8 Restaurant Chain Frozen Appetizers, Ranked Worst To Best

Restaurant chains have infiltrated grocery stores. It's actually been going on for quite some time. White Castle was among the first to go retail with its sliders — all the way back in 1987. Now you'll see familiar faces like Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts in the coffee aisle. Buffalo Wild Wings and Subway have taken to the sauce shelf. And I'm sure we've all noticed the influence of Krispy Kreme donuts in supermarket bakeries. Brands choose to take a walk on the retail side because it allows them to meet consumers where they are (aka at home) while satisfying demand, extending brand awareness, and generating a new revenue stream with just a handful of signature products. 

One aisle in particular has become ground zero for this movement: the frozen section. More specifically, frozen appetizers are at the frontline of what we'll call the restaurant-to-retail revolution. For every store-brand or name-brand freezer snack, there seems to be a well-known restaurant equivalent from chains like TGI Fridays, P.F. Chang's, and Nathan's. And today, we're taking a look at whether their popularity is based on their own merit or simply the logo plastered to the front of their boxes.

Since all of the products I sampled were so different, ranging from dumplings and dips to pretzels and potato skins, I looked simply for palatability. That, and a close likeness to a product you would actually find served up at these establishments. May the most crave-worthy, authentic app win.

I've picked up these minified veggie egg rolls in the past (and I'm not ashamed to admit that the P.F. Chang's frozen section at the grocery store is one that I frequent often). I have never been overly impressed with their taste, but I was willing to give them another shot. And what do you know, they once again proved to be mediocre at best.

In a shape closer to a mini corn dog than a full egg roll, they lean wrapping heavy. The fillings inside are minimal, consisting mostly of just a few shreds of cabbage and carrots. I can actually get on board with the texture. The outside edges became the slightest bit crunchy in the oven, and the interior wasn't unforgivably mushy. I wanted more flavor, though — anything to assist and offset the strong taste of ginger puree. P.F. Chang's does provide a sauce packet — kudos to you, we all appreciate that. It's supposed to be a sweet and sour sauce, but just like the rolls themselves, it tastes of pure ginger. I was also disturbed by its strange applesauce-like consistency — what's that about? Maybe the chain was better off just leaving it out...

I have found that the chain's chicken version of the mini egg rolls provides a little more oomph. However, I still think you'd be better off switching to a different brand like Tai Pei or InnovAsian to get your frozen egg roll fix.

The picture on this checkered box had me fooled. I thought I was in for a batch of extra breaded, extra crispy chicken bites — the kind of chicken you would get from a true fried chicken joint like KFC or Popeyes. Unfortunately, that's not the kind of bites that came tumbling out of the bag. These are just glorified chicken nuggets. I should have known based on the verbiage on the front of the box: "Nugget shaped white meat chicken patty fritters." In hindsight, that does sound like the definition for a very standard chicken nugget.

The bites are filled with white meat, though it's obviously formed together — not the kind of chicken you would find inside a tender. The surface also didn't crisp up as much as I would have hoped (perhaps the air fryer would have treated them better than the oven). However, what they do have is a decent taste. The breading is peppery and laced with just enough aged red pepper and spice extractives to give it a kick.

If I had gone into this Checkers and Rally's product with lower expectations for an average, everyday frozen chicken nugget, I wouldn't have judged it as harshly. I don't hate them — I just don't think their quality is high enough for a restaurant item spinoff.

No, these are not pizza rolls. But they could be their twins. As previously mentioned, White Castle is no stranger to the retail world. Nowadays, nearly every kind of slider that you can find in the restaurant — from original to chicken and cheese — can also be made at home. These Jalapeño Cheeseburger Castle Bites, on the other hand, are an anomaly. They are purely a freezer aisle specialty that can't be ordered at the drive-thru. And after trying them for the first time, I can report that they are ... interesting.

Just like a Totino's pocket, the insides are molten lava when they're first pulled from the oven. But once I gave them a minute to cool, I confirmed that the crust was adequately crisped and both Monterey Jack cheesiness and jalapeño spice were among the first sensations to hit my taste buds. The meat is where things get a bit questionable. It undoubtedly bears a resemblance to the patties found on the chain's famous sliders. But in ground beef-like clumps within the bites, it tastes barely cooked, unseasoned, and unappealing.

The best way I can describe this starter is like spicy Hamburger Helper stuffed inside a dough pouch. The bites are okay, but I probably won't be a repeat customer. Give me pizza rolls instead.

TGI Fridays may be shuttering restaurants left and right, as of this writing, but its frozen apps have remained steadfast on the shelves. It was actually the first chain I thought of for this taste test, as it's a brand that really dominates this arena. Its chicken wings and mozzarella sticks often garner the most attention and stand as perennial crowd favorites. But this time around, I wanted to give a few different apps a try, including the spinach artichoke dip (which is coming up later) and the potato skins.

Potato skins are a very simple concept — not to mention aggressively Midwestern. Halved potatoes turn into boats for cheddar cheese and bacon bits, and that's it. That's the entire concept. TGI Fridays doesn't flub the recipe, but it doesn't do anything special with it either. The spud becomes crispy on the outside and tender on the inside — like a thick steak fry. There's certainly plenty of gooey cheese to go around, and the tiny bacon pieces add just a small hint of smoky flavor.

You can't go wrong with potatoes and that amount of cheese, plus just the right level of bacon greasiness. But it's hard for me to give too much praise to a frozen food that would be just as easy to make fresh at home — and no doubt tastier.

These dumplings may as well come with the disclaimer: "expect to leave half of them behind in the skillet." I followed the box's cooking instructions to a T and still had issues with the delicate wrapper, leaving some of the dumplings half-naked and all of them lacking in the beauty department. Luckily, though, this mishap didn't impact the overall taste.

P.F. Chang's uses all-natural dark meat chicken in its dumplings, in addition to cabbage and scallions. Most of the overall flavor can be attributed to the onion slivers. But the chicken itself is also juicy and savory with a pleasant natural profile. The ingredient list also lists oyster sauce in the filling, though I didn't pick up on its presence. Instead, each dumpling gets a flavoring boost from the included sauce packet. I would describe it as an elevated soy sauce with notes of sesame oil and chili garlic — not to mention, a major improvement from the sweet and sour that accompanies the chain's mini egg rolls.

Don't expect a crisp from these dumplings. Mine turned out more like a squishy soup dumpling than a pan-fried potsticker. They're also not going to replace a freshly made choice from your favorite takeout spot. But their filling keeps them interesting enough, and with a savory sauce at their side, they make for a great backup option when you don't feel like waiting for delivery.

Microwaveable dip may make you raise an eyebrow. But hear me out, this stuff is pretty good. TGI Fridays leveled up with this one, incorporating not one, not two, but three different kinds of cheeses. Parmesan is most prominent, but then you also have mozzarella and Neufchâtel cheeses in supporting roles. I could smell the cheesiness before I even pulled the plastic tray from the microwave, and it carried into the taste. Real spinach and artichoke hearts are also incorporated throughout. There was actually more artichoke than I was anticipating — though not nearly as much as the box art would have you believe.

The consistency isn't necessarily flawless. The dip came out a bit more soupy than I would have preferred, which made it harder to scoop, and it became a bit chalky in spots. Still, the flavor is there — rich and savory with an added tang and change up in texture from the greens. With a sturdy tortilla chip or crusty baguette round, it could pass for a real, in-restaurant appetizer. 

Just note, those dippers aren't included in the box. So, remember to pick a bag or a loaf so you don't end up shoveling it out of the container with just a spoon.

Nathan's takes the entire country on a trip to Coney Island thanks to retail hot dogs. But this is no normal trip to Coney Island; this frozen product is a pretzel-wrapped extravaganza. That iconic Nathan's flavor is evident from the first bite. The beef frank is juicy and extra savory — reminding me of another well-known hot dog that happens to reside at the Costco food court. It doesn't entice me to guzzle down 75 in one sitting (looking at you, Joey Chestnut), but it's one of the better grocery store hot dogs you're likely to find.

Now for the pretzel bun — if you could call it that. It doesn't look like a pretzel, nor does it taste like one. Instead, it tastes more like a cross between a Pillsbury crescent and a dinner roll. It doesn't hit you over the head with flavor, but wraps the frank in a pillowy and lightly buttery blanket. It may actually be better than a real pretzel bun would have been, so I'm not mad about the swap.

When it comes down to it, it's really just an overgrown pig in a blanket, and I'm fully on board. Throw in a glob of either ketchup or mustard, depending on your preferences, and this app is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

Auntie Anne's cinnamon sugar pretzel nuggets may be more like dessert than an appetizer. But I couldn't help but name them my favorite. Number one, because they are undeniably scrumptious. And number two, because they are the product that most closely resembles the chain's in-store fare.

When you come across an Auntie Anne's in the mall or airport, it's the sweet, heavenly aroma that smacks you in the face first (I don't know which fragrance is better, this or the one radiating from Cinnabon). Then, it still somehow ends up tasting every bit as good as it smelled — a true enigma. An even bigger enigma is the fact that Auntie Anne's has managed to mimic this experience at home. 

The nuggets themselves are SuperPretzel-like and perfectly straddle the line between chewy and doughy. Then, you realize all that Auntie Anne's magic is hiding in the provided butter. It's the brand's signature, and I could tell right away based on just the scent. Cinnamon sugar comes in last (an ingredient that's really difficult to mess up) and wraps you in a sweet, warm, lightly spiced hug. You won't be able to stop going back for more of these poppable treats. It's the kind of snack that's sure to ruin your dinner. But my guess is that you won't mind one bit.

The single most important thing for a chain restaurant frozen appetizer is that it actually tastes like it came from that restaurant. Otherwise, what's the point? I couldn't imagine being served the P.F. Chang's mini egg rolls inside one of its dimly lit, moody dining rooms. And the petite chicken nuggets from Checkers and Rally's didn't feel like something you'd get passed through a drive-thru window. On the other hand, items like the TGI Fridays dip and Auntie Anne's pretzels felt much more authentic — and worth the extra cost that comes with their lofty brand names.

From there, it simply came down to tastiness and convenience. I asked myself: Could I see myself eating this again? Is it simple to make? Is it the kind of starter that makes me consider skipping dinner and going back for another plate of bites? When it came to the Auntie Anne's sugary pretzel, my answer was emphatically "yes" to all of the above.