There is no reason to leave the area disappointed!

It was mentioned above, but definitely worth repeating:

. . . and Xni-Pec

http://www.xnipec.us/

Had a lovely late lunch at the Depot yesterday around 3pm with some friends traveling through from Tennessee. Club sandwich, open faced turkey sandwich and fried chicken were all spot on and my guests were suitably impressed with the pecan pie. In fact, they said (regarding the pie and the fried chicken) that they had never thought to find such good renditions in Chicago. Considering that they lived in Chicago for 2 years recently and spent much of their time here trying to find food that reminded them of home, I took that as hearty praise.

The Depot was utterly empty at 3pm yesterday and they were not out of anything. That seems to be the perfect time to go.

So we went into Depot Diner for a late lunch today, and as I was luxuriating in my pot roast sandwich, as the kids happily scarfed up a burger and a BLT, I couldn't help but think about the posts in this thread lambasting the Depot for closing early, or arbitrarily, or inconveniently.

It seems to me that there's only so much the people running a place can do; you're going to wind up cutting yourself some slack somewhere, just to keep from dropping dead. So I have some suggestions for Depot Diner that would help them keep their hours like other diners do:

• Instead of coming in at 5 am to make fresh pot roast for the pot roast sandwich, come in at 7 and use frozen foodservice product

• Instead of taking the time to handcarve fresh-roasted turkey, use a more efficient pre-sliced turkey product on club sandwiches

• Instead of making homemade biscuits, use Bisquick or frozen canned biscuits

• Instead of making homemade soup, use commercial soup bases

And so on. The fact is, if you look around their menu there are lots of inefficiencies of this sort. There are diners all over the city which manage to keep their hours to the minute with none of this "lazy and inconsiderate" "nonsense," who prove they "respect and value" their customers by serving them efficiently prepared food of a level of quality which makes them virtually indistinguishable from one another. It is time for the Depot to be more like them.

Mike G wrote:So I have some suggestions for Depot Diner that would help them keep their hours like other diners do:

Can I have some o what you're smoking?

Mike G wrote:So we went into Depot Diner for a late lunch today, and as I was luxuriating in my pot roast sandwich, as the kids happily scarfed up a burger and a BLT, I couldn't help but think about the posts in this thread lambasting the Depot for closing early, or arbitrarily, or inconveniently.

It seems to me that there's only so much the people running a place can do; you're going to wind up cutting yourself some slack somewhere, just to keep from dropping dead. So I have some suggestions for Depot Diner that would help them keep their hours like other diners do:

• Instead of coming in at 5 am to make fresh pot roast for the pot roast sandwich, come in at 7 and use frozen foodservice product

• Instead of taking the time to handcarve fresh-roasted turkey, use a more efficient pre-sliced turkey product on club sandwiches

• Instead of making homemade biscuits, use Bisquick or frozen canned biscuits

• Instead of making homemade soup, use commercial soup bases

And so on. The fact is, if you look around their menu there are lots of inefficiencies of this sort. There are diners all over the city which manage to keep their hours to the minute with none of this "lazy and inconsiderate" "nonsense," who prove they "respect and value" their customers by serving them efficiently prepared food of a level of quality which makes them virtually indistinguishable from one another. It is time for the Depot to be more like them.

ok Mike, we get it, only your opinion of any topic on LTH is "correct". everybody else is an idiot. there, are you happy now??

Hey, I get up every morning knowing that, without having to post!

Believe it or not, I might actually have wished to make a point worth thinking about, but given the general trend of this thread toward self-pitying offense at differing opinions, I should have just eaten my pot roast sandwich in silence. More for me!

EvilDoc wrote:ok Mike, we get it, only your opinion of any topic on LTH is "correct". everybody else is an idiot. there, are you happy now??

E.D.,

I find my self in complete agreement with the sentiment in Mike's post.

Well said Mr. G, very well said indeed.

Enjoy,
Gary

"Can we all get along"-

The last few times I have been over there and ordered something with fries I have opted to have gravy on them.

Savory and a bit salty.

Mmmmm...

What exactly is with gravy on fries???

Mike G wrote:So we went into Depot Diner for a late lunch today, and as I was luxuriating in my pot roast sandwich, as the kids happily scarfed up a burger and a BLT, I couldn't help but think about the posts in this thread lambasting the Depot for closing early, or arbitrarily, or inconveniently.

It seems to me that there's only so much the people running a place can do; you're going to wind up cutting yourself some slack somewhere, just to keep from dropping dead. So I have some suggestions for Depot Diner that would help them keep their hours like other diners do:

• Instead of coming in at 5 am to make fresh pot roast for the pot roast sandwich, come in at 7 and use frozen foodservice product

• Instead of taking the time to handcarve fresh-roasted turkey, use a more efficient pre-sliced turkey product on club sandwiches

• Instead of making homemade biscuits, use Bisquick or frozen canned biscuits

• Instead of making homemade soup, use commercial soup bases

I'll add one:

- come up with hours that reflect what you can really handle, and post those instead of the fake ones.

i honestly thought mike was kidding

i have been to the depot american diner at least 6 times now
i really like the team and i really really like the food
if im having a tough day i go there just because it feels good to me to be there and eat and talk to the folks there

it is what it is and it isn't what it isn't

i would bet a lot of money that
if depot diner took the shortcuts that some other places do
they would loose their heart and soul
and cease to exist

what i see is one of the cleanest places i have ever been to
i like to sit at the counter and watch the food being prepared
the diner is a place that makes me feel good when i am there
it is a place that has excellent really good food and
a place that has a very professional experienced staff

i would like to say more but i am commited to saying only positive things
on the forum
so i can enjoy the content and not get myself so wrapped up in opinions that i write things i later reget

happy fathers day

baby ray wrote:i honestly thought mike was kidding

Mike was "kidding"

I'll add one:

- come up with hours that reflect what you can really handle, and post those instead of the fake ones.[/quote]


we have a winner! you must be some kind of genius to have come up with such a simple and effective idea. brilliant!

juan epstein wrote:I'll add one:

- come up with hours that reflect what you can really handle, and post those instead of the fake ones.

we have a winner! you must be some kind of genius to have come up with such a simple and effective idea. brilliant![/quote]

Actually, that would not be appreciated by true die-hard LTHers. Haven't you noticed that the restaurants that get the most praise and love here are also the ones that usually feature masochistic quirks that would probably alienate a lot of the average Joe Blow, non-foodie customers? But us LTHers eat that kind of abuse up with a spoon and come back looking for more. Between DAD's unknown hours of operation, a heaping of rude treatment at Patty's, or "sorry, you can't eat here, you didn't let us know you were coming" at Burt's, we revel at being walked on like a carpet or just not being able to eat at these places. It is what distinguishes us from the riff-raff that like to eat at places with regular hours of operation, courteous wait staff, and generally available food on demand.

I want to thank Mike for pointing out the hazards and problems to be found in restaurants that keep regular hours. In the future I apply this new metric to help identify substandard eateries. No more business from me for places that keep regular hours.

Good Lord! I don't quite know why I keep clicking on this thread (maybe in hopes of more pot roast photos) but I gotta tell you, this argument...

Some people care more about a place's food than its quirks. Some people care about consistency. Both read this forum - I get it. I see no point in drawing a Maginot line between the two; it doesn't offer any further information about whether to go to a place or not.

Cogito wrote:Actually, that would not be appreciated by true die-hard LTHers. Haven't you noticed that the restaurants that get the most praise and love here are also the ones that usually feature masochistic quirks that would probably alienate a lot of the average Joe Blow, non-foodie customers? But us LTHers eat that kind of abuse up with a spoon and come back looking for more. Between DAD's unknown hours of operation, a heaping of rude treatment at Patty's, or "sorry, you can't eat here, you didn't let us know you were coming" at Burt's, we revel at being walked on like a carpet or just not being able to eat at these places. It is what distinguishes us from the riff-raff that like to eat at places with regular hours of operation, courteous wait staff, and generally available food on demand.

3 restaurants out of thousands discussed and praised here. Your generalization is utterly ridiculous. And again, I say this as person who isn't really even a huge fan of DAD.

=R=

Cogito wrote:Actually, that would not be appreciated by true die-hard LTHers. Haven't you noticed that the restaurants that get the most praise and love here are also the ones that usually feature masochistic quirks that would probably alienate a lot of the average Joe Blow, non-foodie customers? But us LTHers eat that kind of abuse up with a spoon and come back looking for more. Between DAD's unknown hours of operation, a heaping of rude treatment at Patty's, or "sorry, you can't eat here, you didn't let us know you were coming" at Burt's, we revel at being walked on like a carpet or just not being able to eat at these places. It is what distinguishes us from the riff-raff that like to eat at places with regular hours of operation, courteous wait staff, and generally available food on demand.

Is anyone forcing you to eat at any of these places? You don't like the quirks go somewhere else.

G Wiv wrote:

EvilDoc wrote:ok Mike, we get it, only your opinion of any topic on LTH is "correct". everybody else is an idiot. there, are you happy now??

E.D.,

I find my self in complete agreement with the sentiment in Mike's post.

Well said Mr. G, very well said indeed.

Enjoy,
Gary

Gary, i'd be surprised if you were NOT in complete agreement with Mike.

anyhow, next time i'm in the mood for some fried chicken i'm going to call them to see if they're open because their rendition seems to get a "thumbs up" from everyone who has had it . does anyone know if they do it pan fried?

also, while i've never seeked out pot roast, i'll have to have one of those too just to see what makes Mike so protective of TDAD. who knows? maybe i might get that way too.....but, i doubt it.

Yeah, different view of what's important and what isn't = "protective."

Personally, I wouldn't risk a visit to the Depot, even for pot roast. Too much could go wrong.

EvilDoc wrote:Gary, i'd be surprised if you were NOT in complete agreement with Mike.

E.D.

You might be surprised, but Mike nailed my sentiments about DD, Patty's, TAC and any number of other more effort into the plate than olive garden like regimentation.

Enjoy,
Gary

baby ray wrote:it is what it is and it isn't what it isn't

I just love this - it's the headline in my journal today. Thank you, baby ray.

i would like to say more but i am commited to saying only positive things

Love this too. You know those people about whom it's said "he doesn't have a mean bone in his body"? I always wished I could be one of those people. I usually fall out of the running before noon.

so i can enjoy the content and not get myself so wrapped up in opinions

At first glance I read this and saw "wrapped up in onions."
Which didn't sound too bad either.

Sorry, no offense to anyone on any side, but I haven't been paying attention to the rest of this thread.

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Cogito wrote:Actually, that would not be appreciated by true die-hard LTHers. Haven't you noticed that the restaurants that get the most praise and love here are also the ones that usually feature masochistic quirks that would probably alienate a lot of the average Joe Blow, non-foodie customers? But us LTHers eat that kind of abuse up with a spoon and come back looking for more. Between DAD's unknown hours of operation, a heaping of rude treatment at Patty's, or "sorry, you can't eat here, you didn't let us know you were coming" at Burt's, we revel at being walked on like a carpet or just not being able to eat at these places. It is what distinguishes us from the riff-raff that like to eat at places with regular hours of operation, courteous wait staff, and generally available food on demand.

3 restaurants out of thousands discussed and praised here. Your generalization is utterly ridiculous. And again, I say this as person who isn't really even a huge fan of DAD.

=R=

Giallo wrote:Is anyone forcing you to eat at any of these places? You don't like the quirks go somewhere else.

You guys are a riot. So serious. Can't tell sarcasm when you see it, eh?

Cogito wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Cogito wrote:Actually, that would not be appreciated by true die-hard LTHers. Haven't you noticed that the restaurants that get the most praise and love here are also the ones that usually feature masochistic quirks that would probably alienate a lot of the average Joe Blow, non-foodie customers? But us LTHers eat that kind of abuse up with a spoon and come back looking for more. Between DAD's unknown hours of operation, a heaping of rude treatment at Patty's, or "sorry, you can't eat here, you didn't let us know you were coming" at Burt's, we revel at being walked on like a carpet or just not being able to eat at these places. It is what distinguishes us from the riff-raff that like to eat at places with regular hours of operation, courteous wait staff, and generally available food on demand.

3 restaurants out of thousands discussed and praised here. Your generalization is utterly ridiculous. And again, I say this as person who isn't really even a huge fan of DAD.

=R=

Giallo wrote:Is anyone forcing you to eat at any of these places? You don't like the quirks go somewhere else.

You guys are a riot. So serious. Can't tell sarcasm when you see it, eh?

Apparently not. I find this subject a bit tiresome.

Giallo wrote:Is anyone forcing you to eat at any of these places? You don't like the quirks go somewhere else.

Cogito wrote:You guys are a riot. So serious. Can't tell sarcasm when you see it, eh?

Apparently not. I find this subject a bit tiresome.

So go somewhere else?

...

EvilDoc wrote:anyhow, next time i'm in the mood for some fried chicken i'm going to call them to see if they're open because their rendition seems to get a "thumbs up" from everyone who has had it . does anyone know if they do it pan fried?

It would be awesome if they did Pan Fried Chicken. Our search for one of the Holy Grail's could end. I mentioned to My Bride about the great reviews and she has vowed to have it on our next visit. She loves a good fried chicken.

BTW The Fried Chicken is the Blue Plate Special on Wednesdays.

Pan Fried Chicken is a lot of work though...

Suzy Creamcheese wrote:

Giallo wrote:Is anyone forcing you to eat at any of these places? You don't like the quirks go somewhere else.

Cogito wrote:You guys are a riot. So serious. Can't tell sarcasm when you see it, eh?

Apparently not. I find this subject a bit tiresome.

So go somewhere else?

...

Panther in the Den wrote:Pan Fried Chicken is a lot of work though...

It should fit right into their long schedule then.

Tuesday's Special:

Pork Chops with a bell pepper sauce and potato wedges

Wonderful as usual...the Picky Eater contented himself (for the 10th time in a row) with the french dip.

Hi LTHers

Firstly, I would to thank all for their comments, and also for the support you have shown us. This forum I find to be wonderful assest as it lets the business owner in how people REALLY feel.

I wanted address the topic of our hours. We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused and realise that it has left a bad taste in some patrons mouths. We have never closed our doors because of we wanted to. As hard as it is to close the doors we have had to make that tough decision. There have been different variables that have come into play. When employees decide not to show up without notice it causes big problems. So to anyone here that works in this industry, I suggest you always give enough notice when you decide not to go to work as this causes lots of inconveniences. I suppose if you are in a large corp. situation, they have enough people to cover, in that case go ahead and leave you co-workers and patrons out to dry. We are a small operation
resources are limited. I do not however want to go into every little detail as it is our responsibilty to run the place and yours to eat.

We have not however closed our doors just because we felt like it-that is absurd. I agree that one should honour posted hours.
We have not closed our doors early for some time now as our issues have been dealt with and we hope never to be in that position again.

I just wanted to get that out there.

Again thank you for all your patronage and support
Kind regards
Robert and Annemarie Nava

Don't think this has been posted here yet...the DDD episode featuring the Depot will air August 3rd, per a Yelp announcement.