IHOP in Florida for Breakfast

So we decided to skip the free continental breakfast that they offered at the LaQuinta hotel where we were staying in Florida; we opted for a full breakfast at IHOP. I don't know about you, but I kind of take exception to breakfast for 2 that runs $25 before the tip. I mean it's bacon and eggs for crying out loud.

But it has been a few days since we have been on the road and maybe we do need a full breakfast. So we walk over to the IHOP (the parking lots connect with the hotels')and when I saw the yellow danger cones in the vestibule and the entry area, my radar went up. I took a quick scan of the place and there were only three tables. Hey, it is 8:45 there should be more than that! After a short wait we were taken to a booth next to another couple who were almost finished. Good enough.

I am looking for a simple breakfast eggs, toast, taters and maybe some meat. The menu doesn't put it together quite that way. There's pancakes...grits...hashbrowns. There's a skillet with lots of stuff that I am not interested in. Hey, where's the simple eggs, bacon and home fries? When the waitress comes over she shows me a selection that is close to what I want for $6.99. Geez, I could buy a dozen eggs, 6 English muffins and 5 pounds of potatoes for that! OK, I know...we all have to live, yes get me that please, oh? You have sourdough toast? Great, I'll have that. Chuck ordered his special skillet and was promptly told that none of those were available...the delivery of potatoes has not arrived yet! Man, this is going down hill fast! So he talked her into using a different kind of potato and got the skillet anyway.

We waited only 10 minutes or so and the order was delivered. My hashbrowns were cold (I mean like from the refrigerator)so they brought me another order of them (10 minutes later) when I was about finished with my breakfast. The second order was so greasy I could not eat it. Chuck's breakfast looked great! I was starting to suspect that there might have been a secret vendetta out on me but quickly wiped that from my mind.

I looked up at Chuck and noticed something moving on the wall behind him. Oh...Great! I know this is Florida and it is home to the largest water bugs in creation, but I was not quite ready for this. A roach seemed to be doing its' morning exercises on the ledge above the booth just behind us....back and forth....back and forth. I told Chuck and he looked and was grateful that it wasn't by our table.

Minutes passed, I had finished my eggs and bacon (no potatoes too greasy, the sourdough toast was stale) and was wondering if it was enough to get me to lunch when Chuck started to say something...loud. He said No, not there, there's a ro...."

Ah, even I got it. They were going to seat some people at the booth behind us with the roach on the seat back. But for some reason or other, this new couple was placed exactly in the same booth next to us on the other side where the original couple was sitting. I was a bit flabbergasted. Was he going to yell out that there was a roach on the seat back? That would have upset just about everyone who heard it. Fortunately, he stopped mid sentence and only I knew what he was about to say.

Moments later our waitress came by and he told her about our frisky roach; well it is now dead, and that was that.

We waited another five minutes for the check and as we were leaving she asked again if everything was okay; If she wanted an honest answer we did not have enough time. I mumbled yes and we left. Without a doubt this was the worst breakfast I have had in years, but I SO ENJOYED the "NO NOT HERE THERE"S A RO....."

Ah.... life is good