I'd been dying to try Tom + Chee because it's something Dayton doesn't have. Remember in the early 2000s when Time Warner kept showing Sonic ads to the Miami Valley and the closest one was 30 miles away in Middletown, and we all went apeshit when they opened six of them at once? Then we were all, "Oh, that's it?" Similar experience at Tom + Chee. I'm not saying it's as bad as the experiences I've had at Sonic, but at least Sonic has their "system" down. Let me explain.

I managed to drag Mr. FvF to a mid-century furniture show in Sharonville. Normally, we'd hit up Izzy's when in that part of town. Alas, Izzy's is closed on Sundays, co-conspiring with Chick-fil-a to ruin my Sabbath and not give me the foods that I want. We were both newbs to the dine-in experience, even though he'd had one of their sandwiches at a con a few months prior.



Contrary to popular belief, I actually hate shit-talking any eating establishment (especially local or regional) unless they've somehow personally wronged me (this is why I'll never eat at Disalvo's) or I know them to be unclean. My first experience with T+C was way below par. It's an order at the counter joint, and they bring you your food - similar to a deli. The line was to the door and the place was already at capacity, so I couldn't help but wonder where the hell all these people will go, and hoping some orders are to-go.

We picked up our drink cups and waited behind four people at the soda fountain, then started circling like vultures to catch a visual or verbal cue from a family or couple about to vacate a table. We finally caught one and wiped down the sticky table ourselves, and our food arrived about 5-10 minutes later. I got the Flying Pig - roasted turkey, bacon, smoked gouda on white (grilled), along with a dipper of the creamy tomato basil. If you're wondering what the hell a dipper is, it's basically a shot of soup just for dunking your sandwich. My sandwich was pretty good, but just not mind-blowing. I'll admit, my taste buds may have been predisposed to harsh judgement because of the Thunderdome experience of vying for a table. The soup was not something I'd get again. I didn't exactly find it creamy, and it was way too sweet.

Given the right circumstances, I'd try it again but I certainly wouldn't wait in a long line or arm wrestle for a table. The cost was pretty reasonable, though. Two sandwiches, two soups (one big, one small) and two beverages came to just over $20. As much as fast food prices have risen, you'd pretty easily pay that for two combos at most places - and I would pick Tom + Chee over most of that crap any day.