Ursiform wrote:I'd like to note that I wasn't mad at them for closing early, I know they do this on occasion. I was actually planning to get there at 7:30/8:00, but my dinner plans were derailed by a friend who made me late.

teatpuller wrote:With this place its best to call ahead to make sure they are open.

Knowing they close early on occasion, I actually did call before heading over there. I got the machine off the 1st ring, which stated 10pm was their closing time. I decided to risk it assuming (always a bad idea) that they would have changed the hours on the machine if they were closing early.

In short, I blame only myself, the machine - despite the reassuring message that they were open until 10pm - should have tipped me off.

Don't blame yourself. Put the blame where it belongs and it squarely belongs on TDAD. There is no valid excuse for not keeping their customers, or potential customers, informed on changes in their schedule. I'd excuse it if it happened only a few times, but it seems to be a regular occurrence with them.

I've never eaten at TDAD. Not because I haven't TRIED to eat there. Both times I went there (Thursdays between 1:00-1:30PM) they were closed. Neither time was there an explanation for the early closing posted on the door or on their phone machine. Luckily I didn't go far out of my way to get there as I was coming from the LUMC but I wasn't happy about it and makes me think twice about giving them a third chance. Not because they were closed, but their lack of effort to informing their customers about the reasoning for abandoning their regular scheduled hours of operation for that day.

It only takes a few minutes of effort to update their answering machine and post a "sorry we had to close early today" sign on their door. Great or very good food is not enough to keep a restaurant thriving in this economy. Struggling restaurants have to also offer great customer service to survive. You would think a restaurant that recently had a benefit held for them to keep them in business would be cognizant of the need to offer superior service too. TDAD might have great food (I can't confirm it since they weren't open when I was there) but their dedication to customer service sure needs plenty of work.

As far as this week's early Wednesday closing, once again they dropped the ball. How hard would it have been to update their answering machine message and post a sign on the front door? If it was a planned early closing due to the D,D &D taping on Thursday, they should have placed the sign and updated their answering machine message no later than Tuesday morning. Common courtesy to their regular and potential customers is a key to survival.

Mhays wrote:
OTOH, I find I'm allergic to long lines - Last week, I happened to be driving from the Southwest side to the Northeast: though starving, I passed Johnny's (cars backed up on North) and Hot Doug's (line out the door) and somewhere else equally delicious and wound up crabbily and ravenously eating an unpleasant lunch at home. I have to psych myself up for a meal out when there's going to be a long wait outside. To each his own pet peeve.

At least the places with the long lines, or the Big Corporate Entities (Cheesecake Factory, anyone while in HI because you are part of a large group of folks more comfortable eating what is familiar ) don't require a phone call before heading over to make sure they are open. I have had this happen on occasion and it didn't make me give up on the restaurant,1 of my favorites and a GNR, but gosh darnit if I don't phone them first. It is funny to hear the surprise/annoyance in their voice when I am just confirming they are open.

pairs4life wrote:...gosh darnit if I don't phone them first. It is funny to hear the surprise/annoyance in their voice when I am just confirming they are open.

It is funny (peculiar) that they are surprised and annoyed when they have created the conditions that make a phone call mandatory. Do they not get this? I guess not.

(Just a sideline comment from a sideline observer who once tried to go to DAD to find them closed. It wasn't a big deal--we hadn't gone out of the way or anything. We were in the area already. Pictures and descriptions here had made me salivate, so it seemed like a good and convenient destination, but 'twas not to be. Disappointment, not ire, was my reaction. But now, reading other people's posts, I'm getting angry!)

So, on the one hand we have LTHers getting increasingly worked up and hostile that the service doesn't achieve a stated standard, and on the other hand we have the restaurants' friends and neighbors coming together at a benefit to keep the place going.

And we're supposed to be the ones who support the little guy and tries to keep him in business.

Mike G wrote:So, on the one hand we have LTHers getting increasingly worked up and hostile that the service doesn't achieve a stated standard, and on the other hand we have the restaurants' friends and neighbors coming together at a benefit to keep the place going.

And we're supposed to be the ones who support the little guy and tries to keep him in business.

I have no problem with a little guy trying to stay afloat needing to close early on occasion at all, in fact, the Picky Eater and I enjoyed a delicious bowl of shrimp bisque, a meatloaf and a french dip sandwich, and a slice of fantastic peach pie there yesterday. The Depot is firmly in my weekly rotation for their wonderful food & gracious hosts.

Ursiform wrote:The Depot is firmly in my weekly rotation for their wonderful food & gracious hosts.

The only thing that stops me from being able to feel as good as you do about DAD is that they weren't open when I went. If they had been, I would have some kind of personal experience with the hosts and their food that would no doubt be as warm as yours, which would make me forgive them a multitude of sins. By having unpredictable hours, they are reducing the number of good impressions they can make. It isn't so much that they are creating bad will, as that they are not creating the amount of good will they could. Not my problem, and not my business decision, and as I say, they didn't harm me (we were already in the area) so I have no beef with them. No pun intended.

LTHForum,

Between this thread, Depot Diner, and the odd turns other threads have taken, Taqueria Puebla for one, it is apparent David Hammond's tongue in cheek question is quickly becoming fact.

David Hammond
"Are we just an overly sensitive coterie of effete and self-important snooty-pants dilettantes?"

Folks, these are small family owned business, true mom, pop and kids who happen to turn out extraordinarily delicious food. Just because they are featured on Diners Drive In and Dives, Check Please or other pump up the volume shows does not mean the service staff has been to Johnson and Wales school of hotel and restaurant management.

If your main requirement for an enjoyable restaurant experience is absolute adherence to posted hours, consistency of product each and every time and Hello, My Name is Chad, I will be your server, welcome to Family Fun Fiesta experience, I suggest you look elsewhere.

That said, for the ever so literal among us (you know who you are), I have never had anything but friendly proficient service at either the Depot Diner or Taqueria Puebla.

Enjoy,
Gary 'lets talk turkey' Wiviott

G Wiv wrote:If your main requirement for an enjoyable restaurant experience is absolute adherence to posted hours, consistency of product each and every time and Hello, My Name is Chad, I will be your server, welcome to Family Fun Fiesta experience, I suggest you look elsewhere.

By "look elsewhere," am I right to assume you mean "look somewhere other than Depot American Diner," and not, "look somewhere other than LTHForum"? From the tone and the words in your post, I'm genuinely unsure what you're trying to suggest.

Wife and I both had yesterday off so made a trip to DAD for lunch.

I went with the pot roast sandwich and the wife went with a grilled cheese with sliced tomatoes added in. That pot roast sandwich is magic. I only wish it had come with mashed potatoes instead of fries, though the gravy fries do bring me back to my Jersey diner roots As simple as a grilled cheese is, this one was made wonderful by being a double decker and by throwing the tomatoes on the flat top before putting them into the sandwich. I also licked my shrimp bisque bowl clean.

Great stuff and I wish it was much closer!

Jamie

I am ashamed at the treatment this restaurant is getting on this forum. It is a great restaurant staffed with great people and doesn't deserve it.

What satisfaction are we getting at beating this place down as the proverbial dead horse? Especially at one of the highpoints of their life?

So some of us were disappointed? Get over it.

I am heading over for a great breakfast/lunch with My Bride.

Kennyz wrote:

G Wiv wrote:If your main requirement for an enjoyable restaurant experience is absolute adherence to posted hours, consistency of product each and every time and Hello, My Name is Chad, I will be your server, welcome to Family Fun Fiesta experience, I suggest you look elsewhere.

By "look elsewhere," am I right to assume you mean "look somewhere other than Depot American Diner," and not, "look somewhere other than LTHForum"? From the tone and the words in your post, I'm genuinely unsure what you're trying to suggest.

I was momentarily unsure myself, Kenny, but on reflection I feel sure Gary meant the former.

Gary meant the former. I don't think he was suggesting you leave the forum at all.

Can we just end the discussion or conduct in another thread? I'd like to leave this thread for my food-porn needs, because the longer it gets the harder it is to find the sensual pictures of the med-rare burger, the donuts, and that absolutely scandalous pot roast sammich with the fries shamelessly bathing in the gravy like the tarts they are, the more frustrated I get.

Ghazi wrote: I'd like to leave this thread for my food-porn needs, because the longer it gets the harder it is to find the sensual pictures of the med-rare burger, the donuts, and that absolutely scandalous pot roast sammich with the fries shamelessly bathing in the gravy like the tarts they are, the more frustrated I get.

Hmm, how about Shrimp Bisque?



Or maybe a French Dip?



Perhaps the meatloaf sandwich?



The Peach Pie is awfully nice too...



Ghazi, hope this helps your food porn needs. I'm here to serve.

Hot Damn! Any feedback on the peach pie and the meatloaf sammich? Those look scandalous!!

Ghazi wrote:Hot Damn! Any feedback on the peach pie and the meatloaf sammich? Those look scandalous!!

The meatloaf sammich is my wife's favorite from the usual DAD menu. I like it quite a bit as well, though not as much as the pot roast sandwich. I've had the peach pie once and thought it was good, but not something I would choose over the donuts or bread pudding unless I had a specific craving.

I secretly like the bread pudding MORE than the donuts.

Ghazi wrote:Hot Damn! Any feedback on the peach pie and the meatloaf sammich? Those look scandalous!!

The meatloaf sandwich was quite good although I found it odd that the meat was formed into sausage like patties instead of being sliced from an actual loaf. I'm with ucjames in preferring the pot roast sandwich, but they are both very, very good. The peach pie was heavenly, absolutely amazing. It's hard to go wrong with the pie here at all, though, they are all so teriffic!

Meatloaf


Pot Roast


I also prefer the Pot Roast sandwich over the meatloaf. There is some strange spicing going on in the meatloaf sandwich that I don't care for (nutmeg?).

As I have said before, I love this place. Saterday late breakfast/ lunch dare I say brunch without cocktail shrimp dangeling from an Ice Sculpture was great as always, but the donuts were a little different from my memory. I thought they gave you a small cup of whipped cream and a small cup of fairly thick chocolat dipping sauce. We received one cup with a thin almost swiss miss cocoa like liquid with whipped cream on top. I was not a fan. Having said that the cinniman sugar fresh donut holes were far superior to any coffee shop diner version out there. This place may not have perfect consistency or service but overall experience far surpasses any minor gliches and actually may enhance it. I dont tend to gravitate toward pleasent consistent conforming people or eateries. Maybe its my own head issues, but I like people and places with a little edge and bravado.

I'm heading here tonight with some friends. If you see a guy with a shaved head and a fedora, feel free to introduce yourself.

(I don't do autographs)

Sad to have missed Ghazi this evening, but the Picky Eater and I had a lovely early dinner at The Depot tonight.

Today's blue plate special, chicken fried chicken, was moist & flavorful with a nice, crisp crust from the grill. The accompaniments, mac and cheese and green beans, were very good. The beans were perfectly cooked with plenty of snap left in them and the mac and cheese was pleasantly cheesy without being heavy. The picky eater has rejected about 2/3rds of the mac and cheese available in Chicago, but he gave this one a thumbs up.



The split pea soup of the day was surprisingly rich and just the thing on a rainy day like today.



The picky eater liked his french dip from the other day so much that he had another one and we shared a slice of pecan pie. I must admit, I've become very fond of pecan pie since having the Depot's version. There was only one slice left when we departed, but they also had pumpkin, sweet potato and peach pie, as well as a fresh bread pudding & a really luscious looking chocolate cake.

A couple of other diners there while we ate and a group of police officers coming in as we were leaving...still looks pretty slow in there, but at least there seems to be a steady stream of people coming in.

I popped in for lunch the other day, Tuesday, and they were very busy. Took a seat at the counter for a simple (but perfect) BLT, and while I ate the rest of the place filled up. Only disappointment was that there was no bread pudding.

Vitesse98 wrote:I popped in for lunch the other day, Tuesday, and they were very busy. Took a seat at the counter for a simple (but perfect) BLT, and while I ate the rest of the place filled up. Only disappointment was that there was no bread pudding.

If it makes you feel any better, Vitesse, Robert and Annamarie's son was there this evening and lamented that there wasn't any bread pudding yesterday too.

Stopped by today for lunch and had the best club sandwich I've ever had in my life (and I'm getting old, so that's saying something).

************

Life is short; eat well.

More illustration for the above post.

good morning
i have been to dad three times recently
boy o boy was i impressed
man o man was the food good
girl o girl
the management and staff made a great attemt to make my dining experience as great as i wanted it to be
dad is more than a 30 minute drive for me
and worth every minute in my humble opinion

from a business perspective having spoke to the robert his wife and counter person
these folks are doing the best they can
there are many things that go on in business and life
live and let live
enjoy the good stuff
please

my advice eat your own cooking (food cooked by lth'ers) like i did in yesterday at mim
got to meet some fine people and got to eat some really good bbq and really good sides
it is more fun cooking for people
and better eating and tasting new offerings from people who know and care

it is not about everything being perfect
it is about being with friends and having a good time

there is abundance all around the city all we have to do is look to find it
that was a good part of my experience yesterday

getting to meet more of you at lthforum

continued good luck to robert and his team
to me they are doing things as right and well as they can
and that is good enough for me
professional and top notch
i never would have found dad without the most impressive lth forum reccomendations
thank you and thanks for many other great selections which i have been to and more that i intend on going to
happy mothers day to all
peace

baby ray wrote:it is not about everything being perfect
it is about being with friends and having a good time

Words of wisdom my friend, words of wisdom.

Having lunch at the Depot, which I did yesterday (a voluptuous Reuben), provides a good lesson in what economists call "opportunity costs."

Hmmmm . . . let's see: if I have the Reuben, then I can't have the Club; and if I have the Club, then I can't have the Pot Roast; and if I have the Pot Roast, etc., etc., etc.

I'm heading over tonight with some coworkers and will definitely be getting the pot roast sammy and donuts like I did last time.

I know all of their food is great, but does anything even come close to the piece of culinary perfection that is the pot roast sandwich? Should I go off the range and order the burger or meatloaf sammy instead?

ps. tonight's special is chicken fried chicken

their open face turkey sandwich is fantastic as well. i would always go with that or the pot roast sandwich when i get over there. not a big fan of their meatloaf actually.