Where Should We Eat? -Dining Reviews in Hilliard, Ohio 43026 and the Columbus Area: Next Stop, Fazoli's? on Hilliard-Rome Road? hmmm . . .

   Hey there current and potential subscribers! As the title states, I will be reviewing the local Fazoli's today. Now, I know exactly what you are thinking and honestly, I am thinking it as well. I never though that I would be reviewing a "fast food place" on this blog, but I went to Fazoli's today and I was so pleased with the experience, that I couldn't help myself!

   To start off, I walked in the door and noticed that even though it was pretty busy, the noise level was extraordinarily tolerable. Then, I noticed that they had a table set out that had some papers laying on it for customers to have. My curiosity got the best of me, so I went to see what it was all about. What I found was actually some information on the nutrition of their food, something else I can't remember (not important enough I guess), and, get this, a DELIVERY Menu! I don't know about all of you guys, but I have NEVER heard of a Fazoli's that delivered before! Then again, I do come from a humble background. ;)

   Anyways, I ordered their trio and my girlfriend, Sarah Douglas (HI SARAH!) ordered one of their new three cheese mini bakes. Then, they asked us to sit down and they would bring our food to us. Now, I know that it has been a long time since I had been to a Fazoli's (mostly because there wasn't one near my old town), but I was expecting to get Fazoli's food presented in Fazoli's fashion, which to me meant that I would get a trio on a paper tray, a soft drink that was self refilled, and a throw away cup. WRONG! I'm sure glad THAT question wasn't presented to me by Regis for a cool million! Instead, we had a very nice SERVER that kept our drinks filled and our bread sticks plentiful! Also, our food was presented on actual plates! I looked at Sarah and asked "What the CRAP is this!?" She replied in a cool and, as usual, know-it-all manner (LOL), "Yeah, their like a full blown restaurant now." "Pffft" I replied, shrugging off the fact that, yet again, she knew something I did not."

Overall, the the food was typical Fazoli's food. I got a trio with lasagna, spaghetti, and alfredo noodles. However, Sarah's three cheese ravioli mini bake (that's a mouthfull . . . no pun intended), a new menu item, was actually pretty damn good! In fact, I'll probably order it next time I go!

   Now, while we were there, we had a manager personally come to our table and ask us whether everything was alright. I don't know about you guys, but this IS something I expect from any restaurant that has actual plates and cups that get washed and re-used. He seemed to be a very kind man and very approachable, so I'm going to add that to the plus column as well.

   Alright, now I have to say something negative (sorry Fazoli). One thing that I noticed while I was there was that the restaurant had gone from a semi-fast-food place to an actual sit down restaurant. That is great! However, it did come with a price. A monetary price. It seems that the franchise, in order to pay for the new costs of servers, silverware, and stylish plates, have hiked up their prices. Basically, what you used to pay 4-5 dollars for, you will now be paying at least $6.00. Though this is disappointing, I do like the changes and nothing comes free anymore. Oh well, what can you do?

The Verdict: 8.0/10

(10 being the best I could EVER expect from a Fazoli's)

I took two points off for the price hike because honestly, I just don't think that it's worth it. However, I know that there are some people that LOVE the franchise and there are some people (like me) that just get that craving every once in a while, so If you like their food, the service was fast, friendly, and just a little bit over budget.