George Webb

[ZiggysFryBoy]

I wanted to split this off from the Qdoba thread....

What is the draw/mystique about Webb's.  I've eaten there twice in the 12 years that I have lived in WI.  Both times stand out in my mind as some of the worst meals I've ever eaten.   One was late night on the 3rd street resturant and the other time was breakfast in the Falls.  Both were awful, kinda like doing Star Jones.

Just curious what people's views are.

[mosarsour]

I've never had a problem with George Webb's...especially at 3AM. Nothing like having a bowl of chili and a ham and cheese omelette after a night at the bar!

[muwarrior87]

I'm rather apathetic about it.  Not great but it's alright sometimes.

[BrewCity83]

I grew up on Webb's.  George Webb has always been there for me...whatever neighborhood, whatever hour of the day or night.  Stick to the standard menu items...eggs/omelettes, hashbrowns, pancakes, soup/chili, etc. and you can't go wrong.

[bma725]

It really depends on which one you go to and what you get.  The one at MU was not a normal Webbs, and the food was only okay at best.  I've had better luck at the ones in the suburbs than the ones in the city.  The ones in Cedarburg, Hales Corners, Brookfield etc have always been pretty good.  But in the city only two have ever been any good, 61st and Bluemound and the one on State St near 76th.  I've had some pretty disastarous experiences at the one on Farwell and the one on Layton.

Of course, at many of these places I didn't get breakfast, I got some sort of burger or sandwich.  In my experience, they are much more likely to screw up the breakfast food than any of the other food.  It's odd, because they cook a lot more breakfast, but I've had plenty of eggs that weren't done right or pancakes not cooked through, but I've only had one burger that I would say was bad.

[4everwarriors]

I wanted to split this off from the Qdoba thread....

What is the draw/mystique about Webb's.  I've eaten there twice in the 12 years that I have lived in WI.  Both times stand out in my mind as some of the worst meals I've ever eaten.   One was late night on the 3rd street resturant and the other time was breakfast in the Falls.  Both were awful, kinda like doing Star Jones.

Just curious what people's views are.
[/quot

Are you speaking from experience about doing Jones? I would think,however, that Webb's fried eggs are tastier than Star's fried eggs.

[dsfire]

Similar experiences to the posters above - there's nothing particularly special about the food or service, but there hasn't been anything wrong at the few Webb's I've gone to either.  They do have some neat niche stuff with the Brewers-related deals and being open 'round the clock.  I never understood what they were trying to do with the one on campus that replaced the DQ, increasing prices and changing the menu, getting rid of servers etc.  It seemed like a traditional George Webb's would've fit the campus needs much better.  And yes, the service at that one is insanely slow.

I would have welcomed a Qdoba, but then again, I was in East so the one in Grand Avenue was probably closer anyway.  Now if the mall didn't close before dinnertime on the weekends...

On a not-so-related note, I never did understand how a place like Pizza Hut could go out of business just a couple blocks off a college campus.

[Hards Alumni]

Similar experiences to the posters above - there's nothing particularly special about the food or service, but there hasn't been anything wrong at the few Webb's I've gone to either.  They do have some neat niche stuff with the Brewers-related deals and being open 'round the clock.  I never understood what they were trying to do with the one on campus that replaced the DQ, increasing prices and changing the menu, getting rid of servers etc.  It seemed like a traditional George Webb's would've fit the campus needs much better.  And yes, the service at that one is insanely slow.

I would have welcomed a Qdoba, but then again, I was in East so the one in Grand Avenue was probably closer anyway.  Now if the mall didn't close before dinnertime on the weekends...

On a not-so-related note, I never did understand how a place like Pizza Hut could go out of business just a couple blocks off a college campus.

Webb's appeal is that is a Milwaukee original, and not a national chain store.  If you go in some of the locations and look at the pictures on the wall, it is pretty nostalgic.  People who have been to Milwaukee before they went to MU probably remember going out to breakfast at GW at some point.

All of that said, its nothing special... basically it is like Perkins or Ihop, but a Milwaukee original.

[Avenue Commons]

Everytime I've been in a George Webb's I've had to wait an hour for my food. I'm not kidding. When I was at MU I was strictly a "Michael's" guy. Loved the Marquette Special: $2 for toast, two eggs, two bacon, two sausage. Couldn't beat it.

[Marquette Gyros]

Being from Minny, I voted for "I'm not from WI and like it".  The breakfast is quality, as are entrees like their burgers and chicken strips. 

Their problem, at least at the campus location, was that they couldn't find a niche.  It wasn't a fast food joint, as shown by the 10 minute plus wait for the most simple offers, though it had fast-food prices.  More traditional options like JJ's, Subway, Papa John's, Gyros, etc. buried Webb in this arena.  Far faster food wins this matchup.

It also clearly wasn't a full-service restaurant, like Perkin's or Ember's.  The portions aren't especially hearty, and the service was apathetic.  The atmosphere wasn't all that great either -- it's just a small corner location, and people weren't encouraged to linger.  Not a winning formula for a sit-down place. 

Ultimately, the campus location didn't appeal to a very big group, which is why it was dropped.  Better luck to Qdoba in this "coffin corner" of Campus Town.

[drewm88]

I'll agree with that. The food wasn't really good enough for a regular meal, and it wasn't nearly fast enough for late night food.

[MU B2002]

That location was a DQ when I was in school.  Can someone tell me what was there before DQ took over?

[spiral97]

Trying to remember.. don't think it was anything though (might be wrong).  I'm seeming to remember that it was there relatively soon after the campus town apartments themselves were built.

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

On a not-so-related note, I never did understand how a place like Pizza Hut could go out of business just a couple blocks off a college campus.

Was there once a P.H. near campus? Man, we could use some pizza competition on campus ... Papa John's can get ridiculous. I've always thought a Little Caesars would be amazing ($5 for a large??). I may be alone in my love of Little Caesars, though.

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

Everytime I've been in a George Webb's I've had to wait an hour for my food. I'm not kidding. When I was at MU I was strictly a "Michael's" guy. Loved the Marquette Special: $2 for toast, two eggs, two bacon, two sausage. Couldn't beat it.

When did you graduate? 1950? The last time I visited that dump (2 years ago plus) I paid over $10 for breakfast. I'm not joking.