It’s Wednesday night and you’ve got a house full of rowdy kids looking for something to eat. You’ve worked all day and you’re tired; cooking sounds tedious. The thought of sitting down at a restaurant with the kids sounds difficult. You suddenly realize that takeout is the answer. But where do you go? There are many options in the Maple Grove area and we’ve compiled info on five of them for your last-minute solution.
Yu Fong
Yu Fong is a family-operated Chinese takeout restaurant located on Vinewood Lane. This local Chinese restaurant has been open for over 10 years with options for appetizers like egg rolls, fried shrimp and wonton soup. You can pick between dishes with beef, pork and shrimp. They are well known for the kung pao chicken and sesame chicken, but also check out some of their other options like lemon chicken and pineapple chicken. And if you’re on a no-meat diet, they have vegetarian options as well.
Olive Garden
When people think of Olive Garden, they think of delicious pasta and unlimited breadsticks. But Olive Garden does more than give you great service while you’re seated; they also offer takeout. The company was founded in 1982 and the Maple Grove location has been open for over 10 years. Manager Brandon Wester says their most ordered entrées are the classics: spaghetti and meatballs, and lasagna. Along with those, their Tour of Italy dish—a sampling of different dishes including chicken parmigiana, lasagna classico and fettuccine alfredo—has also always been a popular choice.
Punch Neapolitan Pizza
Punch Neapolitan Pizza’s first restaurant opened its doors in 1996. A handful of restaurants have followed and Maple Grove’s own opened in 2014. Punch offers many classic pizzas like Margherita (basil and fresh mozzarella) and Sicilian (prosciutto, artichoke, ascolane olive, basil). They also have wonderful salads and dessert options. Their most ordered pizzas are the Maximus (pepperoni, mushroom, Saracene olive, cracked red pepper and oregano) and the Toscano (sausage, roasted red pepper, cracked red pepper and basil). While they only allow walk-in orders at the moment, they’re adding an online feature soon.
Famous Dave’s
Ordering online from Famous Dave’s is easy and practical. Whether you’re looking for some delicious award-winning ribs or yummy burgers like Devil’s Spit (which includes melted pepper-jack cheese, jalapeno bacon and spicy pickles), Famous Dave’s is the place to go. Famous Dave’s has been open since 1994 and the Maple Grove location has been around since 1996. Their most popular dish is the baby back ribs, which they offer in an original style, sweet and zesty, and Memphis style. Manager Jeff Gray suggests ordering a side of either fries, beans or coleslaw. You can order online or call in to set up a pickup time.
The Lookout Bar & Grill
The Lookout Bar & Grill has been giving the people of Maple Grove great service since 1957 when founder Bob Kinnan opened it. Family run since the beginning, they have a wide variety of options for people to choose from. With appetizers like stuffed mushroom caps, steak bites and inferno shrimp, and a variety of options for burgers, sandwiches, salads, soups and more, you won’t have to worry about an empty belly. Their most popular dishes for takeout are St. Louis style smoked ribs, broasted chicken platter and the Memphis egg roll. You are welcome to walk in and place an order, call ahead or order through Food Dudes (fooddudesdelivery.com).
DID YOU KNOW
- Before the 20th century takeout was found in train stations or intersections
- of busy highways.
- Delivery became popular after World War II when restaurants saw a decline in their sales due to television. After introducing takeout, restaurants’ sales went up 20 to 50 percent in one year.
- The U.S. spent $30 billion on food delivery in 2015 and $4 billion of it was from online delivery sales.
- Specific websites will deliver food from any restaurant or fast food place for a fee. Some of those websites include GrubHub and DoorDash.
- In 2016, a survey of the most ordered foods in the U.S. by state showed that Minnesotans order chicken the most often.
- In the U.S., the most popular type of food to order is chicken, followed by Chinese food and pizza.
- The first version of the Chinese takeout container was invented by Frederick Weeks Wilcox in Chicago in 1894. It was influenced by origami from Japan.
- The Chinese takeout containers can fold out and be made into a plate.
- In the U.S., over one billion
- pizzas are delivered each year.
- Delivery sales of pizza spike the most during the Super Bowl.
- Twenty percent of people use food delivery services at least once a week.
- Takeout is most popular with Generation X (born mid-1960s to early 1980s), but delivery is most popular with Millennials (born early 1980s to 2000).
