Quaint. Historical. Fun. Those were my first
impressions upon seeing the Jailhouse Rock
Café in downtown Bakersfield.

Located inside the
Woolworth’s on 19th
street, The Jailhouse Rock
Café was entirely new to
me. Having never heard
of this place before, it
was easy to keep an open
mind.

I first want to talk about the overall accessibility
of the place. I was surprised and let down
when I discovered it is only open for lunch from
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For someone like me who does
not live nearby, this is a real problem. It means
the café is only really accessible to people who
live or work near the area.

This may have accounted for the very few
customers I saw dining there. They can’t expect
to attract much business opening for only five
hours a day.

The menu selection was dismal. It consisted
of a small variety of hamburgers and sandwiches,
as well as a few ice cream dishes.

The service was nothing special either. I
wouldn’t say the server was rude to me, but any
special order I made seemed to cause him inconvenience,
as if I was wasting his time.

I consider myself a very picky eater, so when
it came to writing my first published restaurant
review, I had to consider my tastes compared to
the tastes of my audience.

I am a carnivore on a college student budget,
so whatever I have for lunch you can bet it has
meat and it’s relatively cheap. The café didn’t
disappoint me here. The food was good quality
for a reasonable price.

I figured I couldn’t go wrong with a burger
and fries. The seasoned steak fries were crispy
and delicious. The burger was a little bland and
a little dry, but decent considering its price;
roughly $8 for the hamburger combo.

I think people are mostly paying for the experience
rather than the food. The vintage design
of the place made for a simple 1950s atmosphere.
But don’t let that fool you. No amount
of cute design could make up for what I found
out. A friend who went on a later date told me
she saw a cockroach in the restaurant.

To earn a decent review, cleanliness and quality
service is essential. Nothing scares away a
customer like an insect infestation.

I give this restaurant one star, for effort and
French fries. The rest of the experience was forgettable.
I would recommend that people save
themselves the hassle and go to Johnny Rocket’s
or Red Robin for a better old school diner
experience.