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Top chefs share their six favorite restaurant chains for stress-free Easter week meals.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/aside>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Easter Sunday is all about gathering with loved ones and sharing a memorable meal\u2014but choosing where to go can be a challenge. To make things simple, Eat This, Not That! asked Melanie Portman, chef and recipe developer for Droolrecipes.com, to analyze the holiday’s best restaurant chains, from family-style Italian fare to comforting Southern classics. Whether you’re out for brunch or takeout to enjoy at home, these six chains stand out with their festive menus, crowd-pleasing dishes and low-stress options.<\/p>\n
Buca di Beppo<\/span><\/h2>\nBuca di Beppo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nKnown for its laid-back, fun atmosphere, kitschy decor, and large portions, Buca di Beppo celebrates the hearty cooking of Southern Italy. The chain always delivers bold flavors and family-style dishes that are perfect for sharing, making it the perfect place for an Easter meal with family and friends. Guests can gather around the table and enjoy a feast, a shared dining experience, filled with many plates of classic Italian favorites.<\/p>\n
To make the season even more special, the restaurant is also introducing a limited-time spring menu featuring fresh, nutritious drinks, entrees and lunch items.<\/p>\n
It’s a place that Chef Melanie can’t recommend enough.<\/p>\n
“Buca di Beppo is the kind of Easter restaurant my family would choose – loud, generous, and built around the table,” he says. “Family portions mean no one is waiting for a plate to arrive; everything comes to the center, and you pass it around, which is exactly how holiday meals should work.” He shares, “This Easter, they’re open from 11am to 9pm, and the new spring menu has some really compelling additions. The Shrimp Scampi Linguini – large shrimp in lemon garlic butter over linguine topped with Parmesan – is the dish I’d order first.” Chef Melanie adds, “Garlic Roast Chicken with crispy potatoes lightly roasted in garlic butter is the kind of thing my nonna would make on a Sunday. At the chain, Italian comfort food here is the real deal, and Easter Sunday is just the occasion for it.”<\/p>\n
Cracker Barrel<\/span><\/h2>\nCracker Barrel<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLoved for its South African-inspired dishes, Cracker Barrel offers options this Easter. You can eat and enjoy a traditional dish of ham or turkey, as well as the usual menu. Or if you’d like to stay at home, but don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen, Heat n’ Serve meals that require little preparation.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e<\/span><\/p>\n“Cracker Barrel for Easter makes sense – the entire restaurant is built around the type of comfort families want for the holiday,” says Chef Melanie. “Their Easter menu brings back seasonal specialties alongside classics like country meats, biscuits, and baked apples.” But what really sets them apart is the Heat n’ Serve option: fully prepared meals starting at around $99.99 that feed up to 10 people and are ready in less than three hours.\u201d He explains, \u201cYou take a complete meal \u2014 protein, sides, rolls and dessert \u2014 and serve it at home without spending a morning in the kitchen. For families torn between eating out and cooking at home, Cracker Barrel lets you do both.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Golden Corral<\/span><\/h2>\nThe Golden Corral<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nEveryone loves a good buffet and Golden Corral has always offered a variety of tasty options, but if you’re dining with a large group on vacation, the chain makes sense. Not only will Golden Corral offer Easter specials, but you can also order meals that will serve 6 to 8 people and are available for pickup starting March 30.<\/p>\n
“If you’re feeding a large family with picky eaters of all ages, Golden Corral on Easter is the smartest play,” says Chef Melanie. “A buffet takes the stress out of choosing one restaurant that caters to everyone \u2014 grandma wants the crispy steak cut from the steakhouse, the kids want mac and cheese, your brother-in-law wants prime rib, and everyone’s happy.” He adds, “They open at 8 a.m. on Easter for brunch or dinner, and the dinner buffet costs about $18.99 per person with adults and children under three eating free.” For a table of eight, that kind of value is hard to beat in any holiday dining experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bonefish Grill<\/span><\/h2>\nBonefish Grill<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nBonefish Grill offers a mix of quality food, a relaxed yet classy vibe, and a memorable dining experience. If you’re planning to go for brunch this Easter, this is the place to go, according to Chef Melanie. “This is my choice for families who want Easter to feel like an event without the price tags of a white tablecloth,” he said. “Bonefish opens an hour early on Easter Sunday at 10 a.m. for brunch service, and the menu is a step up from what most chains offer.” He explains, “The Bang Bang Shrimp Eggs Benedict is worth the trip alone – crispy shrimp on a toasted English muffin with poached eggs and a spicy cream sauce.” Chef Melanie adds, “They also have Grand Marnier French Toast with whipped cream and strawberries that ends the meal on a high note. Everything on the brunch menu comes with bacon and mashed potatoes, so the value is solid.”<\/p>\n
The Cheesecake Factory<\/span><\/h2>\nThe Cheesecake Factory<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAccording to the chain’s website, The Cheesecake Factory has added 20 new menu items in time for Easter. The chain already has an expanded menu, but it just got better.<\/p>\n
“The Easter Cheesecake Factory is almost unfairly simple because the menu is so large that everyone at the table will find something they like,” says Chef Melanie. “Sunday brunch runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with items like Bruleed French Toast and full Eggs Benedict, and the prices are incredibly reasonable \u2014 most brunch plates are under $13.” He explains, “But the real move is this: everyone orders brunch, and puts it on the table with a piece of cheesecake. It turns an ordinary meal into an event. With more than 250 items on the regular menu and brunch specials, the hardest part is deciding\u2014which is a better problem to have than “nobody likes this restaurant.”<\/p>\n
Bob Evans<\/span><\/h2>\nBob Evans<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nBob Evans is known for hearty, country-style dishes like biscuits and gravy, fried chicken, pot roast, and classic breakfast plates. The food is simple but amazing. It’s another chain that offers the perfect meal to go for Easter.<\/p>\n
“Bob Evans is a low-key choice for Easter, especially for families who rely on comfort food at home,” says Chef Melanie. “Their food menu hits all the right notes – slow-roasted turkey, roast beef, pot roast. But where they really shine is the Farmhouse Feast: a complete Easter dinner starting at $89.99 for up to 8 people.” He explains, “You get your choice of hickory-smoked meat or slow-roasted turkey, sides like mashed potatoes and green beans and a half, freshly baked rolls and pie.” Chef Melanie adds, \u201cThe large option serves 8 to 10 for $159.99, and there’s a Pot Roast Dinner for $169.99 if your family loves beef.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Top chefs share their six favorite restaurant chains for stress-free Easter week meals. Easter Sunday is all about gathering with loved ones and sharing a memorable meal\u2014but choosing where to go can be a challenge. To make things simple, Eat This, Not That! asked Melanie Portman, chef and recipe developer for Droolrecipes.com, to analyze the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3463,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3462","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition-healthy-eating"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3462"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3462\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3464,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3462\/revisions\/3464"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}