Ted’s Montana Grill’s rrrrrrreal deal
You would have thought Ted Turner would have been satisfied with being a world-class yachtsman, founder of CNN, philanthropist and the single-largest private land owner in the United States. But no, Turner wanted to share a love for steaks and buffalo, specifically buffalo grown on his land, and thus Ted’s Montana Grill was started. Like most everything Turner touches (except wedding bands) it’s been a success and now Kansas City has six of them spread out across the metro.
In November, with the stock market tanking, the restaurant had a special called the “Real Deal.” Now, with things not looking any better than they were then, Ted’s has brought back the Real Deal.
As mentioned in our dining newsletter Pitch Forks last week, at lunch you get an appetizer like soup or salad, an entree and a drink for $12. The dinner deal is a much better value: $15 gets you an appetizer, entree, two sides and a plate of cookies for dessert.
The entree choices are limited, though. At dinner there’s only beer-can chicken, meatloaf and salmon, with no vegetarian options. Then again, what vegetarian would go to Ted’s Montana Grill in the first place? The lunch real deal is a choice of two salads, a burger with fries or a smaller version of the salmon.
With the economy the way it is, expect more restaurants to start offering mini-pre-fixes with an emphasis on saving money. The biggest problem with Ted’s deal is that $12 for lunch is still on the high side. Most workers can afford to spend $5 to $10. For people who are expecting to spend more than $10 — like those on expense accounts — there’s no reason for them to be stingy and only go with a $12 meal. I suggest taking away the drink from the Real Deal lunch and bringing it down to $9.99.
Menus are available at Ted’s Web site. Also, if you really love Ted’s and are handy with Photoshop or a video camera, the restaurant is looking for a Ted’s “Burger Fanatic.” You submit a poem or video for a chance to win a Prius. Even if you have no creative bone in your body, every entry earns a free burger — and free still beats $12.
