Set your story in the lowest rated restaurant in town.

Posted in Fluff on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 52 stories

“24 hour diner: where time stops” by Hannah Bee

Submitted to Contest #141

It’s 3:33 am, give or take. The clock on the wall above the kitchen pass has never quite run-on time. Sometimes ahead, sometimes behind. I’d given up on making sense of it. This place was the worst rated in town, but it was open 24 hours so it could be forgiven. Hazy orange light filtered about the diner, with the occasional flash of headlights winking at the windows. The air was thick, the ticking of the clock the only noise to cut through it. 27 more minutes. I nursed a cup of coffee in my hands. I’d poured it some time ago but hadn’t ...

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“Papa Luigi's Revenge” by Amy Martin

Submitted to Contest #141

“Really? This is the place?” I said out loud to myself, as I pulled the keys from the ignition of my old rusty yet faithful Toyota Camry. Looking at the yellow post-it note I had stuck to the dash, I checked the name I had scribbled down—Papa Luigi’s. Looking back up at the establishment across the street confirmed it. Getting out of the car I triple clicked the button on my key fob—not knowing the neighborhood but knowing what Papa Luigi’s looked like, I definitely had little trust for the area. Papa Luigi’s was what might be considered a...

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“Safe” by Alexandra C. Eldrick

Submitted to Contest #141

All at once the thunder crashed with such intensity it could have been right beside her, and the brief flash of lightning illuminated a sheet of pouring rain that obscured the entire street. Melia hugged her coat closer around her neck, trying in vain to close any openings that were allowing water to fall in and soak her clothes. The storm had come out of nowhere. One minute she had been walking home, enjoying the fact that the weather had finally warmed enough for her to forego the crowded afternoon bus. The next the sky was a ghastly grey,...

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“Shine Brightly You 1-Star; Shine Brightly!” by Bill Kurtze

Submitted to Contest #141

Shine Brightly You 1- Star - Shine Brightly! “As Chairman of this esteemed Senior’s Association it is with pleasure that I ask the membership to please come to order. Would the Corporate Secretary please have the minutes show that this is the 553 annual general meeting of the Pointed Nose Seniors’ Association. I have purposely limited this meeting’s agenda to one item because I am certain all members will want ample time to think about and discuss the ramifications and nuances of what we are about to decide. I know the news is excit...

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“Half-a-Star Nightmare” by David Lontok

Submitted to Contest #141

I looked up at its façade, looked back down to my phone, then looked up again. The photo matched. Expectation equaled reality. “Today’s Diner,” I whispered, reading the sickly sign. “Why? Is it gone tomorrow?” I got the place right, yes, but I had no idea why Mom—who loved the company of heavenly cuisine, sparkling ambiance, and five stars all around—would dare to set foot in it. Maybe it gets better beyond the cracked windows, stuttering neon lights, and stained walls, I thought. Mom’s arctic-white SUV was parked right outside, and I kne...

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“The Glass Palace” by Bella Fox

Submitted to Contest #141

I met Jensen at The Glass Palace, the worst rated restaurant in town, I had thought it would be funny to go to what had been unaffectionately nicknamed The Ass Palace by my classmates. I was a senior in high school at the time, and as soon as I walked in, I was hit by an overwhelming stench. It smelled far too similar to rotten meat for my liking, which did nothing to increase my want to stay and eat there, but that was when I spotted Jensen from across the room. She was drinking a milkshake at the booth in the far corner. She had thick, wav...

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“The Joint” by Thiraja B

Submitted to Contest #141

Jack sighed as he opened the doors to The Joint. The humid air hit him almost immediately but Jack was unfazed. Over the months, he had grown accustomed to the lack of ventilation, among other missing facilities one would expect at a restaurant. Though to call The Joint a restaurant, was…questionable. The Joint had ratings so abysmal that Jack and his friends had no choice but to see for themselves. And indeed, The Joint had lived up to its promise, or lack thereof. From ridiculous wait times, to disgusting food, to dirty utensils, The Joi...

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Set your story in the lowest rated restaurant in town.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 52 stories

“24 hour diner: where time stops” by Hannah Bee

“Papa Luigi's Revenge” by Amy Martin

“Safe” by Alexandra C. Eldrick

“Shine Brightly You 1-Star; Shine Brightly!” by Bill Kurtze

“Half-a-Star Nightmare” by David Lontok

“The Glass Palace” by Bella Fox

“The Joint” by Thiraja B

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone who critiques things for a living, or acts like they do.

Start your story with someone receiving a one-star review.

Write a story about someone struggling to swallow some harsh (but fair) constructive criticism.

Write about a character named after one of our contest’s judges.

Contest #141

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

177

Contest entries

111

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: