Flying M Restaurant

I was on my way back from a family reunion in Southeastern Utah when we decided to stop in Panguich for a bite to eat. The Flying M Restaurant presented itself as one of the more established eateries in town which seemed like a nice change to the fast food and gas station fare we'd had so far on the trip. This did turn out to be true, but it really doesn't say much for the quality. I guess it's the best you can get in the literal middle of absolutely nowhere.

<-------- This is their parking lot.

The Atmosphere 2/5

Upon entering the building, you are greeted with the world's worst kitsch gift shop. I've seen my fair share of such things and this wasn't even cute on the scale of backwoodsy americana.

The dining area itself is your standard diner complete with bar stools where the locals sit and drink coffee and discuss how much of the town has changed since they were kids."I remember when this was all farm land"... Well, I guess in this case, it still is. 

The Service 3/5

After we got our little group seated (which took two separate, but adjacent tables) it wasn't long before we met the perfect stereotype of a small town waitress who gave us all menus and took our orders. There was very little on the menu that looked appetizing other than the burger. Yes, THE burger. There was also the groundbreaking option to order it with cheese. I wasn't in the mood for a burger so I optimistically ordered the hot, open-faced turkey sandwich.

The Food 1/5

What I received was this: 

Where do I even start with this? 

Microwaved, pre-packaged deli sandwich turkey slices on butter-toasted white Wonder bread, covered in canned brown gravy and served with powdered mashed potato.

3 seconds in, the "balloon bread" as my mom calls it, soggied into a tan sludge which made the entire plate perfect for an old Englishman with no teeth or taste buds. 

Next road trip, maybe I'll get to pick the restaurants.