My friend, let's call her Bonnie, is a terrible cook. She has been known to put on a pan of water to boil, and then forget about it for hours, until all the water evaporates and the pan itself starts to cook.  Her husband, Bobby says that in their house they don't have pot roast, they have roast pot.  He can't cook either.  Here's a few examples of Bobby's cooking prowess.  He says he doesn't like to cook hot dogs on the grill, because "they roll off all the time." He was also unaware that lighter fluid is unnecessary with a gas grill. He once made me a cheeseburger and forgot take off the plastic cheese wrapper. "I didn't know you were supposed to!" he joked.  Cooking on the grill is the only cooking he has attempted, because "if there's a fire, it'll be outside."  Out of all my friends, they, by far, have the cleanest kitchen. If they go anywhere near it, their dog starts to chew it's own tail. They use their oven as extra storage space. Bonnie accidently set off the self-cleaning setting once and cooked a blanket. (I've changed their names so they remain my friends)

Bonnie and Bobby, as a result, eat out quite a bit. One of the places they love, is Athena's on Young St,  in the city of Tonawanda.  Athena's  is a friendly, "Where everybody knows your name"  kind of place that always has good, stick to your ribs, home style comfort food at an affordable price.  They offer a broad menu, that includes souvlaki, pork chops, meatloaf and mashed potatoes and breakfast all day, and daily specials.  They have the meals Bobby and Bonnie would cook for themselves at home, if they could, but Athena's does it for them. The waitress might calls them "sweetie" or "honey" and they like it.  She wants them to have a good meal, and wants them to come back. They have dessert racks with pie, and there is always another waitress wandering around with a coffee pot offering refills.  Athena's doesn't have a website, but they do have plenty of loyal regular customers, mostly from the neighborhood. They also have many long time employees, because it's a fun place to work.  At peak times during the day, there is often a wait for a table. 

Athena's, and neighborhood places like them will never make the top ten list of area restaurants, but they easily make the top "place to go" list of their many regulars. Just ask Bobby and Bonnie. At Athena's  everybody does know their names.  Their real ones.

Athena's Beef Souvlaki