Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Jason's Deli

The other day I was in the mood for a good sandwich, so I headed over to Jason's Deli on Hwy. 73, across from Birkdale Village. I'd driven by this place hundreds of times -- I might as well give it a try!

In writing this blog, I try to stay away from large chain restaurants. I like to go to restaurants that have a local flavor to them. As it turns out there are over 200 Jason's Delis. Oh well, lesson learned.

When I entered the restaurant, I was a little turned-around and overwhelmed. There is no menu on the wall, just a listing of specials. So, after walking around for a few seconds, I found a menu. The menu is large, and again I was a little overwhelmed. How hard can it be to get a freakin' sandwich?

After looking over the menu a few times I decided to order the Santa Fe Chicken Sandwich. I walked up to the cash register and gave my order, and was told to go about 6 feet to my right to order the sandwich. It turns out that register is for take out orders only. So, after taking a couple of steps to my right, I gave my order again. This time the order taker took it, handed it off, and then started to walk away.

After stopping him and asking where I was to go next, I was told to continue down to my right along the deli counter to the register. I continued down, along the counter, and couldn't find the register. As it turns out, it was directly behind me. UGH. How hard can it be to order and pay for a freakin' sandwich?

After I finally got that figured out, I poured myself a cup of soda, and took a seat by the TV. The inside of this place is huge. Dozens of tables tightly packed with booths along one side. I'm guessing they can easily accommodate over 150 people. They have a patio, but it only has about 3-4 tables, and they were all full. Though the place is decorated nicely (warm earth tones, dark wood, etc.) the size of it is just too immense for a sandwich shop.

After a few minutes, my lunch arrived. The sandwich was large, and filled with quality ingredients. The sandwich description says. "marinated chicken breast, homemade
guacamole, bacon, tomato, russian dressing, swiss, grilled on whole grain wheat." And that sums it up well. The meat consisted of actual chunks of grilled chicken breast -- not sliced meat wheel. It had a great grilled flavor and even though I don't like swiss cheese or whole wheat bread (I should've read the description closer), I enjoyed my sandwich. However, the side consisted of crappy broken pieces of wanna-be Ruffles. I wasn't impressed with that, and it lowered the score of the food by a point.

Score:
Atmosphere: 3/5
Food: 3/5
Service: 2/5
Total: 8/15
Price: $ (most entrees under $10)

Conclusion: The sandwich was good, but the rest of the experience was lackluster: the staff were nice, but not completely helpful for pointing me in the right direction; the cavernous room overwhelmed the warm decor; and the sandwich was hampered by the cheap chips. Despite this, I believe this restaurant has great potential - I'll head back later to see if my next experience is a better one.

Restaurant Info:
Jason's Deli
16639 Birkdale Commons Pkwy
Huntersville, NC 28078
704-895-2505
http://www.jasonsdeli.com/

8 comments:

  1. I highly recommend the turkey muffaletta. It is wonderful.

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  2. Ya know, I couldn't figure out what a muffaletta is... what is it??

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  3. Love the salad bar and soups here.

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  4. The salad bar is out of this world.

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  5. Ditto on Sue's comment! The Salad Bar is Out of this World! I get a split when I go... can't remember the "technical ordering" name of it. But it is where they give you half a sandwich and one trip to the salad bar (around $10). I was sooo full after the salad, I got the sandwich, chips, (and yeah, the chips are so great), and pickle to go.

    On the salad bar (at least the one I visited in Hickory) has complimentary little cornbread muffins, garlic bread, and ICE CREAM! that you can put in a cup or cone.

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  6. I always get the soup and salad bar.

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  7. its GREAT for kids because the kid's food is cheap and they get free ice cream. we go all the time because of that! :)

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  8. The food has really gone downhill here. Also, staff at counter is indifferent, at best. The real caveat is this: Never, ever dine here on Kids Eat Free day. I love kids, but parents let them run wild while they chat with each other and friends. Its noisy, kids running around and its an absolute mess with food and trash all over the place.

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