Unsurprisingly, Chili's was just as crowded around 6 p.m. on a Friday as it was the last time we visited. This time, though, there was no wait to be seated.

Within seconds of walking in the doors, we were at a table looking over the Chili's menu.

Truly, I find the menu at Chili's a little all over the place, with a variety of cuisines and options that almost feels overwhelming.

Things I'd expect to be on a neighborhood-grill-style menu are there, like burgers and chicken tenders, but there's also seafood, salads, quesadillas, steaks, and pasta dishes.

The drink menu feels pretty extensive with lots of colorful cocktails, themed margaritas, and beers.

Still, although it seems to me that Chili's is trying a little too hard to be everything to everyone, the crowd size during our visit indicates the chain's doing something right.

We're signed up for the Chili's My Rewards loyalty program, which costs nothing to join and includes perks like a free birthday dessert and special savings offers throughout the year.

My Rewards member can choose between a free non-alcoholic beverage or free chips and salsa at each visit. We chose the latter

The appetizer at Chili's is usually around $7, so it's a nice freebie to split across the table while waiting for entrees. It wasn't bad or super memorable.

While we snacked on our chips and salsa, we ordered a round of drinks — sodas ($3 each) for my son, his girlfriend, and I, and an $8 beer for my husband.

The restaurant was only getting busier by the time we'd ordered our meals.

I was surprised by the mix of clientele, from young women in their 20s who were dressed for a Friday night out to families with little kids to elderly patrons dining together in groups.

On a trip to the bathroom, I spotted lots of brightly-colored, giant-sized margaritas, too — a true sign you've landed at a Chili's.

TikTok loves the Chili's Triple Dipper. The dish has thousands of posts with millions of views on the platform, and people seem to love ordering it for its customizability.

It's meant to be an appetizer, but it contains enough food for a person to order as their meal. It consists of a pick-your-own selection of any three appetizers from the menu.

Earlier that day, my son was already anticipating his Triple Dipper, telling my husband he was "so hyped" to order one that night.

His choice of appetizers in the $18 platter? Big Mouth Bites cheeseburger sliders, fried mozzarella, and fries.

Although he loved everything in his Triple Dipper, he said he'd skip the fries next time since they cost less and aren't as filling as other appetizer options.

To get the most value for his money and add protein to the meal, he'd keep the sliders and mozzarella sticks but add chicken tenders as his third item.

My son's girlfriend chose a $15 platter with four Chicken Crisper chicken tenders, fries, and white-cheddar macaroni and cheese.

She enjoyed the meal, and since that's exactly what I ordered the last time I visited Chili's, I knew how delicious it was firsthand.

I'll give Chili's this: The chain serves really well-battered, crispy chicken tenders — probably some of my favorites from a chain restaurant.

Diners can also customize their tenders by having them tossed in sauces like honey chipotle or Nashville hot.

There are an impressive amount of options for dipping sauces to pair with them, too, from standards like honey mustard and ranch to unique-to-Chili's dips like Sweet Chili Zing and Buffalo Ranch.

Out of curiosity — and because we're focusing on a low-gluten, high-protein diet — my husband and I ordered the most expensive dish on the Chili's menu to share.

Chili's Fajitas For Two comes with four meat portions (we chose two portions of steak, and one each of chicken and shrimp), rice, black beans, tortillas, and fixings like sour cream, cheese, and pico de gallo.

The $40 entree came out hot and sizzling, and the fajita meats and grilled bell peppers and onions were delicious. The roasted jalapeño on top was flavorful and spicy, a nice contrast to the cool sour cream and shredded cheese.

Overall, we liked our meal, but I'd feel better about spending my money on fajitas at one of the mom-and-pop Mexican restaurants in our town rather than a chain restaurant.

Our meal, which cost just under $100 before tip, felt reasonably priced.

However, there are plenty of other spots (including other chains) where I'd prefer to spend the same amount on dinner for a Friday night out.

Both times I've eaten at Chili's, I felt the food was tasty enough, but not super memorable (aside from those yummy chicken tenders, of course).

I wish I could say I fully understand the Chili's hype, but it's still just not my favorite chain restaurant.

Still, Chili's is popular with teenagers these days, and I love getting to share a meal with my son and his girlfriend and just talk.

As parents of two teens, my husband and I are always trying to find little ways to understand what they enjoy, so if hitting a crowded Chili's on a Friday night and bonding over Triple Dippers and sizzling fajitas is what they want to do, we're only too happy to oblige.

The Italian-American restaurant chain opened its first location in Orlando in 1982. It's owned by Darden — the same company that owns brands like Longhorn Steakhouse, Ruth's Chris, and Yard House.

Today, there are nearly 900 Olive Garden restaurants around the world. However, my son and I visited a busy location in Long Island, New York.

Since I hadn't been to an Olive Garden location in nearly 20 years, my son and I decided to order four different "create your own" pasta dishes to get a feel for the chain's offerings.

Each meal came with the chain's signature "never-ending" soup or salad and breadsticks. To try a bit of everything, we asked for two servings of salad and two soups — pasta e fagioli and chicken and gnocchi.

I wouldn't call the Olive Garden breadsticks memorable, but they were definitely bountiful.

We were able to have as many as we wanted, which would have been great if we didn't have so much food coming.

Although we enjoyed the bread, I found other parts of the first course to be more memorable. The salad was a bit overdressed and heavy on lettuce, but the croutons were tasty.

Both soups, however, were better than I expected them to be. The chicken and gnocchi soup was rich, creamy, and loaded with an excellent balance of meat, gnocchi, and spinach.

I also thought the pasta e fagioli was savory and balanced without being overly salty.

After sampling each, my son and I agreed that the latter was the better of the two.

I make a decent homemade marinara sauce from scratch using a can of tomato sauce, chopped onions and garlic, salt, sugar, and a basic blend of herbs. The process, not counting the slow simmer, takes less than 10 minutes and is anything but a challenge.

So, getting a dull marinara sauce from an Italian-themed restaurant was disappointing.

I thought the marinara ($14) tasted like it was poured right from a can, without any additional handiwork by a chef. It was salty and tasted like — well, tomato sauce.

The addition of freshly-grated Parmesan, black pepper, and red-pepper flakes helped some, but frankly, I'd choose my own marinara sauce any day of the week.

Olive Garden's meat sauce ($14) tasted just like the marinara, but included ground beef and Italian sausage.

The sauce was a bit too thin for my linking (it wasn't watery, but it wasn't thick, either) and the beef was a bit on the tough side. Without the tomato sauce, I'm willing to bet the meat would have been quite dry.

Unless the chain changed up its marinara recipe, I likely wouldn't order either of these dishes again.

I typically detest mushrooms, but in the name of honest journalism, I ate several of the noodles that came in the creamy mushroom sauce ($14).

I was pleasantly surprised at how good the taste was, even though I didn't eat any of the sliced mushrooms in the bowl.

My son did, however, and said the dish was superb. My tasting of the noodles revealed a rich, creamy, flavor you'd expect from a classic Alfredo sauce, and I can see how anyone who enjoys mushrooms would've found the dish a pleasure.

The five-cheese ziti al forno was more expensive than the other "create your own" pastas we ordered, but it was well worth the $19.30 price tag.

It was heavy on cheese but didn't feel overwhelming. Overall, the dish had a flavor that reminded me of vodka sauce, and I loved the fact that it was baked. The fresh parsley sprinkled atop the pasta also added a nice herbal profile.

Of the four meals we tried, we took home the least leftovers from this one.

If you go to an Olive Garden expecting a Michelin-starred experience, you'll leave disappointed.

However, if you come expecting food that will be filling, satisfying, and priced fairly, I'll wager that more times than not, you'll be happy with your meal.

I never had a strong opinion about Olive Garden, but after visiting for the first time in almost 20 years, I'd definitely consider it on my list of places to return to.

Unlike fast food giants like McDonald's and Burger King, which have embraced modernity in both their branding and menu presentation, Braum's has done the opposite. It has retained its cozy, classic vibe, making it feel both familiar and comforting.

Maybe that's what makes it special.

When I visited the store, I spent a lot of time reminiscing about the times my dad and I shared there. It all felt so nostalgic.

Braum's has dozens of ice cream flavors to choose from. But it is also a grocery store with a small market. Customers can buy everyday items like bananas, tomatoes, onions, and even hamburger buns if they'd rather grill their own at home.

Braum's sells its ice cream in various sizes, but most tubs contain three pints. Each tub is typically priced under $5 — a steal compared to other brands.

A single pint of Blue Bell ice cream is sold for $3.97 (excluding tax) at Walmart, and a single pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream at Target is $4.99, according to both companies' websites.

The company sells traditional flavors like vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate, but it also has quirky options like bubble gum and Mother's Circus animal cookies.

I wouldn't recommend the latter — it was too sweet for my taste buds, and didn't have enough animal crackers.

Ice cream is typically made with dairy from cream, whereas frozen yogurt is made from cultured milk. On most days, I'd choose frozen yogurt — which might be a controversial opinion.

While I haven't tried all of Braum's frozen yogurt flavors, their vanilla cone always hits the spot. I doubt I'll ever get around to trying the pineapple upside-down cake flavor, though.

Sugar-free ice cream isn't really my cup of tea, but I understand why some people prefer it or choose it for dietary or medical reasons.

If that's you, then you're in luck — Braum's offers many sugar-free flavors.

I have to admit the vanilla chunk chocolate tub looked pretty tempting.

To get the full Braum's experience beyond ice cream, we ordered about 10 different items from the menu:

• A double quarter pound sweet 'n spicy Gouda burger combo meal with medium fries and a large sweet tea — $8.89
• A cheeseburger combo meal with medium fries and a large strawberry shake — $8.29
• Four-piece chicken strips — $5.19
• A grilled chicken sandwich — $4.79
• Medium chili cheese fries — $4.64

• A medium strawberry malt shake — $1.99

In the chicken strips war, restaurants like Chick-fil-A and Zaxby's usually reign supreme. But I'm throwing Braum's into the fight.

Braum's strips were crispy on the outside, yet still soft inside. I also appreciated that they weren't overly salty — just the right amount. For me, they rivaled Chick-fil-A's.

I was probably most excited to try the chili fries. Crispy potatoes dressed in perfectly melted cheese and sauce— what more could anyone ask for?

Well, in my case, a bit more seasoning. Ultimately, they tasted bland, and it felt more like I was eating canned beans on fries than actual chili.

My husband and I split the double quarter pound sweet 'n spicy Gouda burger and the cheeseburger.

While I thought the Gouda burger was good — and a bit spicy — it didn't quite compare to Braum's traditional cheeseburger.

It wasn't fancy — just meat, buns, lettuce, tomato, and cheese — but it felt classic, exactly what I imagine when I think of a good burger.

The grilled chicken sandwich was all right. It didn't quite compare to a sandwich I'd get at Chick-fil-A, but I had no trouble finishing it. For $4.79, I'd say it's worth the price.

After dinner, my husband and I went back to the counter to order ice cream.

He bought a double scoop sopapilla cheesecake sundae for $3.79, and I got a small chocolate and vanilla frozen yogurt cone for $1.45.

His sundae tasted like the real deal. The cinnamon-flavored ice cream sat on top of a spongy cake, draped in golden caramel. I think it's perfect for someone with a sweet tooth.

However, the frozen yogurt cone was right up my alley. It was simple and sweet, and the flavors weren't too overpowering.

I left the restaurant full, but not without taking a to-go bag. The next day, my husband and I devoured our leftovers for lunch.

While the burgers and sandwiches at Braum's were good, the ice cream and frozen yogurt were what made the visit stand out among other chains.

Overall, going back to Braum's was a sweet experience. It was nice to try new-to-me foods, reminisce about my childhood, and create new memories with my husband.

Residents of the 45 states that don't have a Braum's are definitely missing out.