It’s just a little shack with some picnic tables, but Quick Grill has become a Strip favorite over the years, mainly due to its signature dish – the messy fries.
A pile of seasoned fries smothered in chili and covered in cheese, with a side of ranch to pour over for some optional extra flavor, messy fries have become a student staple. They’ve made their way onto T-shirts.
“I actually bought a T-shirt at [a store downtown], and the T-shirt says University Boulevard, Denny Chimes and it had messy fries, and I didn’t know what it was, and my friends were like, ‘Oh it’s Quick Grill,’” said Zoe Rosenmertz, a freshman majoring in elementary education.
Rosenmertz said she thinks the popularity of the restaurant and the dish has to do with its convenient location close to campus.
“I feel like if you’re on The Strip, this is the most convenient and the cheapest place to come to,” she said. “It just has a reputation, like when you’re out on the Strip this is where you come to, and they’re like super fast, super quick and always satisfying… no matter where you’re going. If you’re on Old Row or you’re on The Strip, either way, it’s convenient.”
Other students made the same observation, adding that it’s late hours make it one of the only places to get food near campus late at night.
“It’s like right here,” said Elisabeth Seethaler, a freshman majoring in dance and public relations. “All the bars; people are getting hungry, and it’s convenient.”
With no official social media page or website, word about Quick Grill and their fries is passed from friend to friend.
“I found out about it through friends, and we just came here one night, and it was so good, so we just started coming here all the time,” said Haley Kozon, a freshman majoring in consumer science.
Quick Grills late night hours, 6 p.m. to 3 a.m., and its location right across from Rounders also help make the food popular.
“People go out and get their party on, and then they come out and eat their messy fries,” said Colin Jewell, a sophomore majoring in accounting. He said he first came to Quick Grill his freshman year when his roommates brought him.
Last Friday, Jewell paid it forward when he and his friend Brett McCracken, a sophomore majoring in economics, were walking down The Strip.
“We were passing by, and I was like, ‘I’ve never been here,’ and he was like, ‘Oh you gotta try messy fries,’” McCracken said.
A large serving of messy fries costs $7, and there’s a small serving for $5. Ranch comes on the side, but students said it’s essential.
“The ranch makes it better,” said Emma Robson, a freshman majoring in journalism and telecommunication and film.
