Texas’ favorite cafeteria is open again. Get a LuAnn Platter before Luby’s is sold
If you want to social-distance, Luby’s Cafeteria is the place.
All four Fort Worth and Forest Hill locations of the 70-year-old Texas chain have reopened, with drive-thru windows if you’d rather not mingle inside.
The restaurants remain open even though the company is up for sale along with its big-burger corporate cousin, Fuddruckers.
The aroma of chicken-fried chicken and tenders permeated the parking lot late Sunday at the north Fort Worth location on Loop 820.
Inside, scattered families and young people lined up (with distancing) for big helpings of Luby’s chicken, chicken-fried steaks, renowned “square fish” fillets, chopped steak and roast turkey.
The prices look remarkable: $10-$11 for platters or a double-cut pork chop special. The “LuAnn platter” senior plate is $7.99 nightly.
A special grilled chicken platter with pico de gallo was dry — always a problem on a hot food line.
But the server added extra pico to help. The side order of collard greens covered half the platter, and pintos were seasoned and spiced with onion and pico.
A wide selection of cakes and pies were available in new plastic boxes, protecting them from diners passing down the line. (And also preventing children from getting a fingertip’s taste — but of course, nobody would ever do that.)
Luby’s gets a bad rap for being out of date — nobody goes out anymore looking for meat loaf with cabbage and green beans, or liver and onions — but the recipes remain outstanding.
Luby’s hasn’t gone away. The customers have, and with them generations of tradition.
Luby’s is open for lunch and early dinner daily at 1200 Bridgewood Drive, Fort Worth; 3801 NE Loop 820, Fort Worth, 5901 S. Hulen St., Fort Worth, or 3312 SE Loop 820, Forest Hill. A Dallas location on East Mockingbird Lane has reopened along with a DeSoto locaton; lubys.com.
This story was originally published June 9, 2020 at 5:45 AM.
