The Penguin Drive-In — Restaurant in Charlotte

So I didn't realize the penguin was even around anymore. I was with my daughter and we drove by and decided to stop. Walked in it was right at lunch time and there was lots and lots of open seating that should have been my first clue that this probably wasn't the place to go for lunch. That being said we did anyway. We were sad at a very weird table at the window with chairs that were fairly uncomfortable but we just rolled with it. All the workers there seem pretty friendly and our server was very nice friendly and attentive. No knock on service whatsoever I thought the service was good. Where the rubber meets the road though is the food. We were to lunch specials that included a drink and a side. Each was $14.99. We got one of their hamburgers that had bacon on it I forgot the name of it and a Philly cheesesteak. Besides were French fries and potato salad. We figured we'd share and split the two meals so that we'd each get to try both. Unfortunately the Philly cheesesteak tasted like they use old and very Grizzly meat and it didn't have much flavor and was overall not pleasant to eat. The hamburger much the same way wasn't very good none of the components of it were particularly good bacon was completely overcooked the sauce was a messy smattering of junk all over it and I guess the hamburger patty was probably okay but overall it was just a mess of a not a very good tasting hamburger. In regards to the sides french fries are french fries I think they were supposed to be seasoned but I didn't get any seasoning flavor when I ate a couple of them. The potato salad tasted like one of those potato salads that you would have taken camping and opened from a can and it's horrible. If it's homemade or they make it in house they need to stop doing it it was not only flavorless but the consistency was terrible. It was reminiscent of someone making a dish that never had ate the dish before. My suggestion to them is to take the potato salad off the menu until you can get a good recipe for making it. Overall the place looked okay I was a little disappointed that they didn't have the old penguin there but seems nice enough they had lots of seating but there just wasn't very many people there where all the other restaurants in the surrounding area seemed completely jammed with people over lunch time. My guess is that maybe they're not doing a good business? I really don't know. My chances of going back here are slim to none and if you have a chance to eat around that area I'd pick someplace else until they fix the food situation. Also I will tell you for just about $40 for two lunches for a hamburger and a Philly cheese steak I would say that it's overpriced as well. I will say if you're trying to go somewhere that there is parking there is ample parking there because again nobody was there during the busy lunch time. So I guess...

Very disappointed. I've been coming to this place about once a week for lunch since they've been opened, and there is just no level of consistency anywhere outside of in the customer service. On the positive side, I have yet to have a waiter that I haven't enjoyed talking to. Jessica and Austin have both been wonderful every time I've had them, and Nick has been a very fun bartender on the couple nights where I've brought friends to the bar. In addition, the food is very tasty when done right. That's about where the positives end. Like I said before, the food is good when done right. The problem of my last couple visits is that the food is rarely prepared in the same manner. When I started coming here, the Tommy Boy burger was a surefire hit, but the last four times I've gotten it, it has either been really overcooked or undercooked. The last time in particular, it was really undercooked to the point where the burger was completely raw in the middle. That's not the first time I've ordered it and it was undercooked to the point where it's probably a little dangerous either. And the presentation of the same dishes can vary from great to looking like everything was just dumped on the plate. But my biggest gripe has to be with the menu changes. I've seen the menu change at least three times, and each time they get rid of something that is really good. A good bowl of ramen, gone. A nice twist on a chicago dog, gone. But the recent menu they put out takes the cake. While there are still some main staples on there from the other menus, they took away the Kale and Quinoa salad which my wife loved, and the tomato stack which I thought was awesome. They replaced that with a PO Boy which looks uninspired, and the "burger dawg" which I dare somebody to read the description of and think it sounds appealing. It's also becoming apparent they are having difficulty keeping staff and customers as there have been a ton of new people working there recently, and the restaurant seems to be more and more empty each time I come in. I hate posting a one star review of any place, but I'm doing it with the hopes the owners will see this and hopefully bring some more consistency to this place. Very unfortunate to be saying this, but I think I'm done with the penguin...

Disappointed. I wanted so badly to love it, but it just didn't live up to the hype for me. Given the publicity surrounding the "Penguin's comeback", - including the reference on the website that they have been "serving Charlotte since 1945"- I was expecting the menu to have some of the old items on it and if not, to at least capture the essence of the old establishment by offering reasonably priced, creative, casual food and drinks. This establishment couldn't be further from the original Penguin. The menu is very small with many of the dishes overlapping and all in the mid-range in terms of pricing. There are no truly vegetarian items, which the Penguin was known for (with the exception of french fries and fried pickles). The Thai-chili tempura shrimp sub roll was tasty, but I think I would have liked the appetizer version of the dish better. My significant other and the table next to us both had burgers and both thought that the burgers were just ok. It is a lovely building and the wait staff were all very friendly, but I just can't get past the difference between what I was expecting and reality. The only thing about this restaurant and the former establishment that is the same is the name and aspects of the sign. Nothing else is even remotely similar. I actually feel a bit deceived at this point. I would love to see them pivot and change the menu to at least capture the essence of the old establishment by tripling the size of the menu, offering creative casual food items including vegetarian items, and mixing in some cheaper eats. You can't ride on the coattails of such a beloved old favorite and be so far removed from what it was without disappointing people. I'm still hoping that this place makes it and that it once again becomes beloved, but I believe they will have to make some changes and fast as Charlotte has proven once already that it takes more than just the name "The Penguin" to earn their loyalty and...