Say It Isn’t So
‘Going out” to eat is an American tradition. Most folks have a favorite restaurant – perhaps one near their home, or the one owned by a friend. If one is looking for a great place to eat, one might want to skip Time.com’s selection of the two worst restaurants in the Country.
Few diners head to Friendly’s or Waffle House expecting top-of-the-line
cuisine, service or ambiance. The results of a new survey indicate that these
chains seem to live up to their expectations. In Consumer Report’s new survey rating America’s best (and worst) restaurant chains, two stand out at the bottom of the family-restaurant category Friendly’s, where “we are committed to quality in everything we do,” and Waffle House, where “we are not in the food business … we are in the People business.” Both drew relatively low marks for cleanliness and mood.
My lovely bride and I try to stop in for a bite at Waffle House every once-in-a-while. True, the food is nothing to brag about, but Time.com is just plain wrong about the ambiance. That’s why we go. The ambiance.
Sometime we get there just in time for the fight between the cook and the waitresses. There has been more than one occasion when a waitress was on the phone with an angry husband. . .or a jilted “lover,” and the one-sided conversation is invigorating – to say the least.
My bride always seems to find a waitress who’s harried and worried, supporting a family of half a dozen kids as a single parent, and behind on her bills (Yeah, they tell you that stuff when they bring the “covered and smothered” hash-browns). And with no thought toward our own kids, she leaves a $40 tip on a $6 breakfast.
Sometimes fights break out among the customers – often between the smokers and the non’s, or regarding who’s going to “get the check.” (Of course, every Waffle House smells like it’s a tobacco warehouse on fire.) Kind of reminds me of some of the Church business meetings I’ve been to over the years – except for the smoke. (Fortunately, the Church I attend now doesn’t go in for either – fighting or “who’s gonna’ pay.”)
So don’t give me that business about “no ambiance.” Waffle House is ambiance personified. If you think otherwise, give it a try.