Service
at the Fantastic Cafe is anything but
Restaurant
review
By
Nikki Payne
Contributing Writer
Daily Forty-Niner
Fantastic Cafe is a sit-down restaurant located close to campus, just southeast
of the Anaheim and Studebaker intersection.
The current manager is Jose Gomez, the fourth manager has since they opened,
according to Bill Case, a loyal customer of the restaurant.
The chain itself has been around for over 50 years with other locations in
Torrance, Lomita, El Segundo, Santa Ana, Cerritos and two locations in San
Pedro.
Their menu consists of a wide array of food including breakfast items, sandwiches
and burgers, salads, steak, fish, chicken, roast beef, pork chops and Mexican
favorites.
They also have dinner specials Monday through Thursday. The menu items are
also relatively cheap with an average meal costing about $8. The affordability
of the menu for the average working student is decent because let’s be
honest; if money was a really a factor, we could definitely get a cheaper meal.
If you like fast food and like the idea of a sit-down fast-food restaurant,
the prices are more than worth it, particularly when it comes to filling that
craving.
The atmosphere is very generic and cafeteria-like. Order food at the register,
get a number, and seat yourself. When food is ready, it’s delivered to
the table with the given number, like Carl’s Jr.
They have self-serve coffee as well as complimentary chips and salsa. The restaurant
was quite tidy.
I couldn’t help but also notice how somber the staff was; kind of disheartening.
When asked about the company, an employee just looked at me funny and said, “Nobody
knows anything,” and shrugged her shoulders while giving the rude ‘I
just work here; what do I know?’ look.
I ordered my food and when it came time to pay, was disappointed to discover
that they only take cash and pointed me to the ATM machine, conveniently located
right next to the register, as soon as I pulled out my VISA.
I ordered an Avocado Burger ($4.15), fries ($1.65) and a drink ($1.55). My
companion, whose food I also got to taste, ordered the Carne Asada plate ($7.75)
and a drink. The fries were the best. The avocado burger wasn’t too bad,
but it wasn’t anything spectacular. It tasted like burgers from any other
small local burger joint. Overall, the meal was pretty good.
The Carne Asada plate was impressive considering the numerous times I’ve
been disappointed with Mexican wannabe dishes. This meal was pretty good with
tender carne asada, but there’s definitely better Mexican food as impressed
as I was.
After, I took a stroll to the bathroom to have a look around. On the walls
were “thank you” posters with pictures from different elementary
schools. This suddenly revealed that behind the stubborn grins of employees
and managers, there are caring, nurturing people who work hard for their community
and its youth.
They also sponsor local youth baseball teams as indicated by the plaques hung
on the wall above the entrance. How fantastic is Fantastic Cafe? While the
service might not be all that friendly, the food is definitely worth the price
you pay. It’s a spacious and quiet getaway.
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