First off, let me say that I would rather give ZERO stars, but it wouldn't let me. My husband and I dine out a lot, and we especially like little hole-in-the-wall diners, much like this place. Our favorites in Omaha are Leo's Diner in Benson and Justin Thyme Cafe in Ralston... GO THERE INSTEAD.
Now here's my account of the absolute worst dining experience I have ever had:
We live really close to this location of Billy's Cafe (there are 3 total in Omaha, apparently), and so we wanted to try them out. My husband had been to other Billy's locations and liked them. We get there and the place is packed... awesome, that's a great sign! The signs say, "Seat Yourself" so we wander through and find ONE empty table at the very back. This one empty table has been empty FOR A GOOD REASON. It is shoved up against the bathroom door, so much so that I had to get out of my seat for people going in and out of the bathroom... not to mention the potential for bathroom smells. On our other side is the back door that leads out into the back alleyway, which is propped wide-open by a child's booster seat (classy) IN THE DEAD OF WINTER IN NEBRASKA.
We wait far too long for someone to come over and give us menus. Maybe 15 minutes. This isn't a big place... it is a tiny one-room diner... there's no way they didn't see us come in. Anyway, I ask the girl who comes over if they could close the back door because we'd like to take out heavy winter coats off and the wide-open door one foot from our table won't allow that. Oddly, she hesitates, but then closes the door. Severeal minutes after which, my husband and I start to warm up enough to take our wool coats off.
An different lady, much older and probably in charge, comes over to take our drink order after about 20 or so minutes. At this point, we're ready to order food as well since we've already been there for 35 minutes and we're starving. We start to ask her and she says, "Just a minute," and walks away with our drink orders. Well, okay... I guess we can wait another minute. OR try another 15 minutes... then she comes back over with our waters and juices and takes our food order. After taking our order, she steps behind us to re-open the back door and prop it open again with the child's booster seat.
I stop her before she walks away again and say, "Ma'am, it's very cold out. Can you keep that door closed please?" and she says, "No, our landlord says we have to keep it open." and turns away from us to speak to another table.
I'm guessing the couple at this other table are regulars, because she starts telling them, "The fumes from the kitchen were getting to me. This place isn't ventilated so we have to keep the door open at all times. Our landlord says it's a safety hazard." And the couple nods and smiles and they all kind of glare over at me and my husband, as if we are causing trouble.
WOW. So my husband and I put our heavy wool winter coats back on. Yeah.
Finally, the food comes and we eat in angry silence. I ordered eggs over-easy, hash browns and toast. I asked for hot sauce and never got it, but it couldn't have possibly made the food any better because it the toast was dry and hard, the hash browns were bland and inedible even after adding satl & pepper, and the eggs were also bland. I had no idea anyone anywhere ever made eggs without adding pepper and/or salt and/or butter. SO WEIRD.
Well, this is the last straw. I thought after waiting for AN HOUR and having horrible service in the freezing cold, the food would redeem this place. No such luck. My husband got biscuits and gravy and he couldn't finish them because the biscuits were underdone and yeasty and the gravy was bland.
SO, during all this, the place is clearing out of the breakfast rush, and while we're sitting there shivering wearing heavy wool coats, NOBODY thinks to ask if we'd like to move to an empty table farther from the wide-open back door. AND, while this has nothing to do with the restaurant staff, the table closest to us, a young couple with kids, is talking about the consistency of a recent baby poop WHILE I'M EATING MY RUNNY EGGS.
Suffice it to say, neither of us finished our bland food, and, here's the best part... we go to leave/pay and find out it is CASH-ONLY. I have to wait there while my husband drives to the gas station to get cash from the ATM to pay for our HORRIBLE SERVICE and even more horrible food! And of course, my husband is super non-confrontational, so we never even complained once... he didn't want to me to "cause a scene," but all I was going to do was quietly say to our waitress, "We won't be back. This was awful." That's not a scene! Lol.
Now whenever we drive past there my husband jokes about going there again for breakfast and I throttle him. Worst. Experience. Ever. read more