Just returned from Whataburger. Good food, good service and at a reasonable price.
However, one word of caution. Those onion rings are hot. Seems it is a lesson I must relearn every time I go there. I suppose there are people who can eat things that hot. As for me, I jump around and fan my mouth.
As I say, good hot food.
The title comes from “The King and I”, though it is not quite a song. Still, Yul Brenner does an outstanding job of it. Sort of makes one think. Well, at least I did consider it over the years.
Maybe they won’t mind me borrowing the title, maybe for just a while. I doubt my post will be nearly as long lasting as the King and I.
The point is this. I drive by restaurants. In Southaven, we have a bunch of them. Moreover they are very much varied. The wife and I generally go out 6 days out of the week and rarely go to the same place twice in one week. Tonight, it was Burger King. Love their fish sandwiches almost as much as the Whopper. Tonight, the wife and I had fish sandwiches. McDonald’s used to be my favorite fish sandwich, but Burger King has them beat by a mile, maybe a mile and a quarter.
Besides, Burger Kings has onion rings so hot you have to cool them a while or burn your tongue on them. The wait was just about 3 minutes. I would have expected 5 so that was a plus.
Nonetheless as I drove home, the traffic was such that I had to go slowly. As I drove past each restaurant, I realized I could tell which ones were good by the number of cars parked in the parking lot. Wendy’s had none. Just before I passed, one car entered the drive through. When we passed I Hop, there were but a few cars. Last time I visited there, I gave up after waiting 30 minutes… and I was the only one there. It was easy for me to leave as they had not yet taken my order. It’s no wonder parking lot had the look of abandonment. That is a real shame. I really liked that place.
On the other hand, even on a Monday, the Chick Fillet was packed. When we go there, we usually park across the little street and walk over. Easier to get in and out.
Well, rather than go through them all, I’ll get to my point, you know, the puzzlement. Why can’t the owners of these places drive by as I did. Perhaps they would be able to see what I saw. What has stopped them from doing the visual evaluation and realize that they are doing something wrong.
As swamped as McDonald’s used to be, it is no longer difficult to find a place to park there anymore. It’s usually a quick walk to the door. My puzzlement is simple and I puzzle just why it is that they don’t understand why they are making less money.
Then again, maybe they don’t care, as long as they can keep the customers going through the drive throughs. However, there are restaurants closing. One was recently replaced by a bank. I found that interesting. They usually had a full parking lot. I guess my method is not totally perfect. Then again, maybe the owner of the restaurant gave up and decided to close down and visit Tahiti. That sort of thing does happen.
Still, it is one more thing to add to the puzzlement.
We had gone to Huey’s on Goodman in Southaven. We had the shrimp and fries. When they first arrived, we could warm our hands from the heat coming off of our dinner. The waiter cautioned us. It was a needless gesture. I had burnt my tongue on the food there before. Still, it was a good idea. I mean McDonald’s did get sued over the hot coffee.
When I had just taken my last bite and I still had a full mouth, the waiter asked if we wanted a Diet Coke to take home. Now that is how you tell a well trained waiter. I know the man was off to the side waiting for me to have too much food in my mouth to reply and then, in that instant, he jumped out and asked me that question.
They practice that, you know. It is a well honed ability and it does not come natural.
Well, of course the food was good and the last bite of fries were still warm. I paid the bill and left a tip. I would have left more, but as I have said so many times before, we are basically living off Social Security. He understood. I would have explained but he knew us and he has heard the explanation before.
Now. If I could just figure out how they make those fries so good and hot.
As an aside, you want to wait for your food, go to McDonald’s. On the other hand, you will rarely do much waiting at Huey’s unless they are really busy. I suspect, if they maid Big Macs, it would not take them 15 minutes to get it to you.
This evening, I sat down at the computer and ordered pizza from Domino’s. Being as I do jump on places for especially poor service, I feel it only right to compliment good service. In this case, they actually managed to surprise me. It arrived good and hot in less than 20 minutes.
However, I do have one complaint. My wife kept stealing the pineapple and pepperoni from the pizza. Next time I will order 2 separate pizzas.
I would complain to my wife, but that bovine has already escaped. No sense waking that grizzly.
I certainly complain about the bad ads enough that I think I should call out the good ones, in the rare instance there is one. This one is especially good because of what is being advertised.
Picture this. Two very good looking Burger King Whoppers on the screen. Then, the voice comes on, “If you eat both of them, don’t tell her.”
There was a time I could have eaten both of them. Maybe Big Macs, but those Whoppers are whoppers.
As an aside, I would much prefer the one Whopper over the Big Macs. More meat, more lettuce, more onions and more taste. I can’t eat 2, but I would like to try. And I got a good laugh off the ad too.
Incidentally , if it were only legal, I suspect one just might get me out of a ticket, that is, unless the officer is vegetarian. Who knows, it might even work anyway. Those Whoppers sure are tempting.
A while ago, we went to a restaurant that looked nice. We decided to go in and try it, El Agave Mexican Restaurant in Southaven on Airways. Once inside we were shown to a table and given a menu. Roughly six or seven minutes after turning in our order, we had it sitting in front of us, hot and steaming. We weren’t timing it so we don’t know exactly. However, we were both surprised at how fast it was. The food was better than I expected and there was plenty.
Then, the really surprising part. The bill was but about $23. I’m sure most will spend more there but the wife and I don’t drink alcoholic beverages. I don’t know, but they might have given us a senior’s discount. The staff was really friendly and professional.
I’m thinking why would anyone want to go to McDonald’s when there are places like this. I mean, it seemed they had their own definition of fast food. If McDonald’s wants to stay in business, they might want to take note. They have a really nice place providing competition. I might say Wendy’s should take note of it too. All the ads in the world will do little to cover up poor service, especially with the prices as they are.
Incidentally, I rarely leave a five dollar tip, but this time I did. I didn’t consider that too much even though it was nearly 25% of the cost of the meal. The food and service was that good. If I wasn’t living on Social Security, I would have left seven dollars.
It will happen, you know. Do you have any idea How much fuel you use while waiting for that Big Mac or wait for that convenient bank transaction. Not only that, it does produce a lot of CO2, not to mention CO, which is far worse. The planet’s plants can use the carbon dioxide for food. Carbon monoxide is not good for plant or animal.
So, maybe I can challenge a few folks to write a post on what happens when those ultra green folks take away the drive through.
Normally, when I post something, I will suggest a plan, a solution, maybe a probable outcome. This time I simply have no idea. It will be the meeting of the lazy with those who don’t like CO2 belching machines, of any kind.
As near as I can see it, your post needs to address three aspects. What it will mean for those who will actually have to leave their luxury vehicles and traipse off into the cold of winter or the heat of summer to get that wonderful whopper, which they will be able to have their way.
The other thing to consider, is how will the restaurant deal with it. Many of them rely heavily on the drive through. Having to permanently close the window will not go well for them. It might actually eat into their profits unless they come up with something.
Finally, some places keep their drive throughs open all night. Take away the drive through and that will have to change. Just how, I’ll let you decide.
The fact is, I know only one thing about it all. One day it will happen. We really ought to start thinking about it. I’m open to your thoughts and considerations. Maybe a few of you like drive throughs and will have to face withdrawal pains; as well as trudging through the snow. Some of you run restaurants and banks. I’d really like to hear your ideas. I have none. Some of you might be brilliant and you just might come up with something to resolve the inevitable problem.
On the other hand, maybe some of you just have some comments on it all. Just, let’s try to keep them clean and reasonable. I mean, I have some things I’d like to say too, but I try very hard to avoid that kind of language.
Incidentally, have any of you been stuck in line behind someone at one in the morning insisting on ordering for 6 or 7 people, all paying separately?
Just now got home from Lenny’s. Had a 7.5 inch Philly steak. Let me tell you. That was a sandwich. I just almost hand to disengage my jaw to get my mouth around it.
Also, the service was great, and the prices are decent. Doesn’t leave much room for complaint, does it?
I guess I’ll be going back more often now. Sure has McDonald’s beat, food, service and price.
Of all the things I have learned in all my 70 plus years, taking responsibility was perhaps one of the greatest. Certainly, I learned it while in the Marines. There are three aspects. Knowing, when I do something, I must know that I will take responsibility for it. When I make a legal promise, I must do everything humanly possible to fulfill it. When I take on a debt, assuming there is no deception or fraud, I must pay off that debt.
Maybe it is something well worthwhile for college students to learn that lesson. At seventeen or eighteen, they should learn what responsibility means. They should learn, when they sign the paper, they need to make good their word.
To be sure, they are young. However, 17- and 18-year-olds make the decision to go into the military. They are expected to put their lives at risk and not back out. It is likely the first thing many men and women really learn. However, even then, they usually have some guidance from parents. Unfortunately, sometimes the parents don’t provide proper guidance.
In some cases, parents co-sign for the loan. Maybe, then, they provide just a little better guidance, especially in choosing a major. The father just might spend a little while convincing that youngin that basketweaving might not be the best thing to major in. Maybe, if we started requiring parents to cosign for collage loans, this problem with unpaid loans would simply go away.
Having just put so much responsibility on the students and parents, I digress. These big schools. These outfits that claim that they are for learning deserve some of the blame. Shouldn’t they know better? If they are going to offer useless and semi-useless courses, shouldn’t they require some kind of full disclosure. Some folks actually have more money than they know what to do with. They can easily pay to learn how to appreciate art. In such cases, I say, fine. It’s their money. Let them throw it away if they want.
However, in cases where money is involved, maybe the colleges and universities should be held responsible. I mean, if this is a place where smartness is something that they impart, maybe they should be required to exhibit some basic intelligence. When they see a person headed head-long into a disaster, just maybe they should not permit it. “No, you can’t take that course; not until you demonstrate you can afford it.”
At the very least, maybe they should separate their courses: those that are good for making a living and those that aren’t.
May I go back on my Marine days just one more time? I took Instructor training. One of the first things they taught us was to impress on the student the importance of the course. It makes me wonder just what some of these professors tell their students about how important their subject is. I suspect, no, I know they have to do some real stretching to explain just why their field is absolutely essential.
Okay. I get it. If it were not for art, the world would be a pretty dull place. To be sure, actors go on to provide the world with more than a little entertainment. The Sound of Music, The Fidler on the Roof were both more than entertainment. For those of us who are willing to listen, they have a lot to say. They help remind us of how things were so that, hopefully, we won’t go back there, or even think about it.
However, there are but so many positions for actors. My best guess is that we have, oh maybe, a glut of them. Maybe when someone wants to major in acting, the counselors might suggest at least a minor in math or business. Who knows? Even if the student does become a great actor, he might be able to use his business training to help him handle all his millions.
Basically, I said all that to say this. On such degrees as acting, art, and the like, colleges should require the money upfront, no loans. Or, they should be notified not to expect payment until the student can pay. Maybe them, they wouldn’t offer so many courses on art. I mean the only folks not taking a risk are the institutions of higher learning.
Let the old laws of supply and demand take hold in the halls of ivy. Now there’s a unique idea.
Those with sheepskins ought to be able to do more than serve fast food.
Now that’s a thought. Maybe a person could major in fast food preparation. Why not. A person can actually make money in the restaurant business, though it is real honest, hard work.
Any time that you are looking for employment, if you get to the point of an interview, I suggest you promise that you will keep your mouth shut and do your job.
Well, I suspect that just might overdo it just a little. Sometimes talking, such as in sales, requires talking. Nonetheless, there are those who think talking is their job when it isn’t. Indeed, talking may irritate customers and coworkers. Moreover, it can actually reduce productivity. The boss is not paying you to discuss last night’s date or the score of yesterday’s ball game. When it drives up the din in the dining room, it can actually drive customers away. It can become an irritant.
This is especially true when yelling and, or foul language is used. Believe it or not, there are still some of us who prefer a dinner in a restaurant where such language is not common. Even though I spent 9 years in the Marines, I am still irritated by such language.
Finally, when a person who is supposed to be taking orders is talking to a fellow employee or on a cell phone, it prompts people like me to look around. If there is another place across the street, maybe we’ll just go over there. Worse, we might discover we like the other place and never return to your place. It happens.
In summary, there are some places where loudmouths are not appreciated, especially in the workplace.
As a side note, the rest of us should remember that when in a restaurant, we customers really ought not be obnoxious to the other guests. As guests, we are encouraged to carry on conversations, not yelling contests.
bfrhodes99 