2002 Nebula Awards® Weekend
Fritz's Railroad Restaurant


Fritz's Railroad Restaurant, 2nd floor of Crown Center. Visited Sunday, January 6th. This restaurant is about 200 feet from where the banquet and business meeting will be held and one floor above the site for the Mass Autograph session on Saturday.


The seating at Fritz's is all booths. Electric trains run around the outside of this restaurant and a different larger track runs along the ceiling. The entrance is a rail road crossing Children 12 and under get a free engineer's hat.
 

Orders are called in from the booths on a telephone. A server brings the drinks, but the food is delivered by "Skat Cat" on the overhead track. A mechanical arm stops your order at the platform above your table, which then lowers to deliver your food. This rig is a bit noisy and everyone watches when a meal is delivered.

Burgers are the main feature of the menu, with 11 to choose from. They are rather small, but options with 2 or 3 patties are available. Other choices include various hot dogs; grilled chicken, tenderloin and fish sandwiches; or grilled cheese. 

The prices are average. A single burger, small fries and shake runs $6 with tax. Lil Engineers 12 and under can choose from 5 combinations at $3.99.

The food is mostly average (about what you get at a drive-in), with two exceptions: the chili and the shakes. The shakes are hand made and good, though there are only 4 or 5 flavors to choose from. The chili is very meaty (about like a sloppy Joe) and has few beans. It is spicy but not too "hot."

3 stars out of 4. I wouldn't make a special trip to visit Fritz's, but it is fun for a quick lunch or snack.

  Keith Stokes

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