Remarkably plain food resting on its laurels

Quanjude is a restaurant chain that saw its best days ages ago. Once one of the most celebrated Beijing Roast Duck eateries in Beijing, it now delivers bland food with lackluster service in an ambiance that is nothing special. The roast duck is crunchy, but tasteless. Most of the dishes are seasoned and presented acceptably for only the average sit-down restaurant, and uses average quality ingredients. The beef, in particular, was soggy and had no taste of beef.

So is there any reason to visit Quanjude? Well, the restaurant is still one of the most famous in Beijing. It has an unrivaled reputation for roast duck. When one needs to appear generous to the a Beijing person, this is the place to go. But only for roast duck, and only for show and tell.