Salernos: What is it that draws the crowds?

A few Friday nights ago the family and I were looking for a place to dine. The rules were the same as they usually are -- some place close (in Flower Mound), relatively quiet, good food for grown-ups and kids, reasonable price. We could only narrow the choices down to three -- Christina's (1171/Shiloh), Baris (2499/Churchill), and Salerno's (across the street from Baris). So we decided to call each restaurant to find out the waiting time. Christina's -- 10-minute wait. Bari's -- no wait. Salerno's -- a 30-minute wait. That night we took the easy way out and went to Bari's. Had a nice meal, in fact, and of course we got right in.

So what is it about Salerno's that keeps this place packed when restaurants with comparable food and surroundings aren't nearly as much so?

We had been to Salerno's twice before, but not once since 1999. The last time we went there was for a Sunday School class party where the menu (Lasagna, as I recall) was set in advance. We didn't much like that lasagna, and we hadn't been back there since.

The night before Thanksgiving, we packed up the kids, and my mother-in-law, and pulled into the Salerno's parking lot. With everyone else either travelling to Grandma's or pre-cooking the family feast, Salerno's was a walk-in-and-be-seated kind of place on this night. We got a booth-table in the center room, in between the kitchen and the bar, and we enjoyed peeking at the TV sets that were showing a Mavs game.

But what about the food? Keep in mind my usual disclaimer -- we are not gourmet eaters, and we don't go very deep into the menu. We loved the cheese sticks, and they tasted totally homemade, which is different from most places. My son and I shared a pizza. The crust is medium-weight (not thin, not thick). The pizza was pretty good, though I think I like Bari's thin-crust and Alforno's medium-crust pizza better. My wife's dish (and now I can't remember what she had) was terrific, so she says. My mother-in-law, same thing.

Despite the fact we all enjoyed our food, I wouldn't put Salerno's in a different class from Alfornos or Bari's. All three are very good local restaurants. So why is Salerno's such a hot spot? Tradition, I suppose. The name, I suppose. Here's another reason. When we were leaving the restaurant, there was a nice crowd of people hanging out in the bar. The way they acted in there, they seemed like regulars. I guess if a restaurant has a "family" of loyal customers, then the family can carry a restaurant for years and years. That perhaps is the reason why Salerno's is so popular and loved by so many Flower Mounders.