Doctors and cereal commercials tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But the only way some teenagers can get a big meal is on weekends. Unless their parents are willing to make them breakfast or teens make it themselves, they don’t get the nutritional values out of breakfast. Teens need foods that fill them up and keep them energized instead of cereal or doughnuts that just fill them up for an hour then give them a quick energy boost and then they crash.

So, the Arapahoe Herald sent sophomores Sami Rice and Connor Jordan to three breakfast restaurants to see how much breakfast is, how good the food is and how the service is.

The Egg and I is going to be the next big restaurant in the community because of the great food. The Egg and I is a new breakfast place that recently opened in place of the old Dairy Queen on University.

Although this breakfast restaurant is new, its patrons love the service and most importantly, the food.

“My favorite part of the meal was the bacon, it’s delicious,” Jordan said.

The atmosphere was very busy. For a new restaurant, people have flocked to it. When Jordan and Rice arrived there, it was a ten to 15 minute wait and crowded.

“I like the atmosphere, it’s positive and inviting, a very southern feeling,” Jordan said. “The service is friendly and attentive to the customers.

The waitresses were very professional: friendly and polite. They joked around and made breakfast that much more enjoyable.”

But also almost as important as the prices is whether the customers are going to come back.

“I will come back repeatedly,” Rice said.

The IHOP is normally the first thing that comes to mind when you think of breakfast places.

Usually when you think of IHOP you think of pancakes and yummy orange juice.

But our taste testers found out otherwise. At this IHOP, on Englewood Parkway, there wasn’t good service or food.

“The green grapes were sour,” Rice said. “The meal was okay overall except for the fact that there were white particles and hair in my fruit bowl.”

Jordan and Rice both agreed on this issue.

“It was alright. The food was average. It had no pizzazz, nothing special and lacked originality,” Jordan said.

Aside from the disappointing food, the atmosphere of the restaurant seemed to miss the mark.

“The atmosphere was boring. It wasn’t welcoming. It didn’t have enough life. The theme of the atmosphere seemed to be ‘get in and go,’” Rice said. “I don’t feel relaxed with the atmosphere they’re trying to create.”

Jordan agreed with Rice about the atmosphere.

“The atmosphere was dull, almost non-existent. It wasn’t very inviting. There’s nothing that made me want to sit-down and eat their food,” Jordan said.

Almost as important as the food and atmosphere is the service.

“The service wasn’t what I would expect of the IHOP that’s been around for so many years. I don’t think IHOP is what it was when I was a kid,” Rice said. “IHOP has become less appealing in my eyes because of the service.”

Jordan’s reaction was again filled with disappointment.

“The service was robotic, they were going through the motions. They didn’t interact with the customers at all other than to give us our meal and go,” Jordan said.

Rice was also disappointed with the restaurant. “I would not consider coming back,” Rice said.

Jordan agrees. “No, I wouldn’t come back in a long, long time,” Jordan said. “There’s nothing about this restaurant that would make me want to come back.”

Everyone at Arapahoe High School has been to the Einstein Brothers across the street because of the excellent food and because it’s always packed

Students flock to the Einstein Brothers on Dry Creek and University from Arapahoe High School every lunch hour. So, what makes it such a happening place to be?

“The food at Einstein Brothers is always amazing,” Jordan said. “It’s Einstein Brothers.”

The food is great, but how is the atmosphere? Jordan and Rice both agree that the service makes the eatery.

“The people at Einstein Brothers are always excited and welcoming even when they’re really busy,” Jordan said. “They love to joke around.”

The decision for Einstein Brothers is unanimous. “I would definitely come back to Einstein Brothers,” Rice said. “It’s the place to be.”

But most importantly, how are the prices? Sit-down breakfast restaurants are notoriously high priced like IHOP and Village Inn.

But The Egg and I’s breakfasts are surprisingly low priced. “The best part of the experience is that the food is so inexpensive,” Jordan said. “They’re very reasonable.”

One meal at The Egg and I is $10 and extras like bacon and sausage don’t cost extra. For three people it’s $30 for three meals.

The IHOP’s prices have made Rice and Jordan agree that the restaurant is losing touch with their teenage customers.

“The food was too expensive for the average teen budget. Their food wasn’t up to par with their prices,” Rice said.

Jordan was very adamant about IHOP’s food and price disconnection.

“The quality of food didn’t reflect the prices at all,” Jordan said.

Einstein Brothers is probably the cheapest restaurant on this list. Einstein Brothers has bagels for 99 cents. Other places don’t have bagels on their menu like The Egg and I or IHOP.

“The food isn’t expensive. It’s reasonably priced for the quality of food,” Jordan said.