A Review of Junior's Grill

Junior’s Grill, established in 1948, became an instant Georgia Tech tradition. When the restaurant was originally opened it was called “Pilgrims,” and had adopted the philosophy of serving food with “prices that students can afford.” Though the restaurant changed its name in 1958 to “Junior’s Grill” and has been moved multiple times, the idea of providing affordable food for college students has remained unchanged. In addition to the fascinating traditions of the grill, I have been bombarded by people claiming that Junior’s Grill is a necessary destination. After unveiling the fascinating traditions and hearing all the hype the grill has received, I was determined to find out if the grill could live up to my expectations.

First came the dilemma of how to get the most accurate assessment of the famous grill. The only logical solution was to go as myself, an ordinary college student. Since Junior’s Grill is suppose to be a destination for people attending college, evaluating the grill was going to be easy. In my opinion, there are 4 aspects of a restaurant to make it suitable for a college atmosphere. The affordability of the meal is the most important aspect because most college kids have very limited resources. The amount of food is next in the rank of importance because the more food you get for your dollar, the better it tastes. Although quality of the food and service are both very important in any food establishment they take a back seat to price and quantity.

My first step to revealing the truth about Junior’s Grill was simply viewing the menu on-line. This was a necessary step to see if the menu is reasonably priced like the restaurant claims. At first glance the menu seemed overly priced for the items offered. However, upon closer inspection the prices became much more reasonable for what they consist of. All meal prices include a drink (with free refills) and a side item; taxes are also already included in the price so the customer knows exactly how much he will have to pay from the start. I was also surprised by the variety the menu had to offer. Burgers, chicken, fish, wings, and even lamb are all entrée’s available every day. Also, each item has the option of freshly cooked vegetables which is a rare sight in most of the restaurants around Georgia Tech’s campus. After analyzing the menu, Junior’s Grill seem to be on track for living up to all the positive publicity.

As I entered the door, I could only gaze at the extreme number of people in the restaurant. The line to order had at least twenty hungry people waiting to get a taste of Georgia Tech tradition. The line was long so I decided to look for signs of Tech history. I became disheartened by the lack of memorabilia. The extensive claims of being one of Georgia Tech’s proud traditions were beginning to look like a mere façade. I was expecting walls covered in pictures of historic events and significant artifacts that have been collected since Junior’s Grill’s existence. Instead, I found the picture of the year for each year since 1948 (the establishment of Junior’s Grill) in a single row across the back wall and an aerial shot of the campus. However, the legitimacy of Junior’s proud legacy was not completely bogus. It was saved by one lone artifact, a piece of the goal post from the 1990 National Championship victory. This twisted and mangled piece of yellow painted steel was definitive proof of Junior’s Grill being a part of Georgia Tech and its history. Simply glancing at the incredible piece, I could visualize the glorious triumphs of Tech’s 1990 football team.

Before I knew it I was at the register and being asked for my order, I have never seen such efficiency in a restaurant of any type before. I had just barely had enough time to look at the pictures on the, much less decide what to order. The menu had several tempting choices, but since I had only one opportunity to eat at Junior’s, the process of selection was crucial and could not be rushed. As a result, I let a few people order before me so that I would have time make my critical decision. Though I had looked over the menu previously the choices seemed even more abundant when I entered restaurant. I first considered the entre of the day which was shepherd’s pie. It is a dish that I have always loved; however, I decided that the overall quality of the restaurant could not be decided solely a dish that doesn’t get served on a daily basis. So, I turned to Junior’s Favorites, a selection of the grills most popular items. After hearing several of the people ahead of me order, it was obvious what I needed to eat. The Burger Basket. It is a basket with a 1/3 pound hand crafted patty with lettuce, tomato, red onion, a pickle, and a massive pile of fries all for just four dollars and ninety nine cents.

The cashiers were friendly and cooks were much more efficient than any fast food restaurant I’ve ever been to. Within minutes my Burger Basket was ready. I took my piping hot food, filled my cup with sweet tea, and found a place to sit. As I took a bite of the freshly cooked burger, the rich taste of freshly made patties glided over my taste buds. The subtle yet pleasant flavors of the fresh lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion accented the patty perfectly. After enjoying the delightful experience of the burger, it was time to try the enormous pile of French fries that accompanied the burger. The fries were not particularly impressive. They were the perfect sized and served hot, but were not salted or seasoned which was a bit of a disappointment. As I continued my meal I noticed something quite interesting about the burger. The cooks had layered lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion the below the burger as opposed to on top of it in the traditional way. After this discovery I realized why the flavors of meat and vegetables were so perfectly balanced. Junior’s had discovered that changing the order of the greatly affects the effects on the taste buds. Putting the vegetables below the patty allows for all of the ingredients to be tasted equally instead of being overwhelmed by the meat.

The overall experience of eating Junior’s Grill was great. It is definitely a necessary destination for any college student looking for a filling but still reasonably priced meal. Even though the fries were disappointing, the quality of the food was impressive for the small price of five dollars. To top off the positive aspects of the eatery was the service; it was exceptionally fast especially for the volume of customers the restaurant receives. The one downside is if you are looking for a restaurant that has an abundance of artifacts from Georgia Tech’s history you will be somewhat disappointed. However, this small let down did not affect my overall impression of Junior’s Grill. The managers know what the customers want and it makes the grill a great place to eat for college students.

Junior’s Grill
Four Stars