It is a rarity that the Broke Gourmet has a completely poor experience at a restaurant. Sadly, the new "Family Cafe" that took over the former Starbucks location, was extremely disappointing.
We went today for brunch. The parking lot was around 2/3 full, and as we walked to the door, we saw a green bench...and a standing cigarette ash unit. As I got to the door, I could smell smoke coming from the tall unit.
Inside, there was a woman, who- without so much as a smile or "welcome, can I help you?" greeting - said abruptly "eating in? Table 2" as she gestured to an empty booth.
We sat down. And waited. And waited. We noticed tvs on the walls, each tuned to a Sunday political show. Frankly, not what most folks want to see at brunch. After about 5 minutes, a younger waitress came to us, and again, with no greeting or welcome, flatly said "you want menus?" Uhm... yes. How else are we supposed to know what you serve, what you charge, or what we will order?
The menu was impressive in its broad range of breakfast, lunch, and dinner choices. From eggs to matzoh ball soup to turkey dinner. Snacks, sandwiches, and wraps.
We ordered a veggie omelet (onion, tomato, peppers, spinach) with home fries and an English muffin. $12.99, including coffee. The price frankly seemed a bit high. Mrs. Broke Gourmet ordered oatmeal, a bowl costing $6.99. This seemed high as well. Mrs. BG asked the server if it came with any toppings. "Three blueberries" was the abrupt reply. Mrs. BG also ordered a Belgian waffle. A single waffle was $7.99.
Then... we waited. Where was my coffee? About ten minutes later, the waitress brought the oatmeal and waffle. No coffee. There was also no butter to put on the waffle. Mrs. BG asked if they had any whipped cream. The waitress said yes, and came right back with a can. Without asking Mrs. BG if she wanted it on the waffle, the waitress shot a mound of whipped cream on the waffle.
As I continued to wait for my omelet, I noticed a man come out of the Cafe, sit on the bench, and lighting up a cigarette. Then Mrs. BG asked me to taste the oatmeal. I did, and... unlike any oatmeal that we were ever served, this was very salty. Clearly, a lot of table salt had been added to the oatmeal. Not at all as it should be cooked and served. I suggested adding syrup and brown sugar to cut the salty taste.
Finally, several minutes after Mrs. BG was served, my omelet and home fries came. But oops... still waiting on the English muffin. I must say that the portions were huge. This looked more like a four-egg omelet, and the folded mound of sliced cooked potatoes was easily twice what most places would serve.
Unfortunately, the omelet was a bit overcooked, with the eggs very firm. And the home fries... well... it was obvious that the chef had put a large mound on the griddle, pressed them down, and then left them too long before flipping them. On the plate, they had been rolled into sort of a burrito shape, and the griddled side was dark brown, and hard. The potatoes inside were tasty, but again, had not been cooked evenly. The muffin came a couple of minutes later, and was thankfully well-prepared and tasty.
About five minutes later, our server, walking past us towards the front counter, said in passing "how is everything?" Being tired from a long day before, and with a lot to do today, I decided to let it go in the moment. "OK," I fibbed.
We got the check, and I went to the counter to pay the $30 bill. There was a younger woman at the register. She was wearing the skin-tight pants popular today. But these appeared to have a spooky Halloween design, with gaping-mouthed orange faces all over them. Including one right across the backside. Again, not the height of hospitality good taste. Sitting behind the counter was the man who had been outside smoking. Presumably an owner. He gave us the first smile and warm tone we had experienced since walking in. He asked how everything was. Our server was there, as was the older rather grumpy woman who told us where to sit. Family, perhaps? I simply nodded, said everything was ok, and left.
If "Family Cafe" wants to survive and thrive, they will have to do better. Both in providing welcoming service, and in providing well-cooked food at a reasonable cost. With an established good diner down the street, and the PJs chain apparently building on the old Fame restaurant site across the street, the competition is, and will be, strong. I would also suggest that having smokers literally next to your front door is not a good way to welcome customers.
The next time Mrs. BG wants to go out for brunch on a Sunday, we will not be going back to the Family Cafe. read more