"Carrows with Erin Whitehead" is Episode 11 of Doughboys, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "Carrows with Erin Whitehead" was released on July 23, 2015.
Synopsis[]
Actress and writer Erin Whitehead joins the Doughboys for the wake of disappearing southwest diner chain Carrows.
Nick's intro[]
In 1970, David G. Nancarrow opened his hickory-chip restaurant in the northern California city of Santa Clara, giving it his last name minus the first syllable. One location grew into many, and for decades, the diner-style chain flourished in the western United States, becoming known for its breakfast, prime rib, and pies. In fact, in the 1990s, the magazine Consumer Reports rated it as the Best Chain Restaurant In America.
Carrows
But much like the publication that once praised it, the company failed to evolve with the times and its market position gradually eroded into irrelevance.
As recently as 2013, it still maintained 55 eateries across the American Southwest, but after Food Management Partners, the giant conglomerate that owns Buffalo Wild Wings and Little Caesar's, bought the chain in early 2015, corporate overlords rapidly shuttered most of the remaining restaurants. As of now, it's down to a mere sixteen locations, all in California.
With this once-proud chain on its last legs, the question becomes "Can it survive?"
And to be frank, does it even deserve to?
This week on Doughboys, we mourn and celebrate... Carrows.
Fork rating[]
| guest / host | ordered | rating |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger |
|
2 forks |
| Mike Mitchell |
|
.5 fork |
| Erin Whitehead |
|
2 forks |
| Nick and Mitch shared |
|
Five years later, in episode 266, Mitch introduces a negative fork rating and drops his Carrows score to -1 forks.
In episode 306, the Doughboys come up with the Broken Plate Club, and retroactively, Carrows was the first member.
Drank or Stank[]
V8 Spicy Mango
In Drank or Stank, the Doughboys try a beverage and rate it either 'Drank' or 'Stank.'
In this episode, they try V8 Spicy Mango.
They all agree that it is terrible.
| guest / host | verdict |
|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | Stank |
| Mike Mitchell | Stank |
| Erin Whitehead | Stank |
Quotes[]
| “ | Smoking a pack of cigarettes is better than eating at Carrows. | ” |
–Mike Mitchell | ||
| “ | Let's talk about the chain equivalent of bad morning breath. | ” |
–Mike Mitchell | ||
| “ | I'm a big-time creamy sauce guy! | ” |
–Nick Wiger | ||
| “ | Mitch: Did cavemen milk cows? Erin: They milked ladies and sabre-toothed tigers. |
” |
–The Doughboys re: milk | ||
#hashtags[]
- #GimmeDatTeeSpoonman vs. #IGuessIllHaveTheLilWigesTheBurgerBoyTShirt
The Feedbag[]
| “ | Hi guys. Love the 'cast so far. I've made the claim that wet naps should be made available with all chain fast food meals, not just Chili's. Think about it. Most of the food is designed to be eaten by hand: burgers, french fries, tacos, fried chicken, etc. And having wet naps afterwards would really class up the experience in my mind. Where do you guys stand on this issue? | ” |
–Mike Saltscuber | ||
| guest / host | position on wet naps |
|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | likes the idea of an option for wet naps |
| Mike Mitchell | too many wet naps would be bad for the environment |
| Erin Whitehead | wet naps would be helpful, but would not class up anything |
References[]
| official visits | location | notes |
|---|---|---|
| Carrows | South Pasadena, CA | Nick and Mitch went to this location together for the show |
| Carrows | Ojai, CA | Erin grew up in Ojai and seemed to base her review on this location |
| restaurants | location | notes |
|---|---|---|
| Brigham's Ice Cream | Wollaston, MA | Nick asks Mitch about some old Quincy favorites |
| Regina Pizzeria | Boston, MA | Nick asks Mitch about some old Quincy favorites, and he calls this the 'best pizza in the nation' (this is first time he has mentioned Regina on the show). |
| Santarpio's Pizza | Boston, MA | Mitch mentions this in regards to some great pizza in Boston |
| Mike's Pastry | Boston, MA | Mitch tells Nick if he's in Boston, he should go to Regina and Mike's (they're next to each other) |
| Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletona | New Haven, CT | Mitch mentions this for having famous pizza, but he has not gone. Erin had though. Neither remember its name. |
| Domino's | Ojai, CA | Erin was a driver for Domino's in Ojai when she was 17 |
| O-Hi Frostie | Ojai, CA | Erin mentions this Foster's Freeze knock-off in Ojai |
| Carrows | Santa Monica, CA | Nick would regularly get breakfast there because he worked next door at one point |
| Elephant Bar | - | this chain was founded by the son of the founder of Carrows |
Related Episodes[]
| Erin Whitehead episodes |
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Photos[]
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