Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 24, 1993 TAG: 9308240655
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Sooner or later, it is going to happen.
A friend is going to say, "I'm sick of eating the cafeteria food (or my own cooking or leftover pizza). Let's go get something to eat."
You respond, "Sure."
Then reality sinks in. You look in your wallet. You search your pockets. You even look around the car for loose change.
After all that, you have four bucks.
Not a lot to eat on. But it can be done.
One thing about college towns is that most restaurants realize many customers are students. Thus, it is possible to eat cheap - as long as you are aware of a few basic guidelines:
\ Rule No. 1: Drink water. While it has no color, odor or taste, it also has no cost. That lets you spend your limited supply of money on food.
\ Rule No. 2: Get your friend(s) to leave the tip. The wait staff make most of their money from what you leave on the table. So it is important to take care of them, especially if you want them to take care of you the next time you go to that restaurant.
\ Rule No. 3: Don't forget about taxes. While it's OK to beg for tip money, it's not a good idea to beg for food money. Taxes are inevitable and expensive - 8 1/2 percent on most restaurant meals in the area. Thus, four dollars in your pocket means you can spend $3.68 on food and be able to pay for the meal without having to resort to washing dishes.
This rule cannot be broken because everybody has to pay taxes.
Visits to restaurants in the area showed that following these three tenets, it was possible to eat well and eat a variety of foods while eating inexpensively.
\ NEAREST TO GOURMET ON $4: Macado's, Blacksburg.
A good place to begin a tour of college restaurants is Macado's. With locations in Blacksburg, Radford, Salem, Roanoke, Lexington and Harrisonburg, among other places, it's virtually guaranteed that some day you will find yourself at one.
Five speciality sandwiches - those are the ones with the distinctive names and with chips and pickle spear included - are priced at $3.65 at the Blacksburg restaurant.
One of those is the Coney Island: Ham and cheddar on toasted rye with Thousand Islands dressing, served with the traditional sides of chips and pickle. The sandwich and its accoutrements were just enough for the midday repast - although at that price the sandwich was only standard bread size and not a huge sub roll.
If you're not very hungry, several smaller sandwiches and salads also make the price cut-off. But be careful if you decide to just nibble at an appetizer. They can be in the $3.95 price range.
\ BREAKFAST ANYTIME ON $4: College Inn, Blacksburg.
Every college town has its "hole-in-the-wall" dinner that old-timers rave about while newcomers have no clue. The College Inn in Blacksburg fits that description.
The restaurant has been around in various incarnations since 1927. That's a lot of breakfasts and lunches, the two meals it serves these days. The nice thing is that most breakfast items are available until the midafternoon closing.
A one-item omelet with biscuit and a cup of coffee (or a two-item omelet if you can eat eggs with just water) can be had for less than $4. They even let you put ketchup on eggs. The meal, like the diner itself, is different but good.
Other breakfast items and several small sandwiches such as BLTs are also inexpensive. Some are even under $3, if you are really broke.
\ \ EATING HEALTHY ON $4: BT's, Radford.
Occasionally, the reaction from eating cafeteria food (or your own cooking or leftover pizza) will be to seek out a healthy meal. That can be done, and it can be done cheaply. BT's demonstrates that.
One way to "be good" is to have a tomato stuffed with chicken (or tuna) salad. That interesting combination provides a variety of tastes and is a great way to cool down on those hot days early and late in the school year.
A variety of salads, sandwiches, soups, and combinations is available for those without much money.
You can always just skip the meal and go directly to the ice cream cones sold in the front of BT's. But while that might be cheaper, it's not as healthy.
\ GETTING SPECIAL ON $4: The Scoreboard, Radford.
Sometimes looking at the menu doesn't give you all the "affordable" eating options. The Scoreboard is one place where the daily specials usually come in under $4.
One day it might be the Hartford Whaler - yes, the sports motif means the sandwich is named after the hockey team. A fried flounder sandwich with slaw and drink is filling and very cheap - less than three bucks. That leaves enough money for a tip or to get a 59-cent side order.
The specials are not alone in being cheap. Sandwich prices begin with the San Diego Chicken - that's just the name of the sandwich, not its source - at $2.29. Salads and other sandwiches also come in under $4.
\ BURGERS AND BBQ ON $4: The Hokie House, Blacksburg.
For meat lovers on a tight budget, places like the Hokie House in Blacksburg are a dream come true.
All the hamburgers, except the half-a-pounder, come in under $4. Also meeting that criterion is the pork barbecue sandwich, many other sandwiches and most salad platters.
If the barbecue is an example, the meals sacrifice neither quality nor quantity for cost considerations. The barbecue sauce was rich, and the sandwich and chips were quite filling, making it a good luncheon deal.
by CNB