By Kevin Williams
I do like going out to eat for probably the reasons anyone else does: Â no dirty dishes to clean up, good food, good conversation, endless refills on Cokes. Â Some of my favorite "casual dining" restaurants in various region include:
- Frisch's (a Cincinnati area chain)
- Eat N Park (eastern Ohio/western PA)
- Shari's (west coast)
- Cracker Barrel (pretty much everywhere)
- LaRosa's (Greater Cincinnati pizzeria)
As a totally random aside, does anyone remember a restaurant chain called "Wags" which was run by Walgreens? Â There was also a chain called Sambos. Â And, ah, Bill Knapps....never mind, now I really am going down another tangent.
Anyway, none of these enjoyments would be possible without the waitresses, waiters, cooks, and servers who run a restaurant.  Can you imagine being a hard-working waitress or waiter, busting your behind to pay your bills and you show up at work and the restaurant is simply shuttered?  Add to it that the holidays are just weeks away?  What corporate cruelty.  That is exactly what happened to workers at a Cheddar's in Boardman, Ohio and in Mobile, Alabama yesterday.  Click here to read. Apparently the restaurant chain has 160 locations but I had never heard of it.  Any of our readers familiar with the chain?  And are they the same as "Cheddar's Casual Kitchen"?  A Cheddar's Casual Kitchen is scheduled to open near me soon.
Anyway, I just find it very hard to believe that the restaurant couldn't have at least given their employees a couple of week's notice. You just don't wake up one morning and decide to close a restaurant. Â They had to have known something was up. Â I won't be going there anytime soon.
Kathy Barnes
Hi Kevin,
We go to a Cheddars restaurant in South Bend,IN. They have wonderful fish tacos, actually the best I've ever had.
I'm sorry to hear how they treated their employees. We've seen that same thing happen in our area at a couple different restaurants. I'm sorry to say I'll still go to Cheddars for fish tacos.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Kathy
Kevin
Thanks, Renita, for clarifying....and Kathy, is it a "Casual Kitchen" or "Scratch Kitchen?" Confusing when it is two very similar names!
Renita
No 2 different chains, I live in Columbus Indiana, there is a Cheddars in Greenwood Indiana not too far from here but in my opinion I wouldnt fret Cheddars is just ok
sara marsh
Boy! You are really going back for Sambo's. There have been at least four or more restaurants in the area where corporate came in during the dinner hour and closed the place up while people were eating! Owners always want loyalty from their employees but they sure don't give it back. Enjoy your stories.
Denise
Yes, there's a Cheddar's in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I have not been there but a lot of people seem to like it.