"Fine" Dining
Comedian Michael Ornelas dives deep into the stories behind your favorite chain restaurants like Domino's, BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, and Long John Silver's before determining if they are better or worse than Chili's: the most mediocre restaurant in America.
Episodes
🍔🥜 Five Guys: Shaq's Five Guys Empire, The Secret Sixth Guy, and An Old Yelper Yells at Clouds 🥜🍔
This week, Seif Rahoumi (@seifrahoumi) joins me to look into the history of Five Guys, a family burger business that has scaled massively. Faced with a choice between college ...
🐔🍟 Raising Cane's Review: Amazing Sauce, Terrible Sandwich, and Where Are the Knives?! 🍟🐔
This week, D'Angelo Reyes and I finally put Raising Cane's to the Chili's Test. We order literally everything on the menu, from the famous chicken fingers to the sandwich, fries,...
🐔🎣 Raising Cane's: The Dog Behind the Name, Post Malone, and Velvet Elvis 🎣🐔
This week, D'Angelo Reyes (@dangelo1260) joins me to explore the history of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, a restaurant built around one simple idea that almost everyone thought would fail. From ...
🍔🥔 Smashburger Review: Incredible Hot Tots, Garlic Fries, and the Elderly Invade! 🥔🍔
This week, Bennett Cohen (@bennettrcohen) and I put Smashburger to the Chili's Test. As the No. 7 seed in Septemburger 2026, Smashburger h...
🍔🥩 Smashburger: McGriddle Meets Quizno's, The "Smash Pass," and False Advertising 🥩🍔
This week, my wonderful guest Bennett Cohen (@bennettrcohen) joins me to dive into the history of Smashburger, a burger brand created by one of the most influential minds in fast food history Tom Ryan (the guy who inve...
🍝🥖 Fazoli's: Admitting they Can't Compete with Pizza, the "Breadstick Express," and Dr. Lee Zagna 🥖🍝
This week, Sabrina Carmichael (@brina711) joins me to explore the history of Fazoli's, a restaurant that looked at the pizza wars and wisely decided, "No thanks." Instead of trying to battle the delivery gia...
🍔🥔 MOOYAH Review: They Sure Know Their Way Around a Potato...and Beef 🥔🍔
This week, Sandy Rose and I put MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes to the Chili's Test. I'm not lying when I say that all of their potato things are top notch. The fries taste fresh, the chips are just as good as the fries, and the BU...
🍔🔥 MOOYAH: Better Burger Boom, Secret Menus, and Bird Poop 🔥🍔
This week, Sandy Rose joins me to break down the history of MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes, a burger chain that emerged from the "better burger" gold rush and somehow managed to stay decent even after private equity got involved. Along the way, Sa...
🥩🔥 Gen Korean BBQ House Review: Incredible Meats, Stingy Napkins, and Disappointing Wagyu 🔥🥩
We're back at GEN Korean BBQ House with Jon Durnell (@jon024durnell), and this meal absolutely delivers. Even if we die of smoke inhalation, the genuinely fantastic cuts of meat allow Gen to put together one of the strongest overall food experiences I've had ...
🥩🔥 Gen Korean BBQ House: Meat Deets, Costco Gift Cards, and KBBQ History 🔥🥩
This week, Jon Durnell (@jon024durnell) joins me to break down the history of Gen Korean BBQ House, one of the fastest-growing Korean BBQ chains in America. From SoCal beginnings to a nationwide expansion strategy powered in part by Cost...
🍖🤖 Tony Roma's Review: Robot Waiters, Trying All the Ribs, and "Champion or Chumpion" 🤖🍖
We're back at Tony Roma's with Gabe Legg (@gabe_legg), and this visit throws us for a loop almost immediately thanks to a ROBOT WAITER gliding through the dining room like Tony Roma's like a better Roomba. Between three different rib styles, Gabe trying lobster ta...
🍖🔥 Tony Roma's: The Rib Pivot That Took Over the World (and Then Left America?) 🔥🍖
This week, Gabe Legg (@gabe_legg) joins me to unpack the history of Tony Roma's, a restaurant that stumbled into ribs, built an empire on them, and somehow ended up bigger overseas than in the US. From Playboy beginnings to NFL owner...
🍗🔥 Zaxby's Review: Fingerz, Wings, and a Whole Lot of Disagreement 🔥🍗
We're back at Zaxby's with Alex Stedman (@alex.paisley.stedman), and this one is...divisive. We did not see eye to eye on a LOT of these items, the vibes were aggressively brown, and one unexpected menu item rose above it all as the most consis...
🍗🔥 Zaxbys: Sauce Boss, $16K Beginnings, and the Cult of the Z 🔥🍗
Brought to you by the 2025 Septemburger Tournament bracket winner Craig Majors, this week, I'm joined by actress and improvisor Alex Stedman (@alex.paisley.stedman) to break down the history of Zaxbys. From a tiny college chicken joint called ...
🌮🔥 Torchy's Tacos Review: Damn Good (Hey! That's Their Slogan!) 🔥🌮
We're back at Torchy's Tacos with my mom Sue Ornelas, and despite forgotten items, cooled-off food, and a few service hiccups, this ended up being a remarkably positive experience. The decor is packed with personality (pitchfork door handles are ...
🌮🔥 Torchy's Tacos: From Trailer Park to Taco Empire (Damn Good Origins!) 🔥🌮
This week, I'm joined by my mom, Sue Ornelas, to dig into the history of Torchy's Tacos. From humble trailer beginnings to an expanding national chain, Torchy's built its reputation on pork tacos, the devil, and tacos named after politic...
🍔👻 The Burger Den (Denny's?!): We Ate INSIDE a Ghost Kitchen… and It Felt Illegal 👻🍔
Ansley Layne (@spookyfoodie) and I return to paranormally investigate The Burger Den, except…we're now criminals. Eating inside the Denny's, being served like it was completely normal, despite the Burger Den being take-out only?? My stars!! Our waitress actually served us despite not expecting a tip (which she DID receive...
👻🍔📦 Ghost Kitchens: The Pandemic, Chain Alter Egos, and Uber's Co-Founder 📦🍔👻
This week, I'm joined by Ansley Layne (@spookyfoodie) for a haunted deep dive into the world of ghost kitchens. We tell the entire history like a ghost story, tracing how these delivery-only concepts rose from the shadows to dominate the pandemic era. From secret alternate...
🏴☠️🐟🍟 Long John Silver's Review: Pirate Music, Fried Sea Water, and Puke Breaks 🍟🐟🏴☠️
We're back with Part 2 of Long John Silver's, and my cousin Emma Danger returns as we finally taste what the seafood chain has to offer. There are a few bright spots. The pirate-style orchestral covers of popula...
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