One of my favorite restaurants is Milk & Honey in Harlan, Iowa, a small town in the western part of the state. The restaurant is run by Ellen Walsh-Rosmann, who is also a farmer and a mother. Milk & Honey has a delicious homemade strawberry jam that's way better than the normal mediocre corn syrup-based jam packets served at most diners. Their skillets include chorizo made from pork raised on Ellen's farm.
My husband and I have never been big on chain restaurants, but our teenagers love visiting them, so we've tried quite a few in recent years. Luckily, plenty have pleasantly surprised us, from upscale steakhouses like Ruth's Chris to surprisingly affordable spots like Waffle House. Now, we sometimes even look forward to checking out different chains - especially on double dates with our son and his girlfriend. The four of us regularly go to see a movie and get dinner at a restaurant near the theater.
Chain restaurants want to do your cooking for you on Labor Day, which falls on Monday, Sept. 1. Here are some deals announced in news releases, on chains' websites or in social media. Most deals are for Sept. 1 only but some are good for as much as two weeks. Also, participation in these promotions may vary by locations. Check out your local restaurant if you can.
The American landscape used to be covered in Benningan's, Arthur Treachers, and Chi-Chi's restaurants, which at one time or another all probably seemed like the next big thing.