ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤ºø¤º°`° Merry Christmas and wishing you all the best for 2010 ø¤º°` º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø ...
ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤ºø¤º°`° Merry Christmas and wishing you all the best for 2010 ø¤º°` º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø
Member since:20.09.2003
Reviews:119
Members who trust:1142
Nothing in the fridge and a late night at work, meant either a quick dash around Tescos or we would eat out. Who wants to face running the gauntlet of supermarket aisles after a long day at work, so eating out it was. We decided to pay another visit to Frankie & Benny's in Chichester as we wanted something quick, reasonably priced and unfussy.
~ HISTORY OF FRANKIE & BENNY'S DINERS ~ There are two versions of the history behind Frankie & Benny's. According to their website, a Sicilian immigrant called Frankie Giuliani arrived in the States via Ellis Island in the 1920's. His parents started up their diner in Little Italy favouring Italian home style cooking. Frankie went to the nearby high school and became friendly with Benny, a third generation Italian American. When Frankie's father retired in the 1950's, Benny joined Frankie in the business and began introducing American food to the menu to be served alongside the Italian dishes.
Personally I think that story is a UK marketing team campaign dreamed up to make the chain seem more authentic. According to the website of The Restaurant Group (the company that own the chain), the Frankie & Benny's chain was created in 1995. I tend to favour this version more because I can find no evidence that there are any Frankie & Benny's diners in the States. Why would lifelong friends Frankie and Benny choose to expand their chain into little old Britain when they are born and bred New Yorkers? Surely, they would concentrate on building up the chain in the States first? Maybe there is an old diner somewhere in New York, but there certainly doesn't appear to be a chain in the USA like there is in the UK. Can someone prove me wrong please? I'm now more than convinced that the 1950's diner story is a load of old marketing baloney. Call me an old cynic, but I have a nasty feeling that the Frankie and Benny high school chums routine was dreamt up by some marketing honchos in a brainstorming meeting in a windowless office somewhere in Slough…..which is nowhere near Little Italy…..
~ RESTAURANT THEME ~ Frankie & Benny's are family restaurants/diners serving Italian and American dishes. There is a huge menu choice from steaks, ribs and burgers to pizzas and pastas. Most of the restaurants are located in leisure parks rather than high streets. All the units are styled as 1950's Italian American style diners with loads old black and white photography, 1950's music and booth seating.
Frankie
and Benny's restaurants are owned by the Restaurant Group Plc, which is one of the largest independent restaurant groups in the country. The group has over 250 restaurants throughout the UK, with restaurants in high streets, retail parks and airports. The group also owns Garfunkel's, Caffé Uno, Est Est Est, Chiquito as well as Frankie & Benny's. Frankie & Benny's is the fastest expanding brand in their portfolio with over 100 UK units and 3 located in Spain.
~ MENU ~ Frankie and Benny's offer a mixture of popular Italian and American dishes. There is an ENORMOUS amount of choice on offer. Vegetarian choices abound on the menu. Obviously I am not going to list the whole menu in my review but the dishes detailed below will give you a rough idea of the type and prices of fare on offer. There is a full menu listed on their website if you are interested www.frankieandbennys.co.uk.
There is a lot of marketing speak on the menu, things like "made to Mamma's Secret Recipe" or "Cousin Luigi's or Cousin Mario's sauce". Although I scoured the menu I couldn't find the "Godfather's Horses Head marinated in Tomato and Basil and served with a Barbecue Sauce". Maybe I should contact them with my recipe idea ? Here's another they've missed, "Sleeping With the Fishes - a medley of seafood served in a cream and garlic sauce served on a bed of barbiturates and sun dried tomato pasta". Can you tell that I used to work in catering….
Back to the menu proper:- The menus are huge and simply brimming with choice. The menu is also done out in cream, red and brown with lots of black and white family snapshots. It's well laid out and easy to follow and understand. Basically it lists Starters, Sandwiches and Snacks, Main Courses and additional items (garlic bread, salads and such like). There is a separate card at your table or booth giving you a list of all the drinks on offer plus the desserts.
~ Starters ~ These range from Potato Skins (£3.95), Breaded Mozzarella (£3.95), Soup of the Day (£2.95), Barbecue Chicken Wings (£2.95) as well as 10 or 12 other things. You can just stick to plain old Garlic Pizza Bread at £2.95 or you push the boat out and have Crayfish Cocktail at £3.95. One thing I particularly like about Frankie & Benny menus is their Sharing Platters, where you can order a selection of items for 2 people. There is a Frankie & Benny Sample Platter at £9.95 and you get a set medley of things off their starters menu. I have tried this one before but thought the portion sizes were really mean and rather greasy. A better option was the Ribs and Wings at £8.95 - a mixture of chicken wings and barbecue ribs. It was really tasty and quite filling.
~ Main Courses ~ Pasta dishes range from Spaghetti Bolognaise (£6.25), Spaghetti Carbonara (£6.95), or Lasagne al Forno (£7.75)
Pizzas are of the thin crust variety and can be ordered in two sizes - 10" or 15" versions. These range from traditional Margheritas (10" = £5.65 or 15" = £8.95) to the New York Deli version (10" = £7.75 or 15" = £10.95), which sounds like you would have trouble lifting it let alone eating it.
The House Specialities offer things like Chicken Parmigana (£9.25), BBQ Chicken and Ribs (£10.45) and 8oz New York Strip Sirloin (£10.95). All these are served with either fries (of course), jacket or herb potatoes. I tend to plump for the un-Italian Salmon Fishcakes at £8.95 (sadly not recommend by Cousin Alfredo), and they are excellent. They are stuffed with fish rather than potato and most tasty. My partner loves steak and usually goes for the 12oz Rump Steak (£11.95) and they always cook it just as requested. Both dishes come served with crispy delicious fries and salad garnishes.
~Desserts ~ The desserts are to die for and are priced from £2.95 to £3.95. They're mainly enormous concoctions of ice cream, biscuits, chocolate sauces and cream. They offer traditional choices such as Mamma's Deep Filled Apple Pie or 15 Dollar Banana Split as well as exotic sounding things like Banoffee Sundae, Heavenly Chocolate Rocky Road or Cinnamon Waffle Crunch. If you're out for a romantic meal, you can choose a desert to share such a Chocolate Cookie Sandwich or Boston Brownie Explosion at £5.95. Unfortunately, after one of these offerings you are unlikely to still have the urge to consummate your romantic occasion as all you will feel like doing is lying down in quiet room waiting for all that sugar rush to abate.
~ Other ~ You can round your meal off with the usual range of tea or coffee with choices from a single or double Cappuccino, Latte or Espresso. Alternatively, if you just fancy a quick snack before going to the cinema, they also offer a full range of club sandwiches (£5.95 to £7.25), salads (£7.95) and hamburgers (£6.75 - £7.95). If you fancy eating out at lucheon, Frankie & Benny's do some great deals. There is a reduced menu but you can get a main course for £4.95, 2 courses for £5.95 or 3 courses for £7.45. Bit of a bargain there.
~ Children's Menu ~ In keeping with the family diner theme, Frankie & Benny's have two childrens menus - £3.95 or £5.95 for anyone under the age of 11. Both menus include a choice of main course, a dessert choice of
Pictures of Frankie & Benny's, Chichester, West Sussex
Frankie & Benny's
ice cream sundae or fresh fruit and unlimited soft drinks. The kids also get an activity pack consisting of a puzzle book, crayons and a pack of playing cards. ~ DRINKS ~ Drinks are just as varied and diverse. There are both draught and bottled beers and lagers at £2.60 per bottle (Budweiser, Peroni, Corona or Stella Artois to name but a few) as well as a full range of Schweppes branded soft drinks (Coca Cola, Sprite and Fanta). In keeping with the American theme, these all come in either Regular (£1.40) or Large (£2.10) choices. They offer a fair choice of red and white wines, served by the glass or bottle. The wines are mainly Italian, so there's a good choice from a white Frascati (£10.45 per bottle or £2.65 per glass), a red Chianti (£10.95 per bottle or £2.85 per glass) and a red Valpolicella (£9.45 per bottle or £2.50 per glass). There are also French and Californian alternatives as well as some lesser known sparkling wines and champagne. In addition to these, there is an extensive cocktail menu - all themed around Italy and USA. There are classics from £3.95 per glass like a Cosmopolitan, a Pina Colada or a Daiquiri but Frankie & Benny's have also introduced their own as well, with some tempting sounding choices like Benny's Banana Mocha or Sicilian Punch. I cannot say I have tried these, as to my mind food and cocktails don't really mix well, but they would certainly tempt me if I popped in for just a quick drink at the bar.
~ DÉCOR & AMBIANCE ~ Frankie & Benny units are done out to look like a traditional 1950's Italian American dinner. All the walls are decorated with old black and white photos of Frankie and Benny and friends. The décor is predominantly brown, cream and red. Personally I find it bit too dark. The music is all from the 1950's, lots of Tony Bennett, Dean Martin and Swing tunes. It's quite upbeat and fitting to the general atmosphere.
There is a large mirror backed bar with loads of bottles on display plus an array of chrome fittings and bar stools. The floor is a polished wooden one. There is booth seating as well as tables and they are all grouped around a large open plan kitchen so you can watch your food being prepared.
If you are looking for a quiet venue then Frankie & Benny's is not perhaps the place for you. There is constant action in the kitchen plus lots of to and fro-ing from the waiting staff. It's a relaxed ambiance and they certainly won't hurry you over your meal, but it is full of plenty of hustle and bustle. Similarly, they will turn up the speakers to full volume so they can sing Happy Birthday to any unsuspecting diner. I guess it all adds to the family atmosphere.
~ SERVICE ~ I've eaten in Frankie & Benny's many times and I have always been served quickly and efficiently by the waiting staff. They are always dressed smartly in black and white.
The toilets are always clean and well tended (apart from one visit when there was a bouquet of nearly dead flowers in the ladies). One feature of Frankie & Benny's is the Italian language lessons piped into the toilets. It's unusual and memorable but you'd have to spend a great deal of time in there to actually learn anything !
The bill always comes quickly and promptly - another huge plus point in their favour. I hate hanging around waiting to pay in any restaurant, it drives me up the wall. Service is not included in the bill and is left at the discretion of the diner.
~ OTHER FACTS ~ Frankie & Benny's Chichester Gate Leisure Park Stockbridge Road Chichester West Sussex PO19 2EB
Telephone: 01243- 792332
Frankie & Benny outlets are open seven days a week: Monday to Saturday = 12.00pm to 11.00pm Sunday = 12.00pm to 10.30pm
Frankie & Benny's take all the major credit cards plus personal cheques with banker's card. Suitable for all ages. The chain seems to be mainly built all on one level so good access for the infirm and disabled. They don't accept bookings so it's first come first served - but you can always wait at the bar and they'll call you.
~ RECOMMENDATION ~ You would be hard pushed not to find something for everyone on the Frankie & Benny's menu. They offer a good range of medium priced food for everyone. The menu is hardly innovative and different, but they do offer a huge range of well cooked dishes at a fair price. The restaurants are both a great place to take the whole family or you can have a quietish meal for two in one of their booths. The food is always very good - the portions generous and the staff attentive.
I do find the authentic Italian American family thing a bit of a joke, but the marketing men in Slough obviously needed a theme to get people into the chain. And hats off to them, it obviously appeals to us as the chain is going from strength to strength. Judging by the number of people dining in there whnever I have visited, it certainly is a popular restaurant. If the food is good and plenty (and reasonably priced), who really cares if Cousin Vinny lives near Slough and the closest he's ever come to Little Italy is buying a jar of Dolmio sauce at Tescos !
~ WEBSITE ~ Frankie & Benny's website can be found at:- www.frankieandbennys.co.uk
The website is rather impressive and tells you everything you need to know about the chain. All the current menus and prices are available for viewing. The website also has a venue locator so you can find your nearest restaurant by keying in your postcode. You can send an ecard to your friends, go on a virtual reality restaurant tour or you can order pre-recorded CD's of the 1950's music they play in their restaurants. There's also a Kids Zone with some games and downloadable screen savers.
Frankie & Benny's Head Office Virginia House The Butts Worcester WR1 3PA
Telephone: 0845-612-5003 Fax: 0845-612-5319
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
excellent review, i visit our local frankie and bennys much more often that i should, E!
MizzMolko 11.02.2009 17:26
Excellently reviewed - I was only at my local F&B last week and quite enjoyed it. Their calzones are a lot different to the ones I've had elsewhere because they are thinner. Eleanor x
tune57 03.12.2008 09:49
Not suprised this got a Diamond. Top Notch reviewing Mx
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Apr 2nd, 2005
(Jun 16th, 2007)
exceptional by (56%):
very helpful by (44%):
helpful by (0%):
