JIM'S RESTAURANT REVIEWS 8/18/12

APPLEBEES                                                              article by:  James Thomas Fridas
August 18, 2012

My brother and I went to Applebees Saturday night and I am here to tell you that I enjoyed the meal very much, we both did as a matter of fact, I have seen some negative remarks on some sites that did not deserve to be of value, the food was very good, the service was very good and as I stated in a previous article that the new manager would improve the atmosphere and he did just that for sure.

I had the Chicken with Cream Sauce Carbanera  that melted in  my mouth, my brother had the steak with wine sauce Cabernet, I hope that gives you an idea of what we had, I should bring the menu home with me so when I go back I will remember what to order it will be something I will order again and again.

As for a sport bar if you are into sports then this is the place for you we watched baseball as the Giants beat the Dodgers so that made my meal especially good, though I lived in Los Angeles growing up and so my loyalties are kind of split, I see the two going neck and neck in the season, so let me say guys take a break and go to Applebees  for the home run!

The atmosphere as I stated is much improved and the staff is very good, we had a great waitress her name was Jacqueline hope I spelled her name correctly, she was first rate for service.   Of course we met the manager Paul and he was very pleasant and informative, learned that the restaurant is changing the interior soon, hope they don't take all those pictures down!

We will be going back soon and I will of course let you know what we have again so get your wife and kids and pack them in the car and make it over to Applebees sometime soon, I may see you there!

Remember that I also have a blog or newsletter at word press its address is at the following http://www.jimsrestaurantreviews.com/wordpress check them out for more information about restaurants and recipes.

RESTAURANT REVIEW

RESTAURANTS ON TOUR             article by:  James Thomas Fridas

July 22, 2013

There are more than one million restaurants in America, WOW!   You may be asking yourself, SELF!  How did Jim figure this all out?   Easy I googled it in google which makes all this googlishous  (like that word?)  So here are the statistics for you.  That would include according to the government statistics of economic census 566,030 Food Service businesses and drinking places, 217, 397 full service restaurants, 266, 576 limited service eateries, plus 266, 654 limited service restaurants, that puts the figure well over one million eateries in America. 
That would be a lot of restaurant reviews but we will start with Oakley California, and the first review is Uncle Wong's in the Raley's shopping center, of course there are two fast food dumps there we will skip due to the lack of calling either a restaurant.

Uncle Wong's has been in Oakley for quit some time, the niece and nephew actually purchased the restaurant from their uncle from what they told me and it is of course Chinese food, it is quit good as for me I love anything Chinese,  food that is!   OK so I went in for lunch and I ordered the Chicken Fried Rice starting with a simple meal and had the opportunity to feast there a few times before this so I am somewhat knowledgeable into their cuisine, I definitely will go back again, the decor is quit bland and a little out of date, the atmosphere is quiet and small or cozy depending on your point of view,  the service is above average,  remember this I grew up in my fathers restaurant and worked as a cook, chef and manager in numerous restaurants over the years so average to me is good.  Their menu is quit extensive with well over one hundred items and they offer family dinners as well as Mandarin delight, Canton dinners and Szechchuan Treats, this also includes appetizers, soups, seafood, plenty of beef, pork,  poultry and vegetable dishes, prices are very affordable and reasonable for today's costs most dishes are under ten dollars, I would venture to estimate the average around $7.00 or there abouts, so this week or next if you are in the Oakley area stop in for lunch or dinner and see if the food is your kind of Chinese delight, as I will be in this week for lunch maybe we will run into each other, literally,OK?  

Because it is in the Raley's shopping center there is adequate parking.   One of the things they do you may want in the future is that they deliver plus they also do catering, so if your having a big group over for dinner or weekend lunch you may want this service, which gives them some extra value for those who enjoy Chinese food.  While their restaurant is small as I stated above it is cozy for those who prefer the close contact of the wait staff, you won't have to wait long to get the attention of either the waiter or waitress whoever is serving you at the time. 

Considering the decor and the atmosphere the food was quit good, I truly enjoyed the meals I have had there, if you do not like Chinese food then all I have to say is I feel sorry for you as you do not know what you are missing,  I do wish they would contact a designer to improve the decor it would do their restaurant wonders, and God knows we need all the good Chinese restaurants in Oakley we can get like Uncle Wong's!

I will see you lunch time next week, I go to all the restaurants I review over again to see if they are improving, I plan on making a few more trips to those restaurants that I have been to months ago to keep a close eye on whether they are improving, which is the goal of a quality restaurant and quality management.
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Copyright © 2013 [JAMES THOMAS FRIDAS]. All Rights Reserved.

JIM'S RESTAURANT REVIEW

Franchise Restaurants                   article by:  James Thomas Fridas


Well there are numerous franchise restaurants and they are in most cases quit good, we will take you to Applebee's in Antioch California where there is an atmosphere you will enjoy, its on the corner of Hillcrest and E. Tregallus Road  the address is 2737 Hillcrest with plenty of parking as it is in a neighborhood shopping center.
I read several reviews on YELP and found that there are people who gave it a poor rating, I find that the new manager is trying to correct these flaws, it takes time to train a staff and crew in the kitchen to be professional this is what I learned as a chef, cook and manager over the years, there is still one waitress that I am sure is now in hell for her vicious mentality and I could care less if the old bag is alive and living in a retirement home, now that is a review for the ages!  
There are waitresses that are good and there are waitresses that are bad then there are those from hell!  While there seems to be a lot of negative remarks about this Applebee's in Antioch there is a lot of good remarks about the location in Concord, let me say that as a professional I will give a new manager the opportunity to "Stand and deliver"!  Sound military to you?  OK I was in back in the 60's and yes I expect good food, good service and a great atmosphere plus many other things to make my dinning experience a pleasure! 
I found the food some what wanting, I do not know if they are using canned sauces if they are the profits can't be as good as fresh foods and sauces are, or if they are required by chain, I will find out for sure and my next post on Applebee's will contain more information in this direction, so check back in a month or so as I will be going there again soon, you see when I write an extensive review I take my time to analyze all the details and all the facts that may or may not be pertinent but to some it will.
I honestly think that the place has an organizational problem and when I was a restaurant manager I felt that if a customer had a problem that the ideal solution was to address the persons problem and hopefully reassuring the customer that his or her issue will be resolved in their opinion satisfactorily so that I would win that customers continued loyal support as I discovered by some irate customers that was the opposite case with them as the manager would not talk to them I will address this with the new manager who seems to be very professional and I understand   
came all the way from New Mexico so I would suggest that you consider that if you go again and have an issue to take it up with the new manager and I will say that I believe he will address the issue head on.