Tucked in one corner of the Memorial Union is the Maintenance Shop. Although known best for its live music and not as well-visited as the other food vendors in the Union, the M-Shop offers a unique menu and eating environment. The Daily’s dining duo found out if the independent flavor of the M-Shop’s deli was enough to wow their taste buds.

Atmosphere:

AL:Eating lunch while being stared down on by the pictures of legendary jazz, blues, country and rock musicians — some of whom are dead — is a little creepy. Then again, I would probably eat dirt at a place where you can sit on the same stage where so many legendary bands have played. It’s strange to walk into the M-Shop and see tables placed in front of the infamous stained glass, but the background music and laid-back atmosphere make it one of the most comfortable dining environments in the whole city.

ER: Dining onstage at the M-Shop is one of the most unique experiences you can have in Ames. Where else can you eat with photos of Son Seals on the wall? A place like this in a big city would charge huge money for this experience.

An array of tables sat scattered under dim lights in a large dining room. Looking at the snapshot of history that the M-Shop has captured on its walls, I began to wonder why so many people ate in the sterile, homogenous cafeteria upstairs. I must tip my fork to ISU Dining Service for not bastardizing the M-Shop. I was afraid that when the university took over the Memorial Union, the M-Shop would stop selling beer and start serving the infamous uni-meat they serve to the freshmen in the dorms. Besides the blue shirts embroidered with Dining Service on the sleeve of the shirts worn by the workers behind the bar, the Dining Service touch on the M-Shop is minimal. The M-Shop offers a great dining experience and scored huge points with me.

Service:

AL:The M-Shop is minimalistic to the point where you have to fill out your own order card with what you want to eat. It’s kind of strange, but at the same time, it’s a unique feeling to have so much control over your menu. This isn’t the same as the nifty order board at the Wendy’s drive-through, but then again, that’s the point. Plus, the under-10 minute wait for a meal is the perfect amount of time to chat with friends before lunch.

ER:There was no line, which at 11 a.m. isn’t that usual. I was greeted in a friendly manner, and my order was taken quickly. Is there more you can ask for? I’m not sure there is. My lunch came eight minutes later, a wait that is acceptable. If you want good service, the M-Shop is the place to be. Well, at least early in the day.

Quantity/Value

AL:The soup-and-sandwich combo is usually the perfect-sized meal for lunch at any restaurant, and the M-Shop was no exception. In fact, the pita sandwich I had was large and overflowing with ingredients, and the bowl of soup certainly wasn’t small. Topped off with a crisp pickle and a bag of chips, the Shop set the bar high for lunchtime value.

ER: For $5.25, the M-Shop hit me right in the sweet shop in the pocket book. After ordering an 82-ounce drink over spring break in Los Angeles that cost $28 and came in a fish bowl, the low price was quite welcoming. The special for the day was a half sandwich with soup. The meal allowed me to put on “three proteins” and as many veggies and condiments as I wanted. Although I love large amounts of food, I did hold myself back and only ordered a few veggies and mayo. The bowl of chili that came with my meal put the it right in order for the perfect amount of food for lunch.

Quality/Taste

AL:Menu choice is a definite perk at the Shop. Although soups and sandwiches are really your only major options (besides the phenomenal M-Chips), the sheer volume of choices on the menu is crazy. I’d like to tell you every last ingredient I had on my pita, but I went a little overboard and lost count. Let’s just call it a turkey pita and leave it at that.

My pita wasn’t the most exciting sandwich I’ve ever had, but it wasn’t bad for a quick, inexpensive lunch. The soup choices were also plentiful, but I eventually settled on a fairly flat-tasting creamy potato soup. Much like my sandwich, I wasn’t knocked out of my chair by its flavor or originality, but I wasn’t upset by it either. Eating at the Shop is the indie equivalent of Planet Hollywood — most of the food, with a few exceptions, is pretty average, but what really sets it apart from the crowd is its atmosphere.

ER:The M-Shop offers a large array of food. I ordered a sandwich with turkey and bacon garnished with green peppers, roasted red peppers and mayo. There wasn’t quite as much bacon on the sandwich as I wanted, and the taste got lost in the turkey. I’m told eating pork, especially bacon, isn’t that good for my diet. Little do they knew I have a secret plan to get my cholesterol up to 220 by the time I’m 24. Maybe I should have ordered extra? The green peppers were large and quite fresh. The chili was OK. Fresh chunks of tomatoes, meat and beans made up the M-Shop chili. A small hint of spice was added to top it off. Overall, the meal was quite basic. It wasn’t much more than what I can make in my kitchen at home, but the price was low, and I was much closer to my next class.

Final Say:

AL: 3 of 5 forks

ER: 3 of 5 forks