By CATHERINE S. MOLITORIS and MARY BETH SCHWEIGERT, Staff Writer
J.B. DAWSON'S RESTAURANT and Bar has a slogan that is more than just a motto.
"We work on a team system, which is very different from other restaurants," says one manager. "Any sta
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"We're known for our ribs," a manager says. "They are slow-roasted, Danish-style ribs, and they are ex
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J.B. Dawson's Restaurant & Bar is one of Park City Center's newest businesses.
"We will give you quality food and quality service," owner Jim Lukens says. "Our concept is not trendy
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The restaurant offers patrons an atmosphere that combines casual with classy. If you like Lancaster's
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" 'Experience the excellence' is our motto ... and I don't just say that. I truly mean it," says Lauren Hunsinger, one of the managers of the restaurant, which opened May 19 at Park City Center. "We stand by our service and our food. If you are not satisfied, we will take care of it."
Hunsinger, along with restaurant owner Jim Lukens, says the establishment goes above and beyond to offer top-notch customer service, combined with quality food.
"We work on a team system, which is very different from other restaurants," she says. "Any staff member can help you, so you're never in need of anything. It's very personal service."
Lukens says he knows his restaurant — one of four located throughout central and eastern Pennsylvania — competes with bigger names, so he needs to work hard to stand out.
"We're competing with ... the Chili's and Applebees, but we're a small operator," says Lukens, who adds that his restaurant offers something different than a typical chain. "People are sort of getting chained out."
As Hunsinger puts it, "We're competing with the chains, but it's OK. We feel like we can."
In 1996, Lukens opened his first restaurant, called Austin's, in Reading.
After its success, he decided to open additional locations in the Philadelphia area but found he couldn't name those restaurants after his first, because "Austin" is the name of a city and can't be trademarked.
He changed the new restaurants' names to J.B. Dawson's but kept the high-quality food customers had come to love.
"We're known for our ribs," says Hunsinger. "They are slow-roasted, Danish-style ribs, and they are excellent. We are also known for our pastas, our salads and our steaks."
Everything on the menu is homemade, Lukens says.
"We make everything from scratch that day, for that day," he says. "We prep it here ourselves, and we make it from fresh ingredients. Our food is made the old-fashioned way."
The restaurant offers patrons an atmosphere that combines casual with classy.
"We are family-oriented but very classy and sophisticated," Hunsinger says. "You can come here with a baby in a highchair on a Sunday and feel comfortable or come on a Saturday night with a date and feel like you're having a really nice meal. ... It's classy but not uptight classy."
Lukens says he's been anxious to bring his unique brand of a restaurant to the Lancaster market and hopes to build the kind of customer loyalty he's experienced at his other locations.
"We will give you quality food and quality service," he says. "Our concept is not trendy; it's timeless."
And a premium is placed on providing service that keeps customers coming back, Hunsinger says.
"Our managers are required to talk to every single table," she says. "We want to make sure you have a great experience, start to finish."
RESTAURANT: J.B. Dawson's
ADDRESS: 491 Park City Center, Lancaster
PHONE: 399-3996
DATE VISITED: Tuesday, June 24
TIME VISITED: 12:15 to 1:15 p.m.
ON THE MENU: Soups, salads, pastas, sandwiches, ribs, chicken, steak
GOOD IDEA: On Sundays, kids can pick any item off the kids' menu for free with every adult entree purchased.
TASTE TEST: Diner No. 1: Chicken Bruschetta Pasta, $9.49. I ordered the lunch portion of this pasta dish, but it proved to be enough for two meals. Thinly sliced chicken, diced tomatoes, Monterey Jack cheese and toasted bread crumbs combined with penne pasta to present a flavorful dish. They didn't skimp on the garlic, either, which was fine with me, and the homemade pomodoro sauce brought all the elements of this meal into perfect harmony.
Diner No. 2: Lunch special: Half a club sandwich, served with a field green salad, $8.49. The sandwich was stuffed with sliced chicken, Black Forest ham, bacon, Monterey Jack and cheddar, and carved into the club's traditional triangular cut. The sizable salad — an upscale blend of lettuces heaped with croutons, crumbled egg, bacon and diced tomatoes — avoided one of my pet dining-out peeves, arriving accompanied by a cup of dressing large enough to coat every last leaf. Even better, said dressing featured massive chunks of blue cheese. Yum.
COUNTDOWN: We were greeted promptly and seated right away. Our waitress was attentive, and with the restaurant's emphasis on team service, we could ask any wait-staff member for anything we needed. The meal took about an hour.
PRICES: Onion soup, $4.99; spinach reggiano dip, $8.49; seared ahi tuna, $8.49; club salad, $9.99; bacon blue burger, $8.49; prime rib sandwich, $9.99; shrimp pasta saute, $9.49; half-rack baby-back ribs, $13.99; Texas tenders and ribs combo, $16.99; Cajun rib-eye, $18.99
Total for two people, not including tax and gratuity: $17.98
PLASTIC ACCEPTED: All major credit cards
ATTITUDE: With dark-wood walls and cozy booths lit by individual table lamps, the 236-seat restaurant has an inviting feel. A bar is located in the center of the room, with the kitchen along the back of the restaurant. The restaurant features all booths, although some are half-booths, with room at one end for chairs or wheelchairs.
AIR QUALITY: All nonsmoking
DRESS CODE: Casual
HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE: Yes
HOURS: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday
RESERVATIONS: Taken until 5 p.m. weekdays for parties of seven or more; limited reservations available anytime for parties of six or less (Allow 10 minutes to be seated once you arrive.)
PARKING: Parking is available in the mall's parking lot.
ONE MORE THING: If you like Lancaster's J.B. Dawson's, check out the other locations in Reading, Langhorne and Drexel Hill. For more information, visit
www.jbdawsons.com.
Dining on a Dime appears the first Wednesday of the month in Your Life and features meals $10 and under (per person), not including tax and gratuity. Know of an inexpensive spot serving some great food? Tell us by calling 291-8755 or by e-mail at yourlife@LNPnews.com.
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