Ground Round

There was maybe one person seated at the bar, the place was empty, we didn't wait long. So how was it that our food was cold/warmish?  It's not that the frozen, reheated stuff was still frozen, otherwise it wouldn't have tasted burnt.  I don't know how they managed that at all.  The generous appetizers (their words) were 4 mozzerella sticks, 4 chicken tenders, 4 pieces of celery, 4 potato skins.

My 'steak sandwich' had maybe one pepper in it, it was just gloopy stuff on a going stale bun.  The burgers were overpriced for what they were, and just not anything worth eating.  My youngest was ok with his food, but that kid will eat ANYTHING.

We paid $60 for 3 adult meals, a shared appetizer, a kids meal, and drinks.  Spent $20 less at a locally owned restaurant with far superior food, including alcohol (well, a beer), for the same 4 people.  I can't imagine why anyone was actually going into that place. It was awful.

Continually searching for decent restaurants in the Dubuque area. Figured if this franchise was still around it had to be decent.  Cold beer, had a great burger (sans bun) and salad.  Super inexpensive....since we are used to Chicago prices.  Definitely sit in the bar area...tons more ambience.

Over the decades, Ground Round hasn't changed very much.  The more interesting part is that Dubuque's Ground Round is one of the last in the chain's existence.  As far as the town is concerned, they're doing something right.  The menu frequently changes with seasonal specials and there are always healthy options; both of these things are extremely important to keep the restaurant fresh.

My last visit to Ground Round was with an enormous group of people, seated in the lounge area, with people trickling in over the course of an hour.  Surely, this is a nightmare to most servers, but everyone received attention without much of a wait after they walked in.  The service was on par for the situation, which is to say that there was occasional slowness or a drink was forgotten, but nothing that caused us to consider rioting in protest.

The food was fine.  It's not a flashy menu for starters, so there wasn't any expectation of being blown away.  Still, there weren't any complaints at the table at all.  We were satisfied.  When booze is involved, that's the part that matters most anyway.