12 Chain Restaurant Side Dishes You Should Never Order

It's reasonable to conclude that consistency is the most important factor when visiting a chain restaurant. After all, the entire idea behind the many chain establishments across North America is that you'll get the same dish — with the same taste, packaging, and familiarity — no matter where you are. Unfortunately, not all menu items meet that standard from restaurant chains, and some side dishes always seem to be hit or miss.

Whether it's oddly textured dumplings from Cracker Barrel, a surprisingly bland and tough baked potato offered by Red Lobster, or broccoli that's rarely well-cooked from Olive Garden, some side dishes are known to be disappointing. Rather than enhancing your entree, these options will have you wishing you'd chosen differently.

Since ordering the wrong side dish can instantly bring down the enjoyment of your entire meal, we've rounded up some of the worst offenders among chain restaurant sides to save you the trouble of a bad meal. Keep reading for a closer look at chain restaurant side dishes you never should order, and why they don't cut it time and time again.

Cracker Barrel is known for homestyle comfort food, but its dumplings are one menu item you'd be wise to avoid. Though they're meant to be soft and flavorful, these dumplings have a slew of texture and taste issues, leaving diners unimpressed.

The chain's dumplings have an oddly gummy or doughy consistency, rather than the light, bouncy texture expected from a well-made dumpling. The result is a tough, unpalatable side dish that fails to go well with the rest of the meal. Another frequent complaint is a lack of seasoning. A good number of customer reviews claim the dumplings have little to no flavor, yet there's minimal effort to season them.

Without the supplement of a broth or worthwhile seasoning, these dumplings are more like filler than a satisfying side dish. It's not a problem in just one or two places, either, as many customers have repeated the same gripes across various Cracker Barrel locations. If what you're looking for is a soothing Southern-style side dish from the chain, you'd do well to stick with Cracker Barrel's mac and cheese or hashbrown casserole.

We can't think of a more simple and risk-free side dish, from any restaurant, than a baked potato. Yet in some mystical way, Red Lobster manages to make this basic offering more of a miss than a hit. Whether being overdone, undercooked, or another problem entirely, Red Lobster's baked potato is one side you should think twice about before requesting.

The most universal criticism of Red Lobster's baked potato is its texture. Too often, it seems those who've had a baked potato from Red Lobster have been met with leathery skin and a crumbly center. Others were given undercooked potatoes that had a hard and starchy center, rather than the soft and fluffy one found in well-cooked baked potatoes. This particular issue with baked potatoes appears to be fairly common across the chain's restaurants — at least according a variety of reviews from customers at multiple locations.

Additionally, many have noted this side dish tends to be oversalted. ,  with Red Lobster overdoing it so much that the potato's flavor is often masked with sodium. To make matters worse, the spotty texture makes it as though you're taking a risk every time you order a basic baked potato. If you are dining at Red Lobster and require something secure as a side item, the biscuits are far better. While the seafood of the chain might be its strength, its baked potatoes are far from a safe bet.

Ordering a few sprigs of steamed broccoli usually allows you to get an easy and healthy side dish. Unfortunately, Olive Garden has a habit of serving broccoli that's either miserably undercooked or steamed to mash, ensuring this side dish falls short whether you prefer your vegetables mushy or crunchy.

Numerous customers have complained about the broccoli being served undercooked and even raw in some cases. While there are certainly some customers who prefer their vegetables on the firmer side, there's a difference between a crisp, tender vegetable and one that's completely uncooked — and Olive Garden's version has a tendency to lean toward the latter.

Conversely, even if Olive Garden doesn't serve you broccoli that's nearly raw, you may still end up with an over-steamed side dish. You may be met with a side of broccoli that's a sickly shade of a dull, olive green (as we've experienced), with a grossly soft texture and no remaining natural flavor. Without any seasoning or a proper balance of cooking time, this side dish is no complement to your pasta or protein, and you might as well order a salad if you want a vegetable side at Olive Garden. 

Outback Steakhouse is renowned for its steaks and Bloomin' Onion (among other item), but its asparagus fails to impress as a side dish. Asparagus may be one of the simplest vegetables to prepare, but the chain struggles with its portion size and cooking method. As a result, the asparagus is a lackluster addition to any meal.

The most disappointing part about the asparagus from Outback Steakhouse is the serving size. A number of diners have commented on only receiving a few spears, resulting in the side dish that felt overpriced and unsatisfying. Since asparagus is typically offered as a premium side option, as well, you're required to pay extra for the small quantity served — meaning it's a relatively poor value for the money. Other than an smaller-than-expected serving size, Outback's asparagus tends to be overcooked on the grill. Many customers have stated the spears were limp, soggy, and lacking in texture; some said it lacked the vegetable's inherent sweetness, and ended up black or even bitter.

For diners looking for a vegetable side at Outback, the steamed mixed vegetables or a side salad are a better option. After all, the chain fails to consistently deliver properly cooked asparagus in a reasonable portion, so this side dish that is better left off your plate.

You might think it'd be tough to go wrong when ordering Olive Garden's fried mozzarella, given it's essentially the ultimate comfort food. With crunchy golden breading on the outside and stringy cheese inside, it's guaranteed to be irresistible ... or not. One of the strongest warning signs for this Olive Garden side dish is the complete lack of cheese pull. Anyone who's ever had a decent mozzarella stick knows the delight of tearing apart gooey cheese with each bite.

Personally, though, I felt the mozzarella was stale, chewy, and rubbery. While you anticipate biting into something decadent, what you're left with is a dense, flexible piece of cheese that tastes like plastic rather than milk. The breading does nothing, either. Instead of crispy and salty, the breading is thick, oily, and instantly soggy once it hit the table, with an off-putting and chewy texture, as well. Batches also tend to have a somewhat stale and unpleasant aftertaste, as though they'd been sitting too long under a heat lamp, or the oil was old.

Dunking this Olive Garden menu item in marinara sauce doesn't help, either. The sauce is too runny and sugary, without the rich, slow-cooked tomato flavor you'd expect from a good marinara. Instead of enhancing the mozzarella, it only serves to make clear how much of a letdown this side dish is. If you want fried cheese, you'd be better off cooking mozzarella sticks yourself, so you can ensure the cheese melts.

Green beans are a go-to option for anyone looking for a healthy side, but Texas Roadhouse somehow manages to turn them into an unappetizing pile of mush in a puddle of water. Instead of bright, crisp vegetables, you're served a mound of limp, lifeless beans drowning in an overly salty broth.

Texture is the biggest issue here. Each bite is stringy, yet it almost disintegrates in your mouth. The actual cooking doesn't do it any favors, either, as the beans are overcooked so much they lose all their natural taste, along with a light, crisp bite. It seems highly likely that the green beans are canned, as well, and the color is a big giveaway. After all, properly cooked green vegetables have a brightness that's usually indicative of a fresh flavor and tenderness.

To make matters worse, the broth it's served in is salty enough to make you wince. The sheer saltiness makes this dish something that needs to be washed down with water. It's hard to tell whether this is meant to mask the lack of flavor in the beans themselves or just a poorly executed recipe, but if you're looking for a worthwhile side from Texas Roadhouse? Stick to something simple like a baked potato, and stay away from the green beans.

If you're looking for a tomato soup that's rich, comforting, and full of deep, rich flavor, well ... don't bother with Applebee's rendition. Instead of tasting like homemade soup that's been slow-cooked to perfection, it tastes canned and artificial, which is hard to overcome.

The first failing is the texture. The soup tends to be one-note and thin, lacking the creamy texture that makes a good tomato soup so enjoyable. The flavor doesn't help much, either. A good tomato soup needs a balance of acid and sugar, after all, but this one gets the second component all wrong. It almost tastes like ketchup, and more processed than it would be if it were fresh. The overwhelming sweetness — and the fact that it doesn't have any real depth — makes it feel more like eating reheated tomato sauce than it does a legitimate soup.

With no hint of herbs beyond the medicinal wave of basil and no real sophistication, this Applebee's side is merely a bland and sugary tomato foundation. Dunking a grilled cheese into it might be the only way to make it palatable, but even then, it's not worth ordering. If you're in the mood for a comforting bowl of tomato soup, you're better off skipping Applebee's altogether, and making tomato soup at home instead. Even a canned grocery store version would likely have more flavor than this offering.

Ideally, biscuits should be light, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth. Instead of that soft bite, though, you'll be hit with a dry, crumbly side from Denny's — one that breaks apart before you even have a chance to put any butter or jam on it. While a good biscuit has a little crunch on the outside and a moist, tender center, the biscuits from Denny's are often stale, hard, and doughy — all at the same time.

One of the biggest issues with Denny's biscuits is a lack of flavor. They taste like they were made with the most basic ingredients and zero seasoning. There's no buttery richness, virtually no salt to balance the flavor, and absolutely no depth. If you're expecting a biscuit that nicely complements a plate of eggs or gravy, prepare for disappointment. The dryness makes them tough to swallow, and even drowning the biscuits in sausage gravy fails to improve the situation much, only leading to a tasteless mouthful.

To make matters worse, the consistency is unpredictable. Some biscuits arrive undercooked in the middle — leaving behind a doughy texture — while others are so overbaked they turn into dense, hockey puck-like bricks. Either way, they're far from the warm, fluffy biscuits you'd expect from a classic diner. And if you're in the mood for biscuits, Denny's isn't the place to get them.

Even though it's a routine side dish, the mashed potatoes from the Cheesecake Factory are often horribly dull. You may expect a rich, buttery side that matches well with a forkful of steak, but you'll end up with an endurance test that involves eating a lumpy starch. Not even a liberal application of salt and pepper on the plate does much to remedy the issue, largely because the major problem here is texture.

Rather than light and fluffy, these mashed potatoes are too heavy, almost as if they've been overbeaten or made with subpar potatoes. Some are lumpy and dry, and some are so starchy they cling to the fork like an adhesive. Given the subpar flavor and texture, you're left with a giant scoop of potatoes that feel more like filler than a satisfying side. Worse yet, it fails to pair well with The Cheesecake Factory's rich and decadent entrees, making them both an unnecessary and underwhelming addition to the meal. If you're looking for a side to complement your dish from the chain restaurant, steamed veggies or a side salad are a better bet.

Panera markets itself as a healthier alternative to fast food, yet its side salad leaves a lot to be desired. You're often greeted with a sad, limp portion that looks like an afterthought — the sort of afterthought that makes you assume it was just a bad day for the produce. The lettuce is one of the biggest problems, as customers appear to frequently receive wilted, browning leaves that should've been tossed rather than served. After all, nothing ruins a salad faster than old, soggy greens or a bowl full of iceberg end pieces.

Now, given it's a side salad, you'd likely expect a reasonable dressing-to-salad ratio. However, Panera's side salads are often laughably small, and barely have enough lettuce to fill a small bowl. Toppings are equally disappointing, with customers regularly reporting missing ingredients and wilted greens. Consequently, you shouldn't be surprised by absent croutons, nuts, or cheese, as this is somewhat standard.

The lack of quality control make these side salads feel like a last minute freestyle rather than a genuine menu item, making it feel like a waste of money. If you're at Panera and looking for something fresh, skip the side salad entirely. You can opt for one of the chain's better-tasting full-sized salads, but for the price, we suggest the soup.

Applebee's French onion soup is a letdown from the very first spoonful. The soup is too salty, with that flavor dominating the dish. It's also missing the rich, slow-cooked flavor you'd expect, and has a strong, artificial taste instead that clings to your tongue. And while onions in a French onion soup recipe should be tender and caramelized, they're frequently stringy, tough, and more of an obstacle than a centerpiece ingredient in the Applebee's version.

Things fall apart further with the bread (literally). Rather than maintaining some integrity with its crust when soaking up the broth, the bread becomes a mushy sponge, disintegrating into a less-than-appealing sludge in the bottom of the bowl. Meanwhile, the cheese — which should be the crowning glory — is clumped, rubbery, and often barely there at all.

Simply put, nothing in this soup is well-balanced, with each bite either too salty or too soggy. For a dish that's supposed to be comforting, the French onion soup at Applebee's is more frustrating than anything. If you're at one of the chain restaurant's locations, skip this one, and go with a side that won't spike your blood pressure and leave you thirsty.

Popeyes may be famous for its fried chicken, but their Red Beans & Rice is arguably the worst side on the menu. A formative experience that's seared into our minds is opening up a container of watery rice and beans, taking a bite, and being met with a small bone shard. Outside of that sensory nightmare, this side dish never seems to be cooked correctly. The rice is either undercooked and crunchy or overcooked and mushy – with no real middle ground (a common pattern on this list).

As for the beans, they tend to be overcooked to a sticky, paste-like consistency, or left hard and uncooked. Red beans should be creamy and smooth when cooked properly, blending seamlessly with the rice. But Popeye's simply can't get this consistency right, typically resulting in an uneven combination of textures (with a bad rice-to-bean ratio).

The flavor is just as disappointing. There's none of the bold, smoky taste you'd expect from a Louisiana-style recipe. It's fairly bland, and even once you mix it with the rice, it lacks any real complexity. The dish desperately needs less salt, more spice, and possibly a dash of hot sauce to become palatable. Considering Popeye's reputation for bold flavors, this side is an outlier in the worst way. If you're craving red beans and rice, consider making them at home or heading to a Cajun restaurant that knows how to do it right.

When compiling this list of chain restaurant side dishes to avoid, we drew from various customer review sites (such as TripAdvisor and Yelp), as well as our own personal experiences at these chains. We looked into common complaints and recurring problems from multiple customers related to flavor, freshness, and cooking technique when determining which side dishes to include. Through a combination of customer feedback and our personal dining experience with several of these dishes, we aimed to create a fair, balanced, and accurate list.