Rant: People who think a long line means the food is good are setting themselves up for a bad time

I see this all the time at the weekly market in Austin. Folkes see a truck with a 30 minute wait and just assume it's the best option, but half the time it's just a slow truck with a bad system. Last Friday, I watched a couple wait 45 minutes for soggy, lukewarm tacos from the 'popular' truck while I walked right up to the Peruvian chicken truck next to it and got a perfect, hot quarter chicken with green sauce in under 5 minutes. The long line is often just bad logistics, not a sign of quality. I've learned to judge a truck by how fast the line moves and how the food looks coming out, not by how many people are standing there looking bored. Has anyone else found a killer truck with no wait because everyone was stuck in the wrong line?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamesm386d ago

My buddy swears by this tiny pho place in a strip mall with zero wait at lunch. The line is always out the door at the trendy ramen spot next door, but his pho comes out steaming hot in like two minutes flat. He says the broth is insane and they never rush you out. Meanwhile, he watched some guys at the ramen place get cold noodles because they were so backed up. Sometimes the quiet spot is running a tight ship.

carter.gavin6d agoMost Upvoted

My old ramen loyalty died at a strip mall pho spot.

viola_ward4d ago

Watched my own ramen loyalty take a hit last week, carter.gavin. Ordered the fancy tonkotsu and got a lukewarm bowl with overcooked eggs. Felt like a real fool paying extra for the hype.