Acme Food Company. Nanaimo, BC, Canada

There is something about a cool neon sign. I don’t know why but for some reason a neon sign makes restaurants more appealing. I haven’t conducted a scientific trial but I can guess with some certainly that if there were two restaurants side by side, both serving similar fair and looking pretty much the same on the inside with the only difference being one catchy neon sign, the one with the neon sign wins. Neon sign equals huge eat here restaurant magnet but for me the name, ACME, also draws me in given that childhood memoires of Will E Coyote still bring a smile to may face.



Were the hell is everyone? Perhaps I’ve made a mistake? Midweek 6:30 PM, it should be the dinner rush or so you would think and there is no one in the restaurant. Bad sign! Well, good sign on the outside, bad sign on the inside. What the hell, looks like a nice place, even empty. Plus, look around; there are a whole bunch of framed award certificates attesting to the quality of the restaurant. My favourite: “Best Place to Socialize” in Nanaimo. I wonder who won? Maybe they trade of nights? Maybe everyone’s hanging out with the winner tonight?

Tonight I will be socializing with my burger. I had the bacon cheddar and sautéed onion burger. Pretty good a solid 7/10, a passable restaurant burger from an establishment that obviously doesn’t really care about making awesome food. Enough said. If the neon ever draws me back in the future I’ll order something besides the burger. I’ll need to call ahead make a reservation to avoid disappointment.