Outdoor Grill

For our second meal, we went to the Outdoor Grill located at the corner of Washington Place and Washington Blvd.

The Outdoor Grill shares a parking lot with a car wash.  In a sense, the Outdoor Grill is an amenity to customers of the car wash.

The restaurant had a decent sized menu, much bigger than the usual size for a food truck, and offered a small indoor seating area.  There was also seating outside and on the roof of the restaurant.

Trash cans were available upstairs and downstairs.  Tables were clean and the overall look and feel of the place was very appealing.

Restrooms were available in the car wash, though at the time we were there the car wash had already closed.

This restaurant is their first location started in 1996, and they have opened another location that is larger in North Ridge.

The food was perhaps a step above that of our previous food truck visit.  The macaroni and cheese had a good cheese taste, despite seeming to have been under a heat lamp for a long time, the corn bread was good, and the chicken tacos were flavorful and fresh.  

The menu lacked vegetarian options.

The ambiance of the restaurant varied based on where you decided to sit.  Inside there was a noisy kitchen with loud fans whirring, and there was no music.  

Outside you had the ambiance of the street, cars, motorcycles, etc. You could also smell the literal outdoor grill.  Sitting on the roof, there was a nice view and even a bar where you could sit looking directly at the spot of the car wash where your car would come out when it was finished.

As for design opportunities, we noticed that the food was being served on styrofoam which lacked aesthetics and practicality.  It is very bad for the environment and it doesn't work to make the food more appealing or fun to eat.  Also, condiments and silverware were only available downstairs on the inside.  So it was inconvenient to go back downstairs to get those things when you were already upstairs sitting down with your food.  It would be nice to find a way to serve condiments and silverware upstairs without having to worry about them being stolen or taken advantage of.