Sonic Drive-in, Hayward
Peter Lawrence
Hayward that was close by.
Well, new it is. Today was its grand opening.
Anyway, I had a SuperSonic Cheeseburger (a double cheeseburger),
chili-cheese tator tots, and a chocolate shake for lunch.
The chocolate shake was excellent with real ice cream flavor. The
chili-cheese tator tots tasted good despite the fact they were really skimpy
with the chili (no more than a tablespoon of chili on top of the tator tots).
But the biggest disappoint had to be the double cheeseburger. To sum it up
-- nothing special. Two wide but very thin beef patties with lettuce and
tomatoes that are very similar in quality (in a bad way) to those of
McDonald's and Burger King. While the bun and the cheese on the burger were
of good quality, they couldn't make up for the disappointing taste of the
beef patties (very little beef flavor) nor the low grade lettuce and
tomatoes. The overwhelming taste of the burger was that of the bun, and
then the cheese. The beef flavor of the burger was totally underwhelming,
and the lettuce and tomatoes were basically flavorless (just like those at
McDonald's and Burger King).
In-N-Out and Nation's Giant Hamburgers have nothing to fear. In fact I
would rate the burgers at Carl's Jr superior to Sonic's too.
Sonic Drive-In
31187 Mission Blvd.
Hayward, CA 94540
(Near the corner of Gresel St. and Mission Blvd.)
- Peter
sf
wrote:
>Was in Union City today, so decided to check out the new Sonic Drive-In in
>Hayward that was close by.
>
>Well, new it is. Today was its grand opening.
How about the one in Vacaville? Niece says "it's coming" and I
couldn't tell by their Sonic Facebook page if it's open or not. I
think the opening was delayed, but something gave me the idea it
finally opened Dec. 20 or 21.
--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.
spamtrap1888
> Was in Union City today, so decided to check out the new Sonic Drive-In in
> Hayward that was close by.
>
> Well, new it is. Today was its grand opening.
>
> In-N-Out and Nation's Giant Hamburgers have nothing to fear. In fact I
> would rate the burgers at Carl's Jr superior to Sonic's too.
I thought Val's was the benchmark burger in Hayward.
Peter Lawrence
I was thinking along the lines of fast-food chains, not one-off burger
joints like Val's. A Val's burger is clearly superior to any fast-food
burgers I've had, including In-N-Out and Nations.
- Peter
Don Martinich
Peter Lawrence <humm...@aol.com> wrote:
I'd be inclined to place Nation's in another category than In-N-Out.
Smaller chain, classier burgers- I'll do In-N-Out over Mac's, BK, Jack
etc. but it's not in another category in my book. And I was kind of
surprised at this group's interest (and expectations) in Sonic's
burgers.
D.
Ciccio
> I thought Val's was the benchmark burger in Hayward.
Val's is the benchmark for the burgers...period. It can't even be put
in the same class as any, and I mean any, drive-thru/drive-in burger
joint.
The only one I would put close to it for my burger taste buds is the
charbroiled cheeseburger, with chopped onion mixed in, served on
sourdough French, available at most "Joe's."
Ciccio
Steve Pope
>Val's is the benchmark for the burgers...period. It can't even be put
>in the same class as any, and I mean any, drive-thru/drive-in burger
>joint.
>
>The only one I would put close to it for my burger taste buds is the
>charbroiled cheeseburger, with chopped onion mixed in, served on
>sourdough French, available at most "Joe's."
Too bad you will never have the burger at Gather.
Steve
Ciccio
> I'd be inclined to place Nation's in another category than In-N-Out.
> Smaller chain, classier burgers-
I agree as to Nation's.
> And I was kind of surprised at this group's interest (and expectations) in Sonic's
> burgers.
Well, not just this group's interest. I had occasion to drive by the
Hayward location today. As I thought, it was at the old Arby's
location. In the morning when I went past it wasn't quite open for
breakfast.
On my return trip, however, it was near noon, and it looked like
dollar day at a whore house. There were TWO lines of cars in the lot
to go in. Each line extended for over a block's distance pouring out
into the street. They had several people directing traffic for cars
arriving and leaving. The lines were even longer than what I saw at
In-N-Out when it first made in-roads to the BA. So the Sonic word is
out...
Needless to say, I didn't stop. Especially, since I just had a Sonic
fix in Tracy about a week ago.
I've always found Sonic burgers to only be "not that bad," about the
same as most drive-thrus. What Sonic is about, are their drinks and
desserts. Also, their sides, "tots" and their onion rings are better
than most. I'm a malt fan, and Sonic's malts are much better than
Foster Freeze, Dairy Queen, etc. So are their banana splits. Their
smoothies are pretty good too.
Anyhow, there is now one in a city that touches the Bay and much
closer to me...I cry for happy.
Ciccio
Charlotte L. Blackmer
Steve Pope <spo...@speedymail.org> wrote:
>Ciccio <franc...@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>>Val's is the benchmark for the burgers...period. It can't even be put
>>in the same class as any, and I mean any, drive-thru/drive-in burger
>>joint.
>>The only one I would put close to it for my burger taste buds is the
>>charbroiled cheeseburger, with chopped onion mixed in, served on
>>sourdough French, available at most "Joe's."
Any burger on sourdough French sounds like a burger I want to get
acquainted with. (Actually, most of my home burgers are, because bread
pretty much == sourdough in my house.)
>Too bad you will never have the burger at Gather.
Is it good? Should I go? Is Gather open for lunch on weekends?
ObSonic: I was part of the drive-through craziness tonight at the
Hayward Sonic. They've done a lot of traffic control things in the mall
parking lot, have staffed up well, and the only huge hitch seemed to
be that I was apparently behind someone with a large, complicated order
in the drive-through. The carhops started bringing out our orders so we
could get out of line and let the next people order.
Definitely a big crowd scene, similar to stories I heard about the first
week of In-N-Out in Milpitas and Krispy Kreme in Union City. (Or IKEA
in Emeryville, which does qualify as ObFood; in that case they
weren't doing traffic control and it was completely meshugginah for
blocks around.)
I will have to go back some time when I can consume sugar (contraindicated
for cold) to get my cherry limeade but if the rush continues, I think that
Sonic will be looking to expand in ba.foodland.
Charlotte
--
Steve Pope
[ burger at Gather ]
>Is it good? Should I go? Is Gather open for lunch on weekends?
I thought it was really really good (I had only one bite of said
burger). Gather is right now only open for dinner.
Steve
Chester
> On Jan 6, 5:51 pm, Don Martinich <dmartin...@att.net> wrote:
>
> On my return trip, however, it was near noon, and it looked like
> dollar day at a whore house. There were TWO lines of cars in the lot
> to go in. Each line extended for over a block's distance pouring out
> into the street. They had several people directing traffic for cars
> arriving and leaving. The lines were even longer than what I saw at
> In-N-Out when it first made in-roads to the BA. So the Sonic word is
> out...
To each his own, but the proposition of waiting in a slow line for
purportedly "fast" food seems like something that one would be
required to do in order to earn money, rather than spend it.
Especially when it involves a mass of idling cars. Makes about as much
sense as waiting in a 45 minute line for a free burrito at a Chipotle
grand opening.
Chester
Ciccio
> Too bad you will never have the burger at Gather.
Like I care...really.
About as it is too bad for Berkeley that I will never have a burger at
Gather.
Clue: Even if Val's moved to Berkeley I wouldn't eat there.
Ciccio
Steve Pope
>Clue: Even if Val's moved to Berkeley I wouldn't eat there.
You really do need us to kick around, don't you...
S.
Tim
> Definitely a big crowd scene, similar to stories I heard about the first
> week of In-N-Out in Milpitas and Krispy Kreme in Union City. (Or IKEA
> in Emeryville, which does qualify as ObFood; in that case they
> weren't doing traffic control and it was completely meshugginah for
> blocks around.)
I was at the Ikea in East Palo Alto today. Only my second trip to an
Ikea, but I'd go more often if I lived closer. (ObFood: stuff for my
kitchen, mostly organizational stuff, including some new spice jars. I
also bought some "U-Fill-It" spices to fill them at Piazza's Fine
Foods, which is a nice store on Middlefield Ave., Palo Alto.)
Anyway, upon exiting I noticed they had a special hot dog deal for 50
cents. Remembering the Costco discussion a few days ago, I decided to
try it. (I know about the better meals upstairs, but I was only at
Ikea on my way to a dinner on Castro Street in MV, so I didn't eat
anything at the cafeteria upstairs.)
The hot dog was nothing great, but it went down fast, wasn't gnarly,
and was a good...well, the joke has made it impossible to say with a
"straight" face...so I'll just use the initials: H.B.I.
> I will have to go back some time when I can consume sugar (contraindicated
> for cold) to get my cherry limeade but if the rush continues, I think that
> Sonic will be looking to expand in ba.foodland.
I'll give it a try someday. It may've been Sonic that was up near me
in Beaverton, OR, 30 years ago. It was either Sonic or some other
regional chain. Nothing I especially remembered. In-N-Out is for me
the gold standards in FF burgers; I don't count specialty burgers at
restaurants, whether Val's or Red Robin or whatever, as valid
competitors.
(Though I do like the burgers at St. John's in Santa Clara, off of
Lawrence Expressway, quite a bit. Especially when on a half-price day,
like Saturday. I like them better than a few of the burger huts that
are so often cited, like Clarke's. Also, I used to like the burgers
and fries at the St. James Infirmary in Mountain View, off of Moffett
Boulevard (continuation of Castro Street between Central and the
Moffett NAS) quite a bit--but that was back in the 1970s and early
80s, before it burned down. Peanut shells on the floor, free popcorn,
and the kids playing those newfangled computer games like Pong and
PacMan.
I don't usually get either soft drinks or ice cream drinks at fast
food places, so the shakes and malts are no draw for me.
--Tim May
Ciccio
> Ciccio <frances...@comcast.net> wrote:
> >Clue: Even if Val's moved to Berkeley I wouldn't eat there.
>
> You really do need us to kick around, don't you...
I was responding to what you wrote and which you snipped..
"Too bad you will never have the burger at Gather."
So, you raise the issue of my Berserkeley .02, then you bemoan my
giving it. No wonder you live there. Typical Berserkeley liberal
martyr MO ...create a situation, then whine about being a victim of
the situation created.
Ciccio
Al Eisner
That's why, for years, I did not consider In'n'Out fast food (it's
gotten somewhat better in many places in recent years), and regarded it
as somewhat silly to compare it only to other fast food burger places
rather than to sitdown burger restaurants.
--
Al Eisner
San Mateo Co., CA
Peter Lawrence
To me, any place with a drive-thru window is a de facto fast-food
restaurant, regardless if its popularity at certain times of day increases
the wait for one's food to ready.
:)
- Peter
Ciccio
> That's why, for years, I did not consider In'n'Out fast food (it's
> gotten somewhat better in many places in recent years), and regarded it
> as somewhat silly to compare it only to other fast food burger places
> rather than to sitdown burger restaurants.
It's a top notch for a drive-thru, but even a drive-in like the East
Bay's Giant Burger or even a lower rung sit-down like Nation's tops In-
N-Out.
Ciccio
sf
wrote:
>I don't usually get either soft drinks or ice cream drinks at fast
>food places, so the shakes and malts are no draw for me.
We always share a chocolate shake at in & out, it's real ice cream -
unlike the stuff you get elsewhere that keeps its shape even when left
sitting at room temperature for hours.
Al Eisner
Ah, well, I almost never use drive-through windows, so I judge by the
time it takes to get served inside.
Peter Lawrence
>>
>> :)
>
> Ah, well, I almost never use drive-through windows, so I judge by the
> time it takes to get served inside.
So what do you consider restaurants like Baja Fresh that can also take
awhile to get your food when they're busy because they also cook every order
only after it has been ordered. Do you consider Baja Fresh a fast food
restaurant or not?
- Peter
Steve Pope
>So what do you consider restaurants like Baja Fresh that can also take
>awhile to get your food when they're busy because they also cook every order
>only after it has been ordered. Do you consider Baja Fresh a fast food
>restaurant or not?
They're certainly not slow food....
S.
Golden California Girls
Before there was fast food, there were short order cooks.
Al Eisner
No, I don't. There is a category of restaurants where one orders at the
counter and is either served or picks up ones order. I don't know what
to call that class, but it's somewhere between "regular" restaurants
and fast food. Standard Mexican taquerias like Pancho Villa are more
like fast food than is Baja Fresh, because the food is already pre-cooked
and sitting in trays.
Al Eisner
Yes, good point. Maybe a modern version of that.
Steve Pope
>> Steve Pope wrote:
>>> Peter Lawrence <humm...@aol.com> wrote:
I suppose they fit some definition of short-order cooking, but
I mostly see them as a modified taqueria that has simply
deleted some of the items that are traditionally long-cooked such as
chile verde or al pastor.
A taqueria is (to me) fast food, but of course if they're busy and
the particular order requires several minutes of cooking (chorizo,
fish, etc.) then it will take a little longer.
Steve
Geoff Miller
Golden California Girls <gldnc...@aol.com.mil> writes:
> Before there was fast food, there were short order cooks.
I'd always thought that short-order cooks worked *at*
fast-food restaurants. No?
Geoff
--
"The Sound of Music was ruined by Julie Andrews running
around on a hillside taking 20 minutes to sing what
could have been said in five seconds with a well-oiled
Schmeisser machine pistol." -- Jeremy Clarkson
Steve Pope
>Golden California Girls <gldnc...@aol.com.mil> writes:
>
>> Before there was fast food, there were short order cooks.
>I'd always thought that short-order cooks worked *at*
>fast-food restaurants. No?
I think that was once true, but not so much anymore since
a large fraction of food cooked at a fast food restaurant is
now no longer cooked to order.
For me there's a disconnect in statements like "In 'n Out
isn't fast food"; surely they operate in the mode of a 1970's fast
food place.
Steve
jcdill
Short order cooks work at diners or cafes, like Denny's or Baker's
Square. I don't consider that fast food. IMHO, to qualify as "fast
food" a place should have a drive-up window, or be fundamentally similar
to the places that usually have drive-up windows; primarily serve hot
meals (rather than primarily serve sandwiches, like in a deli); and
prepare all food "to go" (e.g. hamburgers are wrapped in paper) even if
they serve it on a tray rather than in a bag.
jc
Golden California Girls
> I think that was once true, but not so much anymore since
> a large fraction of food cooked at a fast food restaurant is
> now no longer cooked to order.
For once we agree, it is reheated to order.