This is a reminder that the food can be excellent, but service is king. I came here with my mother…read morefor Mother's Day brunch this past Sunday at 11am. It was literally the only place I could find on short notice with reservation slots available, which maybe should have been a sign (and certainly a reminder to me to be much more proactive about this sort of thing in the future). This was sort of a meet in the middle for us; she's in Redding, CT, and I'm in North Jersey. Common Grounds is located at the end of a strip mall, though arguably a higher-end one. The parking lot was VERY busy and while spots were relatively easy to find, I had to settle for one further away close to the bowling alley next door. All good though in that regard. The first hint that this was going to go downhill happened almost immediately. Despite having made the reservation for 11, our designated table wasn't available for seating because the prior party was "lingering." There wasn't a time limit on the dining parties so it seemed like Common Grounds just made assumptions on when people would leave, which is probably not an exact science on the best of days, and certainly not on a day where you might have a family reunion element. We were offered a large high-top table to sit at instead, which my mother isn't comfortable with, and after a few minutes of sitting there, were instructed to take a "normal" table by the window. I will give props for the hostess reading the room in that regard and doing what she could to give us an optimal seating situation - the wait and miscalculation wasn't her fault. She was also very nice to my mother, which for sure counts for something. It took probably 15 minutes for our waitress to come by and ask for drink/food orders, which isn't great. I'd decided on the Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes from the Specials menu, only to be told by the waitress that they were no longer available. I then had to quickly pivot to the French Toast from the regular menu, but lack of availability is something that should have been mentioned when we received the menus, not while we're ordering. And it wasn't even noon - a little concerning. I don't know if it was just a bad day behind the scenes, but it took over 45 minutes to get two pretty simple brunch entrees to us, and almost as much time to get our beverages. That would at least be understandable if the place was packed and everyone was busy, but that wasn't the case - a lot of tables emptied up within 20 minutes of our arrival, and in a pretty troubling optic, most of the front-end waitstaff was literally just standing around by the coffee station not doing anything. That's bad management, and could have helped alleviate whatever was happening in the kitchen. You have five minutes to kill? Okay, stop by your tables and apologize for the delay. Help bus and turn over the recently vacated tables. Maybe refill my water glass, which was empty for most of my meal. There's just no excuse for that. And it's a shame because my Cardamon Rose Latte was excellent, and the French Toast was very good as well. French Toast isn't one of my go-to's, but when I have it I prefer it to be softer and not as cumbersome, and this fit the bill. But because the wait time and overall service was mediocre at best, I didn't even want to go near a dessert menu or consider having a second latte - that probably would have tacked on another hour. So by virtue of not being attentive and efficient, Common Grounds left money on the table. A real shame; and frankly, surprising to me given that this has to be a very notable day on the calendar for brunch places. I'd ensure everything was well-oiled and ready to go, and it's clear it just wasn't. I overheard quite a few people outside singing the praises of this place, and I saw enough to probably understand why. But we weren't the beneficiary of most of those qualities.

My family was heading home from a communion party and I'm the type of Yelper that turns down free…read moremid coffee at a party to find better coffee elsewhere. Found Common Grounds on Yelp and knew it was my kind of place! The shop is modern, clean, and bright. The staff was friendly and professional. They roast their own beans. My father in law and I went with Americanos and my wife had their cold brew. The Americano was robust yet smooth and my wife enjoyed the cold brew. Definitely glad we got to try Common Grounds!

The gentleman working Saturday August 30th at around 1pm was rubbing his nose while checking me out…read moreand then grabbed my donuts with his hands to put them in the bag, that he also stuck his hand in to open, after touching money as well, then grabbed a napkin before he stood back up thinking I didn't see him from the side of the counter. Absolutely disgusting. Wont be buying donuts here anymore because the person at the counter shouldn't be working in food service. Train your employees better and do more food safety inspections.

Placed a mobile order yesterday at 6:42 and the girl closed the store two hours early. She refused…read moreto refund the mobile order and put airpods in right in front of my face and continued cleaning while I was trying to speak. I had to reach over the counter and grab my own mobile receipt to try and get a refund. Terrible owner allowing children to run their store and waste over two hours of business. Judging by these reviews tho everyone knows this Dunkin is terrible and not worth giving this owner money.

Fantastic bagels and egg sandwiches! My husband and I drive here from upstate New York just to get…read moreour bagels here. We order online and it's always ready when it says it will be and everything is fresh and delicious. Convenient parking and pickup process as well. Quality bagels and perfect ratios on their egg sandwiches. Everything is perfectly cooked.

J V Hot Bagels are the VERY BEST! The bagels are so good that we drive to Westchester from Dutchess…read moreCounty to get them. Great place, great service. Muffins are excellent too. Perfect place for breakfast and lunch.

A must go- so fresh and yummy! Staff super friendly.. try there smoothies and their Açaí bowls.read more

Today My daughter had an orthodontist appointment and was hungry afterwards. She asked if I could…read morefind something on the healthier side for her to eat vs the her normal trip to carvel... I was like thank you god , my child is finally asking for a a better choice! She tried this Shimmy Acai Bowl and LOVED it!!! She even asked if we can return soon so she can try a different bowl! The owner was so nice too which added to the experience! If you're in the area, I highly recommend stopping in and trying something!

I love the fresh mozzarella made fresh every day! The staff…read moreis always so helpful! Great selection of potted plants in front of the store.

It looks like they have updated the store and changed it around since the last time I was here…read more Looks more like an Italian market now. Great variety of Italian favorites and regular grocery items. Great seafood department, deli and bakery. It's a little pricey, but you get what you pay for with quality of the fresh foods.

Grade A deli!! It doesn't get better than A&S!…read moreQuality seems to be their only answer for their coust

I had the chicken cutlet sandwich and the chicken was so tough I couldn't chew it. I was extremely…read moredisappointed.

I gave it one star because the food is actually really good however the service is terrible. The…read morelady in the front is extremely rude and always seems bothered when you order. I've gone several times to give her a chance to see if she was just having a bad day and because my children love the açaí bowls but no, she always has attitude and is not pleasant at all.

The person attending this place was on their cellphone texting and talking while preparing the ice…read morecream and drinks. I placed an order, and it took almost half an hour to receive one drink and one ice cream because they were on the phone. There were no other customers waiting. I believe customer service and hygiene should be a priority in places like this. I will never return here. And not

Employees friendly. Size of the ice cream was pretty bad…read more This was a "small" for $4.99. Very sad...

Came here for ice cream a few times with the kiddos and most recently ordered my son's birthday…read morecake. The service is quick and friendly. The girl that helped me order the my son's birthday cake was so nice and helped me search for sports themed images, along with showing me some of the props they offered. The cake design came out amazing and I couldn't be more happy!