Chain Reviews e-mail

Note: The San Leandro Chevys has closed. Moreover, I'm boycotting Chevys on principle since one of their restaurants fired 8 workers for missing work to participate in an immigration protest. I urge you to do the same. I discovered Chevy's years ago while vacationing in Lake Tahoe and instantly became a big devotee. Here was a chain serving food I actually liked! Unfortunately, soon after I discovered that Chevy's was owned by Pepsi Co., which I was boycotting at the time due to its involvement in Burma, so I avoided the chain until that was resolved (Pepsi pulled out of Burma and sold Chevy's). Once I could go back to eating there, I became positively addicted to its chips (deep fried, warm and with just the right amount of salt) and salsa (refreshing while hot), beef fajitas and quesadillas. The guacamole and corn pudding served as sides were also very good. In 2000, we moved to San Leandro and my allegiance to Chevy's started to falter. The food at the San Leandro Chevy's seemed to be a notch or two lower in quality than what we were previously accustomed to. In addition, the quality became quite inconsistent. I went from feeling treated every time we went to Chevy's, to seeing it as a place of last resort, which is saying a lot given the dearth of good restaurants in San Leandro. Last Friday night (December 2003), we were shopping at the stores near Bayfair mall and Mike was starving so he suggested we eat at Chevy's. The restaurant was quite full, though we didn't have to wait for a table as we might have had to years ago. The host was very attentive and got us not only a high chair, but a balloon, paper and crayons for Mika. That entertained her for a while. The food seems to have improved marginally since our last visits, though it still wasn't great. The chips were warm, but over-salted, and just not as addictive as they used to be. I had my usual steak fajita, and was disappointed by the amount of meat served (though this has been a trend). Supposedly the dish comes with 6 oz. of beef (which is a rather skimpy amount for $12.50), but cut into 7 smallish pieces this was only enough for 2 fajitas. The guacamole and corn pudding sides seem to have become skimpier as well, though the dish is now accompanied by some grilled potatoes, carrots and peppers (not my favorites). Mike had the steak fajita burrito ($9) and he thought the meat was too large and chewy for a burrito but he liked the flavor. We ordered a "chicken bites" child meal for Michaela. We were disappointed to see that the "chicken bites" were actually two deep-fried chicken strips, not the healthiest choice for a child (but it was our fault, we should have asked). The thick breading made it hard for a toddler to eat. It was served with not very tasty fries. I think next time we'll skip the child's dish altogether. We didn't order dessert this time - as Michaela was fussy. Chevy’s 312 Bayfair Mall San Leandro CA 94577 Phone: (510) 276-0962 http://www.chevys.com