I wasn't really sure what to expect when I got to this place, but in retrospect, I may have had…read moresome inaccurate preconceived notions in my head. This used to be a donut shop... the only one in town that went belly-up a while back. From briefly reviewing Ney's website, I half expected to walk into a restaurant with a meat market attached. Turns out, it's a meat market, coffee shop, donut shop and then a restaurant...and it became quite obvious, in that order of priority.
When I walked in, there was no apparent waitstaff and no one at the counters, so I went into the coffee shop in an adjacent room where there was a friendly guy behind the counter. I asked him how to order some food. He instructed me to order in the other room (where I had just come from). So, I walked back into the other room again, and another guy (I'm guessing a manager) gets up from one of the dining tables I had just walked past moments earlier and finally asks me if he can help. When I told him I came to eat, he asks, "What do you want?" I'm thinking to myself, OK, I have never been here before and have very little idea of what's on your menu, and I also don't see one anywhere. I literally had to ask him for one. He fumbles and shuffles around on the countertop by the cash register and finds a one-page menu with about a dozen or so items on it... that includes starters, entrees, etc. Entrees consist of a couple of sandwiches and a burger. I ordered a brisket sandwich, and paid for the meal in advance. The guy hands me a basket with various kinds of chips in it and tells me to choose one. Then he puts the basket back behind the counter, so, what?... I don't steal any more??
I went back into the coffee shop to sit down at an available table. A few minutes later, a girl (didn't introduce herself) comes in the room and plunks down a plate with a relatively small brisket sandwich and a small pickle on it. I asked for water, and her response (as she's literally got her back turned and is walking away) was, "No water," and then points to an upright drink cooler in the other room. "All our drinks are in here." She walked away so fast I didn't have opportunity to ask her for some flatware and a napkin. I grabbed a napkin from the table next to me. As I was contemplating where to get some utensils, the guy who was sitting at the table in the other room comes back in and asks how things are going, to which I reply, "Great... except you apparently don't do water...?" He goes over to the cooler, pulls out a 6 oz bottle of water and tells me "not to tell his boss." I then asked him for flatware; he comes back with a plastic fork and knife. I ate the sandwich - which was OK, not great (I make fantastic brisket, so I'll admit that's a tough comparison) - left my tip, and walked out, rather underwhelmed. :(
I realize these guys are probably just trying to get their feet on the ground and they seem well-intended, but there is room for improvement. They really need to figure out what they are - a meat shop, a coffee shop, a donut shop, or a restaurant. I do think if they're going to continue serving food, they'd better understand the restaurant part of the business a bit better. I may wait a while before returning.
I will say their meat selections looked pretty good. I may be back to look at that more closely on another visit. And the donuts (I don't much care for donuts) looked OK too. I don't drink coffee, so I can't comment on that, other than to say, the attendant behind the counter had a good customer service thing going.
From a dining standpoint, this was a less-than-stellar experience for me. I hope they can they can figure that part out. Perhaps my expectations were too high.