Cheese Fries - Braum's ($1+)

Braum's   2909 Old Shawnee Rd,  Muskogee, OK

February 22nd I decided to stop into BRAUM'S for an evening snack. It as dark when I arrived but the parking lot was well lit. As I entered, the floor appeared dingy, but not more than with recent heavy foot traffic, though at that time, they did not appear busy.

With only one person ahead of me in line, I had only a brief wait. As I approached the counter an employee quickly and cheerfully offered to take my order. I said that I wanted medium fries with cheese on them and asked if they could do that. She eagerly stated, "Sure! We can do that. No problem." She asked if I wanted a drink or anything else and if my order was for there or to go.

I stepped aside to fill a ketchup cup and wait for my order. The condiment station had a few, semi dry spills, but was well stocked. 

Within three (3) minutes my order was ready and my number was clearly called. I was politely thanked as I picked up my tray.

I turned to step into the dining area to find a table to sit at. There were very few people in the dining area so there were many tables available. Most of the tables; however, were dirty. They had not been recently cleaned, nor were they cleaned during my visit. I had to sit at a table that had obviously not been cleaned since its last tenants.

Immediately as I stepped in to the dining area to go to a table, my feet 'crunched' on the dirt and grit on the floor in the dining area. The floor of the entire dining area was very dirty. You could not take a step without "crunching." The floor did not appear to have been swept the entire day, maybe longer. And it was never swept during my visit.

I was not comfortable sitting there eating my fries with a view of dirty tables and grungy floors. And the floor under the tables was much dirtier. The dirt against the baseboards under the tables appeared to have been collecting for quite some time. Amongst the dust bunnies was old, dried food. The edges of the baseboards have turned black with dirt and the walls under the tables were splashed with old stains and food. One must wonder, if the area visible to the customer is this dirty, what the kitchen and storage areas, not seen by the customers, looks like.

The people traffic through BRAUM'S that night was very slow. There were long spaces in between customers. During this time the kitchen duty managers and employees stood around drinking sodas and visiting amongst themselves. I felt they could have put that time to good use sweeping the floors and wiping down the tables. 

Surprisingly, my fries were very good! They were golden and crispy on the outside, moist and flaky on the inside. The cheese was evenly, smoothly, and generously melted over all of the fries. No one fry was without cheese. My cheese fries were hot, fresh and tasted great. I was squeamish about eating them, though, after seeing the filthy condition of the dining area. The medium fries were $1.50, the added cheese was .20. With tax the total was only $1.86 for a very tasty, quick and filling snack.

During my visit at this BRAUM'S, located next to Lowe's, I received very friendly, quick service. The food was of excellent quality and reasonably priced. But due to the lack of cleanliness at this location, I doubt that I will return any time soon.

Late Night Snack - Sonic Drive In ($1+)

Sonic Drive In    320 N. York St.    Muskogee, OK

For those of you reading this that may not know, SONIC DRIVE IN is one of those old-fashioned, 'carhop style' restaurants. You pull into a stall, roll down your window, make your choice from a menu board on either side of your vehicle, then push the little red button on the speaker just outside of your driver's side window to place your order. Your can either stay in your car and your order is cheerfully brought to you, without you ever having to get out of your car. Or you can sit at a table in the neatly manicured outdoor garden area where your order is also brought to you. Often times upbeat music is playing over the speaker system and your order is brought to you by someone on roller skates, just as they did in the 50's. And yes, they play some 50's music.

One recent late night, a little after 11pm, I decided I wanted a moderate snack. I was close to SONIC so I wheeled in. There were only about a half a dozen cars on the lot, so I hoped I would get quick service.

I rolled down my window and made my selection. The menu board was very clean, well lit and easy to read. I pushed the little red button, then waited for someone to offer to take my order. A full minute went by with no response, so I pushed the little red button again. This time I was instantly greeted with a friendly offer to take my order.

I ordered the Jr. Chicken Strip Sandwich from the Value Menu. It was $1.19, so I expected it to be pretty tiny. Their Value Menu is on the far, right bottom of the driver's side menu board and very difficult to see. It isn't very well highlighted, so you must really search for it.

After I placed my order, she asked if I would like a drink or anything else. I said no, that was it. She cheerfully gave me my total and said that it would be right out. She did not make any other suggestions. She also did not show any disappointment, nor change her friendly tone when I didn't order anything else. She remained friendly and welcoming.

It was a full three (3) minutes before I received my order, which I felt was slightly long, especially during an apparent slow period, but acceptable. The carhop was having great difficulty figuring out which order went to which vehicle. Several times, with order in hand and a very lost look, he skated up to a driver and asked what they had ordered, in hopes that he had the right car, which he usually didn't. My order was delivered to me with a sincere, friendly, "Here you go. You have a nice night." and a warm smile.

When I received my Jr. Chicken Strip Sandwich it was very hot and fresh. I was surprised to see that the bun was the size of most fast food location's full size sandwiches. I was even more pleasantly surprised to see that the bun was full of chicken, with some sticking out on each side even! The chicken strips inside my sandwich were tender, juicy, real, white meat chicken in a golden, crispy coating. They were steaming hot! The sandwich was far better than I had anticipated and very satisfying. With tax, it was a indeed a great value at only $1.30. And if you purchase a Jr. Chicken Strip Sandwich between the hours of 2 and 4pm, you can also get a half-price small drink for 50 cents, bringing your total to $1.84, still only a Dollar and Change for a great tasting sandwich AND a drink!!

Although the service was slightly slow and no one ever checked back to see if  I needed anything, all employees I came in contact with were very friendly and upbeat. Only a few pieces of recent trash were seen in the lot, so overall, it was a clean, nice atmosphere to enjoy a bite to eat. SONIC DRIVE IN is a fast food restaurant I would enjoy another visit to when I have another late night hunger attack.

The carhop that waited on me went off-duty and left just before I did. When he went to leave, he got into an empty vehicle parked in a choice location close to the building.  I strongly felt that he should have parked a little further away in an employee parking area and reserved the choice stalls for the customers.