Observing a Scene: Roy Rogers

The first thing that hit me when I walked into the Roy Rogers on E. Patrick St. was the delectable smell of country fried food and the happy-go-lucky country music playing in my ears. I looked around and saw that the place wasn’t too busy, but there sure were not a wide variety of different people there. As I sat down and jotted down some observations about the people, environment, and even the food, I came to realize that Roy Rogers is a place that working men come to get their fix of that “home-cooked” country fried food.

As I looked around I noticed all of the country rodeo decorations around the restaurant. There were cowboy boots, horseshoes and lassos hanging on the wall, along with a neon cactus light. The whole environment just screamed country, and for a lot of people living in the city, that must remind them of home. It wasn’t too hot or too cold I noticed, it was just the perfect weather to warm someone up from the wind, or cool someone down who is hot from working.

Good thing, because the only customers that came in during the time I was there, were working men in their thirties or above. Roy Rogers wasn’t very busy in the time I was there, but no women entered or exited the place, and the only women in there were the ladies behind the counter. It was funny because all of the men that came in, even if they didn’t know each other, they all tended to sit in the same area of the restaurant, the back left. Another quality that every single customer shared was that they all paid with cash, no credit cards. I couldn’t find an explanation or conclusion for that, but I thought it was interesting. Also, most of the men ordered large combos, which would be a usual action for a man, but it must mean that the food was delicious.

I really felt like I was at home in my mom’s kitchen while sitting there, especially with the glass flower vases with yellow flowers inside and the more than comfortable seating. And as soon as I tasted those delicious Roy Rogers French fries, I didn’t want to leave. I left with the thought about how the place had such a comforting environment that made me feel like I was sitting in my own house waiting for dinner to be served.