Tyler TX Facebook

Follow Donny on Twitter

Username:
Password:
  Remember Me   Forgot password?  Register
0-9  A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z  

Find or Refer a Contractor in Tyler

Little Caesar’s on 31 and SW Loop 323 in Tyler, TX

February 1st, 2010

Little Caesar’s

510 S Southwest Loop 323
Tyler, TX 75702
(903) 592-7373

This Little Caesar’s pizza restaurant is specifically designated as a Hot & Ready business. This means that they have a few items that are always prepared and still hot as long as they are open. The standard Hot & Ready item is the large pepperoni pizza for less than six dollars. I believe it is five fifty. They also usually have one or two plain cheese pizzas available hot and ready for the same price. The more interesting items they have ready to take are hot wings, which come in different levels of spice, their famous “Crazy Bread” with sauce, and cheesy bread sticks. They are also able to make pizzas with other standard toppings to order and to make tons of pizzas if you call in before or are willing to wait.

This little pizza restaurant probably gets more of my money in the average month than any other food establishment in Tyler. This is because the food is amazing and the price is perfect. I am a bit of a pizza fanatic. I tell people that I could eat pizza every meal for the rest of my life, which wouldn’t be that long on a diet like that, and I am not lying. I love pizza, and when it comes to eating pizza affordably in Tyler I choose this Little Caesar’s. The taste and texture quality are unlike any other pizza place I’ve experienced. I think they do a perfect sauce and crust, but the most impressive thing about this Little Caesar’s pizza is the cheese. They put a huge amount of cheese on each pizza and then cook it perfectly to where there is a slight crisp.

The cool thing is that they offer this for just over five dollars. That is the same price as a single meal at a standard fast food restaurant, and one pizza is enough for my wife and I to eat dinner and usually have leftovers. We also get them for their convenience. Hot & Ready means we don’t have to cook, and we don’t even have to wait. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve had to wait more than five minutes for my food, and that was most often just because there were a few customers in front of me. It’s great for entertaining last minute house guests and family during an impromptu hangout.

It’s worth noting that they also have combo deals where you can grab a previously cooled two liter Pepsi product soda. They even have Pepsi Zero and diet Mountain Dew for all of those healthier pizza eaters out there. They also have combos that include “Crazy Bread” or hot wings. These combos are around ten dollars each and are definitely worth it when you consider the convenience and incredible taste and quality.

The last thing I’d like to note is that this location has some of the sweetest staff of any business in Tyler. They are pretty much all young people who seem happy to work there. Maybe pizza makes everyone else smile like me, or maybe their manager just knows how to pick employees and train them in customer service. I’ve gone so many times, that I’m almost starting to become friends with the cashiers. They may not remember me, but they make me feel so comfortable and valued that I remember them and recommend them to my friends and family. If you need a quick snack or want a break from cooking, swing by Little Caesar’s Hot & Ready on the South West end of Loop 323 where it meets with Highway 31.

Taco Bell on Highway 31 and Loop 323 in Tyler, TX

January 19th, 2010

Of all fast food chains available in the United States, I prefer Taco Bell, and if you found this by searching for Taco Bell, then I assume you also love the chain. In Tyler, there aren’t a lot of non-burger fast food restaurants. They exist, but for a city our size, there seem to be relatively few.

This Taco Bell branch is located at the corner of Highway 31 and Loop 323. It shares a parking lot with Blockbuster Video which together make a great combination for a lazy evening. Also in the same shopping center are a Burger King, a Little Caesar’s Pizza, a Family Dollar, and interesting enough a Mexican grocery market which has a real taqueria (taco restaurant). I’ve tasted real Mexican tacos. They are amazing. In fact, Tyler offers several locations that will sell you tacos as close to authentic as possible this far North. Yet, I so often find myself pulling into this Taco Bell.

What makes it special? Well, the location has nothing to offer in the visual realm. The parking lot is as depressing as a parking lot can be. It’s as huge as you would need for a mall or a Wal-Mart and so it is rarely even close to fully occupied. This allows for making the potholes visible. Taco Bell itself feels very scrunched against the corner of the two busy roads. The drive through tends to make me claustrophobic like driving on an interstate that is under construction. It is not very wide. It curves and does not allow for exiting it once you’ve committed. I sometimes wonder what I’d do if I was in line and had an emergency. I guess I’d have to attempt hopping the six inch curb.

The things that are special about this Taco Bell in Tyler are the food, of course, and the employees. I have become a bit of an expert on Taco Bell dining around the United States. This is purely from eating at so many of them and hanging out with people at them. Only once have I been disappointed by this Taco Bell’s food, and it was because I made the number one fast food ordering mistake. I tried to go healthy. I ordered some sort of chicken and rice burrito that was close to disgusting. I didn’t spit it out, but I didn’t smile either. That was such an obvious mistake on my part that I could never hold it against the restaurant.

This Taco Bell has been very consistent with their food production. The burritos and tacos always come out as expected. They look close enough to the enhanced commercial examples and consistently taste exactly as I want them too. The “grilled stuffed burrito” is an item that is so often messed up by Taco Bells. When I’ve ordered them at other locations they’ve been dry and overcooked. One common mistake with it is overstuffing it with the rice which needs to be there but not noticed. This location does it right every time. I was even able to convert my wife from a chicken sandwich only customer to being a burrito fan with this branch’s consistently wonderful “grilled stuffed burritos”.

The other cool thing is their employees. I know that fast food doesn’t pay well, and that the employee turnover rate is pretty high. It should be hard to keep good workers. And though I can’t say for certain that they have been the same employees, I can say that the service has stayed the same. They must have a manager who understands customer service. When I pull up to the window, the worker may appear rough or unfriendly, but they inevitably smile at me and offer some small talk. One employee in particular actually had me laughing at loud. It really made the difference in where I will choose to take my eating business.

One last thought to encourage you to check them out…their soda is perfectly mixed. They are always strong with the initial burn that a good soda should offer, and the syrup mix has never been off when I ordered. They also have really good small ice and the really thin straws that make for a nice drinking experience. Give this slightly unattractive location a shot. You might become a regular like me.

500 S Southwest SL-323
Tyler, TX 75702‎
(903) 597-9244‎