I was really torn about how to rate this restaurant since there are so few options in Mendon -- I'm…read moreprobably one of the old timers who just misses having Lowell's in its old, convenient location. I think the thing to remember about places like this in this area is that there are lots of breakfast/lunch diner places but they call close at 2 or 3pm and they, for the most part, are a little pricey.
So, let's start with the good parts: there are lots of food options, including many veggie and even some gluten-free choices, which is important when you have a family member with food restrictions. Their espresso is decent. It's a medium roast, so not as dark and earthy as Starbucks, but still pretty good. I've been here with family and friends, and everyone has always enjoyed their food. They hire locals, including many high school kids and recent grads, which I appreciate.
Now, the drawbacks that made me hover between 2 and 3 stars... First, the wait time. There is no reason it should take so long to order or to get your food. There are tons of staff here. I don't know what's going on that it takes so long, but it does. Secondly, the tables and booths are not cleaned often or well. There are always crumbs, coffee rings, spilled water, used napkins, etc., either on seats or on the table. Even when people bus their own tables, which they do, they need to be wiped down regularly, and they aren't. The floor was sticky and "crunchy" last time I was there, and I have to say the sticky floor thing is a pretty regular occurrence. And, the last three times I used the bathroom, it was either not clean or not stocked. When I visited with my father a few months ago, I ordered coffee, and he had coffee with a sandwich. His food arrived with the wrong items, and the bread was not toasted, as he had requested. It also took more than 30 minutes.
If they could speed up the process and assign one of their many staff members to continually clean the busy seating area, I think that would bump this up to four stars easily.
