TGI Fridays Vs. Ruby Tuesday: Which Is Better?

Any parent knows that taking kids out to eat can sometimes be a real pain. Many kids are extremely picky eaters because their palates haven't developed enough yet, and that means menu items with a slew of ingredients they've never tried may be immediately dismissed. This is why it's so important to have a section of the menu that caters to those young appetites. Not only will it satisfy their little bellies, but it'll make the whole dining experience much smoother. If you plan on bringing the kiddies out with you, Ruby Tuesday will have more enticing options for them.

Both menus have some of the standard kid fare, like macaroni and cheese and breaded chicken tenders. These options are always a slam dunk with the little ones. Ruby Tuesday is a little more creative with their kids' section with the additions of crispy shrimp and quesadillas. Sure, to an adult that doesn't sound exotic, but to a child those are definitely more fun to explore. TGI Fridays, in the end, only has four choices for your kids, while Ruby Tuesday offers up seven.

When the beast inside your gut really needs some serious subduing, pasta might be the perfect entrée to fill you up. A hot bowl of restaurant noodles with some great sauce will rarely let you down. If you don't mind having a carb-heavy meal and only a big plate of penne will do, Ruby Tuesday is a better option than TGI Fridays.

TGI Fridays only offers patrons three pasta options: Cajun Shrimp and Chicken, Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Tortellini, or Chicken Parmesan Pasta. Those are each tasty; they're definitely not bad options. However, Ruby Tuesday throws five options your way, and they're all pretty awesome. They offer Chicken and Broccoli Penne in cream sauce, Blackened Shrimp and Sausage, Parmesan Shrimp, Chicken Carbonara, or Crispy Chicken Mac 'N Cheese. When a plate of pasta is on your mind, Ruby Tuesday is the best choice.

Oftentimes when you go out to eat you don't want to just immediately jump into an entrée. You want to prepare your palate for the main course with a selection of small plates first (especially if you're with a group). If you're looking for appetizers, know that TGI Fridays has a longer list to pick from, and that means more flavors to tantalize your palate.

TGI Fridays serves up a whole bunch of pretty great meal starters. You and a group can enjoy common dishes like wings, loaded potato skins, and spinach-artichoke dip, but it also offers stuff you won't find many other places like fried green bean fries with cucumber-wasabi sauce, Philly cheesesteak egg rolls, plus a whiskey-glaze sampler with shrimp, ribs, and sesame chicken strips all smothered in a rich whiskey sauce. While Ruby Tuesday's appetizer selection isn't poor – customers can order things like sticky ribs and crab dip – there's just not as large a selection.

Let's be honest: When you make the decision to go to either TGI Fridays or Ruby Tuesday, you're not heading there because both spots are known for slinging incredibly healthy cuisine. You're going because much of the food is chock-full of the stuff we crave, like fat and salt, and that's okay. Sometimes you have to treat yourself to the kinds of food doctors tell you to avoid. However, if you are heading out to one of these places with the intent to keep your calorie count down, Ruby Tuesday is where you want to end up.

TGI Fridays offers customers two salads, a Cobb with ranch dressing or a basic side salad. If you're looking for anything beyond that you're out of luck. Ruby Tuesday, on the other hand, not only serves up a honey-glazed salmon bowl and chicken Caesar salad, but it offers a large garden bar where you can build your own salad from scratch and add all kinds of great ingredients. This mix-and-match way of taking in greens is a great way to get a healthy variety of food into your diet without it ever getting boring.

People love deals, plain and simple. Food costs nowadays are rising, so any opportunity to enjoy a night out without breaking the bank is an appealing one. Ruby Tuesday really packs a punch when it comes to throwing daily deals out to their patrons, which is one reason why it reigns supreme over TGI Fridays.

Every day of the week Ruby Tuesday has a different special running, which means no matter what day you show up there's a chance to save some of that hard-earned moolah. For example, if you want to take the family out for a Monday lunch, you can serve yourself unlimited salad from the Garden Bar for ten bucks. Let's say you go out on Friday to celebrate the end of the work week. Well, not only do kids eat free all day with the purchase of one adult entrée, but you can also visit during a window of time and snag a Philly Cheesesteak Hoagie with fries or tots for under eight dollars.

As with anything in life, the word "better" is usually always subjective. You will run into people who live and die by the TGI Fridays experience, just like there are a bunch of people who absolutely love Ruby Tuesday. This makes it hard to say which one you'll find more appealing, but if you're using this list to help guide your decision, then Ruby Tuesday comes out on top for a number of reasons.

The menu at Ruby Tuesday is the driving force behind its dominance over TGI Fridays. The kids' menu is bigger, which means it's a more enticing spot to bring the little ones. There are also more choices when it comes to desserts, pasta dishes, burgers and sandwiches, and sides. The fact that every day of the week is some kind of special deal means it's a great spot to save money, and the Garden Bar option is appealing to anyone who wants to watch their waistline but still enjoy a meal out.