Restaurant Review

On Thursday March 10th, 2016, I and a few of my friends had dinner at an IHOP in Ypsilanti, Michigan. This restaurant serves mostly breakfast. There was plenty of available parking located in the front of the building and also in the back. From the outside, the restaurant looked nice. When we walked in there was a register and a sign that said “Please wait to be seated”. There were also some benches around the lobby for when customers had to wait before being seated. However, we were greeted almost immediately and were seated right away and we did not have reservations. The dining area was one room that consisted of both booths and tables with chairs. We were seated at a booth. The space between the booths was a decent size, but I think some of the tables were a little too close. The atmosphere felt very family friendly. The room had a warm color scheme and the décor on the walls were paintings of food. There was some subtle music playing. It wasn’t too loud and it wasn’t too quiet. They played a variety of music and none of it had any inappropriate lyrics. Overall, the atmosphere was family friendly.

When we sat at our table, our server came to our table almost right away. Our server’s name was Raul. He was very friendly, quick, and polite. He got all of our orders and drinks correct on the first try, too. First, Raul took our drink order. While he went to get our drinks, we looked over the menu to see what we wanted. 

The menu was colorful and easy to read and there were pictures of most of the items. The prices were affordable, considering my friends and I are broke college students and were able to afford to eat here. The prices were reasonable, as well, because I was able to get two meals out of my dish. There was a range of options, including omelets, pancakes, waffles, crepes, and more. There was also an adult menu as well as a children’s menu.

 When Raul brought us our drinks, we were all ready to order. I ordered the breakfast crepes. In about 15 minutes, Raul came back with our food. My food looked delicious. The crepe looked moist and the bacon was cooked well. The serving size was enough to feed me at the restaurant and also later back home. The only thing that I would have changed about my meal was that I wish it would have had more sauce on it. That’s my favorite part. Throughout our visit, Raul visited our table a few times, but not so much that it was annoying or disruptive. All of the waiters and waitresses were dressed in white, button-up shirts and black pants. The girls had their hair tied back. The dress code was clean and professional.

The clientele of the restaurant was diverse. There were people of all ages around. At our table, there were college-aged people, behind us was an elderly couple, and a few tables over there was a family with young children. The clientele all seemed to be of the middle class and there seemed to be an even amount of people from each gender present. Of the people who were in the restaurant, a majority of them were Caucasian and there were also some African Americans, as well.

IHOP’s website is very user friendly. At the home page, you are greeted with a giant picture of their featured dish. Right now, that dish is their new Double Dipped French Toast. There are two kinds of this new dish and there are pictures of both of those options. As you scroll down the homepage, there is a spot to search for a nearby IHOP, a spot to sign-up for their birthday club, and also links to their social media pages. At the top of the page, there is a toolbar that includes links to IHOP’s menu, their story, and their contact information.

I decided to take a look at IHOP’s history and I found that they became a restaurant in 1958. They cater to people of all ages and ethnicities and offer affordable food “with warm and friendly service”. IHOP’s philosophy offers a few suggestions on how to enjoy your time at IHOP. These suggestions are come as you are, savor every minute, go with the flow, be good to yourself, and get it anytime. IHOP’s values include integrity, excellence, innovation, accountability, inclusion, trust, and community. As of 2015, there are 1,650 different IHOP locations throughout the United States, Bahrain, Canada, Dubai, Guatemala, Kuwait, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, The Philippines, and the Virgin Islands. One thing that I found out about IHOP while exploring their website is that they changed their logo to incorporate a smile under the “O” and the “P” because they have seen so many smiles in their restaurant since they’ve been open!

Overall, my visit to IHOP was very enjoable! I had a good time with great friends and food. I would definitely  recommend coming to this establishment!

Influential People

As cliché as this is, one person who has impacted me is my boyfriend, Seth. We started “dating” when we were 12, although our first date wasn’t until we were 16. Throughout the past six years we’ve gone through a lot together and have grown together. Seth’s family would probably say that I’m his better half, but I beg to differ. He’s definitely mine. Seth makes me want to be a better person. One reason for this is because he is so good at seeing the good in people and that is something I’m not good with at all. When I don’t like someone or when someone has done me wrong, it’s hard for me to see past that. I tend to dwell on the little things and hold grudges. This is something that I’m not proud of, but it is a part of me. For example, a friend of ours crossed a line recently and it has been hard for me to forgive her. I actually got angry at Seth for forgiving her so easily. When I asked him how it was so easy for him to forgive and forget he said, “I like to look for the good in people.” This is one trait that Seth has that I admire and I wish I could be more like him in that way. Another thing is that Seth is one of the hardest working people I know. His summers are spent working at least 40 hours a week and most weeks it’s more than that. The one problem with that is sometimes I have to remind him that it’s ok to take a day off to have some fun. However, I would much rather be with someone who is hardworking than be with someone who is too lazy to even lift a finger. Seth’s work ethic is another reason that I admire him.

A person I know who has impacted many people is my high school classmate, Stefan. During our junior year of high school, Stefan was diagnosed with brain cancer. In the beginning months of our senior year, there were many fundraisers put on by the students to raise money for Stefan’s medical bills. One fundraiser was put on by the Theater Department. Together they put on a haunted house and students were charged $1 to go through it. At one of our football games, a group of Stefan’s closest friends went around the stands asking people if they’d like to sign a card for Stefan and they were also collecting change. Another one of Stefan’s good friends made a Crowd Rise page to raise money for his medical expenses and altogether that page raised over $10,000. Lastly, there was the homecoming football game and the entire restaurant was filled with sobbing high school students. Stefan’s last wish was to meet the actor Terry Crews. Through the power of social media, our school was able to band together and get Terry Crews to come visit Stefan. Unfortunately, Stefan passed away on December 14, 2014. Even though Stefan is no longer here, he has impacted so many people with his strength through tough times. Our senior class voted him Most Memorable because even though he wasn’t able to accept the award himself, the class of 2015 will never forget Stefan.

A person who has left a mark on history is Jesus. Whether you believe that he is the son of God or not, he was still a real person and he is definitely an influential person. In 2011, there were 2.2 billion Christians on earth. That’s 31.5% of the world’s population, making Christianity the world’s most followed religion. I picked Jesus as a person who has left a mark on history because Jesus is a huge part of my religion, being a Christian. I was raised in a Christian household so I’ve heard about Jesus all of my life. Critics of Christianity would say that I was forced by my parents to be a Christian, but that’s not true. My parents exposed me to Christianity, but it was my choice to make this religion my own. The past year has been pretty hard for me and the one comfort that I found was in my relationship with God and Jesus. I find peace of mind knowing that He has a plan for me, even though I may not know what it is yet. Even during the times in the Bible, Jesus was a very influential man. He was known to make the blind see, heal the lepers, turn water into wine, walk on water, and raise from the dead. These are all very impressive things. Now, people who are not Christians may not believe that he actually did these things, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t an influential human being. Jesus is also important in the religions of Islam and Judaism. In Islam, Jesus is an important prophet. In Judaism, Jesus is a false messiah, meaning they do not believe that he was the son of God. According to Google, there have been about 130 million books written throughout the entire world’s history. It is said that around 40% of these books were written about Jesus.

(Facts about Jesus were retrieved from http://listverse.com/2013/03/22/top-10-most-famous-people/)