Best resturants to have in service plazas?

[dlsterner]

That's it.  I am going to give Roy another chance and then come back here and say you're all out of your minds.

Maybe you just had a bad experience your first visit by accidentally ordering the "Trigger Burger" ...

[wriddle082]

That's it.  I am going to give Roy another chance and then come back here and say you're all out of your minds.

I may have to do the same and get a burger this time around.  Gotta drive to MD on Monday for work anyhow, and I think there's one somewhere along 301.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

That's it.  I am going to give Roy another chance and then come back here and say you're all out of your minds.

Will you give the same second chance to Olive Garden?

[Rothman]

That's it.  I am going to give Roy another chance and then come back here and say you're all out of your minds.

Will you give the same second chance to Olive Garden?

Already did.

I'll stick to their soup and breadsticks instead of shelling out for the rest of their microwaved crap...if forced to go again.

[HighwayStar]

That's it.  I am going to give Roy another chance and then come back here and say you're all out of your minds.

Will you give the same second chance to Olive Garden?

Already did.

I'll stick to their soup and breadsticks instead of shelling out for the rest of their microwaved crap...if forced to go again.

Oh, I'd rather have ham in my sandwich than cheese
But complaining wouldn't do any good

[dlsterner]

That's it.  I am going to give Roy another chance and then come back here and say you're all out of your minds.

I may have to do the same and get a burger this time around.  Gotta drive to MD on Monday for work anyhow, and I think there's one somewhere along 301.

Two.  One in Waldorf and one in La Plata.  Also one on MD 3 in Crofton.

[wriddle082]

That's it.  I am going to give Roy another chance and then come back here and say you're all out of your minds.

I may have to do the same and get a burger this time around.  Gotta drive to MD on Monday for work anyhow, and I think there's one somewhere along 301.

Two.  One in Waldorf and one in La Plata.  Also one on MD 3 in Crofton.

Perfect!  I'll pass by all three since I'm going to Owings Mills.

[1995hoo]

That's it.  I am going to give Roy another chance and then come back here and say you're all out of your minds.

Will you give the same second chance to Olive Garden?

Already did.

I'll stick to their soup and breadsticks instead of shelling out for the rest of their microwaved crap...if forced to go again.

Oh, I'd rather have ham in my sandwich than cheese
But complaining wouldn't do any good

If you get a Double R Bar burger, you get both.

[abefroman329]

Next month I'm staying at an AirBnB in Springfield, VA that's walking distance from a RR, so I might be back here to say "...well, that wasn't as good as I remembered."

[1995hoo]

Next month I'm staying at an AirBnB in Springfield, VA that's walking distance from a RR, so I might be back here to say "...well, that wasn't as good as I remembered."

The one at the Festival at Manchester Lakes, I assume. Welcome to the area.

[abefroman329]

Next month I'm staying at an AirBnB in Springfield, VA that's walking distance from a RR, so I might be back here to say "...well, that wasn't as good as I remembered."

The one at the Festival at Manchester Lakes, I assume. Welcome to the area.

Yep, that's the one. Maybe I can also eat at the Baja Fresh and discover that's not as good as I remember, either.

[wriddle082]

Ok I got a burger from RR yesterday and it wasn't bad. The fresh toppings cup did make a difference, and although I forgot to ask for mayo it was good.  And their fries aren't too bad either.

[HighwayStar]

Ok I got a burger from RR yesterday and it wasn't bad. The fresh toppings cup did make a difference, and although I forgot to ask for mayo it was good.  And their fries aren't too bad either.

In the pre-Covid era the toppings were usually self serve at a bar. Not nearly as extensive as Fuddruckers, but still a nice touch.

[abefroman329]

Next month I'm staying at an AirBnB in Springfield, VA that's walking distance from a RR, so I might be back here to say "...well, that wasn't as good as I remembered."

The one at the Festival at Manchester Lakes, I assume. Welcome to the area.

Took me forever to find this thread, but thanks, we enjoyed our stay very much. 

Johnny's NY Style Pizza - loved the calzone, nice and light and a reasonable portion
Roy Rogers - only had breakfast there, but I did notice that the full, self-service toppings bar is back
Manchester Bagel - good as long as you order extra cream cheese
Baja Fresh - as good as I remembered, if not better
Genghis Grill - top-notch Mongolian BBQ, the small-sized bowl was also a reasonable portion

[kphoger]

Coffee/breakfast
Burgers
Pizza by the slice
Something more regional

[hbelkins]

I've somehow missed 2 1/2 pages of new posts since I last saw this thread, so time tp play catch-up (or ketchup, since it's a thread about restaurants...)

Chick-fil-a: My religious views seem to mesh with the Cathey family's, and I don't know anything about their political views. It's hard for anyone to find any business whose views align 100 percent with yours, so that's not really a factor for me except in limited instances. That being said, I find CFA to be overrated in terms of taste and quality, overpriced in terms of the quantity of food for the dollar, and usually too crowded for my liking. I'm an infrequent customer.

S'barro: I think they still operate along the WV Turnpike, and I may have actually seen a standalone restaurant or two of theirs. If WV was going to go with regional chains in their service plazas (two for northbound traffic and one at Beckley that serves both directions) then Gino's and Tudor's should be there.

Arby's: At one time, there was an Arby's in the WK Parkway service plaza. Not sure if it's still there -- or if any fast-food place is there -- since Huck's took over the convenience store and gas station there.

Roy Rogers: Have only seem them at service plazas, I think on the NY Thruway, and have never eaten at one. I got the impression that only a limited menu was available there.

Burger comparisons: Five Guys is good, but overpriced. I've come to like Culver's just as much as Five Guys, and it's less expensive. As I've seen Wendy's discussed in comparison to Five Guys, one of the selling points for Wendy's used to be you get fresh, hot, juicy burgers, seemingly in contrast to McDonald's. I had a burger from Wendy's for lunch yesterday and it was dry and almost burnt. Definitely not something I'm used to from there. The last Double Quarter Pounder I got from McD's was juicier than what I got at Wendy's yesterday.

[1995hoo]

^^^^

We walked past a Five Guys in DC on our way to Verizon Center on Sunday and I noted a bacon cheeseburger is now $12.49 there (I don't know if other locations are the same), plus then in DC there's a 10% tax on restaurant meals.

[webny99]

... time to play catch-up (or ketchup, since it's a thread about restaurants...)

I relish the fact that you've mustard the courage to ketchup.


(Sorry, that was bad... I just couldn't resist!)

[kphoger]

It's hard for anyone to find any business whose views align 100 percent with yours, so that's not really a factor for me except in limited instances.

It's about time someone said that!

[abefroman329]

It's hard for anyone to find any business whose views align 100 percent with yours, so that's not really a factor for me except in limited instances.

It's about time someone said that!

While this is true, as long as I have a choice in where I'm buying my mediocre fast-food chicken sandwich, I'm going to opt not to give my money to a company that's effectively operating a modern-day Crusade, especially having seen scores of Christians throw their money at the company with hate in their hearts.

And before anyone comes at me with accusations of being anti-Christianity, I've been evangelizing (no pun intended) for In-n-Out Burger for almost 25 years.

[JayhawkCO]

It's hard for anyone to find any business whose views align 100 percent with yours, so that's not really a factor for me except in limited instances.

It's about time someone said that!

I don't expect a company to align with my views 100%. But we all have non-negotiables and if I can find another reasonable option, I'll choose that. With Chick-fil-A, the sandwich is fine (a little greasy), the lemonade is good, but I can go get a chicken sandwich at Popeye's and be as satisfied if not more, and I don't have to "sell my soul" a little bit to purchase it.

Obviously we all buy stuff from crappy companies (we do have to fill gas tanks), so you can't avoid it completely, but might as well do your best if you can.

[NWI_Irish96]

It's hard for anyone to find any business whose views align 100 percent with yours, so that's not really a factor for me except in limited instances.

It's about time someone said that!

I don't expect a company to align with my views 100%. But we all have non-negotiables and if I can find another reasonable option, I'll choose that. With Chick-fil-A, the sandwich is fine (a little greasy), the lemonade is good, but I can go get a chicken sandwich at Popeye's and be as satisfied if not more, and I don't have to "sell my soul" a little bit to purchase it.

Obviously we all buy stuff from crappy companies (we do have to fill gas tanks), so you can't avoid it completely, but might as well do your best if you can.

I care more about actions than words. The CEO of Chick-fil-A has well known religious/political views, but I've seen no indication of actual discrimination or mistreatment of LGBTQ employees or customers.

I'm not in favor of punishing CEOs for their beliefs so long as their beliefs don't directly impact people negatively. Otherwise you get a world full of CEOs who never express an opinion on anything.

Jeff Bezos, on the other hand, has been a vocal LGBTQ+ supporter but his company notoriously treats its employees poorly. I'd be more likely to boycott the company that treats its employees poorly rather than the one whose beliefs differ from mine.

[kphoger]

... so you can't avoid it completely, but might as well do your best if you can.

I generally don't even bother doing "my best".  I'm on the conservative end of the Christian spectrum, so I'm perfectly happy spending my money at Chick-fil-A, but I'm just as happy (or nearly so) to spend my money at Burger King or Chipotle or Smashburger or any other chain that supports Pride.  I don't make my fast food choices a matter of political or religious conviction.

I care more about actions than words. The CEO of Chick-fil-A has well known religious/political views, but I've seen no indication of actual discrimination or mistreatment of LGBTQ employees or customers.

I'm not in favor of punishing CEOs for their beliefs so long as their beliefs don't directly impact people negatively. Otherwise you get a world full of CEOs who never express an opinion on anything.

Excellent point.

[webny99]

I'd be more likely to boycott the company that treats its employees poorly rather than the one whose beliefs differ from mine.

I agree 100%. Whatever the owner's beliefs are have nothing to do with the actual running of the restaurant and producing and serving of the food that you're consuming. At the end of the day a burger is a burger and a chicken sandwich is a chicken sandwich, and either you have an issue with the product or you don't. It's things like treatment of employees, working conditions, customer service, even sourcing of ingredients, that are much more relevant determinants.

[kphoger]

... which is why I hardly ever eat at McDonald's.  I remember looking down at my McD's hamburger and fries one day in 2001, trying to imagine how the ingredients had been sourced, thinking about how the "machine" squeezed every penny of profit out of the operation it could, and then how I still managed to end up with a mediocre-at-best final product in my hands, and...  and I didn't eat at McDonald's again for another two years or so.

But the "final product" part is the most important part to me.  I don't really care what your religious or political beliefs are, nor how you choose to spend your money.  That's your life;  I might disagree with you, but that's the beauty of living in a pluralistic society.  If you sell a product that I consider to be a good value, then I'm willing to buy it from you.