Why are chain restaurants so popular?

Most of us probably have been to a franchise restaurant; it just seems that they are always busy or packed with people.  That was the case when I went to Olive Garden one time, it was a Friday night and they didn’t take reservations on Fridays so we had to wait 2 hours for a seat.  So why is it that a chain restaurant that serves regular pastas that we could probably make at home is always so busy and always having people come back constantly for just a bowl of pasta?  Olive Garden is not the only chain restaurant that is like that, it seems like most of the chain restaurants are like that.

                What stands out from a chain restaurant and a regular family restaurant is that the chain restaurant has more resources, more people, and more money to have their name out in the public for people to know.  Most of the commercials you see on T.V are mostly advertising for franchise restaurants like Apple Bees, Red Lobsters, and Outback Steakhouse etc.   When they advertise the specials they have, people know about it and choose to eat there.

                Consistency is also a huge factor of why the chain restaurants are popular and successful.  People expect the Olive Garden they had in Minnesota is the same as the one that is in Kansas.  That means the restaurant also has to hire employees that enforce strict franchising conditions. 

                Chain restaurants are also good at projecting there image thoroughly; people know which chain restaurants has this type of food or what this restaurant serves.  For example everyone knows that Red Lobsters is the seafood destination to go for the seafood lovers.  Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant that serves Italian food.  People have a clear image in their mind of what the franchise restaurants serve.

                Convenience especially for the travelers is also important in determining whether or not they choose a family owned restaurant or a franchise restaurant.  Like a traveler going to Japan, there are two choices to choose from a nearby Burger King or a local Japanese burger restaurant.  Because of reliability and what he has experience and knows exactly what burger king serves, he’ll choose Burger King.