Triple 8 Cafe (888), Altamonte Springs

I had lunch today at this Chinese/Italian/American restaurant on 434 near 436. It's in a decrepit old fast food shanty that recently housed Asian Express. It opened recently. I had a Thai Chicken Wrap with a soda for $5 (even with tax). It came in a tortilla! The chicken was from a bag (fake chicken bits cobbled out of chemicals and fillers). The kind fast food restaurants put on your salad. The lettuce was iceberg. It also had small amounts of cucumber, onion and tomato. The peanut sauce was ok. I'm not sure what to make of this place. The ad said the meal was to be prepared by the former executive chef of the Flamingo Hilton. I'm still not sure if that is a recommendation. I'm serious. The Flamingo has been relevant since Bugsy and even then I'm not sure it was known for its food. We could be talking king of the 99 cent buffet here. Anyway. The place is a shambles. They didn't improve anything (it needed it). Weeds grow out of the foundation (nice curb appeal). The glass they gave me was sticky. The table wasn't wiped down. The AC barely functioned. The menus (wall, hand held, to go) don't match up. The sign says Chinese and Italian (everybody's favorite combo), but, inside they tout American. There are definitely some deals here (although two french dips at Arby's only cost $4 with a coupon). I just wouldn't show about expecting more than fast food quality in a crackhouse environment. Which makes the inclusion of what some might consider a selling point (credentialed Executive Chef) a question mark. If you are going for the lowest rung on the ladder, why do you need/market someone of that caliber to steer the ship? This seems like a poor match. But, maybe the guy is just ashes in a can above the stove and this is some inventive puffery. If not, I strongly suggest they take a broom or a match to this place asap and then start over with a plan that makes use of their golden goose. That means a nice place with an ambitious menu with price points to match. If not, I advise them to save money and not advertise. Your eventual customer base will only consist of poor people from the neighborhood (like the last place) if you don't change what you are doing. The biggest risk you now face is having someone show up and sample your restaurant. No one of quality would ever go back.