Foster’s Grille Coming to Urbana
2007 July 7
I just read on UrbanaMaryland.com that Foster’s Grille Restaurant is opening a location in Urbana’s Turning Point this coming fall.
Foster’s Grille is a family friendly restaurant offering flame grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, wings, fresh cut fries and other tasty items. Foster’s will offer a wide array of beer, sodas and milk shakes as well.
The opening is scheduled for October or November.
I’ve never heard of Foster’s. They appear to have a lot of locations in Virginia though.
I eat at the Fosters in Ashburn pretty regularly. I don’t want to set expectations too high, but they have the best hamburgers I have even had in a restaurant.
I had such trouble finding good burgers that about 10 years ago I gave up eating them out (I do like fresh ground sirloin for cooking at the house). I started eating them again at 5 Guys a couple of years ago. I think they make a pretty good burger. About six months ago a friend took me to Fosters and I was blown away.
The Fosters in Ashburn is a big sports bar. It is going to be interesting to see what they do with the Turning Point.
Great.
Fabulous.
Another chain restaurant to bring Frederick into the Cloning Of America.
Porters Grill and Snow White were the best burgers around. That is,ntil we started losing all real local flavor. Slowly and sadly, Frederick is joining the rest of the United Stated in becoming one big chain store.
Jeannine says is right.
Keep Frederick alive- http://www.eatlocalfrederick.com
Though not from Frederick originally, I’ve lived here for quite awhile. Let me tell you, Frederick was no great dining mecca. There were few good places to eat here as early as 1990 – forget about fine dining. The best you had were the restaurants along Market Street and they weren’t that good. Things were so bad in fact that the wealthest members of the community established their own restaurant called the City Club. It closed in 1998(?).
(The NY Times wrote an article about the Snow White Grill in the early ’90s and called it the jewel of Western Maryland).
Although you might be right JJP, you’re missing the point as to what Jeannine is try to get across. It’s the cloning of America where Frederick will loose its local flavor and look like every other city in America with a Starbuck, McDonalds, and Burger King at every corner. I wouldn’t mind restaurants opening up in the area as long as they incorporate some local history and buying local foods into it’s make up and make it an experience instead of going into a cookie cutter restaruant “you been to one you’ve been to them all” approach. But then again, every retail store and restaraunt will have to start thinking differently from a more local perspective if they want to survive the high peak oil energy prices in the next 5-10 years. Hold on to your seats folks… It’s going to be an interesting ride
My point is that there wasn’t much local flavor to protect. I also doubt that many of the Frederick restaurants from yesteryear actually bought local products. I was at a local, independent Frederick restaurant the other day. They buy their incredients from Costco and FoodPro.
In today’s business environment you are going to have a mix of chains and locally owned restaurants. Today, the chains in Frederick occupy the mid-low-end market. While we don’t have a single high-end chain restaurant in Frederick, we have several locally owned, fine dining restaurants. Compare that to 20 years ago when we had the City Club (annual subscription required) and a few mid-low end restaurants. I would argue that because the chains are commoditizing the low-end, the local entrepenuers (the people actually investing their money to open restaurants) are opening better and better restaurants.
I’m not an apologist for the chains – actually I rarely eat at one. I have a life long romance with restaurants and prefer to eat at places were I can get acquainted with the owner, waitstaff, and maybe the chef. For me it makes for a much better dining experience. I just don’t buy the ‘Ugh, not another chain, we’re being taken over” argument.
I agree, JJP. The “chains” were once a single store with a great idea and lots of commitment and energy. . . and people liked it enough that it grew. Let’s not punish creativity and hard work, whether it’s a local restaurant doing a great job like Cacique or a national restaurant doing a great job like Cheesecake Factory. All of them together make for a fascinating community, where each inspires the next to go to a higher level. As for me, I like Frederick much better in 2007 than in 1993.
I just drove by and there’s an “Opening Soon” sign out front. It looks like Foster’s may be located in an upstairs space, although it was hard to tell from just a drive-by.
Lizfrog, Foster’s Grille is hoping to have their grand opening sometime in the last two weeks of November…..depending on permits and inspections. Foster’s will be located on the ground floor in the Turning Point Center next to Davidus Cigars. The upstairs windows are only part of the front facade (there isn’t an upstairs) hoping to create a row house look. I hope you come and sample our simple but quality fare. Foster’s of Urbana is dedicated in providing a fun friendly environment for families of all ages. As a father of a three and one year old, I think it will be a good places for parents to unwind and have a great juicy burger! Thanks-Foster’s Urbana.
Thanks for the update! I couldn’t picture where the restaurant would be located and didn’t realize there was no upstairs. Good luck with your opening!
Foster’s is now hiring, FYI.
http://www.urbanamaryland.com/boards/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=000097;p=0#000000
I dined at Foster’s Grill last night with six other friends. It’s a lively place with “fun neighborhood atmosphere.” The restaurant provides a order sheet and you write your name on the top, choose your entree, and circle the topping items you want. The price includes fries and a soda. You fill out the form and take it to the register and pay for you meal and one of the servers will bring it to you in about 10-12 minutes.
Food choices include:
Charburger, garden burger
Hot dog
Various chicken sandwiches (buffalo, grilled, fried, grilled)
Roasted sandwiches (turkey or roast beef)
Buffalo wings
Daily specials: chicken provolone, philly cheese steak, chicken philly cheese steak, fried fish, etc.
House salad; side salad, grilled chicken salad
Kid’s menu
I ordered the charburger (1/2 pound) and while tasty with the toppings (cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomatao, ketchup), the burger was way over cooked and burnt. A friend ordered the same thing and hers was not quite overcooked. Their web site shows a plump juicy burger, but that’s not what I got. The fries were very good.
Everyone else liked their sandwiches. We also ordered some buffalo wings, and they were excellent!!
Beer is served – a pretty good variety, although I’m not really a beer drinker. I did have the Fosters and I enjoyed it with my meal. There’s a bar with about 8 bar stools for those that want to eat their meal there.
For dessert, they serve a delicious thick milkshake.
Prices averaged at $9 per meal. There are substitutions, such as salad for $.75 and additions, such as bacon on the burgers for the same price. So for my burger w/bacon and a beer, it was $12.06.
The place was pretty full too.
Service was great. Karen took good care of us, as we were a party of 7. They normally don’t make reservations, but my friend had called and explained we were celebrating a birthday, so she held 2 tables for us.
All in all, it was very good. I’ll definitely go back again, but will go for a chicken sandwich of some sort or the buffalo wings instead of the burger…unless they can make one for me that isn’t dried out.
Monica
Well, if all the local eateries suck i welcome chains with open arms.
Good food cheap prices.
no matter what frederick sucks.
Look what they did to urbana.