When I travel, I always look first for the local restaurants, which is a source of frustration for my children. ("How about Arby's? We haven't been to Arby's for a long time.") I am in the minority, and not just in my family. The whole purpose of national chains is to provide quality signals that alleviate search costs. But I enjoy the search, and I especially enjoy finding a local favorite. On this trip, we hit paydirt on the first day in Ames, Iowa, when we had lunch at the Hickory Park Restaurant Co. It wasn't fancy, but the food was real -- e.g., real mashed potatoes ... mmm -- and the prices were very reasonable. Try it the next time you are in Ames.
We had lunch today at Montana Mike's Steakhouse in Colby, Kansas, even though none of us ordered steak. We didn't realize it at the time, but Montana Mike's is a franchise, and their niche is HIGE portions. Ridiculous portions, really.
Finally, we found a new-to-us custard chain in Lawrence, Kansas. Sheridan's Frozen Custard is operating in 13 states, and they made a very fine vanilla custard waffle cone.
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