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| - Let's start with a disclaimer to set the tone for this review. This is not a negative review. On the other hand it is not the most glowing review I've written for a restaurant either. To be fair and consistent then I am forced to give it a middle-of-the-road rating of 3-stars. To me that's not a bad rating.
I have to start with some assumptions that the owners of this place are either new to the restaurant business or just getting their feet wet at this location and going through growing pains. It starts from the moment you arrive and see the single tiny paper/cloth sign pasted to the wall over one corner. It's like they didn't want to spend anything on a real sign in case they went belly up. That's not a criticism, that's a reality of being in the restaurant business in the Phoenix area in the last half of the twenty-teens.
Inside the place looks awesome. I have to assume (and hope) they took it over like that and didn't blow their entire life savings on decorating the place because it's ... to be blunt ... it reeks of a cookie-cutter chain restaurant like Applebee's or Olive Garden. Given their location and available space that is quite a shame. They seriously need professional decorating advice and a TON of personalization to give it a unique one-of-a-kind flair.
The menu is more of the same, and that's not a compliment. Holy cow, there is NOTHING unique on it, nothing that calls me to try it or write an awesome review about it. There is, in fact, nothing that doesn't make me think I'm sitting in any one of dozens and dozens of cookie-cutter chains.
Okay, that's the reality check. How about the reasons we dine out ... food quality, service and value?
I ordered a Buffalo Chicken sandwich on a brioche roll with a side salad. I found a couple of other Park Café menus online and that sandwich isn't listed on any of them so I can't refer to them to give you a better description.
The side salad (considering this lunch sandwich was $10 including choice of sides) was huge and awesome. Mixed field greens like you get at those fancy places, very fresh, very artfully arranged. Someone at this place understands how to make salads. The sandwich was also huge and the chicken was quite a bit better than you find in most restaurant chicken sandwiches, lots of gooey cheese and other stuff. I would say I loved the sandwich almost as much as I liked the salad.
Service - everyone was friendly and helpful and there when you needed them with one exception. We ordered Arnold Palmers and never once were asked if we wanted refills. In the Phoenix area with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees it's not if you want a refill, you DO want a refill.
Price - as I mentioned I think they are right on the money for their lunch prices. They've got that down. If they go higher before they settle in and fix some stuff that needs to be fixed they're going to blow it.
I like to note when I see a place being well managed. It was VERY evident the managers were there with their sleeves rolled up and involved in everything (another clue that they're still learning the restaurant business but a GOOD clue ... hopefully they ARE learning from their errors.
If I was going to suggest anything to them that needs immediate fixing is the place absolutely needs identity, personality and character. If they look like just another Applebees there will be a point that people will go there once and have no motivation to ever come back.
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