Thursday, November 7, 2013
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Zip's vs. Shady Acres
Saturday my mom and I went to another older diner in our neck of the woods, Shady Acres in Foster, RI. Since my way of judging a diner is by its fries and ice cream, that's what I had. The food was pretty good and I could smell the fries while they were being fried, they were really good. They didn't have as much flavor as Zip's, but they were still very good. My only other complaint is that they didn't come in different serving sizes like they do at Zip's so I couldn't finish my lunch.
What I really wanted to look at here was service, friendliness, and the general upkeep of the diner. The waitresses were good at their jobs and the food came to us quickly, but the waitresses at Zip's are more personable. The inside wasn't as bright as Zip's and the booths were not as soft as Zip's. Fifties was not a theme here, but there was a counter with stainless steel stools around it.
Shady Acres did seem more kid-friendly. There were kids' placemats at every seat with fun little activities on them and if someone came in with a difficult to entertain child there were coloring books and crayons.
Another difference is that there are outdoor eating arrangements for those that don't want to eat inside. One more thing is that Shady Acres serves wine and beer, while Zip's sticks to milkshakes.
My theory on why both these diners are so successful is because they are both on major state routes and attract truck drivers and families on road trips as well as regulars.
I like both diners, but am partial to Zip's and its jukeboxes and fifties theme. Next weekend I'm considering going to another diner and making this a running compare and contrast of small diners within driving distance.
Overall Shady Acres was a combination of Zip's, Mamadukes in New Hampshire, and the diner at the Golden Hills Motel in Utah.
What I really wanted to look at here was service, friendliness, and the general upkeep of the diner. The waitresses were good at their jobs and the food came to us quickly, but the waitresses at Zip's are more personable. The inside wasn't as bright as Zip's and the booths were not as soft as Zip's. Fifties was not a theme here, but there was a counter with stainless steel stools around it.
Shady Acres did seem more kid-friendly. There were kids' placemats at every seat with fun little activities on them and if someone came in with a difficult to entertain child there were coloring books and crayons.
Another difference is that there are outdoor eating arrangements for those that don't want to eat inside. One more thing is that Shady Acres serves wine and beer, while Zip's sticks to milkshakes.
My theory on why both these diners are so successful is because they are both on major state routes and attract truck drivers and families on road trips as well as regulars.
I like both diners, but am partial to Zip's and its jukeboxes and fifties theme. Next weekend I'm considering going to another diner and making this a running compare and contrast of small diners within driving distance.
Overall Shady Acres was a combination of Zip's, Mamadukes in New Hampshire, and the diner at the Golden Hills Motel in Utah.
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