Lone Star, Lone Star, why do you suck?
December 12th 2007 03:27
Address:
39 Queen Street
City:
Campbelltown
State:
NSW
Postcode:
2560
Telephone:
(02) 4626 7088
Email:
Website:
http://www.lonestar.com.au
In the late 80s/early 90s, eating out in the Campbelltown area meant queuing up at Pizza Hut All-You-Can-Eat and if the line was too long (and it always was during Friday/Saturday nights ÃÂ come on! Unlimited pizzas, pastas, drinks!), you found yourself dejectedly going to McDonaldsÃÂ Drive-Thru and ordering a $10 meal for 4 (oh, those cheap beautiful times).
But now, more than 10 years later, a mecca of restaurants have sprouted in and around Campbelltown so I just have to ask : Why are there STILL no good steakhouses in Campbelltown?
Take Lone Star, the first steakhouse to open (as far as IÃÂm aware) in Campbelltown, on Queen Street. With its wooden panels and floorboards, a noisy saloon and peanuts on the table (which you could spit out on the floor once upon a time before, rumour had it, they started to experience a problem with rats), it heartily embraced the Texan style concept. And, to top it off, the staff themselves would perform a lively line dance and sing a rousing ÃÂHappy BirthdayÃÂ to the birthday celebrant with a free little cake. Once upon a time, some patrons hailed the food and experience at Lone Star but more often than not, reviews (especially of late) have been scathing and thereÃÂs probably a reason why this restaurant only has an average rating of 3.2 on www.eatability.com.au.
In the past ten years, I have been to Lone Star five times, each time fuelled by my hankering for a fat, juicy steak amidst Chinese buffets and meal deals and each time vowing afterwards that I would never come back.
The last time I came, I was with my whole family which, at the best of times, resemble an Asian version of the Griswalds. But when you add a concoction of :
1 hour waiting for a table at the saloon (even though youÃÂd pre-booked)
20 minute wait for the orders to be taken
1 hapless, forgetful waiter
1 drunken father (as a result of the 1-hour wait at the saloon) summoningÃÂ
1 surly staff manager ÃÂ because of theÃÂ
1 hour wait for steaks that we began to imagine were fatter and juicier
6 thin, dry steaks with limp salad saturated with dressing
6 employees line dancing like swaying corpses
250 Australian dollars poorer,
I pretty much had to re-live the nightmare of the six of us being squashed into a Nissan sportscar looking for that dang Harbor Freeway for 3 hours in LA that turned out to be closed. Except this time around and to our relief, my purple-in-the-face dadÃÂs rage was directed toward the staff manager whose expression alternated between surly and looking as if he was going to pat my dad on the head, cooing, ÃÂThere, thereÃÂ while my mum fervently hoped weÃÂd get a free dessert for such a bad service (no such luck).
So it really boggles the mind that with the crop of new restaurants in Campbelltown, Lone Star continues to go downhill instead of picking up some pointers from the competition. And a note to management : seriously, please stop forcing your poor employees to dance. It tempts the already-hungry-and-impatient patron to pelt them with peanut shells just to see if they are indeed alive. Unless you get a kick out of that.
But now, more than 10 years later, a mecca of restaurants have sprouted in and around Campbelltown so I just have to ask : Why are there STILL no good steakhouses in Campbelltown?
The last time I came, I was with my whole family which, at the best of times, resemble an Asian version of the Griswalds. But when you add a concoction of :
1 hour waiting for a table at the saloon (even though youÃÂd pre-booked)
20 minute wait for the orders to be taken
1 hapless, forgetful waiter
1 drunken father (as a result of the 1-hour wait at the saloon) summoningÃÂ
1 surly staff manager ÃÂ because of theÃÂ
1 hour wait for steaks that we began to imagine were fatter and juicier
6 thin, dry steaks with limp salad saturated with dressing
6 employees line dancing like swaying corpses
250 Australian dollars poorer,
I pretty much had to re-live the nightmare of the six of us being squashed into a Nissan sportscar looking for that dang Harbor Freeway for 3 hours in LA that turned out to be closed. Except this time around and to our relief, my purple-in-the-face dadÃÂs rage was directed toward the staff manager whose expression alternated between surly and looking as if he was going to pat my dad on the head, cooing, ÃÂThere, thereÃÂ while my mum fervently hoped weÃÂd get a free dessert for such a bad service (no such luck).
So it really boggles the mind that with the crop of new restaurants in Campbelltown, Lone Star continues to go downhill instead of picking up some pointers from the competition. And a note to management : seriously, please stop forcing your poor employees to dance. It tempts the already-hungry-and-impatient patron to pelt them with peanut shells just to see if they are indeed alive. Unless you get a kick out of that.
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Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
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Great blog, btw... I could talk all day about Sydney restos!
Comment by Aimzster
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Comment by Tracy
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Tracy
Comment by Maribeth
Sydney Restaurants
There are new ones sprouting around there now. They have recently opened up "Ribs 'n Rumps" in the Central Park area. I haven't tried that place yet but I've heard it's a very popular restaurant in Manly. There is also Outback Steakhouse recently opened in Leumeah. 5 O's in Queen St., make very good extremely cheap steaks for $5. That also includes salad and chips!! But as you could imagine, the place is always very crowded.
Comment by Mark Isaacson
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Comment by Aimzster
Health and Beauty
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Beth, I've been to Black Stump and I remember the steaks being this black dry, well, stump on my plate. I'll have to check out Outback Steakhouse.
Mark, you must have had a better experience than I did. Yeah, Lonestar is now only in NSW and QLD now.