| rev:text
| - Joe's Diner, I don't even know who you are anymore.
I visited Joe's Diner shortly after it opened, and I couldn't be more pleased: Fun, kitschy diner décor, tasty lunch-counter menu items, and friendly wait staff that buzzed constantly around the customers, all at very attractive prices. It's in my neighborhood, too, so I don't have to drive far (or at all, actually) to grab some chow and their excellent coffee.
I've returned several times since then, bringing out-of-town guests to show it off. The décor remains the same, the food tastes great - when it arrives warmer than room-temperature - but you can probably guess what has gone downhill. Yep, those friendly servers are still courteous, but boy, do they need lessons on serving customers.
It doesn't seem to matter if it's a jumping weekend, when Joe's Diner seems to double or triple its stiff, or a lazy Monday morning, when kitchen staff can outnumber customers.
The servers seem downright oblivious to the most basic needs of the customers: Just this morning, I was seated at the counter - the one right in front of every staff member - and waited for a least 10 minutes before anyone dared make eye contact with me, much less bring me coffee. The waitress actually seemed surprised when, after she finally got around to asking if I wanted anything to drink, I started ordering my meal.
Waiting 10 minutes for a waitress might fall into "first-world problems" territory, and I might not have even noticed it if I was at a fine restaurant with an extensive menu, but geez, even Denny's will bring you coffee before you've had a chance to warm your seat.
To add insult to injury, I had to practically hunt down my waitress to get a coffee refill, and again, she acted like I'd asked for hollandaise sauce on oatmeal. It's a diner; coffee refills should be automatic. They should be refilling your coffee whether you want one or not.
Sadly, this wasn't an isolated incident. This type of lackadaisical service has been becoming more pronounced at Joe's the last few months.
The food is fine: chicken fried steak will fill you all day, the pancakes taste truly homemade, the chorizo has some serious spice, and I'd put Joe's omelets up against anyone's. The potatoes are ok, but then they're barely body temperature by the time I get them. The biscuits are also in the "meh" category, but I also eat them without gravy, so your mileage may vary.
It's truly aggravating to have partaken of a restaurant's food and service at its best only to get half that on subsequent visits. I won't rule out return visits, but only if I have tons of patience and time to kill. In the meantime, my search resumes for more local eateries I can call my own. I just know I won't be showing off Joe's anymore.
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