The Foodworm!- Beck's Prime

Behold the Foodworm!

Restaurant: Becks Prime

Due to a lacking of free Wifi in the location of which this writing is taking place, the reader of this text will not be bored with generic history and facts about this particular eating establishment. Perhaps this is for the best as the Reviewer will be able to give his two bits about this restaurant from a completely objective perspective.

Appearance:

While it has been a while since I had been in the area where this Becks Prime was located, I can tell that this building is brand new. The furniture is clean in the way new furniture is and it even smells new. The decor consists of what is likely a dark faux-wood finish paneling and furnishings with glass dividers. This color is offset by the deep navy blue of the booth cushioning and the employee uniforms and the open ceiling with exposed support beans and air conditioning ducts. Overall the decor lends itself into the positive, the dark colors being offset with dashes of color in the pictures of dishes, the light fixtures, and the large windows that wrap around the whole dining area creating a surprisingly bright and cheery place to eat.

Beck’s Prime evokes an air of what I like to call: Sit-Down Fast Food. The guests walk in and order their meals from the counter and choices are listed on big boards above their heads. They pay for it and then they sit down at their choice of table where the food is brought to them. The ketchup bottles are made of glass, and while I may be overestimating the effect of this fact but it does seem to lend to semblance of a credence that this place is of a higher pedigree than other burger joints such as McDonalds. (Then again, almost everything is better than McDonalds)

Service:

From what I have been able to observe...Becks Prime is a chain restaurant and this is made clear from the choice of employee wear. They all wear identical blue semi-casual shirts with collars, khaki pants most likely black or khaki, with aprons and baseball caps with the franchise logo. I am noting the similarities between the chain restaurant I work at, Dominos Pizza. It appears that the more widespread a franchise, the more conformity they strive for. My first job was at non-chain restaurant, Maple and Motor and the only uniform we wore was a towel hanging from our pants.

Appearances aside, the service seems very friendly. As I am writing this I can see the manager (I assume) conversing with a group of men at a table. Whether or not he makes a habit of this or those men are old friends is unknown but it makes for a good impression. The wait staff brings the food promptly and cleans up with great skill.

Finally we come to the most important aspect of any restaurant, either chain or independent....

The Food:

I recently read in book that from the perspective of foreign tourists that the United States  has pretty boring national cuisine. While the last thing I want to do is dis the wonderful food that is so gracefully abundant in this land, Beck’s Prime does add credibility to that opinion.

Initial impressions of the menu do invoke a painfully generic mindset. This is not helped by the overhead speakers blurting out equally generic rock and pop music that you probably hear at CVS pharmacy. The menus consist of burgers, which are their specialty, along with chicken in various grilled forms along with steak and milkshakes and fountain drinks. Like I said, I do not dislike this particular brand of cuisine, but as someone who has traveled to other countries. It is obvious that China and Guatemala have bit more imagination in regards to the preparation of vittles.

Initial impressions can be wrong. Never forget that. When I approached the counter I was worried, as the soda fountain was behind the counter and thus my drink would have to be paid for over and over again. To my surprise and delight, refills were free and the waiters would even take them up for you.

For my meal, I ordered a cheeseburger, no veggies, with fries and an IBC root beer. Medium is considered their specialty so I forgo my usual medium well. The serve time was very prompt, but I tend to dine in the off hours of the day so the place was pretty empty.

Beck’s Prime claims that their burgers are cooked on Mesquite Grill, and I honestly...I believe them! The burgers have very rich taste, alive will with a decidedly non-bovine flavor. You can actually taste the firewood! You have your choice of cheese on the burger and it has already melted into a wonderful ooze on the meat.

Napkins are a necessity when partaking in a burger. The grease trails down your fingers forcing your to reach for the napkin or get to work with your tongue. The patty is delightfully greasy that quickly soaks the bun. You have to eat it quickly or else the grease and condiments with saturate the bun and it will fall apart. These are compliments by the way.

The fries were delicious! They were big but not to big and nice and dry on the outside. There was also a hint of onion in the taste which really enhanced the flavor. The fries did a get little on the small size as the meal went on which is a bit of a annoyance.

At the end of it all, it was a great filling meal and so gloriously unhealthy that you can’t help but enjoy it.

While not the absolute best burger I have had, the mesquite does add a unique touch that separates it from other burger joints and provides a good alternative to mainstream fair.

Final Verdict:

Four out of Five!