Tonight was the monthly meeting of one of Hubby Tony's clubs, which takes place in the banquet room of a restaurant. On there club nights I usually take myself out to dinner.
Shortly before Tony left for the evening I was trying to figure out a restaurant that sounded good. The weather has been fall-like, which makes me think of chili. That made me wonder if the St. Louis Bread Company (aka Panera) had turkey chili on their menu yet. I checked, and they did. Just like that I had dinner plans!
Panera's turkey chili is a great combination of chunks of ground turkey, vegetables, and three kinds of beans in a slightly spicy broth. In addition to being tasty, it's also pretty healthy-lots of protein and complex carbohydrates and low in calories.
There are two Panera restaurants close to me. The one to the west is a little over two miles away, and if I go to the east it's about three and a half miles. At 4:45 pm I checked Google to see which would make more sense traffic wise, and was surprised to find out that the one to the east closed at 5:00. However, it said that I could head west, as long as I arrived at the location before 7:00.
I made all the stoplights and arrived in the Panera parking lot five minutes after I left the garage. There weren't many cars when I pulled in. I walked up to the door, which had a sign taped to it that said only the drive through was open. I got back in the car, drove around to the side of the building, and saw this:
UGH! Now, because I couldn't have it I really wanted turkey chili.
Panera packages some of its soups for retail sale, so I drove to a nearby grocery store. They had several varieties, but not the one I had my heart set on. I browsed through the store's grab and go section, but most of the food would have to be heated and I didn't want to drive home and mess with that.
By now I was getting seriously hungry. I left the store parking lot and turned right. The first place I drove by was a Chick-fil-A and I turned into the lot. The way my dinner search was going, I wasn't surprised to find a line of cars at the drive through, but the restaurant is legendary for their efficiency and the line moved quickly.
I was ravenous, and my desire to have a healthy meal flew out the window. I ordered a fried chicken sandwich, an order of waffle fries, and the original dipping sauce. After I got my order I drove to a far corner of the lot and sat in my car to eat my food. I haven't had Chick-fil-A in a long time and thought the food was far too salty. But it filled my stomach and didn't cost an arm and a leg.
What a disappointment, all the way around.
ReplyDeleteSorry about Panera, I know what it is like to look forward to a certain dish and it doesn't pan out.
ReplyDeleteWhite Castle - 24/7
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing is that I briefly thought about White Castle after I'd already eaten :-)
DeleteWe don’t have a Panera’s here in Hawaii, but we did go there in Chicago. I’ve never had the turkey chili though. I shall try it next time we get to finally go to Chicago.
ReplyDeleteIf you like chili I think you'd really enjoy this one.
DeleteI've only had Chik-Fil-A once and that was in South Carolina. We just started getting them around here a year ago. The lines are ridiculous so I haven't been to one yet.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people I know are rabid fans of the chain and eat there regularly.
DeleteI've never been to one, not sure we even have them here on the west coast.
ReplyDeleteStrayer, I don't know where you live, but they are all over here in Southern Calif. I'm at the edge of Orange County, close to Long Beach & there's probably over a dozen within a 15 min drive of our house.
ReplyDeleteThat's a LOT!
DeleteThe closures, as well as the long lines, probably have to do with employee shortages. That's what is happening here. Staff shortages have caused many restaurants to change their hours and serving practices. Fewer tables, smaller menus. Also caused by the shortage of food product. One of our local fish stores has been near closing up for good due to fish shortages. I don't eat fish so it's not a problem for us, but I know there are other shortages, like cans, that caused us some problem in buying cat food.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the problem was related to the current worker situation. I can't complain, though, because I have no desire to get a job.
DeleteThat is a sad tale! At least you found something. We've been finding this, as well.
ReplyDelete