Cary 100

I always have a good time when I go to Cary 100, HOWEVER, they really need to step up their food, alcohol and service. They are wonderful people, but the service sucks. It takes forever to place an order and get your food, they’re terrible at cleaning and pre-​bussing tables… The alcohol options are limited, and the bartender has no skill. And the food portions are ridiculously tiny for the price they charge. Presentation also leaves a lot to be desired.

I was extremely disappointed with the service here. First of all, every time I’ve been here, the waitresses take 20 minutes or more to take my drink order. Even if they do take my order, there’s a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ chance they will remember to actually make my drink. Also, I’ve caught them, more than once, charging me for drinks I didn’t order. Always look at your bill before you sign!!! If by some heavenly miracle, you do get your drink, and pay the correct price for it, enjoy your highly exorbitant and extremely watered-​down alcoholic beverage!

We stopped in to get a quick bite to eat. The heat didn’t appear to be on as evidenced by staff shivering, and not being able to take our coats off. It took about 20 minutes for our food to come out– and needless to say, we ordered waffles and a salad. The salad came out with sliced up Kraft singles cheese with no dressings and the waffles didn’t have a taste. There is also very little space in the restroom. When I tried to use the it, staff asked «do you really have to go right now». We were the only customers in there at this time and now we know why.

My new favorite spot for Poetry and Karaōke.
I met a few of the cooks, and let me say, along with tasty food — Cary100 is giving passion an opportunity to shine. The servers are always monitoring their patrons with full attention. Management at times is sitting amongst the guest. How awesome is that!!!
Drink specials have awesome themes and the mixologist has creativity. There is a new shot that is green in color… go try it if you dare to have a great time amongst good people. If you are there on Thursday for poetry or Friday for Karaōke you might see me.
The Roasted Chicken is my favorite and soon to be one of yours!

For those of you who frequent downtown, you likely know this place as Becky’s Diner @ 1^st & Cary. Becky’s has been in RVA for many years and served exclusively as a breakfast & lunch spot. As you people also know, they have been in & out of business a number of times over the last 5 years. With new management (again) they appear to have the financing to stay open, maintaining the breakfast & lunch crowd with plans to redefine the place as a new night time hot spot for the over 25 crowd.
The tacky yet quaint pink front façade with the 50s diner look has been replaced by a sleek & sexy blue color pallet with black awnings embossed with their logo & dark tinted windows. And while the limo-​tinted windows make this place slightly uninviting, perhaps even intimidating to walk up to if you’re looking for a place to eat; I can assure you this place is not some shifty strip club (damn-​it).
They’ve made a good attempt at refining the dining area by completely opening the place up. Gone is the space-​consuming lunch-​bar that congested the space… It has been replaced by a large number of contemporary-​styled booths & dining tables. All the lighting has been replaced by sexy pendant lighting over each booth with minimal overhead lighting for the tables which occupy the middle of the dining room.
The place is filled with TVs playing sports & news which makes it a great place to decompress while staying connected to current events over lunch.
As your make your way to the bathrooms, while I’m not sure this was the intention, they have created a space which can make long lines to the crapper a little more enjoyable with large home theater recliners & a flat panel TV… of course I imagine on busy nights this also creates a lot of congestion getting there.
Additionally, they have replaced the 2 apartments on the 2^nd & 3^rd floors with a soon-​to-​open billiard area, 2 lounge areas, bar & private VIP room.
For those of you who’ve dined @ Becky’s over the past few years, you will still see lots of familiar faces… at least during the day time hours (not been here @ night). You will also see that many of their down-​home southern-​style dishes have not been replaced on the menu. In fact, for all intents & purposes, the only thing which seems to have changed here is the name, front façade, interior & addition of a few dinner-​related menu items.
As far as the food… myself & co-​workers eat here quite often for lunch; normally take out. Generally speaking, the food is good. It’s typically well seasoned American staple dishes. From sandwiches to daily plate specials I’ve had, they’re always yummy.
I’d say most everything I’ve had here is homemade; and sometimes this is more evident than others as the seasoning always varies a little. This place serves more like what you expect from a good home-​cook rather than a chef who can pull off carbon copies consistently.
The staples for us are as follows:
– The Cary 100 burger… which we add an over-​medium fried egg to. A note, the description says it’s on Texas Toast… We can only assume they’ve not experienced real Texas Toast. They seem to think it’s regular-​sliced white bread that gets buttered than toasted. So don’t be surprised when you don’t get 2″ thick toast.
– Friday Fried Chicken… Check you heart & blood-​pressure medicine @ the door, their fried chicken is the only thing you should be eating on Friday’s. While the hand-​made batter is sometimes (way) over salted, it’s still bangin’.
– Country-​fried steak is certainly noteworthy although some times they come out severed with a chicken or brown gravy rather than white sausage gravy. (if you ask for white they might give you chicken gravy)… just warning you.
– Collard Greens are almost as good as the ones my grandmother used to make. Cooked perfectly; not mushy from sitting in water too long. Appear to be seasoned with apple vinegar, ham hock & love.
– Mashed Potatoes are not as good as mine (who’s are?) but they are fresh-​made with potatoes, not creamy but not chunky… guessing they make ‘em with chicken broth as they are too light to be milk-​based
Because I want to see them succeed, a little constructive criticism never hurts…
Breakfast: Same as Karens, 3^rd St, McLeans, River City… except $ 1-​$ 3 more per plate. Redefine your breakfast with presentation & innovation or get your prices inline with others if you want to grow this business beyond the regs you have now.
Service: They’re VERY NICE & on basic task but lack professionalism/​personality. I believe service was Beckys’ Achilles-​heel. A lot of $ has been spent on cosmetics but your service doesn’t seem to reflect your new identify.
Kitchen: I can’t think of a single time I’ve ordered that the kitchen wasn’t out of something I wanted.
Takeout: While laughable to us; for new clients, the forgetfulness will determine if they order ages