I had a horrible experience there a few years back. I'm not one to even leave restaurant reviews, so I never posted. After seeing Bruncheonette recommended while on social media recently, I read a conversation w/ mixed reviews. Most of the negative reviews involved rudeness from staff, & several w/ undercooked eggs being served many times. I decided it was time to share my experience.
I had been a fan of this place. I'd enjoyed stopping by many times, w/ family, or meeting up w/ friends. I was going through a difficulty in life at the time. I'm not one to dine alone, but decided I'd go get breakfast there on my own one Sunday. I looked forward to it. My impression is breakfast places serve a weekend brunch until 2:00pm. This place doesn't. That's entirely fine! They get to choose their hours. I'm cool with that. I walked into their restaurant in the rain, feeling the pain of what I had been facing in life. I didn't really focus on the fact it was 12:45 and they close at 1:00. The woman behind the counter gave a strong first impression. She seemed annoyed. I had no clue why.
I stood looking at the menu and was interrupted by her asking if I was going to order. When I looked at her, I noticed several workers, males, standing behind her staring at me. Wanting to try something new I felt rushed/embarrassed, so I just went with a favorite of mine. There was a trash bin next to the guys. In it I could see a pile of poached eggs on top of the rubbish. Maybe a bad batch of eggs? Who knows? I ordered. There was a very cold & annoyed spirit in the woman & the guys behind her from the moment I had walked in. Not one person mentioned the time, or that they were bothered over the timing of my visit. Thinking they close at 2:00 I was left completely in the dark wondering if something had happened among them just before I entered, because again I had no clue I was nearing their closing hour. My bad? Maybe? I thought the staff had just had a fight or quarrel or something & they were maybe trying to stifle that in front of a customer.
With everything I was facing on that day, personally, I have to say, you never know what people are dealing with in life. Why not be kind? Why not just offer a smile & say, "Okay, just so you know, we're closing in 15 minutes so our menu may be limited. How can I help you?" Instead, it was mind games & unspoken annoyance on display. I ordered the Benny Harper, my favorite. Having no idea what was going on w/ them, I got my coffee at their coffee station. The dining room was filled w/ customers eating. Every table full. So I sat at the wall at a bar with a stool there.
After a time, a waitress brought my order out. It was a plate w/ a dry english muffin topped with scrambled eggs. Plain. No hollandaise for the "benedict" order I placed, no poached egg, none of the listed ingredients/toppings. I thought she brought me someone else's order by mistake. She stood staring at me. I said, "Oh, I don't think this is mine. I'm sorry. I ordered the Benny Harper eggs benedict." She rudely said, "Right, and you ordered that 10 minutes before we close. So, this is your order." I remembered it was actually 12:45 when I entered. Maybe by the time I ordered it could have been 12:50? Not sure on the exact minute. But, I'm entirely sure on the rude, cold, inconsiderate service ALL the way around. I had already paid for my order. I apologized and said, "I'm so sorry, what time do you close?" She said, "We close at 1pm. It's posted on the door you entered through. You should have seen that." I did not want a fight. I just felt punched in the gut. She walked away. I silently left the food on the bar & walked out to my car. There, embarrassingly, I had a good cry. Not over food! I was just in true disbelief that people can be this cold, this unkind, this rude without caring for others.
Again, that was years back. I guess I saw what I needed to see. As I looked through the similar rude experiences shared in other 1 & 2 star reviews it really saddens me. I've never gone back. Never will. All my family stopped going. Several of my friends were shocked & said they'd never go back. A few of them remembered being handled rudely there. Maybe the saddest reality in it all, is these people do not care. In all the other reviews not once did I see the owner offer a response that included an apology & an invitation to come back & let them make it right. Which happens all over the place on Yelp. Pretty strange behavior. It boils down to their being satisfied w/ themselves & the number of fans/customers they have. They have an incredibly small restaurant, so it's always full. As long as they fill their seats it's clear they do not care about the rudeness problem in their staff & workers. They simply don't care how customers are treated. The woman who delivered my food & smarted off to me seemed proud of her behavior. The guys in back just stared me down as I walked out. Like it was a game to them. So entirely sad. read more