Recent Customer Comments

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08/09/2007
10:03 AM

My son LOVES fries, but I usually don't let him have them because of the trans fats. It's great to have a place in town that makes them trans-fat-free!

REPLY:
We must be clear in saying that our french fries are not entirely free of trans-fats.  We cook them in oil that is trans-fat free, but the fries themselves do contain some trans-fats when we get them.  The amount in our current fries works out to 7 grams per serving.  I haven't yet found fries that are entirely trans-fat free, but I'm looking and will switch when I find some that are at least lower in trans-fat than the fries we currently are using.  Stay tuned.

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08/07/2007
11:31 AM

Thank you, thank you, thank you for serving fries!!!! Now our hamburgers are complete!!!!! I've always thought that a great hamburger should be served with fries! Thanks again!

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06/14/2007
01:54 PM

Lemon Grilled Chicken = YUM

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06/05/2007
04:13 PM

We tried the Lemon Grilled Chicken last Wednesday (May 31) and it was fabulous...tender, flavorful...YUM!

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05/03/2007
03:09 PM

I just recently found your restaurant and had the Pulled Pork Sandwich with baked beans. I must say that it was one of the best I've had! I will be back for more very soon! Theresa H.

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03/13/2007
09:35 PM

Ok - the word on the street is true. You guys do have the best burgers in Hollister. Probably one of the best I've had ever, anywhere. Keep grilling! --P.J.

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02/22/2007
01:02 PM

bought a salad and the packaged dressing is in with salad greens chicken etc.  That isn't too sanitary, just and idea.

REPLY:
Thanks for your comment and we will probably switch back.  We started doing that to insure that people actually got their salad dressing and it didn't get forgotten or tossed with the bag because it wasn't seen or whatever.   Actually, the little cups that we put the salad dressing into are packaged in such as way as the outside is just as clean as the inside.  The inside, of course, holds the dressing which then goes on the salad.  Both the container as well as the salad itself are handled by people with washed hands and wearing gloves, so putting the dressing in with the salad doesn't introduce any new contamination.  Still, if it is unappetizing to some, then we'll be more than happy to stop doing it that way.

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02/14/2007
10:26 AM

Thank you so much for the great lunch you provided for our office party last week. The food was great, the price was great and as always, the service was great. Keep up the good work Running Roosters! Thank you for serving San Benito County.

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01/24/2007
05:08 PM

Have you ever considered doing the takeout dinners, i.e., like Dinner Afare in Morgan Hill where we select the entree's we want and put the ingredients together to take home for the freezer?

REPLY:
Due to space and time constraints we are not currently thinking about this type of take-home dinner format.  We realize this is a popular trend, but we like to focus on meals that are ready-to-eat and don't require extra steps when you get home.  If we had more staff we may be able to explore this further.

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12/19/2006
01:36 PM

I think it is a great idea that you are working to have a family friendly place to eat dinner. I can't wait. Please hurry! Samantha

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12/12/2006
03:21 PM

Please bring back the entres. We like picking out our dinners and taking them home to reheat when we choose. This is what has made you so unique. We have enjoyed your food so many times this past year. Selling hot dinners to go doesn't work for us.

 

REPLY:
We're sorry to hear that the hot entree format doesn't work for your family, but do want you to know that we still have many of our favorite items available chilled and ready to go.  You can still pick up a 2-person lasagna (or even 10-12 person lasagna) pan, purchase our Memphis BBQ Ribs by the rack (chilled or warm) or get our Tri-Tip by the pound (sliced or whole).  You can get also get our soups chilled (sold in quart size jars), and our homemade spaghetti sauce or chili by the quart.  Our dinner salads may also be a nice chilled option for you.  And for our long-time customers (that we know may miss our old format), we're still bringing around some of your favorites as specials like the pot roast or meatloaf.  Thanks for your comment.  Let us know what favorite entree you'd like to see in our specials lineup.

 

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12/07/2006
04:53 PM

WOW!!!! The food was so AWESOME. I called on short notice for a customer meeting we were having and they prepared a fantastic meal for us of sandwiches, salads, desserts & drinks. Hands off to the staff at Running Rooster!!! You folks were great and our customers loved the food! Thanks again - jacy - GCC

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11/21/2006
05:04 PM

Turkey Lurkey no like Thanksgiving. You eat fish head instead.

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09/28/2006
10:31 AM

Jim and Brenda, I stopped by the store last night to see what was cooking. I decided to try your linguini with clams in a cream sauce. It was absolutly divine. My wife and I were in heaven. My only complaint is that your recipe is better than mine, I guess I will try to copy it. Better yet, I will just come back in and pick up some more. That is much easier than cooking it myself. Don't tell my wife though, I am going to pretend I cooked it and get all the glory. Thank you, Ken (the recipe thief)

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08/24/2006
04:28 PM

Thanks for bringing back the ice cream sandwich for the Street Festival!! It was delicious!

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08/21/2006
05:26 PM

Your chocolate chip cookies and brownies are awesome! So big and soft, you could give Mrs. Fields a run for her money. We are now making them part of our weekly Running Rooster order. :-)

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08/02/2006
11:00 AM

Hey! Great Email Newsletter!!! Its our first and I am impressed! Robin Griffith, new customer!!

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07/21/2006
06:27 PM

Hi! My son, daughter-in-law and grandson live in Hollister. In April daughter-in-law and grandson & I were there for hamburger lunch on a Friday. OH WOW was it great! Loved it! Yesterday I was down to visit them again and my son & I came in to buy three salads for dinner. I ate half of my chicken, walnut & cheese salad and was full. I brought the other half home to Napa and had it for lunch today. It was go great I wished I had the other half for today. I may have to buy some "take-home-to-Napa" when I'm there again! Thanks so much for reasonably priced and delicious healthy dinner. Roberta

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07/14/2006
08:05 PM

We love your chicken pot pie except for one thing. It is tooooo salty. At first I thought it was us as we use little salt at home. But my Mom is visiting and puts salt on everything and she thought it was too salty. We do not experience this with other food we purchase there. So it is something to look into.

REPLY:
Sounds like something went wrong with your particular pot pie.  Come back in or write me and we'll gladly make it right with a replacement or refund.  My apologies for the salty pie.

As a general note to other readers, as I've mentioned here before, if you have a problem with your dinner, we hope you'll give us a chance to address your problem directly.  If you mention something in the store, or call the store, or email us, we can take care of it via a refund or replacement, whichever you prefer.  If you simply leave an anonymous message on the website, it is impossible for us to make it up to you.   Thanks.    -Jim (The Cook)

 

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07/07/2006
01:33 PM

Hello. I love Running Rooster and am a very good customer but I really dislike the new way you present the menu online. I find it difficult to read and confusing. And it always seems the same! Are you having less variety? Is everything available in the store also listed online each day? I find it more convenient to look online and decide whether or not I will stop by on my way home so if it's not listed online you may be loosing out on a customer for the day. Also for those of us (and there are a lot!) who are watching their waistlines, could you have a low calorie alternative each day....and I don't mean the fatty chickens. Thank you for bringing this kind of service to Hollister but a few changes would make it really nice.

REPLY:
Thanks for your input.  We're happy to report that our monthly menu calendars are back and ready for pick up in the store or view online.  It's an easy way to see our hot-line dinners plus the weekly chilled specials.  You can also order made to order dinner salads (see our lunch menu for descriptions).

As to the need for a healthier daily option, could you shoot me an email with a few more specific ideas.  As mentioned above, we have our dinner salads available every night, and we ourselves feel that selecting Tri-tip sliced (which is quite lean) with a side green veggie is a very balanced meal.  However there are so many different dietetic beliefs (low carb, low fat etc.) that you may be looking for something else.  Let me know.    -Jim (The Cook)

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06/03/2006
02:06 PM

I brought home the burgers last night for dinner and they were fabulous. Can you grill them every night (not just Friday's) as they make a great quick dinner for summer. Thanks! Kay

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05/19/2006
02:56 PM

Just had your Veggie Dream sandwich for lunch. Suggest you make this a grilled sandwich and use a different bread (Soft French Roll). The mushroom leaked through the bread and made it soggy! I think it would taste better grilled, since cold mushrooms aren't very tasty. Kim

REPLY:
Hi Kim.  Thanks for the comment and suggestion.  We can't make the mushroom veggie sandwich fresh-grilled since we don't have the ability to grill the mushrooms there at the store (the grill for the hamburgers was a special event).  Fortunately, it's a pretty popular sandwich as it is.  If you would like us to warm the mushroom for you, don't hesitate to ask and we'll be happy to do it.  As to the bread, it does get soggy.  Normally, we try to warn folks about this when they are taking the sandwich to go.  It isn't as bad if you eat it right away.  Of course, we are happy to make it on any bread you request.  It is very good on the Ciabatta roll.  But that Wheat Bread we have is so good, and it seems a natural choice for a healthy vegetarian sandwich.  I'll remind the sandwich crew to drain the mushrooms well.    -Jim (The Cook)

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04/17/2006
06:00 PM

"The lamb that I picked up for my Easter dinner was outrageously delicious! I loved it, as did my family. I can't thank you guys enough."

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04/07/2006
04:20 PM

I love the soups at lunch, and thanks for having them in the convenient quart size. I hear there's more rain still coming and it's a perfect dinner. Mary

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03/27/2006
03:04 PM

The food was great, but I was a little dissapointed [sic] to find that I was not given my discount for saying the "secret" phrase. Maybe next time I will be sure it is reflected on my bill. Thank you

REPLY:
I'm very sorry about that.  Please either contact me directly or mention in the store next time that you didn't get your discount and we will make it right.

For anyone else reading this, please contact us more directly, rather than via this anonymous method, when you have a specific problem so that we can fix it for you (I can't fix it if I don't know who you are :-)  ).  Website comments are great for when we are doing something right or wrong as a general practice.    -Jim (The Cook)

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03/19/2006
08:53 PM

I know this seems obvious, but where on your website does it mention what city your business is in?

REPLY:
We're in Hollister, California.  It's mentioned on a couple pages, such as the "Contact Us" page, but we should probably be more obvious.  I guess we assume that only people who are in our market area and have heard of us would be looking at the web site.  Thank you for bringing it up.    -Jim (The Cook)

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03/13/2006
04:49 PM

Will you be reserving orders via email any time soon? It's much easier for me to order by email when I'm at work, rather than phoning.

REPLY:
We're working on it.    -Jim (The Cook)

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03/13/2006
02:19 PM

I purchased the Seafood enchiladas that were on the menu last Friday. They were wonderful!! My husband & I fought over who was going to get the leftovers for lunch. Thanks for having such great food!! Angie

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02/20/2006
11:48 AM

i tried it for the first time last week. i drive by everyday on my way home and i figured, what the heck. and omg....it was sooo yummy.....i loved everything i bought. i can honestly say, when i don't feel like cooking, the fast food is out and the running rooster is in!! yummooo!! brandi

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02/15/2006
01:40 PM

Thank you for a wonderful Valentine Day dinner. I also purchased one for our neighbors and they couldn't say enough about it. It was all fabulous. Kim

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01/29/2006
06:07 PM

Jim Please change our e mail address from [deleted] to [deleted] Thanks and keep up the great work! Bob Bianchi

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01/19/2006
12:57 PM

Sandy, Thank you for such a wonderful meal. I was so pleased to see that everyone of my eight guests loved every bite. I almost didn't have to wash the dishes!! I definitely feel that I can depend on Running Rooster to save my cooking day!! Thanks Again, Laurel Doll

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01/12/2006
12:43 PM

I love having lunch at Running Rooster! It is such a comfortable, relaxed and friendly atmosphere. I am a big salad lover and I would love to see a more traditional Cobb salad added to your menu. Thanks for all your hard work :)

REPLY:
I would be happy to consider changing the Cobb if you can tell me in what way you would like to see it be more traditional?  Thanks.  -Jim (the Cook)

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01/12/2006
09:47 AM

I tried The Running Rooster For the First Time, Last week. YUM ! YUM! It was a wonderful dinner and I think You Got A good Thing Going. Thank You For Bringing A New Quality Choice For Meals, to Hollister. Kim "GO ROOSTER"

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01/11/2006
08:39 PM

Re: New Year's Resolution -- To re-invigorate our customer referral program. I see that you are giving 25% discounts as incentives to current customers who refer new customers. This is a great way to reward your current customers for crowing about the Rooster. The problem is that the potential new customer, who may be hesitant, only gets our (glowing) recommendation as an incentive. I think the program might work better if you split the incentive: 10% to the current customer as a reward (we don't need so much encouragement to buy from you), and 15% to the new customer, to help them join the flock. Keep up the good work and best wishes for success this year. Robert Cruz bobcruz@pacbell.net

REPLY:
This is a good idea Bob.  We're currently noodling it.  Anyone else have an opinion on this one?   - Jim (the Cook)

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01/11/2006
01:55 PM

Happy New Year Brenda & Jim! Just a comment really. I working in Hollister three days/wk. Recently, a few families at Oakwood Country School have asked about Running Rooster. We have come up with a temporary solution. They call me with their orders, I pick up and then deliver. Only problem is that some days I work until 5pm vs 4pm so deliver time is sporadic. As soon as you have located a "special" place in Morgan Hill, please let me know. Have you thought about a location near the Theater off Vineyard.....:-) Kim McKague

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01/11/2006
01:52 PM

My family and I really love your dinners and the service is great when we choose and pick up meals. Just wanted to let you know you guys are doing great and your workers are awesome. Happy New year!

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12/10/2005
05:20 PM

Not only do we love your food! But your service is exceptional!! Keep up the good work; we are glad to have you in our community! David & Shari Stevenson

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11/30/2005
10:10 PM

A fundraiser that you were doing for my daughter's school prompted me to try your food for the first time. My two children and I were quited surprised at how delicious the food is. My daughter is a bit picky and she enjoyed every bite including the veggies. My son is hoping that we get to buy dinner from you every night including the dessert. You are very friendly(including Joe) and I appreciated the personal service that you gave. The portions were perfect with enough chicken left over for lunch tomorrow. Keep up the good work!

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11/17/2005
09:19 PM

Food's unbelievable and service unparalleled. To everyone in Running Rooster - Thank You. =) Pekkel

REPLY:
Pekkel, thank you for the kind words.  We look forward to seeing you again some day.  ;-)    -Jim (the Cook)

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10/18/2005
01:31 AM

Wanted to add mention on how terrific Brian was in helping me place my order. Thank you Brian. You helped to add to the fun day!! june Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here, we might as well dance!!!! (cuz we have YOU to do the cooking)! june again

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10/18/2005
01:28 AM

Hi Rooster Gang!!!! I was one of the lucky women who toured with the Hollister Womens group on Wednesday. Friday I made my first order at the R.R. for a family birthday dinner. I was sooooo DELIGHTED to not rush home after a normal hectic day and have to cook. YIPPEE!!!! We had the lasagne because Jim told us it was the most requested. My mouth is watering right now thinking how juicy and THICK it was...did I mention it tasted pretty darn marvelous!!! Also the bread (sampled at the tour). YEOW!! Even heated up the next day for the 2 little pieces left were yummy. The blue cheese salad dressing made the salad a wipe-out...there was nothing left!!! The BROWNIES....do I even need to mention how incredible they were. We held a pet adoption day on Saturday at the Ravens Pet Safari (right across the parking lot from you). I had planned to buy everyone a brownie, but did not remember you would be closed on Saturdays for October. Maybe next month. It was a pure slice of heaven to be introduced to your service and I look forward to more. I've passed out copies of the menu to my friends with the same comments I've given to you...with a lot of jumping up and down. Here's where I come up with a whiney question....I was so excited to not cook that night, I forgot to use my discount card Jim gave us at the tour....could I have an extension on it? Enthuiastically..... June Hockenberry....junehock@aol.com.....628-9594

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09/28/2005
05:27 PM

what are your prices. What are the side dishes. Ribs are 11.99 per lb. How many lbs are sold for a family of 2. You use to have a whole price list.

REPLY:
The prices for each item are given in the description of that item.  When you look at the menu calendar, you can click on any item to see a description, picture, and price at the bottom of the page.  As to quantities recommended for certain numbers of people, we used to package 2 person and family size (4 person) meals, but we found that very few people agreed with us about the "proper" amount of food for 2 or 4 people.  For some it was too much, for others it was too little.  Now, we simply offer our food in stated weight quantities.  Between you, me, and the wall, however, nearly all our entrees and sides are packaged in what WE feel to be 2 person portions.  But people should decide for themselves.

The ribs are a bit of an exception because we sell those by the slab, with slabs averaging about 1.5 pounds.  We recommend 3/4 pound per person, so in effect a single slab is also a 2 person portion, but it depends entirely on what else you are serving.

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09/13/2005
02:28 PM

Running Rooster is such a great service. It is a wonderful replacement for fast food, serving delicious, home cooked meals at a great price. It is so nice having R.R to stop off and still have a family meal. Thanks and keep up the good food. Aron Hollister

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09/12/2005
06:54 PM

The turkey served at the Kinship event this past weekend was wonderful. Especially with that added apricot topping from B&R. I can't wait until you guys are doing lunches.

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09/09/2005
08:13 PM

I loved the lentils. Thank you for catering to us vegetarians.

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09/02/2005
10:18 PM

VIA EMAIL

I love your food and would like to see enchiladas, or shrimp /chicken fettucini or even meatloafs.

thanks for dinner.

martha

REPLY:
Martha, thank you for your compliments.  As to our meatloaf, it's coming back on the menu on the 19th.  If you don't have a monthly calendar, you can download one here.  The other two ideas are good ones, and I'll look into those items.

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09/02/2005
03:30 PM

VIA EMAIL

How about us one person families? Any menu for us?

REPLY:
We have recently switched to carrying a single size of each item.  The amount in that package tends to be two servings in most cases, however we no longer distinguish "family" versus "2-person".  The reason for this is to keep the cost of the plastic packaging down (it has risen dramatically with the price of oil and freight) and because customer feedback told us that what was just right for two people in one case, might feed four in another, and barely one person in yet another case.  So we allow the customer to decide how much they need to buy.

In your case, if we packaged smaller quantities, than the cost of the packaging would even more adversely affect the cost you paid, in a disproportionate way we feel.  It's like those "lunchables" that kids always seem to love.  The cost of the packaging in those is more than the cost of the food.  We're just not willing to sell a product like that.  So we hope you will be willing to buy a package, and if it is too much for one meal, you'll have some nice leftovers.

 

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08/31/2005
01:14 PM

I love the Running Rooster! The food is good and plentiful. The friendly service is exceptional. Thanks for making my life easy!

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08/26/2005
10:42 PM

I

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08/23/2005
07:49 PM

hollister is a bedroom community so i think your set up is perfect for all of us commuters who still want good ol' home cooked food. keep up the good work your food is delicious!

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08/22/2005
03:10 PM

VIA EMAIL

Hi Jim the Cook, Brenda and all –

We tried the wonderfully spicy Cajun chicken and pasta last week and also the chicken with 40 cloves. Incredible!!!! Both of them were fantastic.

The Cajun chicken pushed my sister’s heat tolerance a bit and I added additional Tabasco so I would say it was spiced perfectly.

The chicken with garlic was beyond our expectations. Meltingly tender and the cloves of garlic were sweet and butter-soft. Just perfect!

Thanks for making dinner so very easy.

Helen

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08/19/2005
06:40 PM

Ok - I just called Brian and you are already out - it's only 4:30pm on Friday - of the Chicken Mamou. so my comment is simply. Make more for next week! It's a great thing!

REPLY:
Yes, Chicken Big Mamou surprised us with it's popularity (usually new dishes take a while to catch on).  It was a good idea to call early and for those who don't know, we'll be happy to reserve something for you if you call us anytime after 2PM at 634-0135.  Obviously this time we sold out very early.  I'm sorry.

Guessing the proper amount of food to cook each day is one of our biggest challenges.  If we cook too much, it may go to waste, raising our costs and our prices (if it happens regularly).  If we cook too little, people may get disappointed that we run out.  Unfortunately, the business fluctuates according to some pattern that would even confuse Steven Hawking I'm sure.  Gangbusters one Thursday, then quiet the next.  But we're trying our best and will work to scale production up to keep pace with the overall trend of our growing customer base.

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08/19/2005
12:47 PM

We tried the Cajun Chicken Big Mamou last night and it was incredible! The "kick" that it has is just right, spicy to the taste but not burning after your bite. Excellent job! The zucchini was so fresh and cooked to perfection! And for the chocolate decadence cake, mmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Amazing as always! Thanks and keep up the great work!

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08/18/2005
05:19 AM

VIA EMAIL

Hi,

Just wanted to tell you that we had the Chicken Mamou last night & it was outstanding! Thanks for the email!

Regards,

Sandy Hughes

REPLY:
Thank you, Sandy.  For those who don't know, the email that Sandy is referring to is our Running Rooster News Letter.  The newsletter is how we send out menu information, as well as offering subscriber-only discounts.  If you would like to subscribe, you can do so on our Rooster News page.

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08/03/2005
11:19 AM

VIA EMAIL

Hi There

My husband and I just love your food and the service you provide. I just wanted to know if you have any food that you suggest that would be low fat. We are trying to lose some weight but both work so much that we have no time for cooking. I would love to order from you all our dinners, if we knew they would be on the low fat side.

Please let me know and you get a chance.

Thank You

Libby

REPLY:
Thank you, Libby.  I'm glad that you and your husband find the service helpful.  That was our intent all along, to help busy people eat good food at home.

As to low fat dinners, our dinners vary from one to the next in their appropriateness for a 'low fat' diet.  Our chicken (if you don't eat the tastiest part - the skin), the Lentil Stew, many of the salads (easy on the dressing), and some others would be good choices.  Especially if you balance the quantity of main course you eat with lots of good veggies and such on the side.  That said, please know that in a highly regulated industry like food, the term "low fat" has very specific legal requirements if you label a product as "low fat".  The laboratory testing to determine if we are in compliance on a given item, according to FDA rules, is beyond our means at this point, so we have to stay away from making any kind of specific nutritional content claims such as "low fat".

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07/30/2005
08:01 PM

VIA EMAIL

The farm house pot roast was absolutely fabulous. I've made it several times but never did it taste like yours. The roast was perfect and the gravy was exceptional.

You guys are great.

Pete

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03/06/2008
11:21 PM

I'm a Peckerwood. Free the Birds!!!!

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01/24/2008
06:05 PM

We are new to the area and LOVE your food!!

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01/22/2008
08:13 AM

I appreciate your daily specials and the new low price. I would be more apt to come in and have lunch with a $5 dollar lunch. Thanks for being a great lunch spot.

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11/28/2007
11:25 AM

We really love your food but we have moved out of the immediate area (San Jose). Do you have any plans to offer frozen meals that could be shipped? Is this something you could put in the newletter to see if there is enough interest? Thanks and we will keep reading your newsletter and visiting when we come to Hollister!!

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11/02/2007
03:43 PM

Why camera broken? You no pay bills? Theees is like free porn to me. I watch all the time. You need secret sauce?

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10/02/2007
01:32 PM

I no likee feedback anymoe