Critic's Review
The yankees had a day game, so on a sunny Thursday I decided to take a drive out to Weston. This place is right at the end of 595, although there are some twists and turns.
My love-hate relationship with my navigation system continues; might not have found it without it, but when I drove right by it the system told me to "turn right", which was wrong.
As you can see, Duffy's are not beautiful places on the outside. For a new building, this has to be among the ugliest restaurants around, particularly for a place on the water.
Duffy's also isn't pretty on the inside; although at least this is a new store. Some of them (Deerfield comes to mind), are just retrofitted Roadhouse restaurants. This one has a small bar, which was surprisingly empty considering their afternoon discount.
I was going to sit at the bar, but I saw the game on a set where there were some open booths, so I asked to be seated there. Nice big sets; I had a nice view of the game and a booth. #nice
The downside of sitting in this section is that the bartender services the tables. Duffy's are notoriously understaffed; today the bartender served as bartender for the entire restaurant, bar back, server and hostess. I suspect that she would also have been the hatcheck girl if there was a coat room.
I ordered an iced tea and asked about my options. Every once on a while I get a "reward" on my card, even though I never use the card when I go to Duffy's when I drink (as I usually just pay cash and the card slows things down). I had a $10 off certificate and a free appetizer or dessert reward, and they had the afternoon discount from 2pm-4pm. They won't give you the discount if you use a reward, so you have to do some math. One big changes is that they no longer give everyone the 40% discount from 2-4pm. They now only give 25% unless you're a premium MVP or something; you get more of a discount based on how often you come. So that was out. I didn't really find an appetizer I wanted, so I decided to use the $10 off, which had no minimum purchase.
I ordered a beverage and started to tackle their menu.
The sugar was hard as a rock. Well not quiet a rock. But I had to smack it around to get it to pour out of the packet.
The menu has become so huge it's hard to find things you know they have. I decided I'd try the Lobster Roll, because it couldn't be as bad as the one I had at Bonefish Grill the other day. I thought they had a wedge salad, but I couldn't find it. They don't have side salads listed with sides. The server/bartender assured me they had it, and said it would cost the $3.99 add-on charge. Fine.
She asked if I wanted the salad first, and I said that I did.
Music started out country western with Tim McGraw and moved through Marvin Gaye and Boston to Bob Seger and Don McLean. The salad took 12 minutes, which was longer than I'd hoped for.
This was a LOT different than the 
I'd just cut into the salad when the lobster roll was delivered. Perfect. Why do they ask if you want the salad first and then bring out the entree 2 minutes later?
I'd forgotten that I'd tried this previously in Fort Lauderdale. Unfortunately, they haven't changed this recipe, because they still put old bay on it and still put lettuce on the roll. They do give you a lot of meat, which is a good thing.
Their cold slaw is lousy; after the salad I didn't eat more than a forkful or 2.
The biggest problem with this roll was that the bread was not good; too thick and heavy for a lobster roll. I don't want a lot of bread when I eat a lobster roll; the bread should just hold it together. The lobster roll bun is an important part of the deal; a toasted, buttered top split hot dog bun is what makes a great lobster roll; this was a failure. I ended up just eating the meat for the most part.
The bartender problem arose when I wanted my check. She was taking the order from another table, and punching in stuff to the POS system. It took 10 minutes to get my check, take my card and return it to the table. Too long, but it's what happens when you're understaffed.
Conclusion
Duffy's has become the consummate example of a chain restaurant; they started out with an idea for a place that was badly needed at the time, and they've just replicated it to the point of an unbearable yawn. This location doesn't even feel like a sports bar; I didn't see one other person even look at the TVs; the people that were here can for the discounted food.
What's unfortunate is that they keep tinkering with the menu, when it's the idea that needs tinkering. Why are they sticking with the ugly decor and amateur bartenders? The huge menu and perpetual food specials make it clear that they're driving this place as a restaurant more than a sports bar; so why keep bolting helmets all over the restaurant? They call it a "signature", but it has no appeal. It's like a rock singer with a big blue mohawk; after 10 years you don't need the mohawk anymore; people aren't coming to see the mohawk.
Someone once advised me "Decide what you want to do and become the best at it", and it was good advice. Duffy's can't seem to decide between being a restaurant and a sports bar, and the result is that they're not very good at either.