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Overall, which is a better place to eat?

Starbucks
15
43%
PF Chang's
20
57%
#235331
A couple of places that hit the wallet hard, but also taste quite good.

So which do you think, overall, is a better place to eat?

Take into consideration:

Value
Taste
Atmohsphere
Service

and anything else that would make a place a more desirable eating destination.
User avatar
By Sly Fox
Registration Days Posts
#235364
Talk about your odd matchup where neither option fits the value criteria. Since I don't drink coffee this is an easy choice. Although I still would prefer PF's sister chain Pei Wei.
By TDDance234
Registration Days Posts
#235380
Odd matchup. I hate PF Changs...and since moving to a place without a Starbucks, I haven't missed it. Still have to give the edge to the 'Bucks, though.
User avatar
By jcmanson
Registration Days Posts
#235388
never been to PF Changs, but hate coffee and Starbucks, so PF Changs by default.
By thepostman
#235412
i never even heard of PF Changs...I like Starbucks coffee way too much...so it would probably win even if I knew what PF Changs was
User avatar
By RagingTireFire
Registration Days Posts
#235447
I have never been to either of these places.
By ATrain
Registration Days Posts
#235491
Never been to PF Chang's, and I'm drinking Starbucks coffee right now. Therefore, my vote goes to Starbucks
User avatar
By adam42381
Registration Days Posts
#235492
Never been to PF Chang's either but Starbucks is terribly overrated and loses by default.
By SuperJon
Registration Days Posts
#235513
RagingTireFire wrote:I have never been to either of these places.
Up until December I had never even been inside a Starbucks and the only reason I went then was because there was a female involved. I still didn't order anything.

I've never been to PF Changs either and have no desire too.

I'm not voting in this one.
User avatar
By Cider Jim
Registration Days Posts
#235565
Never been to Changs, but they get my vote because I brew my own coffee and carry it in a green Stanley thermos.
By HenryGale
Registration Days Posts
#235567
No vote for me either...never been to either.. Unless you count the fact that I have been to Barnes and Noble.
By Hold My Own
Registration Days Posts
#235568
Guys, if you have never been to PF Changs you have GOT TO GO....start your meal off with their lettuce wraps and it'll blow your mind. Seriously I make it a point that if I'm within 20 miles of a PF Changs I have to stop
User avatar
By Sly Fox
Registration Days Posts
#235585
The lettuce wraps are the strongest pull for me. Of course, Pei Wei serves the same lettuce wraps without requiring me ordering the massive portions at PFCs.

RTF - Glad to meet another who hasn't fallen under the Starbucks spell. I have zero desire to drop that much change on a coffee product.
By LUconn
Registration Days Posts
#235589
I've never been to a PF Changs, but I don't really like chinese food very much. I've only ever seen one at Short Pump. And they only thing I've ever gotten from Starbucks was some hot chocolate at Barnes and Noble. I think I'll abstain from voting in this one.
By ALUmnus
Registration Days Posts
#235590
I also think the lettuce wraps are pretty good. Chang's was alright the one time I went, I left full. But honestly, it's just more Americanized chinese food. It's basically what you'd get at a take-out place, only bigger servings on a fancy plate. But to me that's not necessarily a bad thing.

I don't drink coffee, so there's not a lot I ever get at Starbucks, and anything I do get is definitely not worth the price.
By LUconn
Registration Days Posts
#235610
ALUmnus wrote:But honestly, it's just more Americanized chinese food. It's basically what you'd get at a take-out place, only bigger servings on a fancy plate.
Dude, chinese food is food created by the chinese in america for americans in the old west. They don't actually have general tso's chicken in china. Well I'm sure somebody makes it somewhere there but it didn't originate there.
By ALUmnus
Registration Days Posts
#235613
What I'm trying to say is that it's not really different than what you'd normally get locally, it's just served in a more special way.
User avatar
By BJWilliams
Registration Days Posts
#235619
Ive never been to either. Id more try PF Changs before Starbucks though
User avatar
By RubberMallet
Registration Days Posts
#235637
i took a recent trip to starbucks in seattle and it was a horrible experience....starbucks is subpar coffee that has no business being as popular as it is...

i dug up the email to a co worker, here it is :


so the coffee in the convention hall is tully's, tastes like afterbirth....terrible....so i'm like alright i'lll find me a starbucks...it was fairly easy because there are 5 on each block....so i wander into one...

"how can i help you"

"yes i'd like a large coffee"

"would you like to try one of our special premium blends?"

"yeah ok" (expecting he'll show them to me, i'll piick and he pours the coffee, 10 seconds, over)

"great" *he starts walkign away"

"hey where are you going?"

"i've got to go get our coffeologist or whatever the hell he called him so he can tell you about you different choices"

"alright" (are you frikking kiddign me?)

guy comes out of the back and is like "what flavours are you looking for today?"

"ones that taste like coffee"

he starts in on a spiel about each one, i abruptly interupt him

"whatevers the strongest"

"well the tanzian blackforest bean is probably the darkest coffee we have blah blah blahb lahb"

"alright i'll take that, a large"

"they only come in a medium"

"figures"

"have you seen how this works before?"

"you mean how to brew coffee?, yes i've done iit many times"

"no no we use a special machine blah blah blah"

he proceeds to explain the entire dang process of how you make coffee

"first we grind the beans, (FASCINATING), then we allow the water to soakk in all the grounds and steep for a few minutes, (NO FRIKING WAY), then we filter out the grounds and oil from the coffee because you don't want that (YOU GUYS HAVE TO GET THIS METHOD OUT THERE, NO GROUNDS IN THE COFFEE WAIT TIL I TELL THE FELLERS BACK HOME UK YUK)

when he poured the water in he was like "now this will take a minute or so" so i asked

"do you guys have premade coffee, so that next time i won't have to go through this 5 minute ordeal to get some coffee"

i then proceeded to pay 4 dollars for a cup of coffee....3 hours later it was at a drinkable temperature and guess what....it tasted like any other cup of coffee....
User avatar
By Cider Jim
Registration Days Posts
#235742
LUconn wrote:Dude, chinese food is food created by the chinese in america for americans in the old west.
'Sounds like a Chop Sing reference who lived with the Cartwrights on Bonanza.
By LUconn
Registration Days Posts
#235761
I saw a special on it once. It was either the History Channel or Food Network. I think it was History because I only watch a few shows on Food.
By phoenix
Registration Days Posts
#235809
Don't do coffe, and I haven't tried their tea yet.

Haven't been to a P. F. Chang's in years, and remember it was pretty good but not worth the price. Which puts it in the same value category as Starbucks.

Atmosphere goes to Chang's. Taste goes to Chang's since I don't like coffee. Service goes to Chang's -- got VERY good service the last time i went, those many years ago.
User avatar
By ToTheLeft
Registration Days Posts
#236086
PF Chang's wins this one.
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