One of the best parts of heading out to eat at a restaurant is the pre-dinner nibbles you often receive at chains. Bread might be one way restaurants can keep guests happy and from getting too “hangry” as they wait for their meal to come, but not all restaurants stick to this classic option. Though some might order appetizers to munch on until dinner arrives, there’s one restaurant that serves another distinct yet free snack.
Ninety Nine Restaurants & Pub, a chain with locations stretching across the northeast, offers comfort classics and pub fare. On the menu are dishes like prime rib, wings, and chips and dips. But apart from entrées and appetizers, you’ll find the waiter will bring an unusual snack, popcorn, to your table. Although the restaurant used to offer free spreadable cheese and crackers, either with or instead of the popcorn, this dish is no longer complimentary.
Cheese and crackers used to be offered to guests
Unfortunately for avid fans of the spread and crackers, when 99 Restaurant & Pub was bought out by O’Charley’s, this snack became an item that guests were charged for. But if you’re someone who can’t visit the chain without getting this pre-meal snack, rest assured that it’s still available.
While restaurant bread isn’t typically as fresh as you might think, you can usually taste how fresh popcorn is. When popcorn is exposed to excessive moisture, it tends to take stale more quickly as it absorbs it. If you want to get creative and shake up the flavor of your free snack, you can always use some of the ingredients that are readily available at your table. Things like hot sauce or even asking for a side of shredded cheese can be used as a topping to amp up the flavor. (Take a look at 20 of Tasting Table’s ingredients to elevate popcorn.) Many guests, however, are sold on the popcorn as it is.
