I have a great little routine going. On most Wednesday afternoons, I head up to the cabin and do a little work, water the plants that were planted in the spring, that sort of thing. Then I get a wonderful night’s sleep all alone.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I love my wife and my doggies. But things can get cramped with two humans, a large dog and a little dog, even in a King Size bed. So sleeping alone one night a week is incredible. Plus, I seem to sleep really well up there. The cabin is at 4800 ft, so perhaps it is that slight elevation that accounts for the great sleep. I don’t know, but I don’t question it.
Well this last Wednesday around 4PM I was passing through the town of Ramona, with a trailer attached full of lumber. I wanted to grab a burger, but had to be able to park somewhere with the trailer.
I noticed a Wendy’s on the right, with a wide side-street. Easy parking, and I’d be able to keep an eye on the cargo.
When I first had the idea of a “Burger Wars” series of posts, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do the old “Big Three” (McDonald's, Jack-in-the-Box, Burger King). As far as I was concerned, they were all has-bens who had their day in the sun. Wendy’s would fall in that category.
But on the other hand, I do hope to have advertisers and a possible national audience someday, which would mandate doing the big chains. Because a person in Iowa couldn’t go to the little independent burger joint in my one-horse town.
Fortunately, all the big guys are introducing premium burgers to try and win back market share which has been waning in recent years. So that gives them a burger I can put against the independents and it would be a fair match-up. Problem solved.
Now to the location of today’s piece – Wendy’s Old-Fashioned Hamburgers. I was surprised to learn via Wikipedia, that as of March of 2010, they were the third largest chain behind McDonald’s and Burger King. Many of there locations have closed in my Southern California area, so I thought they were on the way out.
Plus, the corporation bought out a chain called Baja Fresh a few years back. They paid $275 million for them, and sold them several years later for $31 million. Sounds like one of my business deals.
So at 4PM I entered the Wendy’s on Main St. in Ramona, CA. A very well-groomed man pleasantly greeted me. After about 10 seconds I realized he was…..um….an Interior Designer. Now, don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against Interior Designers. I’ve had many friends over the years who were Interior Designers. I’m certainly not an Interior Designer-a-phobe.
And I will say, he was very competent. Then a saw a manager who also looked like a competent worker. I wondered if both these guys had been displaced from other industries that are suffering from the recession. If so, it just goes to show with every dark cloud there is a silver lining. The silver lining here is that even though aerospace workers are getting laid off from their careers, it is making the fast-food industry much more enjoyable. Nothing like a worker who understands you, and gets your food to you fast and piping hot.
So I ordered the Double Baconator Combo Meal. I was asked if I wanted small, medium or large. I ordered medium (I was so proud of myself for over-riding my knee-jerk “large”.) The total was $8.79. I guess the days of a five dollar combo meal are long gone.
The food was served right away. The fries were fresh-cut with sea salt. I was surprised at how good they were. I think the population has gotten tired of fries (I know I have). Because everyone seems to be doing something to kick that side item up a notch.
So I unwrapped my burger. It was two ¼ pound patties (although they looked bigger; I think they use a small bun), 6 strips of bacon, 4 slices of cheese, and sauced with mayo and ketchup.
On my first bite, the well-done bacon melted in my mouth. The flavors all blended together quite well. I took some notes in between a few bites of the burger and an occasional fry dipped in ranch dressing. I think my note at the table on the burger summed it up perfectly – “Burger good, but didn’t blow my socks off.”
Average would be how I rate the entire experience overall. Average price, average (for fast-food) ambiance, average food taste.
I’d probably return if I were passing by and suddenly wanted something decent and filling. But I doubt I would make a special trip to this location. Sorry Dave – R.I.P.
Lew B.
