Matt F.
Yelp
Ok - not the best option out there, but certainly not the worst either.
I respect others' opinions on here and their experiences - and everyone's experiences are different, but I can only speak for mine.
Firstly, I was in the area and wanted a place to eat comfortably - which means not in a tiny place where people are on top of you (*coughJohnnyRockets5Guyscough*) and there's virtually no room. This place just opened as we walked by and in we went. Obviously this location is "Manhattan-ized", which means smaller and more condensed than a normal Fridays location. I fully expected that this would be much less than a standard Fridays experience - and most others coming to a location like this should expect the same.
The hostess was weak and decided to sit people as close together as possible, though it just opened and it wasn't at all full. Really, it's better for the guests to be farther apart if it can be helped and if the place is not that full. The place filled up before long, so she got away with it.
The waitress (Lory) was very friendly and generally a good waitress despite how busy this place ended up getting. One side has small single tables (for 2) and the other had the booth/table/chair. If you sat in the chair (facing the booth) and are tall enough, you have the mirror to look at all the happenings behind you. My main view of the time I was there (past the customers and wait staff) was of the vulturous bus boys standing there and waiting for their prey (empty/near empty dishes) to swoop in and remove and be gone before you could even realize you once had a plate there. I mean fellas, make it a little less obvious why don't ya. I don't think they get paid on a plate commission. I understand it being busy and all that comes with it, but they just stand there and stare hard at the tables just waiting.
I needed to use the rest room early. Keep in mind, the place was open at this point for maybe 30 minutes and started to get busy. The bathroom was small (1 urinal and 1 stall) and REPULSIVE. I mean not even an hour into open and the bathroom was this disgusting. I joked on the Yelp "tip" about preferring to use a catheter instead of the bathroom - but really, it's something to consider if this is the bathroom option. I was only on the 2nd floor, but this wasn't promising at all. And again, this was within the first hour of being open.
I didn't want to take chances with the menu and the prices themselves were not surprisingly Manhattan-ized was well, so I ordered the NY cheddar & bacon burger, while my son had the chicken fingers, and his mother had regular burger. I guess more than one person made the burgers, since mine had the pickles on the very bottom under the lettuce and tomato and she had the pickles above the lettuce, which was on top of the tomato - or the cook is just a moron. The burgers were fine. The fries were just fine. The chicken fingers were standard and fine. Really no complaints about the food, except the tomato slice. Again, this is Manhattan, so most things are pricier than the norm.
So overall, a decent option for the area with a decent amount of eateries. Again, there's more space here than some like options and it's not bad if you want to relax without people being on top of you. If you come here expecting a normal non-Manhattan Fridays experience, then you came to the wrong place. If you hate crowds, don't come here at all. I you don't like Manhattan prices, don't come here. If you need a clean bathroom, don't come here. If you aren't picky and just want a place to eat that's not McDonalds where you're not on top of other patrons, then this is a safe bet for the area.