Back to getting around to alphabet series for in town runner-ups. Letter C representing 2021 was…read morein Madison, WI, and like the 2021 runner-up A is for Aldi, C is for Chick Fil-A is also in Corridor Marketplace. My last 3 of 5 reviews are in this huge shopping center as I reviewed Catherine's restaurant from my recent visit; see my Thursday, 4/9 3-star of them. I've been living in Russett for 5.5 years and have been going to this Chick Fil-A sometimes. In fact, I went yesterday for lunch! I had a free sandwich & free brownie and bought medium waffle fries. That's one of the positives of CFA in general is the company & even this specific location will try freebies my way. I generally buy something to be nice. They will throw a free breakfast sandwich. I'll add egg (& sometimes cheese too) to the free chicken biscuit to bulk it up a bit. Very rare I've taken the time to buy a chicken biscuit; almost always get on the freebie. Generally, I'm by far the most likely to go at lunch, much less common at dinner. In 2021 I used to go to CFA more frequently as I like the customer service & food. However, in more recent years I've shyed away from CFA due to health consideration. While the CFA sandwich is delicious, there are a lot of random ingredients, which is a bit unsettling. So, that is a consideration. It's tasty, but can be dry in the middle. I got the grilled chicken sandwich before, but it's pretty bland. I've gotten salads before, but they are kind of overpriced for what you get. If I'm getting a salad, I'm far more likely to go to the Panera here in Corridor Marketplace. I've gotten the nuggets but generally do if it's free. Unlike the grilled chicken sandwich, the grilled nuggets are decent, but still the fried nuggets are superior. Also, their new mac n' cheese is surprisingly good too. Even when they are busy, they are efficient getting orders through both in the restaurant & the drive-thru. A bit of a negative is that CFA drive-thru causes some extra traffic on the shopping center road, but it shows it's a popular option. I visited this location at least once prior to living in Russett. On December 31, 2019, I was at my office in Columbia and had work travel to DC that afternoon. Normally, I would never take 295 and just take 95 down to 495 to 295 into DC, but Starbucks was running a promotion for a free drink at select locations for last few days of 2019. I saw on 12/31/19, the Starbucks next door was on the list, and I was like I'll go 95 to 32 to 295 to get to DC with the stop off MD-198 to get the free Starbucks. That day I had Chick Fil-A for lunch getting the chicken sandwich & chicken noodle soup as I was recovering from a cold. Their soup isn't great but ok, I'd recommend Panera in the same center for soup. I went to my local CFA with my girlfriend a couple of times. It's an easy and cheap option, but I'm far more likely to have CFA for lunch on my own when working from home on a weekday. The couple of times with my girlfriend were on Memorial Day Monday 2025 and another Saturday in 2025. Never on a Sunday as everyone famously knows They're Closed!...so Don't even think about going there on a Sunday, or you will be sorely disappointed. A former coworker in 2012 commented how he never gets CFA because every time he's craving CFA, it's a Sunday. Another noteworthy time I went was in January 2023 on a 2nd date. I wanted to go cheap as she was kind of annoying on the 1st date but she seemed interested in me, and she was a nice person, and I wanted to invite her to my place for whatever picking a cheap restaurant close to my home. Ultimately, in baseball terms, it was a 2B situation, and I didn't have any heart to pursing a 3rd date after all as it wasn't going anywhere anyway. Also, their Peppermint Shake during the holiday season is great! I try to get once a year. Their sweet tea & lemonade is solid too. In summary, Chick Fil-A has a nice staff. The food is mostly good with their yummy chicken sandwiches, chicken biscuits, & waffle fries. Salads are good. Some items are a bit weaker but nothing is bad. Also, the mac n' cheese is pretty solid. I used to get the yogurt parfait which was good, but it was a ripoff at some point in 2020's, so I stopped. Early 2020's, I ate there more, but a big negative by 2022 was that I needed to lose weight, and Chick Fil-A is pretty unhealthy with all the random ingredients, but it's still more good than bad considering great tasting food & nice staff.

Just look at this salad I ordered through drive thru. After putting my dressing on, I went to mix…read moreit up and the majority of the lettuce at the bottom was brown. Like seriously! Who's doing quality control. I normally have no issues at chick fil A, but this is just nasty. I tossed it. Yuck.

Half of our team walked in to get subs- 12 people on a Sunday late morning on our way to play at…read morethe Uni. Of Maryland. There was 1 person working. It took OVER AN HOUR for our players to get our sandwiches. The worker took other orders over our players. Our players also were not able to communicate with the worker even though we had bilingual athletes trying to order food. This worker, bc she made subs then waited to ring up the bill, our athletes couldn't even leave to go somewhere else because they felt bad leaving after their food was already made. This worker also made us late to our scheduled event. NEVER AGAIN!

This particular Jersey Mike's is absolutely AWFUL!...The "help" DOES NOT speak any english…read morewhatsoever and have NO IDEA how to fix a simple sub sandwhich! To begin with, the bread was hard and stale. Then to have a sub made with very little meat (#9, Turkey/Roast Beef)...Slathering the hard bread in mayonaise and drowned the sandwich in oil/vinegar so much it was dripping out all over (I guess they did that to soften the stale bread). Even the tomatoes had a funny smell/taste... Then to check out, they had to call someone on phone and use translator app to comunicate... Beyond frustrating! I get it that J' Mikes is a franchise, but this particular one will NEVER get my business again. I can get a better prepared sub at WAWA for half-the-price... Stay as FAR AWAY from this place as you possibly can,,,Unless you like the worst sub sandwhich experience that you will ever see!

I had a cool experience. I placed an order online so I can just pickup and go before heading to the…read moreairport coming back home to CA. The website is easy to navigate making ordering a breeze. I ordered a regular steak for $7.99, just enough to get me through my flight. I didn't order a drink because I don't like using the airplane restrooms. Once I ordered, I headed to pickup. Upon arrival, I received a warm and friendly greeting by staff. There were only a few people inside, but they were already seated so I was assisted right away. My food wasn't hot when I got to the airport and ate, but the drive was about 20 mins. I was still able to eat it and it was still okay.

I wish I had taken a picture of the sandwich first, which would have spoken for itself. I ordered…read morethe regular Steak Bomb with extra onions and mushrooms. The onions were there, but I couldn't seem to taste or find the mushrooms, at least in recognizable pieces. I thought I'd eat half now and save the other half for later, but ended up eating the whole thing, and realized I went through it so quickly I didn't even open my soda until it was gone. My disappointment with the sandwich wasn't helped by having DoorDash deliver it, which basically doubled the cost versus picking it up myself.

Came here on a Thursday evening to grab takeout from the mall, my first time getting something from…read moreCharley's Cheesesteaks that I can remember. Ordered at the console so I could see my options better. Got a small chicken cheesesteak with fries combo. The fries were hot, freshly made, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I asked for no salt, and it was great that way. The chicken cheesesteak was delicious. The chicken was thinly sliced/shaved, which is how it should be. The filling (chicken with veggies and cheese) was well seasoned and moist. The bread was just the right amount of springy and warm with a little bit of crisp on it. It didn't feel excessively heavy or oily the way some other cheesesteak places make theirs, which is what I appreciated the most. After eating this meal, I felt more than satisfied. Even though it's a "small" sandwich, it was very filling. I thought the staff were nice and they gave me a bag and ketchup with my to go meal. I would definitely come back.

The subs were good, my friends enjoyed their meals, but the new "wings" look more like pucks. I…read morewould've expected messy similar to chicken strips, but instead it was the ground up meat like chicken nuggets. The lemon garlic rub must've rubbed off too, since it tasted like nothing. They brought our food to our table while busy, which was nice. As a chain, I know it isn't their fault that corporate gave them a horrible product, but omg these are not worth it. This entire picture got thrown out.

I placed an order online for in store pick up. I'm not much of a sandwich person, but I decided to…read moregive them a try since they had a great deal going. I don't like raw tomatoes, onions, cucumbers or celery. As you can see, my sandwich is looking pretty slim. Nonetheless, I ordered a Fetty Wrap Meal and a Turkey Tom Meal Deal. When I realized I wouldn't be able to pick up by noon, I called and changed the pickup time to 2pm. I still wasn't back in the area by then. A kind young lady called me to confirm if I was still picking up my order around 4pm, while I was en route. When I arrived, the restaurant was sparkling clean. I dined inside and discovered they have free refills on the fountain drinks. The house-made strawberry lemonade is 100/10. Just get it! I tried the regular house-made lemonade and it didn't taste as good. The sandwiches were actually tasty. Mine only had protein of choice, lettuce and mayo. However, the bread was fresh and soft. The inside fillings were stacked amply. Both meals cost only $1.26!!! Can't beat this deal. It was worth driving to experience this little gem for the very first time.

J is for Jimmy John's:…read more Or JJ for short. Been to this Jimmy John's many times as it's the closest to my home and most overall experience. They are always friendly, fast, & have tasty subs. My g/f had never been to a Jimmy John's, and we went to this location for her 1st time on Saturday, April 12 for an early lunch. As I had a deal to try their new toasted subs. I got a roast beef & cheddar. It was delicious in spite of the toast looking a bit well done. My g/f got one of their favorites, and the cashier asked if she wanted it toasted, which she said yes. So, now it's an option for all subs, not just the new specialty subs. My g/f is a fan of Jimmy John's too now. Also, it's clean (including restrooms) & a comfortable environment.

6.22.26 Hubby and I…read moretook advantage of a BOGO deal for Father's Day, and he picked it up for dinner. Unfortunately, the fries were undercooked and soggy, and the toast was soggy as well. The chicken tenders were the highlight of my meal. Hoping for a better experience on our next visit.

Continuing alphabet series representing 2025, R is for Raising Cane's. Sadly but not surprisingly…read morenothing to represent the letter Q. However, the prior P is for Playa Bowl in Baltimore County was in Q is for Quarry Lake, so the location coincidentally started with Q. I believe Raising Cane's in Columbia was the 3rd location in Maryland to open. First was Towson in early 2023 I think, then Gambrills in Sept. 2023 (went on their 2nd day; see my 5-star of them), and then Columbia in early 2024 I think. The first time I visited the Columbia location was in March 2024, where I redeemed a green leprechaun lemonade, but I had already eaten or had other dinner plans. My first visit to get food was in July 2024. This was my girlfriend's first time at Raising Cane's. She loved it as did I per the other times I had in the past including the first time trying them in AZ in mid 2010's. I visited Cane's Columbia a couple of other times in the past two years. Always great chicken strips, fries, & Texas toast. I'm not a big coleslaw person, but I like theirs ok. I normally get half sweet/half unsweet tea, which is delicious freshly brewed. It's often busy, but staff is cordial, and pretty organized and efficient.

This was my first time visiting any Shake Shack location, here in Columbia, Maryland. I was…read moreactually surprised during my visit, because I was really thinking that this was going to be one of those awesome 5-star experiences, but it just wasn't. As I approached this business, I found the outside to be clean and the landscaping was pleasant. After entering, I was immediately faced with a bunch of kiosks for customers to place their orders. I just don't like kiosks. To me, this just shows me a business that is trying to reduce their customer service by not hiring cashiers and making the customer perform the cashier's job with no cost benefit to the customer. After placing my order, I was then questioned with how much I would like to tip. I found this to be even more annoying. What am I tipping for? The quality of the food?...I haven't eaten it yet. The quality of the service?...I haven't received any yet. Tipping BEFORE any experience is ridiculous and presumptuous. To me, tipping is a way for the customer to show that they are satisfied (or highly satisfied) with the experience they have had AFTER they have had it. I ended up ordering the double SmokeShack Burger, which comes with two beef patties, cheese, bacon, cherry peppers, and ShackSauce. The burger was really delicious, but I was surprised by how small it was for being a double. I also ordered the Bacon Cheese Fries, which are crinkle cut French fries topped with cheese sauce and bacon. This was pretty good too, but not as good as I thought it would be. For my drink I was going to get a soda-pop, but then I decided to try their Shack-Made Lemonade. It tasted weird, and I regretted getting it. I was served at my table by a server who delivered my food without saying a word. While eating my meal, I noticed that the inside of the restaurant looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a while. In fact, I did not see anyone cleaning anything inside during my entire visit. Even more disturbing was the lack of friendliness of the employees. I kid you not, there were about a dozen people working here during my visit and I did not see a single employee crack a smile...not for anyone. While leaving, I decided to order their Chocolate Blackout Pudding Shake. After getting back to my hotel with this for dessert, I only had a few spoonfuls. Again, this tasted weird. I ended up throwing out 90% of it because it just wasn't very tasty. In total, I spent over $33, which is a ridiculously high cost for one fast food meal. In comparison with my favorite fast food restaurant, In-N-Out (primarily in the western U.S.), I can get a similar meal at In-N-Out for about HALF the cost. I don't know about you, but if I pay substantially more I expect a substantially better experience. I hope that the other Shake Shack businesses don't operate like this one; This was NOT a worthwhile experience, especially considering the cost.

It's been a while since I've been back to this Shake Shack, but the addition of 3 new mobile…read moreordering monitors seemed a good idea to me. At first I did f like the personal interfacing, but I quickly got used to liking it more! The pictures on the touch screen proved colorful, accurate, and helpful. At check out, the screen prompts you to add your name and to pick an order number from the available numbers stacked on the counter. It was not immediately there, but we put "67"! So we waited for our number to be called! It made us smile! We ordered the Shack Burger, Cheese Fries, and regular Vanilla Shake all of which cost a lot more than it should. All this to still say that the food was still very good. The burger patty on the Shack Burger is "smash" grilled with the perfect crunch and give and was oh so delicious. The crinkle cut fries had a cheese topping that is very creamy, not too runny, and is just perfect! The Vanilla shake was so good, we polished it off before we could take a photo! This place wasn't very busy for a late Tuesday afternoon, there was LOTS of available eat in seating to be had. The bathrooms here were clean too! Parking is always free because it's part of a mall/strip mall, hooray for FREE parking!

My wife and I stopped in at Jimmy John's while traveling through Scottsbluff, NE. She ordered a…read morelittle John, and I got a spicy Italian regular size. Mine was very good, but hers was a joke. One slice of turkey and half a slice of provolone, I went back in and got her a Beach Club which she liked. Charging over $7 for that little nothing of a sandwich (on the right) is ridiculous.

This is typically my go-to Jimmy John's location to order from. It's close enough to my job to make…read moreit there for lunch and back or to go to after work if I'm headed somewhere else. This year they have switched it up with their pickle sandwich. They are offering more than just one option unlike last year so I was able to try it. I decided to go with the turkey because typically the turkey tom is my go to and I figured that would be as close enough for me to see if I liked the pickle being the actual bread. I expected for it to be bigger but I guess pickles only come in so many sizes. The pickle definitely took away from the taste of the other toppings and the meat. So I can say it definitely was not for me because I am not a crazy pickle enthusiast. I do have a friend who loves it I'm glad for that. Staying true to the brand, this location is very fast with orders. I believe I only had one issue there and the manager corrected it for me.