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| - I have been going to this restaurant since they were in a real old farm house in the middle of a farm field near Gilbert & Warner in the late 1980's. It was great to be able to enjoy good food in a cute setting not far from where we lived, when Gilbert was still a very small town. It was a quaint little place owned by a mother and daughter. It was a disappointment when they were forced (by what we heard was an outrageous raise in rent) to move into downtown Gilbert. However, the food and service continued to be great, as usual. Perhaps they no longer need the business since they are now surrounded by many other restaurants, and finding another one without long wait might be difficult. I have taken every out of town visitor I have ever had to the Farmhouse, and it did not disappoint. However, in mid February I went there for what will be the last time. First, there is no indoor waiting area, and it was a cold morning. I was meeting a friend for breakfast on a Sunday at 9:00 a.m. I arrived a bit early in anticipation of a long wait. There were two parties ahead of me, one with 2 people and the other with 4. Within about 10 minutes they were seated. By that time a couple more small groups had arrived. I saw my friend turn onto Page at about the same time as "Emma", an incredibly rude hostess, called my name. When I got to within a couple of feet of her she said, in an irritated voice, "Where is the rest of your party?". I explained that my friend would be there quickly, but was not given a chance to tell her that I had actually seen her turn the corner to find a parking place, usually at least 1 block away. She cut me off from saying anything else, and told me I could not be seated because my entire party was not present (1 other person), and that that is now their "policy". I asked if I could come in (it was cold), and get a cup of coffee. I received a resounding "No". I do not believe there are any tables for "one" at this restaurant, so it was not as if I was going to be pushing someone out by getting in 2 minutes before the rest of my party of "one" and ordering a cup of coffee before ordering breakfast. "Emma" just ignored my request and took the next party that had arrived after me. Emma made me feel like a naughty child. My friend walked up about 1 minute later, and I explained to her what had happened. She doesn't appreciate that type of treatment, and went inside and told the first waitress she saw what had happened. I was shocked to see that the restaurant was about 1/2 empty, with the vacant tables covered with dirty dishes. We were offered a seat at their "counter", but declined. After a few minutes a table was cleaned off and we were finally seated. The food was pretty much the same as always, good, but cold potatoes. The waitress was friendly, but service has also declined. As the years have gone on there has definitely been a decline in quality of food and service. What began as a day I had been looking forward to by seeing an old friend was definitely affected by the treatment before I even stepped inside the restaurant. In fact, I couldn't wait to get out of there. We finished our meal, and as we were leaving I looked around and realized that about 3/4 of the restaurant was empty (around 10:30 am on a Sunday morning), and every single vacant table was covered with dirty dishes. There was a large number of people lingering around the front of the restaurant, waiting to be seated. I don't know what has happened to this place, but I will never go back. It was always fun to explain the history of the place to my out of town friends. Downtown Gilbert is no longer a sleepy little town with just 1 or 2 restaurants to choose from. It will be fun to explore all the newer restaurants that I have yet to experience. I will be surprised if the Farmhouse survives the emergence of all the new great restaurants in downtown Gilbert, especially with such absolutely rude employees as "Emma", the first person you make contact with, and their new "policy" prohibiting one person from being seated before the rest of their party of "one" has arrived, after standing outside on a cold morning for about 15 minutes. It's sad to see how much this restaurant has declined-half empty with the other half with tables covered with dirty dishes, while customers are lingering on the sidewalk outside, waiting to be seated.
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