As the Austin community grows, so do the dining options. The choice between a local and chain restaurant has become a difficult decision to make when deciding where to eat out.
Local restaurants, with their unique charm and their community relationships, offer a culinary adventure that goes way beyond just the dining experience. The ambiance adds a personal touch that encourages a connection between the staff and the community.
On the other hand, chain restaurants have mastered the art of reliability and consistency since they are owned by corporate organizations. While visiting a chain restaurant, you’re always prompted with a standardized menu and dining experience.
For my local restaurant, I chose Dan’s Hamburgers. This is a diner that specializes in hamburgers. Dan and Frances Junk originally established the restaurants. The restaurant has four locations: 4308 Manchaca Road, 610 Old San Antonio Road, 844 Airport Boulevard, and 5602 North Lamar Boulevard.
I went to Dan’s Hamburgers at their Buda location. My food came out in a decent amount of time and I waited around ten minutes for the staff to call my order number over the intercom.
Dan’s Hamburgers offers a wide array of food to choose from, ranging from burgers, to sandwiches, to chicken tenders, and even breakfast. My group ordered four burgers, four sides, and four drinks, which all came out to around $40. Compared to other burger joints in the Austin area, Dan’s hamburgers is in the middle tier in terms of its food prices.
When the food came out, it was hot and smelled good. Dan’s Hamburgers never disappoints, and as expected, the burger was delicious. The curly fries were also good
as well, fries from other restaurants can be soggy and under-seasoned however, these were crispy and tasteful.
I thoroughly enjoyed the environment of this establishment. It wasn’t as busy as it usually gets on weekends and I was able to find a table without a problem. The diner has booths, tables, and a bar with swivel seats. The inside of Dan’s Hamburgers has the style of an old diner that adds a nice touch to the restaurant’s whole background. The staff was nice and offered help whenever I needed it.
I chose to review Pluckers for a chain restaurant. Although Pluckers isn’t considered a national chain, they are considered Texas chain restaurants with the exception of having two restaurants in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Pluckers has 29 locations spanning all over Texas including Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Marcos, San Antonio, and Killeen. Pluckers was started in Austin by two college students, Dave Paul and Mark Greenburg, who attended the University of Texas at Austin.
I chose to go to the Pluckers located on South Lamar Boulevard. Pluckers restaurants are typically busy around dinner time. My group and I went at 4:30 pm and we got seated immediately.
As expected, a basketball game was playing on the restaurant’s televisions. While it was noisy, it felt like you were in person at the basketball game.
While their food is a little bit on the pricey side, it is worth it since the amount of food you get is a large amount.
I prefer local over chain dining. While chain restaurants offer stability in their menus, you simply can’t ignore the unique experience a local diner offers. Eating locally supports small businesses, opens opportunities to connect with a community, and it always feels like the owners care about their customers
