Sunday: Dinner down under
May 29 2005 02:55 AM | Australia
In Muncie, a trendy spot to eat is the Outback Steak
House (real Aussies would never wait for 3 hours to
eat unless there was a tea to break the wait up).
This was, of course, the subject of much ribbing from
friends and family before I left. No, I told them, I
don’t think Aussies eat at the Outback every day. I
did suggest that Aussies probably have American steak
houses down under.
Well, we pulled into a Lonestar on the Gold Coast at 5 p.m. and I knew something was immediately wrong. The parking lot was virtually empty. There were a few diners, but nowhere near the crowd that is typical on a Sunday back home. It shows how desperate we Hoosiers are for good food.
Despite being relatively empty (Aussies eat late), it still took a long time to get waited on. I suspect poor service is part of the franchise’s mission, since it has haunted me on every visit to the chain. The menu was typical American, with some variations of the stuff back home. I ordered a burger, hoping that it my quest for a decent burger was about to end.
Stephen ordered the ribs, since American-style ribs are rare down under. The salads arrived just right before the main course. The Aussies looked kind of lost slugging around American dishes. The portions were small by U.S. standards, although the wait staff swore that the Aussie Lonestars were known for their big portions. The food was tasty, but I only got one Pepsi and we had to ask for some water with our meal. The drinks were brought with straws, which Stephen noted was another American idiosyncrasy.
There are several other differences from the U.S. when dining down under. For one, tipping in Australia is not necessary. Prices are slightly higher to compensate for this. Sometimes there is a charge for service on public holidays in tourist areas. Food establishments can generally be grouped into small bistro and takeaways (carry out) and sit-down dining. The sit-down dining usually requires some advance booking, especially in the popular tourist areas. Because of the tropical climate, restaurants often setup additional chairs for sidewalk dining. Restaurants can either be licensed or BYO. If they are licensed, they can sell alcohol, but usually at a 120 percent markup. BYO places don’t serve alcohol, but customers can bring their own.
Well, we pulled into a Lonestar on the Gold Coast at 5 p.m. and I knew something was immediately wrong. The parking lot was virtually empty. There were a few diners, but nowhere near the crowd that is typical on a Sunday back home. It shows how desperate we Hoosiers are for good food.
Despite being relatively empty (Aussies eat late), it still took a long time to get waited on. I suspect poor service is part of the franchise’s mission, since it has haunted me on every visit to the chain. The menu was typical American, with some variations of the stuff back home. I ordered a burger, hoping that it my quest for a decent burger was about to end.
Stephen ordered the ribs, since American-style ribs are rare down under. The salads arrived just right before the main course. The Aussies looked kind of lost slugging around American dishes. The portions were small by U.S. standards, although the wait staff swore that the Aussie Lonestars were known for their big portions. The food was tasty, but I only got one Pepsi and we had to ask for some water with our meal. The drinks were brought with straws, which Stephen noted was another American idiosyncrasy.
There are several other differences from the U.S. when dining down under. For one, tipping in Australia is not necessary. Prices are slightly higher to compensate for this. Sometimes there is a charge for service on public holidays in tourist areas. Food establishments can generally be grouped into small bistro and takeaways (carry out) and sit-down dining. The sit-down dining usually requires some advance booking, especially in the popular tourist areas. Because of the tropical climate, restaurants often setup additional chairs for sidewalk dining. Restaurants can either be licensed or BYO. If they are licensed, they can sell alcohol, but usually at a 120 percent markup. BYO places don’t serve alcohol, but customers can bring their own.