walk outta the kitchen and, I don't

know, take the dog out to the, to, to

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pee in the backyard and come back in.

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But in terms of, uh, working with

the flour, the minute it goes in

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the second you no longer see a piece

of dry white flour have to stop.

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But even if it's grainy,

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bruce: there's a reason Most

recipes say mix them in by hand.

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Right?

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Because you don't want to overmix it

or you're gonna have a tough cake.

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mark: And lemme say just so we're

gonna make this longer than one minute,

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as we always do, but let me just

say that you rarely mix it by hand.

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bruce: I rarely do.

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I will put the, uh, flour,

the dry ingredients.

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In my stand mixer and I put it on

the lowest possible setting, and as

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soon as it is mixed in, it's done.

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And it's on slow, slow, slow.

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And it barely, barely mixes, right?

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But unless you're really comfortable,

you know, watching your mixer and

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knowing that moment, it's done to a band,

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mark: right?

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Right.

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Your pancake batter

should be slightly lumpy.

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Your cake batter and brownie batter,

et cetera, should be slightly grainy.

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Okay, that's our one minute cooking tip.

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Let me just say that we are here every

week and we'd love for you to be with

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us, so don't forget to subscribe to

this podcast so that you don't miss an

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episode of cooking with Bruce and Martin.

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We're delighted and very grateful

that you've chosen us in a giant

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landscape of podcasts and, um,

we don't, we're so old school.

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We don't even have a video

component to this podcast.

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Nope.

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This is just an old audio

podcast, which is so pandemic.

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I can't explain it, but Okay.

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It is what it is, and

thanks for being with us.

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Okay.

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Up next our list of the top 15 or so

chain restaurants in the United States.

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bruce: Okay.

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You handed me this list.

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I did and, and I was

actually a little shocked.

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Um, you said, did I wanna actually

see the list before we met or not?

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I did.

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mark: Oh, well this is

behind the scenes stuff.

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Yeah.

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But yes, I did because I, I, I wondered

if Bruce wanted to have an honest

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reaction or he wanted to see the

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bruce: list.

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Well, it was funny 'cause when you told

me we were doing the top restaurant

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chains, I missed the word chains.

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I just heard the top

restaurants, United States.

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mark: Oh, you said we're gonna

do like five star dining?

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Well,

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bruce: I wasn't sure.

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You said the restaurants that make the

most money, that have the most visitors.

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So you handed me this list, I'm like.

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Everything is so downscale,

but it's not surprising.

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No.

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I mean, no, no, no.

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It's a country of 320 million people.

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Right.

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They gotta eat somewhere

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mark: more than that, I think.

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But anyway, I, what we wanna do

is what we're gonna, I'm gonna

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tell you what they are and the,

the, this is a rubric I worked out

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through research, and these are the.

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Top 15 or so restaurants

in the United States.

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And then I'll tell you what,

they are ranked in terms of

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revenue and number of locations.

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It's not the same.

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So like the number one restaurant is

number one in revenue, but it's not

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number one in the number of its locations.

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So I'll tell you that and then

we'll kind of respond to it.

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I wanna know like, has Bruce

ever been, have I ever been

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in, what do we think about it?

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Okay, so here we go.

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The number one restaurant in

the United States is McDonald's

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bruce: Kel Sapr.

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mark: Without a, without a single

doubt, it is the number one in revenue.

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However.

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It is number three in terms of

the number of locations mm-hmm.

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Of McDonald's.

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So, uh, have you ever been to McDonald's?

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bruce: Uh, not since I was a child.

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Oh, not since you were a

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mark: child?

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Mm-hmm.

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I guess that's a similar answer for me.

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Not since I was a child and

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bruce: I'm talking like six,

seven years old, and that was.

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That was the last time I had a McDonald's.

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mark: Well, I mean, uh, we did,

we talked about this in the

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last episode of the podcast.

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We did stop and get a Diet Coke

there, and I will say that this

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is really terrible and not a good

advertisement for McDonald's.

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But I will say that when you're traveling

around the rural United States, for

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example, when we're crossing through

rural Nevada on our way to Utah,

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McDonald's is always a place for a

clean restrooms, very clean bathrooms.

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So there you go.

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But

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bruce: you wanna get in and out

of there fast, otherwise you

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close, stink, like McDonald's.

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So there, there is, you know, it's

like when you go to a mall and

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there's that aroma that kind of

makes you wanna linger and shop.

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No, that,

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mark: that aroma is

instant headache for me.

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I, I walk in the door of a

mall and have a headache,

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bruce: but McDonald's has the aroma.

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That's different.

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mark: Yeah.

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And

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bruce: it clings.

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mark: Um, well, I suppose, um, okay.

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The number two restaurant

chain in the United States,

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and it is number two in both.

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In terms of its revenue and in

terms of its number of locations.

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So this one is truly,

number two is Starbucks.

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bruce: Okay.

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I go to Starbucks a lot and

I like Starbucks, but here's

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what I think about Starbucks.

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mark: You go to Starbucks so much.

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Mm-hmm.

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That they have your money stored in their

app and you give them money that they

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hold on, float through their app, go on

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bruce: $10 is what I keep on my Starbucks.

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Go on.

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mark: Yeah,

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bruce: sure.

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That way I can.

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Order in advance.

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And when I get there, it is ready.

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And I don't have to wait in line with

those people waiting for their Starbucks.

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But Starbucks, it's good.

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It's okay, but it's consistent.

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So Starbucks is like

having a gas fireplace.

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mark: Oh, now you're,

now you're backing up.

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No, I like Starbucks.

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bruce: Yeah, you do.

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I do like Starbucks, but I

like it because I know what I'm

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gonna get and it's consistent.

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And again, it's like a gas

fireplace and you can have it.

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Everywhere you go.

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Okay.

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Okay.

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It's okay.

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It's not the best.

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Alright,

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mark: I'm gonna cut you off

and say I hate Starbucks.

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I know you do.

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So I, Bruce is much more the

big snob than I am in terms

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of food, but I hate Starbucks.

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I hate the taste of the coffee.

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First of all, I do not understand

why I need 175 liters of coffee.

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I, I do not understand this.

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The giant sizes, and I never do

any of the, I don't know, lime

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syrup, popcorn, fluffy soda.

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There's no coffee in those.

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I don't, I never do that stuff,

but when I have the coffee, I.

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I just think it tastes burned, and

I think it tastes like the crap that

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my father would have in the office.

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My father had this idea that you made

a pot of coffee in his office in the

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morning, and you didn't drink it till

about 2:00 PM so it sat there and oxidized

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on the burner and got stronger and

stronger and more and more bitter and.

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I think that's what Starbucks tastes like.

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Well,

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bruce: that's how your father grew up.

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And because his father boiled

his coffee like that did.

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So your father was used to that.

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But if I'm faced in a situation where

there's a Starbucks downstairs in

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my hotel or right next door, and the

only other coffee is that horrible

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little machine that's sitting in the.

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Hotel room, I'll

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mark: take the machine.

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bruce: Oh, you don't know what

people have done in that machine.

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Oh,

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mark: stop.

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bruce: I'm going to Starbucks.

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Oh,

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mark: stop.

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Um, in case you don't know, there

is a whole subculture of people

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who use the coffee maker in a

motel room to wash their underwear.

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They put their underwear in it

and run hot water through it.

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It's a whole thing.

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Mm-hmm.

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So, okay, number three.

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Number three restaurant in the

United States is Chick-fil-A.

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And it is number three

in terms of its revenue.

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But here's what's interesting.

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It's number.

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18 in terms of the number of locations.

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So it's way down the list in terms

of how many Chick-fil-A's there are,

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but it is number three in revenue.

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It tells you

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bruce: they're selling a lot at each one.

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I've never been,

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mark: I've never been,

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bruce: no.

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And I don't want this to become

political, but they do have.

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They do have a whole philosophy

that I do not agree with.

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mark: Yeah, and this is, what's

it, I, I'm gonna just stop and

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talk about this for a minute.

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I remember very clearly the first

time I got on Facebook and I, I,

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this is, you know, years ago when I

first got on Facebook and, um, I was,

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you know, being myself and I post,

I think this is back during George.

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Bush the second.

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Second term.

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Mm-hmm.

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And I posted something incredibly

political and it didn't get

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posted more than an hour before.

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My literary agent called me personally

and said, what are you doing?

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Do you only wanna sell books?

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Do people who agree with you,

or do you wanna sell books And.

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I was so dumbfounded by this, and it

was the first time it really hit me

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that, wait a minute, if you're running

a business or you're trying to sell

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something, you know, maybe you should

just keep your nose out of things

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and just be positive and et cetera.

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And I, this is the problem with something

like Chick-fil-A, and again, I don't

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wanna get, uh, a political either.

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Why make political identities

central to who you are?

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I don't,

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bruce: it hasn't hurt them, though.

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They're number three in income.

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No,

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mark: it hasn't hurt them.

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In, in, it is number three in, in income

and I have never been to a Chick-fil-A.

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Okay.

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Number four on the list is Taco Bell.

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And Taco Bell is the fourth in

terms of the revenue it generates.

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But fifth, in terms of the number of

locations across the United States, uh,

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we'll get to the fourth biggest in terms

of location in a minute, but, okay.

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Taco Bell.

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So, uh, never been.

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bruce: Don't like diarrhea,

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mark: not going.

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Mm-hmm.

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I guess that is the thing I have to say.

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When I was a kid growing up in Dallas,

there was a Taco Bell on Forest Lane

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and it was near where I lived and I

loved Tex-Mex food and I didn't have

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any money except for mowing yards.

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So I will say that when I had a

car in high school, I would go to

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Taco Bell and I will honestly say.

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That's the last time I've ever been

to Taco Bell, so I doubt I've been to

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a Taco Bell since I went to college.

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bruce: Well, I get it.

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I mean, when I was that age, I loved KFC.

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It's not even on this list, but I

loved KFC when I was a kid, so, oh, yes

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mark: it is.

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You just don't know where it is yet.

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Yes it is on this list.

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Look

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bruce: down the whole list here.

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Okay,

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mark: well, yeah, taco Bell.

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So, I don't know, it's hard for

me to even say, uh, bow Taco Bell.

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And, um, also, I don't know, there

aren't that many taco bells around

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us are there, here, new England.

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bruce: I don't need Bell England.

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Don't know that.

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Any around here.

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I mean I was growing up, we had some

in Queens, but Right, there's, I

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don't think there's any around here.

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It always killed me in Dallas.

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'cause Dallas was full when we

used to go when you were older.

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There's so many fabulous Hispanic

places to go and get real tacos.

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Yet we always tell your mom we want tacos.

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And she go, let's go to Taco Bell.

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mark: Yeah, I know Bries and I do

go to this place that is outside

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of Hartford in West Hartford.

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And when we're over there by the Costco.

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And, uh, we, uh, go, it's a,

it's a Mexican crude restaurant

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and we go and have tacos and

lemme tell you, it is not fancy.

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Mm-hmm.

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It's about as fancy as Taco Bell

and the tacos are not expensive.

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They're super cheap, but

they're super delicious.

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Yeah.

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You can

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bruce: get it with like grilled heart.

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mark: Grilled tongue.

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You can, you can get

tongue tacos, which I love.

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Okay, so the fifth most popular

restaurant, or the most successful

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restaurant in the United States

is Wendy's, and it's never had it.

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It's fifth in terms of revenue, but ninth

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bruce: in

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mark: terms of the number of locations.

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Bottom

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bruce: of my list.

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Never been

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mark: okay.

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You've never been All right.

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I will say that I haven't been to Wendy's.

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Since I was in college, but it was

the standard thing in college when

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they opened a Wendy's, I went to

Baylor in Waco, and when they opened

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a Wendy's across the street from the

main campus, we would literally go

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to dinner in the, in the dining room,

eat, you know, on campus, on board.

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And then about nine o'clock we would

inevitably go to Wendy's and sit there

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in Wendy's and have a Wendy's hamburger.

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This was like.

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Over and over again there.

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The freshman 15 is a real thing.

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15 pounds you put on a as a freshman

is a real honest to God thing.

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That's probably the

last time I had Wendy's.

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My parents lived on Wendy's

at the end of their lives.

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There was

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bruce: a Wendy's in our town here in rural

New England, and it closed, it couldn't,

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it couldn't even sustain a Wendy's.

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That's

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mark: how rural we are.

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Is that the little town near,

it's not even in our town.

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It's in the, it's in that biggest

town, which is tiny near us, and they

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did open a Wendy's and it closed back.

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Down and now there's this poor guy

trying to run a Peruvian restaurant in

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there, which is just cracking me out.

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It's never in there.

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I mean, I feel sorry for him.

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Peruvian restaurant in rural, and I

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bruce: thought we might go and get one

of their whole grilled chickens one

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night, but he's like $37 for a chicken.

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mark: Okay, so.

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No.

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So anyway, okay, the sixth biggest

restaurant in the United States in

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terms of revenue, and it's the fourth

in terms of the number of locations.

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So it's really got more locations

everywhere than, uh, others.

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And this is very near and dear

to New England's heart is Dunking

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bruce: Donuts.

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Uh, say it right, it's

just Dunking Dunking.

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They've changed their name.

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It is dunking.

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It's no longer donuts.

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It's no longer part of the world.

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Is that

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mark: really right?

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They, they changed the name officially.

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It's just dunking.

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Okay.

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Well Dunking.

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So Dunking is it, and uh,

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bruce: it's near and dear to my heart.

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I grew up with Dunking Donuts back when

it was Dunking Donuts, and I love them.

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On Sunday mornings, my dad would

go get a big box of donuts, and

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I love the cream filled ones.

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But they've gotten so sweet.

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It just tastes like sugar now.

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Uh, it

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mark: does.

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I was gonna say that, uh, my last blood

draw for a physical, I went, we went,

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uh, you know, to have the blood draw

and you can't eat beforehand and at

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the end I was, I, I'm needle phobic.

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This is more than you need to

know, but I'm needle phobic.

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So I got through the blood

draw and we, we got out of it

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and I was like, I'm gonna get.

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Dunking Donuts.

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Your reward has my reward

for getting my blood draw.

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I know it's ridiculous.

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A blood draw.

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But, uh, we stopped and we bought, I

think we bought little donut holes.

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The minis?

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bruce: Yeah, the dunk, the munchkins.

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Is that what they call 'em?

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Yeah, the munchkins.

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I don't

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mark: even know the donut holes.

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I'm going to use the bad words.

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And, uh.

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We got halfway home and we

didn't even eat what we bought.

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They were too sweet.

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It was, it

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bruce: was so sugary.

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That's all it was, was sugary.

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:

It was.

413

:

I didn't taste wheat.

414

:

I didn't taste the cake part of it.

415

:

It just tasted like sugar.

416

:

Okay.

417

:

mark: So the seventh most popular

restaurant in the United States in

418

:

terms of it's revenue, it's seventh

in revenue, it's sixth in, the number

419

:

of its location is Burger King,

and I want to say right up front.

420

:

I have never been

421

:

bruce: Burger King got

me through high school.

422

:

Alright.

423

:

I went to high school in middle,

middle Manhattan on 46th and

424

:

Broadway, and there was a Burger

King on 45th and sixth Avenue.

425

:

Okay.

426

:

And I would get Burger King probably three

days a week for lunch in high school.

427

:

mark: Okay.

428

:

When I was a little kid, this is not

on the list, but when I was a little

429

:

kid, there were dairy Queens in

Oklahoma where my grandparents lived.

430

:

And there were also Dairy Kings

and they were competing, of

431

:

course, they were, uh, chains.

432

:

And my grandmother would

not go to Dairy King.

433

:

She only went to Dairy Queen.

434

:

I like to think of this as

her one feminist moment.

435

:

Her one glorious Steinem moment is

that she would only go to Dairy Queen.

436

:

Your

437

:

bruce: grandmother and

Gloria Steinem the same

438

:

mark: sentence.

439

:

They are, they are, they

made to be together.

440

:

Okay, so.

441

:

The eighth most popular restaurant

in the United States is the number

442

:

one restaurant in terms of its number

of locations, but it's eighth in

443

:

terms of revenue, and that is Subway.

444

:

bruce: The only time I have

ever had a Subway is the same

445

:

time you've had a Subway.

446

:

It was the morning your dad died

and I went out to get us all lunch.

447

:

mark: That's right.

448

:

bruce: And I went to Subway.

449

:

That's right.

450

:

And I brought us all

back stuff from Subway.

451

:

mark: You went to Starbucks to make

coffee, and you also then went to Subway

452

:

and you brought Subway sandwiches back.

453

:

Did.

454

:

Bruce, literally, this is too gross

to sustain a podcast, but Bruce

455

:

literally walked into the hospice

room 30 seconds after my dad died,

456

:

and he came in with all this food.

457

:

Very proud of himself.

458

:

As I'm running out of the room to get the

nurse, because dad has stopped breathing.

459

:

And, um, it was so funny 'cause

he was just so proud of himself

460

:

and I, as I pass him in this

hallway of this beautiful hospice

461

:

facility, I literally say Dad died.

462

:

Said as I'm running past him.

463

:

And, uh, it's funny now, it

wasn't funny at the moment.

464

:

And so after the nurse came in

and, you know, we ascertained

465

:

that in fact he had passed away.

466

:

Then we went down to one

of their beautiful lobbies.

467

:

This place in Dallas was crazy.

468

:

We went out there.

469

:

Beautiful lobbies and we sat

there and ate Subway tarbucks.

470

:

It was the only time tarbucks I've ever

had it Tarbucks coffee, and I think that

471

:

might be the only time I've had it and

I can't, I cannot even remember that.

472

:

That's what you brought.

473

:

Mm-hmm.

474

:

I know I sat in that lounge and ate

something, but I don't even remember.

475

:

Okay.

476

:

The ninth most popular

restaurant in the United States.

477

:

Ninth and Hertz of revenue.

478

:

10th in terms of the number of

its locations is Domino's Pizza.

479

:

bruce: I had it, uh, for a brief

period when I moved to Cleveland, Ohio,

480

:

and I was living in Shaker Heights,

481

:

mark: unfortunate Cleveland Sojourn.

482

:

bruce: I was living in Shaker

Heights and I had just moved in.

483

:

The furniture was delivered.

484

:

It was about six o'clock.

485

:

I was hungry.

486

:

And my neighbor in the building

said Domino's delivered.

487

:

So I called them and they were so

nice when I told 'em I just moved in.

488

:

They sent me like free sides and

free extras and coupons for pizzas.

489

:

So I just kept ordering from

Domino's for about six months.

490

:

mark: Okay.

491

:

And I'm gonna say right up front,

I have never been to Domino's.

492

:

I've never had a Dominos

Pizza that I know of.

493

:

I mean, maybe when dad died, you got

a Domino's Pizza and I didn't know it.

494

:

Um, as far as I know, I've never been

to Domino's, so I can't tell you.

495

:

I have a reverential

attitude toward pizza.

496

:

Pizza to me is one of the divine food

groups, and I don't know, Domino's, just,

497

:

I'm too scared of it, so I've never been.

498

:

I have to say that I lived in New York

City, the home of a slice for 10 years

499

:

with Bruce, and I actually had one slice.

500

:

Once.

501

:

Oh my God.

502

:

So I, I will tell you that I'm

so reverential about pizza.

503

:

I wouldn't even go into

New York slice places.

504

:

Slice.

505

:

Oh my God.

506

:

But there no

507

:

bruce: ma, there's no

bad pizza in New York.

508

:

That's the thing about New York.

509

:

Even

510

:

mark: the pizza I had was not good.

511

:

It was, it was gummy and gross.

512

:

I didn't like it.

513

:

No.

514

:

Okay, we're moving on the 10th most

popular restaurant in the United States.

515

:

10th in terms of also its

revenue, but 16th in terms of

516

:

the number of its location.

517

:

And you might know why

its revenue is high.

518

:

When I tell you this is Chipotle, that's

'cause most people find it expensive.

519

:

It is expensive.

520

:

So maybe that's why it's down the list

in terms of the number of locations,

521

:

but up in terms of its revenue

522

:

bruce: of all the fast food that's

available out there when I go

523

:

to airports or anything else.

524

:

I will go to a Chipotle.

525

:

I've had it before.

526

:

Right.

527

:

It's, it's okay.

528

:

Um, I don't, I'm never

afraid of getting sick.

529

:

I'm never remember when

530

:

mark: we wanted to go to Chipotle

with my brother and he wouldn't go.

531

:

My brother is Nuia and he

wouldn't, he made us go to Q Dobo

532

:

instead because it was cheaper.

533

:

He wouldn't go to Chipotle

because that was fancy.

534

:

Mm-hmm.

535

:

So.

536

:

We would, we missed out on the Chipotle.

537

:

I have, I've had Chipotle a handful

of times, and I have to say that

538

:

everything I've had is okay.

539

:

Yeah, I mean, that's fine.

540

:

There's, there's nothing that

is grand, but you're right.

541

:

Going to a rest, uh, a restaurant,

going through an airport or

542

:

going fast through train station

or something like that, it's.

543

:

It's a fine thing to happen.

544

:

Mm-hmm.

545

:

Okay.

546

:

The 11th most popular restaurant in the

United States, I have a story about it.

547

:

It's 12th in terms of its revenue,

but eighth in terms of its location.

548

:

So when you figure it out and do all the

math on it, it comes out as the 11th.

549

:

Most popular is Pizza Hut.

550

:

Never

551

:

bruce: been.

552

:

Um, even I have my limits with pizza.

553

:

Oh, okay.

554

:

And gee, I will not standards.

555

:

mark: I do.

556

:

Okay.

557

:

My grandmother, the same one

who would only go to Dairy

558

:

Queen, she loved Pizza Hut.

559

:

This is in the seventies,

and she didn't know.

560

:

What it was called.

561

:

So she always called that Pizza Hut.

562

:

So we were always going to Pizza

Hut and, but that's back in the

563

:

day when you couldn't pre-order.

564

:

So it was this whole thing

about, oh, it takes forever.

565

:

So she would literally bring snacky

food in her purse because it would

566

:

take so long for the pizza to come.

567

:

And so we would sit there at the table

sneaking snacks out of her burgers.

568

:

Did they?

569

:

Salads or appetizers.

570

:

We, I came from a very middle class

home and we couldn't afford such things.

571

:

So we had pizza at Pizza Hut

and then that's all we had

572

:

is the pizza at Pizza Hut.

573

:

Uh, so my upbringing was not fancy

to say the little, but there also

574

:

bruce: wasn't Pizza Huts in

New York when I was growing up.

575

:

We were growing New York.

576

:

It was.

577

:

Real pizza places with

Italian pizza places.

578

:

I mean, I'm

579

:

mark: so old that I remember when there

was a huge thing between Pizza Hut

580

:

and Pizza Inn, and it was this whole

rivalry thing about which you liked.

581

:

And I remember in high school

those whole discussions about

582

:

Pizza Hut versus Pizza Inn.

583

:

It's the whole thing.

584

:

Okay.

585

:

The 12th most popular restaurant

in the United States, which is

586

:

15th in terms of its location,

then 17th in terms of its revenue.

587

:

But again, when you do all the math out,

it comes out as the 12th most popular.

588

:

Is Popeye's and I have never been.

589

:

bruce: Never been.

590

:

Don't even know what they sell.

591

:

I think.

592

:

Fried chicken.

593

:

Fried chicken.

594

:

Do they have burgers too?

595

:

mark: I am not sure.

596

:

Isn't this funny?

597

:

Here's two established

food writers with 37 Co.

598

:

Salmon.

599

:

I don't

600

:

bruce: even know what they have.

601

:

mark: I've never been.

602

:

Okay.

603

:

The thirteenth's most popular

we're moving on is Panera Bread.

604

:

It is the 11th most popular

in terms of its revenue.

605

:

It makes the 11th most

revenue of any chain.

606

:

It's the 24th in terms of its number

of locations, which tells you that it.

607

:

Lives up to his reputation.

608

:

For some people that it's expensive.

609

:

Yeah, so they're making a lot

of money on what they sell.

610

:

bruce: It is expensive, it's high end,

but I find Panera Bread to be bland.

611

:

The bread is soft.

612

:

The bread doesn't very soft

taste like great soft bread.

613

:

The sandwiches, the meats, all that,

you know, industrial, processed meat.

614

:

So I don't really think I'm

getting anything extra for the

615

:

extra money I'm spending there.

616

:

Um, but I've had it in a pinch.

617

:

I'll get their chicken

salad on some bread.

618

:

But

619

:

mark: yeah, I get the Turkey sandwiches.

620

:

I, I mean our dog, oh my God.

621

:

Here's a story for you.

622

:

So our dog, our dog likes Panera Bread.

623

:

No he doesn't, but he was playing

around in the backyard with Bruce and

624

:

they were chasing the ball and Bruce

was chasing the ball back and forth.

625

:

And sometimes Bruce pretends to throw it

one way and then throws it another way.

626

:

Well, once he did this and our colleague.

627

:

Ran the wrong way.

628

:

He ran the way that Bruce was fainting

and not the way he was actually throwing

629

:

the ball and ran straight headfirst into

a big stone wall, and he was injured.

630

:

He was limping on a front leg and

a back leg, and we were scared

631

:

that something was really wrong.

632

:

And so I had to go to

the vet emergency room.

633

:

Believe me, you're spending money.

634

:

The dog is fine, everything

is fine, but it took hours

635

:

of x-rays and all this stuff.

636

:

So I took myself to Panera

Bread and I have to say.

637

:

I had a Turkey sandwich.

638

:

I had one of the half halves, like a small

cup of soup and a half a Turkey sandwich.

639

:

It wasn't bad.

640

:

I mean, I sat there and played social

media on my phone and it was okay.

641

:

I mean, would I go outta my way

to get a Panera Bread sandwich?

642

:

No, but I know why it has.

643

:

The reputation it has.

644

:

Mm-hmm.

645

:

It also was expensive.

646

:

bruce: Yes, it is.

647

:

mark: It was even expensive

for my half, half thing.

648

:

Okay.

649

:

So the 14th possible restaurant in

the United States 13th in terms of

650

:

its revenue, but 14th in terms of

its number of locations, is Sonic.

651

:

I have a story about Sonic too.

652

:

bruce: Never been there.

653

:

Okay.

654

:

Never see.

655

:

mark: Bridge had never

been to half these places.

656

:

I've never been to some of them,

but Bridge has never been to half.

657

:

Uh, here's my story about Sonic.

658

:

When I was a kid, my paternal

grandmother lived in rural

659

:

Oklahoma and she loved Sonic.

660

:

And we would go get Sonics

in Ardmore, Oklahoma.

661

:

We would drive and get Sonic

Hamburgers, and my mother would throw a.

662

:

Fit in the car on our way to get

them, because Sonic Hamburgers had

663

:

mayonnaise and my mother had this thing

about no mayonnaise on hamburgers.

664

:

She hated it.

665

:

She thought Mustard was the

only proper T, but she's

666

:

bruce: wrong too.

667

:

It's ketchup, blah.

668

:

mark: So they're both wrong.

669

:

Okay, blah, blah, blah.

670

:

What killed me about this is as

she got older, my mother would

671

:

only eat mayonnaise on hamburgers.

672

:

So even though when I was a kid,

she threw fits about going to

673

:

Sonic because of the mayonnaise.

674

:

Later in life, that's all

she ate was mayonnaise.

675

:

Hamburgers.

676

:

So I guess people do change.

677

:

Mm-hmm.

678

:

In terms of Sonic, I don't

really remember much about Sonic.

679

:

I have to say I still remember it in

Ardmore that they came out to your car.

680

:

bruce: Oh.

681

:

Is that one of those places back then with

682

:

mark: roller skates?

683

:

Well, I don't remember roller skates,

but I remember they came out to your car.

684

:

Would they hang a tray on your

window or they just gave you the bag?

685

:

Wasn't um, what was the place

a and w root beer that would

686

:

like hang the trail then window?

687

:

No, they would just hand you the bag.

688

:

Mm-hmm.

689

:

That's what I remember

at the Sonic in Amoy.

690

:

And we're talking, this is

like the early seventies.

691

:

Finally, we're gonna end at the

15th most popular restaurant in the

692

:

United States, 14th in terms of its

revenue, 12th in terms of its number

693

:

of locations, which tells you about

the inexpensiveness of the food.

694

:

There's more of these, but they're

making less revenue, so they're

695

:

really cutting their margins thin.

696

:

And that's KFC.

697

:

bruce: Yeah, it used to be called

Kentucky Fried Chicken, right?

698

:

They wanted to get rid of the

fried part, and maybe they wanted

699

:

to get rid of the Kentucky part.

700

:

I don't know.

701

:

I So now it's just KFC.

702

:

When I was a kid, I lived on it, loved it.

703

:

It was great.

704

:

I don don't think what they're

705

:

mark: sad about rebranding it.

706

:

I, I wonder if they're sad

about, I mean, because now

707

:

bruce: sad a corporation.

708

:

Sad.

709

:

I know, I know.

710

:

That's why I don't know

what you're asking.

711

:

I

712

:

mark: know, but Kentucky Fried now, when

they changed that, uh, how do I say this?

713

:

When they changed that 20 years

ago to KFC, you know, they were

714

:

trying to make it more national.

715

:

Now everybody's into kind of a local

cuisine, and so I thought, oh, this

716

:

is like chicken fried in Kentucky.

717

:

Suddenly it seems much more romanticized

or I idealized or something.

718

:

It's also shorter.

719

:

bruce: KFC is.

720

:

Easy.

721

:

It, it's short, it's, it's dunking.

722

:

I mean, you want to get

really short and quick.

723

:

You could do so much more

with the logo with KFC.

724

:

It is.

725

:

It is.

726

:

Yeah.

727

:

But I used to love it, but

728

:

mark: you

729

:

bruce: know.

730

:

mark: Okay.

731

:

Now I don't.

732

:

This is a place I've never been.

733

:

Mm.

734

:

So I grew up in a family.

735

:

That fried chicken, my

mother made fried chicken.

736

:

My grandmother's, both of them.

737

:

Fried chicken.

738

:

I never had KFCI, I don't know.

739

:

It was, it was considered anathema in

my family because, you know, somebody

740

:

would bring, so, okay, here's my story.

741

:

On the hottest weekend of August,

my father's family would have

742

:

a family reunion at Lake Murray

outside of Ardmore, Oklahoma.

743

:

And we would sit on a concrete

slab when it was a thousand degrees

744

:

outside and have this family reunion.

745

:

It was horrible.

746

:

And, uh, swim at.

747

:

Elephant rock in Lake Murray and somebody,

inevitably, some great aunt or somebody

748

:

would bring a bucket of KFC and my

grandmother was always appalled because

749

:

she would've been up since 4:00 AM frying

chicken that she brought that was her own.

750

:

I mean, I would've gone for

751

:

bruce: her fried chicken, of course.

752

:

Right.

753

:

And she was, she my choice.

754

:

Just always

755

:

mark: appalled.

756

:

bruce: KFC is not, was never my.

757

:

Favorite, I loved it, but when we were

a real treat, my dad would go a chicken

758

:

delight, and that was, I don't even know

what that is, the best fried chicken ever.

759

:

mark: I don't even

760

:

bruce: know what that is.

761

:

It was, I think it was a local chain.

762

:

If it's, if you are listening to this

and you knew of a chicken delight outside

763

:

of Queens in New York, let me know.

764

:

mark: Okay, well, I don't know.

765

:

Again, KFC was consider.

766

:

Bad because again, some gradient, and

let me tell you just to tell you where

767

:

I'm from, where I come from, I'm talking

about women named Thelma and Myrtle.

768

:

So it's either Thelma or Wilma.

769

:

Fay or Myrtle would bring KFC.

770

:

This is where I'm from, people.

771

:

And uh, there you go.

772

:

I have Wilma Faye, I always wanted to

name one of my dogs, Wilma Faye, but

773

:

bruce: name one Wilma one.

774

:

mark: No, no, no.

775

:

It's gotta be the whole thing.

776

:

Wool Mae.

777

:

So, uh, that's a podcast

about, uh, the most popular

778

:

restaurants in the United States.

779

:

I know, it's crazy.

780

:

We just thought we'd go down it and see

what we thought about them and whether

781

:

we'd been, it's amazing between the

two of us, how many of them we haven't.

782

:

Mm-hmm.

783

:

Been to.

784

:

Since these are such popular places

to be, oh, I'm just a food snob.

785

:

What can you say?

786

:

Uh, I don't know that I'm a food snob.

787

:

I just at times haven't ever

been around these kind of places.

788

:

Okay.

789

:

About Domino's.

790

:

I'm a slob.

791

:

A snob?

792

:

Well, I'm a slob too, but I'm

also a snob, uh, about Domino's.

793

:

But other ones I don't know.

794

:

I've been a lot as a

kid, not so much as an.

795

:

So that's the rundown.

796

:

Uh, let me say that, uh, we're

really glad you're with us.

797

:

If you could review this podcast, if

you could rate it, if you could give

798

:

us a rating, even like great podcast

that helps us in the analytics, you

799

:

know, we're not supported otherwise,

so that is the way that you can support

800

:

us and we really appreciate that.

801

:

Sorry for this being so US-centric.

802

:

I know we have a lot of Canadian

and Australian listeners, um,

803

:

but you know, we should put

804

:

bruce: Tim Horton's on

805

:

mark: there.

806

:

Oh, hor.

807

:

And maybe coming up this list,

rising up this list even as we

808

:

speak in the United States, given

what Tim Hortons is doing here.

809

:

Uh, so anyway, uh, sorry it was a bit

US centric, but, uh, so it is, uh, we'll

810

:

move on to something else next week

in the podcast if you subscribe to it.

811

:

And thanks for doing that.

812

:

So as is tradition.

813

:

The last segment of this podcast, what's

making us happy in food this week?

814

:

bruce: Something that is

in the refrigerator that is

815

:

going to be cooked tonight.

816

:

Crispy skinned pork belly.

817

:

mark: No, it's related to what I

was gonna say, but not exactly.

818

:

And

819

:

bruce: so we have friends coming

for Chinese food tonight and I

820

:

am making this Cantonese Sue.

821

:

And it is.

822

:

Pork belly that is roasted in the

oven till the skin is bubbly and

823

:

crisp and you have to start the day

before and you salt it and you let

824

:

it dry out all the moisture, and

you let it sit in the refrigerator

825

:

overnight to dry out the skin.

826

:

Then you give it a little brush of

vinegar and roast it for half hour,

827

:

then brush it with oil and roast

it another half hour, and it's.

828

:

Skin gets bubbly and crispy and

it's delicious and that's what's

829

:

gonna make me happy tonight.

830

:

mark: Okay, well, so what's making

me happy in food this week is also a

831

:

pork belly, but that is last weekend

we had some friends over for just

832

:

a really ca casual, I know this is

how casual, but Bruce made Korean

833

:

food and he made this Korean stir

fry that is kimchi and pork belly.

834

:

And you sliced the pork belly

really, really thinly so that

835

:

it's quickly stir fried, right?

836

:

Mm-hmm.

837

:

And then you stir fry it

with kimchi and it was.

838

:

It was good.

839

:

So hot.

840

:

It was, uh, several of us, well there

were four of us, but two of us at

841

:

least, were running for Kleenexes

'cause our nose were running.

842

:

Um, it was so hot, but

it was so delicious.

843

:

And the kimchi was our own from the

book called Can, and it was hot.

844

:

That's part of it.

845

:

It was hot.

846

:

bruce: So not only did you use the hot

kimchi, that I added a ton of gochugaru

847

:

flakes for the extra, the extra jeans.

848

:

It was good.

849

:

mark: Much eat white refined rice

anymore, but dishes like that,

850

:

call for white refined rice.

851

:

Mm-hmm.

852

:

Because they're the white rice is

sweet and those dishes are so hot.

853

:

The sweet kind of helps

with how hot they're, okay.

854

:

So that's the podcast for this week.

855

:

Thanks again for being a part of it.

856

:

It was a little indulgent, but okay.

857

:

So it goes, thanks for being a

part of it and we appreciate your

858

:

being with us on this journey.

859

:

bruce: Every week we tell you

what's making us happy in food.

860

:

So please go to our Facebook group,

cook me with Bruce and Mark, and tell us

861

:

what's making you happy in food this week.

862

:

'cause we want to know.

863

:

Wanna know what's making you happy

and we'll continue to share what

864

:

makes us happy with food here

on cooking at Bruce and Mark.

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About the Podcast

Cooking with Bruce and Mark
Fantastic recipes, culinary science, a little judgment, hysterical banter, love and laughs--you know, life.
Join us, Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, for weekly episodes all about food, cooking, recipes, and maybe a little marital strife on air. After writing thirty-six cookbooks, we've got countless opinions and ideas on ingredients, recipes, the nature of the cookbook-writing business, and much more. If you've got a passion for food, we also hope to up your game once and a while and to make you laugh most of the time. Come along for the ride! There's plenty of room!

About your host

Profile picture for Mark Scarbrough

Mark Scarbrough

Former lit professor, current cookbook writer, creator of two podcasts, writer of thirty-five (and counting) cookbooks, author of one memoir (coming soon!), married to a chef (my cookbook co-writer, Bruce Weinstein), and with him, the owner of two collies, all in a very rural spot in New England. My life's full and I'm up for more challenges!