Following a complete change in mission and menu at Bucky’s, I have posted an updated review of our experience, and the “Bucky Burger” here.

But, if you’re really interested in reading my first review of Bucky’s, read on…

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A few weeks ago I noticed that Bucky’s Soup Sandwiches Salads was opening near the corner of Cedar and 42.

We had a recent comment that let us all know that Bucky’s was opening soon and I decided that I needed to get over there to let everyone know what was up.

I had to drop Kim off at 28th Ave so that she could head in to work and I was on my way to Northfield to watch Penn State lose to Michigan. I needed a salad for lunch and I figured that I had worn out Subway as an option (even though their fat free dressing options are decent) so I headed down to Bucky’s Soup Sandwiches Salads to see what they had to offer over Subway.

I walked into the store with who I presume to be a manager/owner outside painting colorful notices of the offerings inside. I checked the hours on the door and from what I remember they are open from 10 until 8. Nothing like what Subway offers but still decent if you’re looking to eat lunch and dinner at the “normal” times.

The inside is quite large for any sandwich shop and had quite a bit more seating room than I would have ever expected. The counter is at the back of the store and was staffed by two young employees. There was a printed menu taped to the front side of the counter and there was a large blackboard behind and above it that listed some options (none of which were salads).

I took a look at the green printed menu and it said that you had the option of making any sandwich into a salad. It appeared that the majority of their sandwiches (which included meat) were in the $5.95 range (I should have grabbed a menu but I didn’t see any available, sorry). I decided on a vegetarian salad which had been my intention from the get-go.

They listed numerous vegetables on their menu and I really wish I had that list in front of me now because I believe that I didn’t get half of what was listed there after I left with my take-out salad. The two behind the counter worked together on my salad and asked me several times what I wanted on it and I told them everything “except olives”.

While they were fixing my salad greens, I perused their salad dressing offerings. They had a couple of pre-made salads that included meat in the cooler above them and then a row of various dressings that seemed to only include one that was fat free (I could be wrong) and that was honey mustard. I chose the honey mustard and went to the cashier.

The cashier was a young man who had at first rung me up only for the bottle of water I took from another cooler. After trying to swipe my card through and failing he brought over the woman he was working with who added on what I assume was the salad and then ran it through. I ended up paying $8.20 for both the water and the salad.

Now, with the sandwiches being in the $5.95 range and the water (IIRC) being $1.25, I think that they must have charged for the dressing too. Now, I didn’t get any meat on it and I think I was missing some veggies as well. Instead of the bottled water I should have taken them up on the freely available water in a huge glass container next to the register with lemon slices floating on top.

The menu did mention that wifi is available in the restaurant and they had a few tables with newspapers laying over them. The woman outside was using newspaper on the windows she was painting on so I’m not sure if the newspapers are a permanent fixture or just part of the on-going work on the place.

Now for my comments:

I really feel that if you’re offering sandwiches and salads as your main purpose that you should be making something more interesting than your typical sub shop with salads being little more than an afterthought. Even the now defunct Jan’s Brown Bag Deli had some interesting names for what they had on the menu.

I felt like I was completely overcharged for a vegetarian salad with the few items I had on top of it. I also didn’t care for the bagged dressings with only one fat free option but that’s not a huge concern for the general public.

I don’t believe that this location will work at all in its current state and will unfortunately fail just like so many others in the area that aren’t backed with corporate money. There just isn’t enough need for “yet another sub shop” that has only wifi to top what is already offered at Subway. There is also not much around there to offer lunchtime customers as opposed to McDonalds, KFC, A&W, Subway, Denny’s, Raising Cane’s, etc.

Well, I suggest you stop in and see for yourself and post away below. I have no problems in returning if things improve. Please do let me know if they do!

See all the pictures from Bucky’s here (mobile).

The Apple Valley TCF Bank was robbed yesterday by someone who kidnapped the bank manager’s mother and two year old son and demanded that the money be dumped in Farmington.

Read on here (WCCO) and on (FOX) here.

This bank has also been the recent “victim” of a bomb scare which was meant to extort money. See here and here for more on that story.

The bank is located at the corner of Cedar and 42 near Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, Bucky’s Soup Salads and Sandwiches and Osaka Seafood and Steakhouse in Apple Valley.