One day, a couple of years ago a group of friends and I went out to eat. All these years later, I'm not sure where we were, but it was one of your standard American Eateries. Something like a Chilis, Cheddars or perhaps it was Friday's. The menus were passed around and decisions on what to eat were made. One of my friends, who was on a diet that particular night, asked the waiter if she could have a baked chicken breast and a side of steamed vegetables. The waiter informed her that it was not on the menu and she could not order it. I'm sure she ended up ordering something that night, but on the ride home that evening we could not stop laughing.
She said, and I quote, "All I wanted was a Frickin Chicken. Just a plain old chicken breast, how hard is that? Any restaurant should be able to serve up a piece of chicken!!" By the time we were home, we had sketched out a restaurant business plan. We were going to open up The Frickin Chicken where you can order any kind of chicken you want. Chicken Cordon Blue? Fried Chicken? Sauted? Curried Chicken? All you have to do is ask. Your wish is our command. We then decided that any type of chicken should always be served with potatoes. To make our lives simpler we were only going to serve one type of potato per day. It'd be the special. That's it. Our restaurant was going to be famous. You'd get a chicken dish of your choice, the daily potato and a side salad. Our waiters were going to ask our customers, "What kind of Frickin Chicken do you want today?"
We were laughing so hard by the end of the night. Our plan just kept getting more and more detailed. I think we had our decor decided down to the dishes and linens. (Of course if you ordered the Frickin Fried Chicken, you'd get a paper plate, not a fancy dish!)
So, that is how the Frickin Chicken came about. Or, didn't come about as the case may be. Many times over the past couple of years, I have thought of that night. I always said, that if I was to open a restaurant one day, it would have to be the Frickin Chicken. So, in honor of that, here is my food blog. No, it won't all be chicken, but hopefully it will all be good.
I love this story and I love your blog...I just want to run in the kitchen and cook everytime i'm here :)
ReplyDeleteI love this story! I read it a couple of weeks ago, and I keep thinking about it. I detest those cookie cutter restaurants. Some of the food tastes OK, but I know it's so mass-produced. I always say I want to eat somewhere that has a CHEF, not a COOK. This story illustrates that point perfectly! I like a good dive, too, but, among other reasons, I'd so rather spend my money with an individual than a chain.
ReplyDeleteWhat amazes me is how people line up to eat at those chain places. We can spend roughly the same amount and eat at a much nicer restaurant...one that takes reservations so we don't have to wait outside in the cattle line!
Of course I am talking about our life before kiddos. We go out to lunch a couple of times a week, but dinner - at least for a little while - is a thing of the past. :)
I love this blog!