Earls | Place | The mother of all local “upscale” chain restaurants. Spawning derivatives like Joey and Cactus Club (which begat Brown’s), Earls set the standard for cheesy, faux-eccentric decor, mechanized service regimes, and front door gangs of Lolita-like hostesses. A fount of mediocrity.

Usage: “There are now more Earls restaurants in downtown Vancouver than there are McDonalds. Think about that for a second and try not to die.”