Early in the school year, I embarked on a journey to find a solid go-to breakfast restaurant to dine at before school. Without a first period, I had plenty of time to explore. I visited four different restaurants within the week of August 29 to September 2.
I decided that I would visit four places, three of which were chain restaurants and one of which was a local establishment to serve as a comparison to the chains. By the end of the week, I was well-acquainted with IHOP, Denny’s, Perkin’s and Doug & Lil’s Potato Patch.
I put together a 25-point scoring scale. Each restaurant could earn up to five points for different categories. These categories were the atmosphere and aesthetics of the restaurant, the quality of the food, the price I paid for the meal, the time spent in the restaurant and the service.
In addition, I kept the meal I ordered constant in order to avoid any potential bias or errors in my testing. At all four restaurants, I ordered two scrambled eggs, pancakes, two sausage links and shredded hash browns.
The first place I tried was IHOP. I’ve been there plenty of times and it’s been consistently decent. Through multiple trips there with my family, we’ve rarely had a negative experience. I ordered the Pancake Combo, which included every food necessary for evaluation.
I gave the food a strong four. The atmosphere and aesthetics earned three points, it was very quiet and there were not many signs of life. The service earned five points; they were very friendly. IHOP earned five points for time spent and I ended up paying about $13, which earned three points for the price category. Overall, a solid 20 out of 25.
On Tuesday, I visited Denny’s. I’ve been there maybe once or twice, and I don’t particularly remember it that vividly. I ordered the Super Slam, which had every food needed for evaluation.
The food, again, was a strong four. The atmosphere was nice and more alive, earning a four in the process. The service lacked at times, so I gave them four points instead of five. Not too much time was wasted, so a solid five. I ended up paying $9 for this meal, which is great and earned five points. Overall, a 22 out of 25, which beat IHOP.
The next day, I ordered from Perkin’s. I’ve eaten there a few times and haven’t had a relatively bad experience. I ordered the Build-A-Breakfast, which contained every food in the criteria.
The food wasn’t anything to write home about, so I gave it three points. The atmosphere was quiet and the restaurant was very dated, so only two points. The service was friendly and welcoming, so I gave it five points. I didn’t spend too much time, so again, five points. I spent about $11 for this meal, so a bit extra and I gave it four points for value. Overall, a 19 out of 25.
I took a day off on Thursday, but by Friday, I was ready for my final stop. It was time to try the local establishment! I chose Doug & Lil’s Potato Patch, a small cash-only restaurant just minutes away from Melching Field. I ordered the exact criteria, that being the two scrambled eggs, sausage links, hash browns and pancakes.
The food was stellar, earning five points. The sausage links were wonderful and the hash browns were delightful. The atmosphere inside the restaurant was bustling but not too busy, so five points. The service was friendly and earned five points. Five points were also earned for time spent. I spent about $11 on the meal, so it earned four points in the price category. Overall, 24 points out of 25.
In the end it’s clear which restaurant out of the four served the best breakfast. Doug & Lil’s Potato Patch won in convincing fashion, beating Denny’s in second place by two points. The food from Doug & Lil’s and the atmosphere of the restaurant was just too good to beat.
As for the chain restaurants, Denny’s beat IHOP and Perkin’s. Denny’s was the clear winner for the chains when it came to the prices and the atmosphere. While IHOP was a close second, paying just $9 for such a filling meal is too much to resist. Unfortunately for Perkin’s, they earned the lowest score.
At the end of it all, this quest proved a common belief. The local restaurant is better than the chain. Personally, I find it much more enjoyable to dine at a local establishment than a chain restaurant. Consider exploring more restaurants in Downtown DeLand and around the area, you might just find a diamond in the rough!
Photo by Edson Saldaña on Unsplash
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