F is for Frankie and Benny’s
If you’re an avid reader, you will notice that E got skipped (and delayed). It turns out that there are very few restaurants that begin with E. Also the one or two that we did find in Bedford were a bit out of our price bracket.
The delay was due to Chris being on his crazy birthday adventure. I guess in a way we did have a date night. It was walking from the Paddington Basin to Big Ben but that doesn’t fit with our A to Z so kind of doesn’t count (although it does from another angle).
Chris came up with an E, which was to go to Eat n Bowl at St Neot’s however when we got there the earliest slot available for a lane to do bowling was 9:30 pm. With Chris, Jaxon and I getting up REALLY early to get Chris to Climathon, staying out that late wasn’t a good idea. We decided that Plan A (Date Night E) would be postponed. Knowing Chris he wouldn’t be able to leave the alphabet incomplete so we’d set a date and save up a budget for the night out. (Although if one of those local restaurants starting with E wanted to “donate” a meal out to the cause we would appreciate it gratefully!)
We came up with a Plan B and I suggested Frankie and Benny’s at Huntingdon as I don’t really know St. Neots but Chris found that there is a Frankie and Benny’s at St. Neots – and not that far from where we were.
Now, normally Frankie and Benny’s would be avoided. Between the service and price, they aren’t always worth the effort. We used to do go on a Monday night for date night because they had a 50% off offer nearly every week which made it affordable. However, if you were in a rush or needed to get back for a babysitter for instance then it was a hassle.
Anyway, with the muddle that October has been between one thing and another, it was time for a date night. We were minutes away and we had a babysitter – let’s do this thing.
We arrived and were sat fairly quickly. The usual dish that I order has been removed from the menu so I needed to pick something else. Chris was impressed that he had a lot of choice on the Gluten Free menu. However, once his pizza arrived, I’m not sure he was so convinced about it.
It was pretty much BBQ sauce, cheese and chicken on a gluten free square base. I think he would have liked some onions or even some extra seasoning to create some interest.
On the other hand, my dinner was lovely – there was a lot there but given my other choice I’m glad I picked this.
Once we ate our dinner and told the waitress that we weren’t having dessert, we felt like we were forgotten. She must have walked past us about 5-6 times and didn’t stop to check on us. It was only when we both had our coats on, almost heading towards the door did she actually pay attention.
Once again Frankie and Benny’s just proved why they aren’t such a great place to eat out. I think we will be avoiding both Bedford and St Neots branches from now on.
However, the objective of the evening was to have a date night. To sit down together and have time with one another and that was achieved.
Now onto G…
Our Community Group has started back now following the Summer Break but date night is still happening. With continuing help from Our Sidekick’s babysitting services, we were able to make sure we were having a proper date night. I jokingly said that we needed to try and do an A to Z of Date Nights. Of course, with Chris being the kind of guy who doesn’t want to turn down a challenge. He accepted my slightly crazy idea.
