Most of us agree that the two best diners in Lebanon are Roadster and Crepaway. They have both been around for more than ten years and have mushroomed many branches across Lebanon, offering the country the most professional and tasty American creations. Many have tried to copy their concept with no avail. Of course, being the two best diners, they have suffered their share of rumors with diverged opinions. Which one of these two diners is better than the other? Do they both have the same pricing system? Do they offer the same menus? Do they have the same level of professionalism? Which one is tastier and fresher?
NoGarlicNoOnions decided, and for the first time, to bring you a detailed comparison between the two best diners, a concrete study made solemnly to give you answers once and for all. Discover the truth here and lets stop the rumors.
Tonight, my wife and I, invited two of our friends for a special delivery dinner. The first one is a Crepaway fan while the other is a Roadster fanatic. Each handled the order of their respective favorite diner while I was observing, tasting and taking notes. Our test will be graded on 200 describing everything from the minute the diners answered the calls until we finished eating. The professionalism, speed, temperature and taste will all be taken very seriously.
Before even ordering I would like to mention a few points:
- Both have very professional online applications
- Both do not have an online ordering system, you should call to make your order
- Crepaway assumes to offer home delivery credit card payment service, but it is always nonfunctional
- Crepaway's application supports iPhone 5 while Roadster's application is still not updated and shows two black lines around the screen
On the menu tonight, an appetizer, a salad, two sandwiches, a burger and the signature dessert of each diner. We called them at 21h22pm.
I was noting:
- Speed of phone answering
- Professionalism of call center
- Length of call
- Comprehension speed
- Additional questions asked and suggestions proposed
Both were good. Roadster's delivery guy was more professional. The only minor difference is that when I asked for their new menus only Crepaway came with some. Crepaway prints the request on the receipt in order not to forget, and we received two of them, while Roadster, like always forgets to send any. I am still ordering deliveries from last year's menu.
We ordered from Roadster: (88,000 L.L)
- Super Sampler (22,000L.L)
- Pasta and Cheese (11,750 L.L)
- Roadside Crab (10,250L.L)
- Chicken Sandwich (12,250 L.L)
- Classic Burger 120g (9,750 L.L)
- Marble Mud Pie (10,250 L.L)
We ordered from Crepaway: (86,250 L.L and one Pepsi free)
- Appetizer Combo (23,750 L.L)
- Rasta Pasta (12,500 L.L)
- Bocca Crab (9,000 L.L)
- Chicken Sub (12,250 L.L)
- Classic Burger 120g (10,750 L.L)
- James Brownie (10,750 L.L)
"Crepaway is less expensive"
Roadster's delivery arrived at 21h54pm, exactly as promised: a 35-minute delivery time with no calls or problems. As for Crepaway, and after receiving two missed calls from the lost driver, he reached at 22h00 pm- 8 minutes more than the promised time of 30 minutes delivery time.
(For things to be clearer, please refer to the charts below)
Both have professional packaging that looks good as well as preserves the quality of the food.
But I would personally suggest that Crepaway fine-tunes a few points:
- Their French fries box, which comes open in a paper bag stacked in oil needs to be bigger and be covered
- Sandwiches will be protected and kept hot if delivered in a carton box
- It is nice to have a sticker on the dessert box showing what is inside it with the expiry date
- Please be more generous with the sauces. A choice of 8 received from Roadster and only 3 from Crepaway
The food conclusion:
- Roadster: Roadster diner has been known for its unique creations. The Super Sampler, the 220g Burgers along with their unique breakfast have been the talk of town since its inception, over a decade ago. I am not a big fan of both their salads and sandwiches which need some fine-tuning. They use premium ingredients inadequately mixed. I would suggest they use less avocado in the sandwich, one kind of pasta in the salad and use less cheese. As for the burgers, platters, appetizers and desserts, Roadster is a king.
- Crepaway: Sometimes trying to create something new makes you fail. The Appetizer Combo is a disaster. A simply flagrant disaster. Copying roadster is not a shame if it makes you succeed. The burgers are acceptable but it doesn't really reflect the Augus beef they show on their ads plastered around town stating that they are the best and tastiest ever. On the other hand, Crepaway's salads and sandwiches are my favorite. Tasty, fresh, generous, creative and unique.
The verdict:
Both diners are leaders in the market with a slight difference between one another. Each diner has its strong points. Learn from each other guys, try to adapt the strong points the other has, you never know, maybe one day we will see the birth of the world's best diner. Good Luck...
