Behind the Scenes at the Food Lion Frugal Cook Off

I hope you had a chance to read about my magical experience as a contestant at the Food Lion Frugal Cook Off. You can (read about it here), but I wanted to show you the video that Food Lion produced. I love how they took snippets of the event and pieced it together to give you an exclusive behind-the-scenes look. Enjoy.

You can also read about the other contestants experiences and enter to win a $100 gift card to Food Lion.

My super talented teammate- Kelley Chisholm
The stylish & fun- Jen Lawrence

My team's surprise protein was chicken, and we made Rustic Lemon Chicken. What would you have made?

People Dedicated to Quality...Fresh Fast Food

A simple menu, personalized service and high standards are the keys to PDQ, a growing fast-casual restaurant's success. It starts with their name PDQ, short for People Dedicated to Quality, and then you realize they are serious about their dedication. As soon as you walk in the door an employee holds the door open for you, and genuinely greets you. It's especially helpful when you have two busy boys bustling along side of you, so excited that you choose to take them to PDQ today.

I had the opportunity to meet with Nathan Bartlett, the Operations Director, at the PDQ in Cary. We started with a tour of their kitchen, but before we entered; we washed our hands. PDQ has a sink with a water fountain feel available to customers to wash their hands before dining without having to go into the bathroom. The bathrooms are kept clean, but it can be a hassle with little ones touching things plus this sink can be easily turned on with a pedal located near the floor.

After thoroughly washing our hands, we turned our attention to the beverage selection. I was impressed with the fresh brewed green tea. Green tea is one of my favorite drinks since I stopped drinking soda, and I was so excited to see they offered it along side the sweet and unsweetened tea. For the soda drinkers, they offer a state-of-the-art Coke dispenser that unlike the usual fountain machine uses pods for the fresh from bottle taste plus nearly 140 flavors. Locals will enjoy the bottled Cheerwine.

     

PDQ offers a simple menu of chicken (grilled or fried) tenders, sandwiches and salads plus a turkey sandwich and salad. Fresh-cut fries, fresh blueberry coleslaw, and fresh apple slices round out the available sides. Desserts include fresh-baked cookies and freshly-prepared milkshakes using real fruit or chocolate depending on your selection. If you haven't noticed, everything is fresh and prepared on-site (bread is delivered daily) and made when you order. They don't have a microwave or freezer in their kitchen. Lemons are cut and squeezed throughout the day, cookies baked, home-made sauces made and individually portioned into containers.

       

I love all the fresh food and quality service, but my favorite part is the food-- it's delicious, and the kid's love it too. I can sit-down, and enjoy a grilled chicken salad with blueberry vinaigrette comparable to any fancy restaurant while my kids enjoy their tenders, fries and apples. The kids liked the Yoo-hoo chocolate milk and the opportunity to make their own milkshakes.

The prices are reasonable and the menu is uncomplicated. The tough choices are deciding on a sauce to pair with your tenders; they offer 7 delicious home-made choices.

We left with a strawberry and chocolate milkshake for each boy; they shared a little bit of their cold treats with me, and once again I was impressed with the freshness and taste.

   

Interested in trying PDQ? They have locations 8 locations in North Carolina including Raleigh, Cary, Concord and Hickory. For a detailed list visit PDQ locations