Mid-Michigan Dining

• 7216 W. Saginaw Hwy.
• Lansing, MI 48917
• (517) 886-1330
• No Known Website
• Menu

Frank's Press Box on Saginaw Highway in Lansing.

Time for the weekly shopping trip.  We got a little lazy today and slept in pretty late then had a hard time getting going, but we needed to run to Walmart and Horrocks to pick up just a few things before we head home for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Both of us were starving when we left so we decided to eat first. 

Every time we go out that way, we go by Frank’s Press Box on Saginaw Highway.  It always looks deserted, but we always go during the day during the week.  When we pulled into the parking lot today (on a Sunday), the parking lot was the opposite of deserted.  In fact, it was packed.  The inside of the restaurant was no different.  Most of the tables were full and all eyes were pointed at the TV’s.  We figured out later the Lions game was blacked out and the only way to see it was to have the NFL package which Frank’s obviously did. 

The restaurant/sports bar is divided into three rooms.  Near the front is a game room with a number of pool tables.  The bar area also has a large dining room designated as the smoking section then there’s another section separated by a tiny wall and a fireplace designated non-smoking by green paint on a mirror near the back of the space.  The wall did nothing.  My coat smells like cigar smoke which was painfully noticeable during the meal.  Each section has a number of TV’s.  From our table, I could see seven LCD TV’s and each of them had a different football game on, but the audio from the Lions game was pumped in via speakers.

When we walked in, we weren’t sure we would be able to eat.  I walked into the non-smoking section and found a table for two empty along the back wall.  We settled in and waited for a waitress.  Now, I know it was crowded, but service left a lot to be desired.  It took quite a while for one of the two waitress’s…yes, only two in a packed bar, to notice us sitting there.  One of them came over and took drink orders and said she’d be back with menus.  Not long after she left, the other waitress came over with menus and asked what we wanted to drink.  Don’t know who took or tried to take whose table, but J politely informed her the other waitress was getting our drinks, but we’d keep the menus. 

Frank's Press Box between I-96 and the Lansing Mall on Saginaw Highway

The first waitress came back with drinks and tried to walk away, but again, J stopped her and let her know we were ready to order.  We weren’t sure how long it would take her to get back, so we didn’t want to let her go.  The menu is typical pub food.  They had a number of yummy looking hamburgers and I was really hungry, so I went for something really hearty.  My choice ended up being the BBQ Burger which was served with BBQ sauce, bacon, and Gouda cheese.  She asked if I wanted fries, so I’m assuming they were extra.  It took probably 15 minutes or so to get our food.  Not terrible, but why we were waiting, the waitress never came back and our drinks sat empty for probably 12 of those 15 minutes.  When my burger did come out, I was pretty impressed.  The BBQ was actually served on the side which worked well for us because J likes to dip fries in BBQ sauce instead of ketchup, so I took just what I wanted for my sandwich and gave her the rest.  The burger was huge and pretty good. Had I left the onion, tomato, lettuce, and pickles on, there is no way I would have gotten it in my mouth.  The fries were beer battered and super crispy plus there was a good amount, so there was no worry of leaving hungry.

J ordered the Bleu Cheese Chicken Wrap.  It sounded delicious, but the execution was off a little bit.  The wrap consisted of crispy chicken fingers in hot sauce, bleu cheese, lettuce and tomato, but she kept the tomato off.  If you want a bleu cheese sandwich, this is the one to order.  There was a solid core of bleu cheese at least half an inch thick.  She said the chicken was good, but it was really hard to taste even after picking out a good chunk of the bleu cheese.  On top of that, they used a huge tortilla..probably over a foot, so there was a lot of excess tortilla wrapped around a small amount of chicken and a lot of bleu cheese.  The wrap looked humongous, but it was all filler and no meat.  Like I said, I good concept for a sandwich, but a poor execution.

We noticed a lot of pizzas coming out and just attributed that to the crowd.  There was quite a diverse group.  There were guys in Lions apparel of course, but we also saw Cowboys, Bucs, and even Bears hats watching their favorite team.  Come to find out, pizzas were the special.  Buy one get one free.  No one told us that and there was no mention of specials inside the restaurant.  I noticed in a board near the entrance on our way out and I had to walk up close to see what it said.  Would have been nice had our waitress told us that.  Instead, we spent $25 on pub food.  My burger was good and worth the price, but J’s wrap was a little disappointing.  She loved the fries and filled up on those, but it’s frustrating to know now that pizza was on special and could have saved us a few bucks.  The pizza on the table next to us looked good.

So, mixed reviews on the food and poor service is the overall impression of Frank’s Press Box.  I loved the atmosphere and the fact that you could watch any game that was being played today, but would have appreciated a little more attention from the waitstaff.  I wouldn’t rule out a second visit.  I know they were busy and that plays into to it, but I can’t imagine that this is the first Sunday all year the place has been packed.  Add another waitress to help out and things may have run a little more smoothly.  Lunch took about an hour which isn’t really good.  At least we got to watch the Lions.