Barry B.
Yelp
There is this thing about advertising, and maybe even negative news driving you to check something out for yourself. That was the case today with our lunch stop. We had come into town to drop off our bicycles for tune-ups. We had no particular plan for lunch, no particular cuisine in mind.
We have heard all the chatter regarding the beef tallow switch the company had made in support of HHS Kennedy's MAHA movement. So we saw the sign, decided on a whim to take the plunge.
My wife got a Frisco and fries, I got a Butter Garlic with fries. The food was average fast food. Nothing particularly remarkable and nothing bad. The shoestring fries were actually pretty decent. I don't think I would ever make a special trip to eat here.
The kitchen needs a good cleaning, from where we were sitting, I could see that while they likely clean the cooking surfaces and other vital areas, they have let things like the area below the grill, and the exhaust vents to go untouched.
The last time we had ever been ( years ago in Fairview Heights) to this franchise they had servers come to the table. It was a bit of a unique approach to fast food, sort of the gray line between a true sit down level and McDonald's. Now they have a kiosk that you have to navigate (we are in our early sixties, but tech savvy). Another older couple gave up and walked away while we were there.
The weirdest thing about the new approach is the workers don't know what to do or say (so they say nothing). Your name is called out over the intercom and go get it yourself. You can see them working, they work hard to avoid eye contact, and certainly don't say anything to customers.
I know that predictions of this chains demise circulate from time to time. I'm not wishing any ill outcome on anyone, but I'm not sure in this tough, wierd economy if what they are now giving is worth the price point.