I've hated cafeteria-type places pretty much all my life. Grade school lunchroom, high school cafeteria, college dorm food, English dining hall (the worst!), on up to the lunchroom at my office... I just can't stomach the smells or the crowds, much less the food typically offered.
So I was skeptical about the restaurant in our local IKEA. The prices are so cheap, I figured it couldn't offer much in the way of flavor or atmosphere.
I'm happy to eat my words. Apart from the "million-dollar view" of the bay and freeway, the food itself was satisfying enough to please our toddler (pasta for 99, can't beat that!) and my husband (the buffalo chicken wrap and fries). As for me, I took a gamble on the gravlax, and it was remarkably tasty, especially when I grabbed a few crackers to eat with it (39 cents each). And bonus: cool IKEA decor and no nasty smells!
Now why can't IKEA start running cafeterias for all those other places? They could really turn things around.
