Frontier Restaurant: A Review of My Favorite Restaurant

Posted by Melanie in Business, Restaurant Reviews | 1 comment

The Frontier Restaurant
(C)Melanie Parish, 2013

If I had to pick a most favorite restaurant in the world, I think this would be it. It isn’t fancy or even innovative. It is always the same, never changing.  And yet, when someone does something this well, why would they need to change?  They are completely dependable, fabulously delicious, spicy, flavorful and amazing.  When I was at the University of New Mexico over 20 years ago, I ate there a lot.  It was cheap, delicious, and a pretty good place to study.

Now, I often wake up on Saturday morning and wish for a Frontier Restaurant breakfast burrito. This morning during a visit to Albuquerque, I got my wish. I woke up and made my way to the Frontier on Central Avenue.

Breakfast Burrito, Frontier Restaurant, Albuquerque, NM

It was as good as I remember—it always is.

The building itself is iconic. Rumor is they bought it during the Vietnam War era when anti-war protesters were smashing all the windows on Central Ave. and real estate prices plummeted. The restaurant takes up an entire city block right across the street from the University of New Mexico which has about 30,000 students. It has 7 rooms. The loudest room is the front where you order at the counter. I stood around trying to get a table in the front room.  I wanted it for the people watching.  I scored!  Back further in the restaurant the rooms get progressively quieter with student study groups working in the very back. The walls are covered in tacky southwestern art including several paintings of John Wayne. It is fantastically visually stimulating. It is not unusual to see a homeless guy sitting at a table next to business men in suits.

John Wayne at the Frontier Restaurant,
ABQ, NM

On this Saturday morning, the restaurant was pretty full.  Everyone loves the Frontier.  There seems to be a magical flow that no matter how full it is, you can always get a table.  I am sure they have figured out how to make this work.  People order at the counter and always find a seat. It just somehow flows.

I have watched this business over the years. They have some key success factors. The first is amazing food at a reasonable price. They maximize the number of people they can serve by having everyone order at the counter. You get a ticket with a number and then pick up your  food. They used to call out the number but a long time ago they switched to a lit up board that displays your number when your food is ready.  And it never takes more than 7 minutes. They make the food fairly mild and have free ranchero sauce so people add their own spice, and that makes ordering faster. The owners are very present in this very successful business. Larry, the owner, was in the dining room stocking forks on the morning I was there.

Larry, the owner in red
at the Frontier Restaurant

This is astounding when I think of the incredible financial success of this restaurant. It is inspiring to see this hands on management continuing. One of their successes it to keep their staff for a long time and develop them as managers. These long term staff are supplemented by student hires. They have a ready labor source right across the street. They use real plates and silverware which made them eco friendly before it was popular, but also keeps them current. They have added innovation when it made sense. They have a tortilla machine that makes what may be the best tortillas in the world. You can buy some to take home and they are used in all their dishes. They also added a super fancy soda machine a few years ago which speeds up their line because everyone can get their own sodas. When you have a line all the time, free refills makes sense if it keeps the line moving.

Their bathroom is a little tacky. This used to bother me until I tried to figure out in my head how they could remodel it. They would have to close down to do it and it would therefore be a horrible business decision. It makes sense to keep it the same as long as possible.

I love this restaurant from a business perspective because it is interesting, and as a business coach I am awed by the sheer volume of business they do.  It is interesting to see a really successful restaurant and how they develop over time.   But all that business stuff isn’t why I am such a loyal customer.  What I really come for is the food.

Here’s my top 10 at the Frontier Restaurant

1. Breakfast Burrito –Eggs, cheese, hashbrowns, chopped green chile. I get mine with beans instead of eggs and smother it in ranchero sauce
2. Western Style Hashbrowns—hashbrowns with green chile and cheese
3. Onion rings—house made. They chop 1 onion for each order, batter it, and fry it. Yum!
4. Green Chile Cheeseburger
5. Red Chile Cheeseburger
6. Huevos Rancheros
7. Green Chile Stew
8. Homemade chips and guacamole
9. Frontier Sweet Rolls—drenched in butter. Fabulously delicious!
10. Enchiladas any style

If you are in Albuquerque, you don’t want to miss the Frontier. If you have been there, let me know what your favorites are. This restaurant is part of the heart of the city.