Lancaster is a medium sized town about thirty minutes from Columbus, or at least the airport. I was assisting in helping a factory around there get up and running (no, I am not telling you my employers or our clients). I work mostly 12 hour days when on site, so I don’t really go sight seeing in the places I visit. However, I do enjoy a nice lunch and dinner, so I try to go to local places over chains.
Food
Now, my first night here, there was a terrible storm. The drive from the airport actually took an hour, and those who have experienced Ohio blizzards will feel my pain when I say how tired I was. I originally planned to get Sonic, but they closed early, which I totally understand. Taco Bell, however… they were nice and got me my food. The passionfruit (or was it dragonfruit?) drink was pretty good.
My first day, I had no breakfast. But for lunch, I decided to go to Scramblers. It looks like a chain restaurant, but I’ve never heard of it before. They specialize in breakfast/brunch, so this was the ideal spot for me. They have a few “endless griddle” options: I got a waffle, and then another waffle. I’d love something like this anywhere, really. It was also filling, which is nice when you’re (mostly) on your feet all day.
I use a food delivery app (not naming unless they pay me) often when I travel for work. Thanks to the per diem my company gives me, I don’t feel too bad when I do this. In Lancaster, I was suggested a Chinese restaurant called Dragon China. However, this place was pretty far from my hotel, which I only realized after ordering. Let this be a reminder to check the distance when you order food. It took over an hour for it to arrive. Luckily, though, it was good! I enjoyed the orange chicken and rice I got.
Now, this brings me to my attempt to order Dairy Queen the same night. After 30 minutes, it was clear nobody was around to pick up or deliver my food, and I had to cancel. Stuff like this is why I don’t recommend delivery apps most of the time, but still fall sucker into them anyway.
For the remaining days, breakfast was either hotel food or McDonald’s. I’ll review the hotel in another post. McDonald’s is McDonald’s. Though, why does their orange juice hit different? I can’t stop myself from getting some every time I go there.
I finally got my Sonic on my second day there. Burger, fries, and their Cranberry Limeade drink. Loved the drink! I’m a sucker for these fancy fast food drinks, as well as anywhere else. The burger was a burger, the fries were fries.
Dinner on my second night was Max and Erma’s. This place didn’t seem particularly fancy on Google Maps, and it technically wasn’t. But the tables are mostly lit by electric candles. My meal was their “Cubano” sandwich, which was fantastic! Cuban sandwiches are my favorite; it’s my usual order from Potbelly’s. I had something like three glasses of lemonade, as well as one to go. My appetizer was fried cheese on a stick. The amount of cheese was surprising, as they are not unlike fried cheese curds (which I have literally all the time). But not unpleasant at all.
Next lunch was Todd’s Mountain View restaurant. It was the lunch rush, so it took some time to get food and drinks. However, it was a good meal regardless. I had French toast, coffee, and milk. Its a nice place. Next dinner was Sonic again, this time one of their cheese dogs. Almost the same drink: strawberry instead of cranberry. Enjoyable.
Lunch after that was Bob Evan’s. I hadn’t been to one since the last time I was in Ohio, but it actually surprised me how nice it was. I had pancakes, eggs, and bacon. They also had this sunset refresher, which was a tasty, seemingly non-alcoholic version of a Tequila Sunset. It was great! Coffee was also good, of course, and the service was nice. Its a good place for a lunch alone. Dinner was Raising Cane’s, which I always enjoy. No sweet tea, though, since it was late in the day. Otherwise, I always get their sweet tea.
Scenery
As with most work trips, I can’t comment too much on the sights in general. It’s a hilly place in southwest Ohio, with farmland and pockets of towns that aren’t dense at all. I will say I liked the hills on my drive to and from the plant.
Overall
Lancaster is a nice place to spend your time working, as far as I experienced. Nothing stood out to me, really, but the food and service were all good on average.