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21 hours ago, Anastasis said:

Damn that sucks about Burger Tex.  Is Dan's hanging in there? I assume they own the dirt. 

I live by the Dan's on Manchaca (I don't care how the spell it now) and I think they are doing as much business as ever. There's pretty much always a line at the drive through. Less breakfast served on the weekends of course, but I think they are serving more burgers than they ever have. 

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Guest Lobo

^

Yep, walked down there while I was getting my car fixed.....hadn't been in decades.  Line for drive-thru was into the street.  Line to get up to the inside counter was so deep, I just said to hell with it and went to what-a-burger that had maybe 5 people at it.  Plus the homeless guy in that camp at that underpass with all the propane tanks was having a little covid-19 challenge with himself, seeing how far into the intersection he could piss.   

Now every time I drive by, I make it a point to look Dan's and it's always jam packed.  I need to grab one next time, haven't had one in years.  That was a strange choice for A&W to put in a burger place.  Literally right between a What-a-Burger and a Dan's.  Then again, one of the Top 10 performing franchises of Chili's is their location on 45th Street in Austin.  People can complain all they want about how Austin has changed, take a look at what makes it and what doesn't make it in this town.  We are still goofy as fuck.

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On 7/5/2020 at 11:36 AM, Lobo said:

Then again, one of the Top 10 performing franchises of Chili's is their location on 45th Street in Austin. 

College roommate used to go to that Chili's all the time with his home town buddies. They were suburban Houston folks that weren't interested in exploring outside of campus area too far. 

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That's insane to me.  To have lived in Austin and not ventured outside of a Chili's.  And I ain't picking on it because it's not fancy enough, it is not cheap...at all.  Particularly for a college student.  When we were fortunate enough to go out to eat in college, and wanted a burger, we made the 2 block stagger from our humble abode to Star Seeds Cafe.  To this day, as good as it is to get breakfast there, I highly recommend the Starburger.  

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On 7/9/2020 at 9:56 PM, jimmyjazz said:

I don't understand how someone can drive from campus PAST Dirty's, Trudy's, Martin Brothers, Ruby's, Milto's, etc. just to go to Chili's.  That makes no sense.

Well, these days two of those are closed and a third is on the auction block.

But, yes, Chili’s is at the bottom of that food totem pole.

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That's a pisser.  One of the last campus meals I had before Covid-19 lockdown started was there.  It had been a year or so but I could have sworn it still said "Star Seeds Cafe."  Anyway, the main server was cute as hell and the food was as good as it ever was.  And as per usual, I almost got rear ended in the parking lot and was verbally harassed by the homeless guy a block south.  We lived just SE of there in undergrad, about 2+ blocks away.  It was our "splurge" meal when we were flush with cash.  And then literally right after we graduated, it became this cool place like Magnolia or Kerbey Lane.  And we'd go back for nostalgia but it was always a 45 minute wait which is a long time to wait for memories, unless you're on acid.  But when I started teaching at UT, I'd pop in once a month and the mid-morning breakfast or early lunch there is an absolute gem.  Can't recommend it enough.  Anyway, yes...we're all getting old.  

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8 hours ago, ztejas said:

It's actually infuriating.

It’s not just Austin.  Granted, larger cities have more population to support more independent or small chain restaurants, but the appetite for Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Applebee’s, Chili’s etc. is alive and well all over.  And don’t get me started on Cheesecake Factory.

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12 hours ago, AustinMT said:

It’s not just Austin.  Granted, larger cities have more population to support more independent or small chain restaurants, but the appetite for Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Applebee’s, Chili’s etc. is alive and well all over.  And don’t get me started on Cheesecake Factory.

I have never fully understood the public's taste for mega-chain restaurants that all serve very similar food straight off the Sysco truck.  I suspect it's inherent laziness and a desire for constancy in their lives.  Those places are kind of like Disney World -- scrubbed, sterile, artificial -- but the irony is that the food at Disney World is often pretty good.

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I would understand it if it were cheap.  But they're not.  Applebee's, Chili's, et. al.  You can drop serious money in there if you're not careful, particularly Cheesecake Factory.  Their beer/cocktails are just as pricey as any fine dining restaurant.  And salad or appetizer plus entree alone will easily run you $30 before tip/beverages.  We don't pick on those shitholes because they're beneath our economic status, we pick on them because they're horrible and they send most of their money back to franchisee/corporate.  I know, I know "But they employ lots of community members for front and back of house staff."  Yeah, as opposed to locally owned restaurants that fly their wait-staff in from Brooklyn every morning.  

With mobile internet and online menus/reviews/etc., it's never been easier to find the great local gems to eat at while traveling (virus notwithstanding), and yet Chain restaurants are making record profits while unique, local restaurants go under one by one.  

I just can't imagine being at home and craving a hamburger and having Chili's pop into your head with so many better, cheaper options all readily available 

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But that's why I go out to eat, to get something different.  I know what the food at my house consistently tastes like.  These chains are consistent, but they're consistently bland and unoriginal.  And again, quite pricey.  If people want consistency, we'd be eating protein packs like in 2001.  

DOn't get me wrong, on a road trip and you don't want to spend 75 minutes eating at the local joint...I quite enjoy a quick stop at Arby's more often than not.  

Edited by Lobo
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My god, the flatulence produced in these "ride alongs" you described.  

I ate at the STL airport Chili's a couple years ago because it was the only bar open.  Before that, It been since I had an incident in the late 90's at a Sacramento Chili's.  I ended up getting ill back in my hotel room.  It was a handicapped room so the toilet was "different."  The wall behind the toilet looked like the bathroom in the motel scene in "Hall Pass" after the drunk chick he brings back to his room sneezes.  I was so scared they were gonna charge my card a $250 cleaning fee after that.  

Anywhoodles...back to Burger talk.  If you're ever near campus and want a pint while you enjoy your burger (so no What-a-Burger), and want to try something different than Dirty Martin's...try the Pascal burger at Hopfield's on the north end of the Drag.  

Also, only tried it once right before the Pandemic started...but try Pool Burger behind Deep Eddy.  I was really pleasantly surprised by it.  Damn good.    

 

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I don’t use the term lightly but the woman was an absolute cunt. She had a ton of health issues but assured me none were diet related. She’d talk about all she ate was salads but couldn’t lose weight. They were fully loaded quesadilla salads. It was amazing. She was really good at her job though so I put up with it. 
 

Yes, pool burger is great. 

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On 7/25/2020 at 2:30 PM, 4th&Five said:

I don’t use the term lightly but the woman was an absolute cunt. She had a ton of health issues but assured me none were diet related. She’d talk about all she ate was salads but couldn’t lose weight. They were fully loaded quesadilla salads. It was amazing. She was really good at her job though so I put up with it. 
 

Yes, pool burger is great. 

wait, there is such a thing as a quesadilla salad?  because that sounds kinda good.

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On 7/25/2020 at 1:02 PM, 4th&Five said:

I think people like that they know exactly what they’re going to get. McDonald’s isn’t full because it’s great, it’s because it’s consistent. 

i leave reviews for fast food places based on accuracy of order and cleanliness of restaurant.  those are the two things the manager/employees can control.  you're not at mcdonalds or taco bell or subway because you're after gourmet free range chicken that had a first name.  no point in reviewing the food, it is what it is. 

 

 

On 7/25/2020 at 2:14 PM, Lobo said:

I ate at the STL airport Chili's a couple years ago because it was the only bar open.

airport chilis get special exemption.  a skillet queso and a pop or 4 before you get on  a flight is always a good idea. 

Edited by elfenix
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15 hours ago, boknowstecmo said:

Looks like he's taking over where Cluck N Burger just closed at. Nothing ever stays there for long. 

House Pizza location?  They lasted a while.  Decent pies, weird atmosphere.  Like Mother's designed by Wolf Blitzer.

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It's crazy it's taken them this long to offer a pastrami sandwich.  I'm glad they're moving closer to campus in case I ever get there again.  

Any word if they'll serve beer/wine at the B&M?  

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4 hours ago, Lobo said:

It's crazy it's taken them this long to offer a pastrami sandwich.  I'm glad they're moving closer to campus in case I ever get there again.  

Any word if they'll serve beer/wine at the B&M?  

He'd said craft beer...Blue Moon, Shock Top, Land Shark, and Ziegen Bock. The good stuff.

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18 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Fuck.  Where will I get 30 minute cold food curbside?

I had a delivery service bring me Top Notch. Tracked through the app. Driver was at Top Notch for 40 minutes. Took ten minutes to my house and when it arrived, all the ice had melted in my Coke and burger and fries were stone cold. I assume that shit was sitting there ready for that 40 minutes.

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3 minutes ago, Deej said:

I had a delivery service bring me Top Notch. Tracked through the app. Driver was at Top Notch for 40 minutes. Took ten minutes to my house and when it arrived, all the ice had melted in my Coke and burger and fries were stone cold. I assume that shit was sitting there ready for that 40 minutes.

Yup.  Last time I went I spent probably 15 minutes after ordering waiting, hit the button, asked "hey, I'm out here, any update?" "Oh, it's almost ready".  Another ten minutes, hit the button, "uh, any update" "Oh shit, we're coming right out".

Stone cold.  

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During these trying times, you'd think stepping up your service would be a priority. Not a time to be making your customers think about going somewhere else. 

And it's not like they have customers inside they are dealing with. 

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