When I first came to Rhode Island, I was confused by the term "Family Restaurant". It took me a while to ask, but when I did, I was told that a family restaurant doesn't mean a restaurant owned and run by a family -- it was a restaurant that both sells alcohol for adults and has booster seats for kids.

Of course almost any restaurant has a booster seat or two tucked under the waitress preparation station, and many restaurants sell alcohol, but there is a difference between a meal at national restaurants chains like Applebee's and at Rhode Island's own Chelo's and Greg's restaurant chains. Applebee's, TGI Friday's, and their type of restaurants focus on the young, single alcohol-drinking restaurant goer. A family restaurant gears its entire operation to attracting the entire family.

Kid's menus, multi-seat tables and booths, a largely smoke-free atmosphere, and of course booster seats mark Rhode Island family restaurants, just as much as the well stocked bar that concentrates on beer and mixed drinks more than wine. Paper placemats and napkins, but real dishes and silverware. Good, filling food at a reasonable price.

There are many family restaurants around Rhode Island. In general they are also stand-alone family-run businesses. There are also a small number of family restaurant chains. Chelos's and Gregg's are probaly the best examples -- we can all argue over which family restaurant has the best food or service, but these two chains are the standards that define what family restaurants are all about.

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Both restaurants seasonal menus that feature daily specials. Both offer turkey and dressing, liver and onions, spaghetti and meatballs -- familiar home cooking. You can also get burgers and fries, a steak dinner, and decent salads at both.

Chelo's spends more time on seafood dishes, and brags about their seafood chowder.

Greg's pays tremendous attention to their desserts. Their "death by chocolate" cake is a chocolately chocolate cake topped with chocolate.... with even more chocolate squeezed in the middle. Their paper placemats also promote their "giving cake" that helps raise money charity.

Watch for their specials... they're usually a bit more creative than the majority of their menu and there's a small price savings.

Want a beer with dinner? No problem at these places. Fancy wine? Probably not, but then the food is geared toward iced tea and soda anyway.

After all, they're family restaurants. Bring the kids.

Chelo's started in 1955 in Cumberland and now has nine locations in Rhode Island. You can visit them online at www.chelos.com or go here to read our review of Chelo's Greenwich Bay location.

You can visit the website for Gregg's four restaurants at www.greggsusa.com

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