It
is a unique eating experience with a very limited menu, very few tables, no
plates, plastic eating utensils, and paper cups. No hostesses or servers, you find
your own table, and sometimes you have to clean it yourself before you begin to
eat.
Some
people take their food on the run. They order it, and then juggle the drinks
and food while pushing their overloaded carts filled with goods (sometimes
pushing a “pallet”) not to mention an errant toddler or two.
Others
just come in for an inexpensive lunch.
It is a refugee from the rhythm of the "clock" environment. Anonymity is another feature of the eatery.
You can turn off you cell or pager and disappear.
Friday evenings are filled with
families who order pizza ahead of their arrival. They come with their
brood. Loud children, crumbs, and spills
are forgiven in this warehouse environment. The food is good. The children are
happy. Mom and dad don’t have to cook.
Meals are not the only offering for diners to treat their palates. There is a variety of sweets, starting with a deep-fried doughy cinnamon stick called a churro that often is used as a bribe by parents. Frozen smoothies tempt the most discriminating patron. The ice cream sundaes are so large that they can feed a family of four. The self-serve soda fountain offers endless drinks. Water is free.
Meals are not the only offering for diners to treat their palates. There is a variety of sweets, starting with a deep-fried doughy cinnamon stick called a churro that often is used as a bribe by parents. Frozen smoothies tempt the most discriminating patron. The ice cream sundaes are so large that they can feed a family of four. The self-serve soda fountain offers endless drinks. Water is free.
The
customers are diverse. Young women, senior couples, business men and women,
mechanics, electricians, carpenters, grandparents toting grandchildren, and
young couples line up for a drink and a hot dog or a simple slice of pizza for
a mere $1.50.
Some eat and leave, some stay and
chew slowly, and watch the customers leave the premise. Others engage in lively
conversation about what they purchased, planning how to store it or assembled
it. Many just sit there and sip on a drink while the person who accompanied
them writes a list of the things they came to buy. Some wait for prescriptions,
a ride to come pick them up, or just take the opportunity to just catch their
breath.
Yes, you really can’t call it a food
court, café, or an eating establishment. There is nothing fancy or elaborate
about the menu choices. It is just a spot of respite in the midst of consumerism
at its best.
