A picky eater with lots of allergies and her family visit Doesn’t Matter Bar & Grill.

Let’s Table It

In my family, we don’t make decisions. For anything. We hem and haw for hours, days, weeks, months, and sometimes years before finally succumbing to the fact that what we could have chosen is no longer available. For example, I found a coffee table that I absolutely loved in a local furniture store. It was loaded with drawers and cabinets and the top lifted up for easy storage of throws and pillows. The problem? It was more of a chest than a table and my husband, Dan, and I just weren’t sure. We went to look at it at least a dozen times. Are there enough drawers? Are there too many? How many throw blankets will it hold? Is it weird that it doesn’t have legs? What about the color? Will it clash with our other furniture? We discussed the potential purchase of this coffee table for three years. And now…now it’s discontinued, so we will never know the answer to our myriad of questions.

Weighing Our Options

Making a decision about expensive furniture is one thing. Making a decision about dinner should be another, but for us it is just as difficult. Go out or order in? What’s everyone in the mood for? Italian? Chinese? Mexican? Pizza? Casual? Fancy? And then, once we think we’ve made a decision, someone shouts out, “Wait! We need to check the menu to make sure there’s something safe for Lis to eat!” I am never that person. I know that there will always be something. Grilled cheese. Chicken nuggets. Or, if I must, a burger. The crazy thing is we all know that we will end up at one of three places: the local deli, a popular chain, or our favorite pizza place. However, weighing our options for the majority of the day somehow makes our meals taste better.

Dinner Dilemma

It always surprises me that when we travel, dinner decisions come a little easier. I suppose it’s because we really don’t know what our options are. Our one family rule is that we will not eat at a chain restaurant while on the road. When it came time to bring our daughter back to campus in South Carolina, Dan and I happily shirked the dinner decision to Lynn. After all, she knows the area much better than we do. I did try to help by suggesting a restaurant we drove by on route to campus from the airport – The Crazy Mason. Lynn quickly said no. First of all, this is a chain. Of course, Dan and I had no way of knowing because this restaurant does not exist in New England. This seems to be true for many very cool restaurants, but I digress. The second reason this was not a suitable dining locale is because it is not a dining locale. The Crazy Mason serves milkshakes – huge, extravagant, highly decorated milkshakes. And, well, with me being lactose intolerant, we weren’t even going to go for dessert. 

Decision Made

After pondering about dinner options for only a couple hours, Lynn decided. I have to say, that I was extremely proud of her. Like I noted before, decision making does not come easy for us, and Lynn managed to decide without any influence from Dan or me. We drove down the street to a cute restaurant nestled in a strip mall called Doesn’t Matter Bar & Grill – a restaurant that prides itself on serving the indecisive. “Doesn’t Matter” seems like a mantra my family should adopt, but I’m afraid it might lead to more difficult and lengthy conversations if someone starts throwing this phrase around. Anyway, we sat down at a booth decorated with college colors. TVs and local beer signs adorned the walls. According to Lynn, Doesn’t Matter is often bustling with students, especially during game day. This night, however, it was quiet. It might have been the 7:00pm hour or perhaps families were finding more upscale venues since it was move-in weekend. Whatever the reason, we were happy for a quiet experience and an extensive menu.

Click the meal to read all about it

Dan – Pot Roast

Lis – Doesn’t Matter Cheeseburger

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