Wholesome fast food restaurant Start opened its doors (and its drive thru) last month, bringing antibotic-free burgers and sweet potato tater tots to Upper Greenville. The casual dining spot dreamed up by husband and wife team Erin and Mike McKool was designed by Plan B (of Oak and Bolsa fame) and offers environmentally conscious foods like free-range egg breakfast sandwiches and local veggies in biodegradable serveware. While DFW has been abuzz about this slick new kid on the block, many customers have criticized the restaurant's long waits and sub-par food. Here's what local media is saying about Start:
The Good News: One Facebook user keeps coming back: "Great neighborhood joint! I have now tried: Breakfast (twice), Dinner (twice) and the Drive Thru (@ 5pm). ALL wonderful experiences for me! The egg white & veggie burrito is delicious, and I LOVE the veggie/bean/quinoa burger! Yum! ??The employees are super nice, too! I will definitely be a Regular. Keep up the good work! :)" [Facebook]
The Bad News: A Yelp reviewer was unimpressed by the service: "My girlfriend and I were waiting for this place to open and boy were we let down. They have a bunch of kids behind the counter who seem completely lost. Several customers were standing around waiting and complaining that their orders were wrong. Complete chaos is the only way to describe the service. Screaming the customers names that nobody can understand doesn't help any." [Yelp]
The Great Concept News: A Yelper embraces the restaurant's concept: "Start's concept, design and execution are to be celebrated! I absolutely love that I have a place to eat that provides healthy, fresh, organic scratch made food." [Yelp]
The Pricey News: A Foursquare user questions the restaurant's value: "Very pricey for fast food. Ordered a 3$ small orange juice, got a thimble. See photo for scale." [Foursquare]
The Kid-Friendly News: Dallas Moms Blog applauds the kid-focused food: "They also have a pretty decent kids menu, although so much of the regular menu is so good that my kid would probably be happy munching on most of our food." [Dallas Moms Blog]
The Skimping on Veggies News: A Facebook commenter wants more greens: "Curious to know what veggies are supposed to be on the Egg White n' Veggie Sandwich? Mine this morning had only spinach. If I'm paying $4.5 for a veggie breakfast sandwich, I'd like more than just spinach." [Facebook]
The Fresh and Eco-Friendly News:: Dallas Food Nerd raves: "When we picked up our food, it was nicely wrapped in eco-friendly packaging and beautifully fresh. My chicken was juicy and the scratch-made Dijonnaise was super tasty. The sweet potato tots were crunchy and not at all oily. Ben enjoyed his grass-fed, free-range beef burger and we both agreed to visit Start again – but maybe hit up the drive-through next time." [Dallas Food Nerd]
The Long Wait News: One Urbanspooner cautions: "I went this past Sunday, and was the 4th car in line. After about 10 minutes waiting in line and barely moving, I began to regret my decision to go through the drive-thru. However, I was boxed in-car in front, car behind, and no place to turn out. Seriously, this is such a bad planning move-if you are in the drive-thru lane and want to get out, it's impossible." [Urbanspoon]
The Thank Goodness For Herbal Iced Tea News: One Yelper loves the tea selection: "And they have herbal iced tea! I cannot say how many times I am in a restaurant and there is not that option. Healthy tea? Why such a hard a task? I hope they expand this selection as time goes on." [Yelp]
— Ashley Mason
· All Start Coverage on Eater Dallas [-EDFW-]
