I've been here probably 13 times since they opened. Their menu is pretty extensive, and well laid…read moreout.
The food, across all visits, has been consistently excellent, as has the service. The venue is well-staffed by pleasant, friendly, caffeinated staff.
So, up to this point, I'd be happy awarding them 5 stars.
But, I visited Tasty Biscuit this morning, and noted some things that I wish/hope Management and Corporate would address:
1. Sometime over this Summer, the Counter disappeared! You CAN'T have a Diner without a Counter!! I understand that this building is problematic - but when Quincy's was here, it was just fine.
2. The Staff was maybe a little too brisk for my Saturday 8:30 AM visit. I counted 11 in black t-shirts on the floor (probably more Servers in the back), moving at breakneck speed, although the restaurant was FAR from full.
This may or may not be an issue to you. I enjoy a leisurely breakfast: over the past 5 decades, if I'm late for something, it's usually MY fault, and I politely tell my Server: who ensures their service is prompt and accurate.
I go "inside" even if there's a drive-in Window. I enjoy chatting with people (hence my preference for Counters ) and try - ALWAYS - to try and make the Server's lives more pleasant and jolly. A little Kindness goes a long way!
Not here, though. By the time you see the Server, they're walking away!
An incident this morning - I was looking at the News on my iPhone, when I heard a bang on my table. I decoupled from my phone, and there on the Table was my BREAKFAST! I looked around, and there was nobody nearby- not a runner, not my Server. Not a word of greeting or warning or "here's your breakfast, Mr. Valued Customer!"
Odd, impersonal, bleak, alarming, unjolly, soulless. and unsettling. It REALLY impacted my experience, dining there.
3. This morning, the food was not hot. It was not COLD either (or I would have raised a fuss), but it was not HOT, either. My butter would not melt on it. With all those people on the floor, and not at a "rush period", THERE IS NO EXCUSE. Not that J'd get one anyway from the Ijet-fueled Servers.
4. In my dotage (as my Usefulness in our "Winning Society" wanes and flickers out) , when I'm presented with the check, I present my Credit Card and my AARP Card. Whether Tasty Biscuit accepts them or not (they don't)!, this is an unobtrusive and (I've been told) POLITE way of giving the Server "all the information they need" without slowing them down. Essential, in this case. "God forbid I consume a nanosecond of their paid time!!! "
The AARP card was not:
* Acknowledged (Servers on Hi-Test)
* Discounted (Tasty Biscuits' Corporate decision; I'm okay with that)
Y'know, after mulling over my Experience this morning, I'm forced to re-rate my Review to Three Stars:
* 5 stars to begin, based on my previous visits
* Minus two stars for my Experience this morning.
In the broader context, Tasty Biscuit, there is JUST NO REASON fir me to justify spending $21.93 (with tip) for a Belgian Waffle and an Iced Tea. None whatsoever.
My only recourses here are to:
* Enact a "No-Tip" policy unless the Service is truly exceptional
* Stop visiting Tasty Biscuit altogether
* Stop eating out. Period.
I dislike the latter two, so only the first remains. It's apparent that the Industry wishes me to accelerate what's already happening: to make room for a younger person who has no traffic with Service, Kindness, and Human Interaction.
Home-schooled Gen Z, probably, or rooting for the Fueher. Or both.