With Restaurants Opening Up - Where You Gonna Go First?

avatar for shailynn
shailynn
They never tell you what you need to know.
With restaurants open or soon opening up in many states, and although you may not go to them day 1, where are you craving to go when you finally do make it out?

For me, I haven’t done much take out through all of this but I have from 2 local Italian restaurants so that itch has been scratched, so I’m craving a steak from a local chop house. Somehow they just do it a little better than what I do on my grill.

For chains:
When traveling for work options are at times limited and I stop at Cracker Barrel often, I miss going there. I have one locally but their limited carry out menu is missing several items I usually order.

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avatar for Longball300
Longball300
5 years ago
I concur with a good breakfast place that always makes better pancakes than I can even try to do at home. For me a simple Bob Evans or even Denny's will do.
avatar for twentyfive
twentyfive
5 years ago
I have a local breakfast place that is great we had been eating there 2-4 times a week before this started just a local joint but I liked it and we will definitely go back again once this starts to normalize
avatar for doctorevil
doctorevil
5 years ago
I went last weekend to my favorite breakfast place. It was kind of sad. I went there at 10:30 when it would normally be packed with a line for a seat. Half the tables were closed and they still only had less than half the available tables occupied.
avatar for rickdugan
rickdugan
5 years ago
Already have. There is a local hole in the wall near my office that serves a very good breakfast on the cheap and it's been open for a few days now. More than anything I missed being able to get eggs over easy with xtra bacon.
avatar for doctorevil
doctorevil
5 years ago
The OP's Cracker Barrel comment made me think of a group of three dancers I know at a club. They all met when they worked at Cracker Barrel, decided they weren't making enough money and became strippers.
avatar for JamesSD
JamesSD
5 years ago
Probably Pho. We did pho take our one night and it's just not the same.
avatar for shadowcat
shadowcat
5 years ago
I don't see myself going anyplace soon. I normally would eat breakfast or lunch twice a week and dinner one or twice a month. Dinner usually on special occasions. In the last 10 weeks I only picked up one order to go. I like to cook and am pretty good at it. With the current ambiance of the restaurants that are or will be open, it has no appeal for me.
avatar for Eve
Eve
5 years ago
Already went out. Burrito Gallery (awesome Mexican cuisine.) had dine in available on their outside patio, but no one could eat inside.

Then I went to Olive Garden. The parking lot was busy, yet it turned out all the drivers were just there for take out. There were only two or three other tables of people dining in besides myself.

Both places has mini menus cause food choices were limited. Thankfully, what I always get was on both of them.
avatar for gammanu95
gammanu95
5 years ago
I'm jonesing for an authentic gyro with real lamb meat and stixky, chewy, baklava for dessert. Topped off with an Ouzo cocktail.
avatar for wallanon
wallanon
5 years ago
I went to a steakhouse because someone I know wanted to go. It wasn't too bad, just awkward with the setup. But the staff was working their tails off trying to make sure every single customer there felt like they were the center of attention.
avatar for grand1511
grand1511
5 years ago
Definitely Olive Garden.....just to scan the room for strippers eating there.
avatar for bubba267
bubba267
5 years ago
I started as soon as places started opening. Steak, Italian, Mexican. All have been pretty busy.
avatar for BabyDoc
BabyDoc
5 years ago
I haven’t been missing any particular cuisine or anything but I look forward to the experience. I first thought a breakfast diner type place where I could relax and linger over multiple cups of coffee. All the while listening to the din of people eating, talking and basically living life. And of course neither they nor I will be hiding behind a mask in fear of the boogey man.

Then it occurred to me that I would actually like to go to a nearby Tilted Kilt where I have occasionally eaten lunch in the past. Not sure if they would be able to open as a restaurant under the jack boot of the fear mongering governor but that’s where I’d go first if they do open up.
avatar for Muddy
Muddy
5 years ago
I’m gonna do one of these sit down neighborhood Italian restaurants I’m just craving drenched red sauce.
avatar for Jascoi
Jascoi
5 years ago
gammanu... that gyro sounds good!
avatar for Tetradon
Tetradon
5 years ago
I'm craving my local diner's banana Nutella French toast, and their chicken souvlaki platter. Man, I'm jonesing for that more than strip clubs.
avatar for crazyjoe
crazyjoe
5 years ago
Hooters for all you can eat wings
avatar for rick33
rick33
5 years ago
I'm getting used to the lower cost of living...
avatar for misterorange
misterorange
5 years ago
My favorite local steakhouse called Sweet Waters. It's a high end place with the best steaks outside of NYC. I could get take-out but I haven't because it's about a 20 minute drive and it will never be the same as when they serve it right off the grill. Being in Jersey though it will probably still be a while.
avatar for etsutwigg222
etsutwigg222
5 years ago
I am still seeking a "Box Lunch at the Y" in a place. Getting tired of take out.
avatar for Papi_Chulo
Papi_Chulo
5 years ago
I've never cooked much, does I'm still eating out a lot just do it via takeout - can't say I've missed eating at a restaurant that much, I've gotten used to takeout although as some have mentioned some foods are not the same as when served and eaten right on the spot vs eating it by the time one gets home - and also it sucks that a good # of places have reduced menus.

I don't have a good breakfast place near me, so I settle for IHOP which is not bad and prefer it to Deny's - but IHOP decided to close altogether during the pandemic vs doing takeout like most other places.
avatar for Papi_Chulo
Papi_Chulo
5 years ago
For now I'll keep sticking to takeout to minimize my exposure
avatar for Warrior15
Warrior15
5 years ago
I went out on the first day you could go out in Florida, back on May 4. Went to a Cheddars and the place was almost empty. Even with the max 25% that they had to stay under, they were no where close to that.

Today I go out to a local fish house. The place was packed. I think the place was pushing 50% and the outside was overflowing. It's amazing in 10 days, the attitude of everyone has changes. No one is scared anymore and they want to go on with there lives.
avatar for Huntsman
Huntsman
5 years ago
I’ve done take out a couple of times the last few months but I don’t mind cooking. Plus I can do a better job grilling a steak than most restaurants. So I’m in no hurry to eat out again.
avatar for RamPaige
RamPaige
5 years ago
There's a Kansas style BBQ place called John Brown's Smokehouse that got the best brunt ends that I've been craving for months. That's where I'm going first.
avatar for Cashman1234
Cashman1234
5 years ago
There are a few Italian spots where I’ve gotten take out recently. The food is still great. The ambiance was never great, so take out is fine.
avatar for golf_and_gamble
golf_and_gamble
5 years ago
I am down for take-out, but I won’t be going into an establishment anytime soon. Apply that statement to any industry of interest on this site...restaurant or other.
avatar for BBBC
BBBC
5 years ago
Well, RickDugan and I have a hot date planned for here...

https://www.hamburgermarys.com/jax/
avatar for MackTruck
MackTruck
5 years ago
I am gonna eat at the truck stop in Omaha
avatar for Player11
Player11
5 years ago
Hell no - curb service for me.
avatar for georgmicrodong
georgmicrodong
5 years ago
Yeah, I'm probably not going to go to any restaurants for a while. Maybe not even clubs.
avatar for Eve
Eve
5 years ago
I actually had a mission today to check out Emperors since they recently re-opened as a 'breastaurant', just to see if the club was as miserable as articles on clubs doing the same thing nationwide seem to be suggesting - that and their food actually is good. Their parking lot was busy all week and they advertised on their Facebook page frequently that they were open for bar and dining in.

But I pulled in with a friend today to see that they were closed. Nobody in the parking lot. But their Facebook page had posted 50 minutes before that they were open, so I was like "wtf" at the moment. Actually sent them a message asking why they're posting that they're open (assuming posts aren't scheduled. I don't think that's a FB thing you can do, but I could be wrong.) when they're actually closed. It was read, but they haven't responded.
avatar for rickdugan
rickdugan
5 years ago
^ I'm guessing that JSO was on them like white on rice. I'd be shocked if 5% of Emperor's sales are from food. There's no way that they were going to get away with that.
avatar for Nidan111
Nidan111
5 years ago
Going to my favorite dive bar for some wings and beer. Local. No name shit hole
avatar for nicespice
nicespice
5 years ago
Idk if it will be the first place I actually end up at...But The Rabbit Hole in Colorado Springs is the first place I want to go. It seems like the dine-in ambiance there would be amazing.

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