Many years ago I was in love with the idea of restaurants like Fridays, Chili's, Applebee's and the like. Not so much today as my tastes in food matures. Besides cooking at home, I'd much rather spend my disposable income on family owned businesses, people who put their heart and souls into their business.
Houlihan's was never my to go to place, even when I was frequenting these so called casual dining spots. The food was never well done in my opinion. But then again, these restaurants always seemed to copy each other's menus. Houlihan's just never caught their niche. They basically just serve dishes that are nothing special. I've had the salmon, completely under seasoned, overcooked and dry. Served with green beans and rice. Is that Beaver Cleever's mother cooking back there? It was pretty unremarkable.
Houlihan's will always be like taking your cousin to the prom. It doesn't excite me at all.