Friday, August 28, 2009

He May Be Famous but He Missed One Thing!

He may be famous but he missed one thing! I'm talking about Famous Dave and his BBQ restaurant chain. We were in the city yesterday and decided to have a BBQ sandwich for lunch.

The food? Great! And to prove it, the place was packed.

However, as I looked around at the decor I felt as if something were amiss.

The nostalgic tone of a small-town gas station was pretty right-on. The vintage signs, tools, advertisements, and photos all worked together to remind one of those old gas stations and the small-town mechanic...the same guy who used to come out and ask "Fill 'er up?" when you pulled up to the gas pump. He was the guy who washed your windshield, fixed your flat tires and who, after sticking his head under the hood to listen to that ticking sound, would drive the car onto the rack, climb underneath the hood, and fix said noise. All those things came to mind.

But still...something was not quite right.

I finally figured it out.

Famous Dave's simply does not smell quite right. Every garage and service station of that era smelled like a garage. You know...a mixture of gasoline, oil, grease rags, and tires.

The crew that put this decor in place is probably way too young to have ever set foot in the bay area of one of those gas stations. They wouldn't have a clue what the place is supposed to smell like.
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5 comments:

Diane said...

LOL. Somehow, I think most people would prefer the smell of the BBQ to a more "authentic" smell!

Around the corner from my place, on the main drag, is an old pagoda type service station. The city decided to save it rather than tear it down (wonder of wonders), and they have a display inside that is lit at night, of old garage-related stuff, including the original Pegasus Mobil sign. It's just the little building (no bays), and too cute for words.

I, too, remember the days of full service (and .19 per gallon gas!)

blushing rose said...

Chuckle! TTFN ~Marydon

Laurie M. said...

I worked in an auto shop for two years. The smell doesn't do much for the appetite, except when someone would bring in a car running on bio-diesel. It would take me a minute to sort out why I felt hungry, then I'd get it. The exhaust smells vaguely like something cooking in a deep fryer. After a few minutes longer, though, it becomes vaguely nauseating.

cinnamongirl93 said...

I love Famous Daves! We only have one in my area. It's about 30 miles away from where I live. There's something about smoked meat that lights up my board.

I remember full service gas stations. The last one went under in the early 90"s. My kids can't even imagine full service gas stations! lol!

Josh said...

Famous Daves - I think can almost smell his Legendary pit bar-b-q aroma from here.

Great times! I thank God for the freedom to eat pork.