2008 Woodie Awards
Dan Holm, UCF alumnus and food critic, shares insight on fast food.
Billie Hartl
Issue date: 10/24/08 Section: Variety
Dan Holm, food blogger, storyteller and UCF alumnus, knows what makes a good dining out experience.
"This is half-assed service," Holm said upon sitting down with his sandwich at Greens & Grille, near the Mall at Millenia. "They don't bring you your food but they pick up your plate for you when you're done. What is with that?"
Holm started his blog, Green Eggs (www.greeneggsmarketing.com), in December 2007 as an outlet to talk about his dining out experiences.
"The gap between fast-casual dining, like Panera, Chipotle and Greens & Grille, and casual dining like Applebee's, Friday's and Bennigan's is closing," Holm said. "Casual dining prices are going to come down, so the service has to get better here [Greens & Grille].
"This place has a nice atmosphere," Holm said, looking around Greens & Grille. "But the portions are small and overpriced. I'm getting about 100 refills of iced tea to make up for it. And the service could be way better.
"Servers at the Chick-fil-A by my house walk around, clean up and refill your drink. That's an example of the gap closing. Chick-fil-A is at the front of it," Holm said. "They're so well-defined in their brand."
Holm took a bite of his "The Pig" sandwich. "This is pretty good, though," he said. "Nice flavors."
Holm has started another blog, Classy Eater (www.classyeater.com), where he blogs about ways to save money at several well-known restaurants. He has also written an eBook titled Classy Eater: The Complete Guide to Eating the Greatest Food at the Best Price, which is available for download on the Web site.
"Being a regular is key, that's my mantra," Holm said. "You can do whatever you want."
Holm, who is a big fan of Chipotle, mentioned ordering a "new line" item to save money. You pick four ingredients - say, rice, meat, cheese and lettuce -and the cashier will ring you up for just over $4.
Holm's latest addition to his collection of blogs is Side of Green Eggs (www.sideofgreeneggs.com), a place for him to post random thoughts about the food industry. Through his blogging, Holm hopes to spread the message that you don't have to spend a lot to have a great dining experience.
"Food is the heartbeat of America," Holm said. "Food is more important than anything else."à
"This is half-assed service," Holm said upon sitting down with his sandwich at Greens & Grille, near the Mall at Millenia. "They don't bring you your food but they pick up your plate for you when you're done. What is with that?"
Holm started his blog, Green Eggs (www.greeneggsmarketing.com), in December 2007 as an outlet to talk about his dining out experiences.
"The gap between fast-casual dining, like Panera, Chipotle and Greens & Grille, and casual dining like Applebee's, Friday's and Bennigan's is closing," Holm said. "Casual dining prices are going to come down, so the service has to get better here [Greens & Grille].
"This place has a nice atmosphere," Holm said, looking around Greens & Grille. "But the portions are small and overpriced. I'm getting about 100 refills of iced tea to make up for it. And the service could be way better.
"Servers at the Chick-fil-A by my house walk around, clean up and refill your drink. That's an example of the gap closing. Chick-fil-A is at the front of it," Holm said. "They're so well-defined in their brand."
Holm took a bite of his "The Pig" sandwich. "This is pretty good, though," he said. "Nice flavors."
Holm has started another blog, Classy Eater (www.classyeater.com), where he blogs about ways to save money at several well-known restaurants. He has also written an eBook titled Classy Eater: The Complete Guide to Eating the Greatest Food at the Best Price, which is available for download on the Web site.
"Being a regular is key, that's my mantra," Holm said. "You can do whatever you want."
Holm, who is a big fan of Chipotle, mentioned ordering a "new line" item to save money. You pick four ingredients - say, rice, meat, cheese and lettuce -and the cashier will ring you up for just over $4.
Holm's latest addition to his collection of blogs is Side of Green Eggs (www.sideofgreeneggs.com), a place for him to post random thoughts about the food industry. Through his blogging, Holm hopes to spread the message that you don't have to spend a lot to have a great dining experience.
"Food is the heartbeat of America," Holm said. "Food is more important than anything else."à
Be the first to comment on this story