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John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints |
A good clue as to the quality of any establishment is to see how many vehicles are parked outside at meal times.
To discover which restaurant chains (and shops, etc.) are in a particular town, and their locations, use each town's local Yellow Pages - there is usually a copy in your motel room.
Information about the presence and sometimes the location of restaurant chains can also be found in some motel directories, notably that of Super 8.
In addition, many of the major restaurant chains now have web sites with details of each of their locations.
Budget and "mom and pop" motels do not usually have restaurants on site, whereas the more expensive chains such as Holiday Inn and Best Western usually do, although it is always up to you if you choose to use them. Since we do not use the more expensive motel chains or more expensive restaurants we cannot give any indication of their restaurant prices, except that we imagine they would be lower than corresponding restaurant prices in hotels in the UK.
Small cafes and diners often give excellent value, especially for breakfasts, plus a good chance to observe "real" people.
See the separate page for comments on fast food.
There are various "All You Can Eat" buffet chains, including the Kings Table and the Royal Fork. Their quality tends to be a bit variable, but for a change one of these is well worth a try, and they do offer excellent value for money.
The cafeterias found in discount department stores such as Wal-Mart and K-Mart are worth a try, but they sometimes tend to look a bit second-rate. The cafeterias in the Zeller's department store chain in Canada are however very highly recommended and offer good value for money.
In general restaurants in the USA and Canada do not cater for vegetarians as obviously as those in Britain. For example, restaurant menus do not tend to feature items suitable for vegetarians.
We do not personally tend to move any further up market than the Golden Corral/Pizza Hut level of restaurant, so it is difficult for us to make recommendations or give prices for more expensive establishments. Some of the more expensive chains include Denny's (general), Red Lobster (seafood), Shoney's (general), Sizzler (steaks) and The International House of Pancakes (general), but having looked at their menus and prices we feel that they offer relatively less good value for money than the fast food chains, although their prices are still probably lower than similar establishments in the UK such as Little Chef, Happy Eater, Berni Inns or Beefeater.
The word "family" in association with a restaurant name indicates that it isn't licensed to sell alcohol and usually that its prices are lower than in licensed premises.
Moving up into the licensed restaurant or "fine dining" price level we again have no direct experience but would imagine that prices are somewhat less than the corresponding style of restaurant would charge in the UK. Expensive licensed ethnic restaurants of all kinds can be found in all but the smallest of towns throughout the USA and Canada.
There are many more Vietnamese and Japanese restaurants in the USA than in Britain.
Prices quoted in menus and on price boards in restaurants in both the USA and Canada always exclude sales tax.
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Most recently modified 28-Mar-02