Route61

Name of Restaurant: Penny’s Diner
Location of Restaurant: Dexter, MO
Date of Visit: April 28, 2007

We visited Penny’s Diner around 1pm on Saturday, April 28th, 2007. I had been here twice before (we don’t live in the area) but both times were several years ago. Since then, the menu has completely changed.

We noticed the diner was pretty dirty inside – the tables, the floors, etc. – but we figured they were still recovering from a lunch rush, though the place was mostly deserted now. We decided to give it a chance anyway. I was a little unhappy that it seemed we were being ignored, however, rather than seated. We stood waiting for more than enough time with two hungry children. In fact, throughout the whole time, I got the feeling that the employees (at least our waitress and the cook) were quite annoyed by our presence. There were hardly any smiles and they all seemed very impatient and in a hurry to get rid of us.

The booths are roomy, so we were able to seat two children with us rather than in high chairs for a total of six people in the booth.

We ordered as soon as we could but our food took a while to arrive. Two members of our party ordered the Fiesta Burger which is a cheeseburger smothered in jalapeño peppers. One of these was a 12-year-old. When the burgers arrived, the 12-year-old’s had at least two times the amount of peppers as the adult’s burger. I can only assume it was meant for the adult but the two plates were mixed up.

I ordered a regular burger for myself and chicken strips for my three-year-old (who, of course, hardly ate anything at all). My burger and fries was absolutely delicious. Believe it or not, the 12-year-old ate most of her Fiesta Burger.

One of the things I’ve always liked about Penny’s is the building itself and the decor inside. It is decorated like a 50′s diner. The old menu used to reflect this as well – they had a burger named after Chubby Checker. I am left to wonder why the menu changed so drastically. But I really love the black and white checkered flooring and the barstools at the counter as well as the dawn-on white board all around the ceiling. Outside, the building is silver and very shiny – almost to the point of blinding one when the sun is right – it reminds me of an overgrown city bus.

Later, after we had paid and were leaving, I looked down near the door and there was a huge disgusting bug, not moving. Good thing we saw it on the way out, rather than in! Each adult in our party stated that had they seen that on the way in, they would have insisted we go elsewhere.

Overall, I will give the restaurant 3 out of 5 stars because of the cleanliness and the attitude of the employees.

Final Rating: 3 Star(s)

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