Ben & Florentine — Restaurant in Halifax

My husband and I, and our 2 kids have wanted to try B&F for a long time! Today we decided is the day! Upon arrival it was very busy, and so it took a good 15 minutes for our server to come by, which was fine as we understand it was busy, especially after coming from the restaurant industry myself.

I ordered the Lox benny, and the smoked salmon in it was not fresh and did not taste good. I ate one and boxed up the other for my husband to maybe eat for tomorrow's breakfast although he wasn't fond of it either.

I asked our server if the smoked salmon was fresh or frozen to which she responded that she's not sure, but she thinks it's frozen as she saw it in the freezer.. but that she "doesn't cook the food here so she doesn't know".... quote on quote.. I was very taken aback as in all my years in the restaurant management industry and having been a customer at a fair amount of establishments, I've never come across that answer before.

"I don't make the food here so I don't know".. I let it go but if I hadn't, my response would've been "I'm aware of that, but you work here so you should know?"

If a server doesn't know something about a menue item, they should tell the customer they'll go and ask the kitchen staff, not that bizarre response. I didn't feel it was sarcastic in tone but the response itself sure sounded like it.

My husband enjoyed his veggie skillet and son liked his koko loko pancake ordered plain without chocolate or bananas.

By the end of our meal, the sever did not clear any dishes until after we had paid our bill - leaving our table cluttered and full of dirty dishes for the duration of our time there.

We were looking forward to it being our new go-to breakfast place, but based on this experience and the bizzare response - I don't think we'll be back.

Service...

Squeaky wheel gets the grease right? Here we go....

I just ate at Ben & Florentine for the first time recently. And while the service and atmosphere was fine, I have to say I was disappointed with the food options.

I'm celiac, which requires gluten free food. I'm used to restrictions when I eat out, but I typically receive a more accommodating response. There are tons of restaurants that have delicious gluten free food options as regular options on their menu.

Ben & Florentine don't have a separate gluten free toaster (which is such a cheap fix). And when it came to substitutions for the home fries that came with my meal (I can't eat them because they are deep fried and come pre-seasoned), I was told I could have tomato slices instead. When I asked if I could possibly have salsa or guacamole instead, I was told that they are a franchise and basically aren't permitted to make substitutions. :( And of course, I get charged more for a measly gf slice of bread, even though half of my plate is empty because I don't eat their home fries... sigh.

Sadly, I won't eat at another Ben & Florentine because of the limited options, but that also means that everyone else I'm dining with won't be eating there either.

Restaurants need to do better in meeting the dietary requirements of their clientele, or they will miss a...

Incredible food, better service. The skillets and eggs Benny are to die for, and their adult drink menu always hits the spot. Hash browns are always perfectly crispy, the vegetables are always sautéed as I like, and the different types of meat are always cooked perfectly. The sriracha hollandaise brings it all together, and I inhale my food like it’s oxygen lol.

The waitresses are always very kind and always eager to top up your coffee cup. I haven’t even thought of tipping less than 20% on any of my visits.

Pretty affordable compared to the competition too. Pur and Simple is notoriously expensive for brunch, but Ben and Florentine is a solid $3-$4 cheaper per main, and tastes better.

The customer service is also ridiculously good. I’ve gone there this morning, and a small miscommunication ended up with my skillet not being topped with bourbon hollandaise; and it was fixed within a minute. They also gave us two free coffee coupons and a $30 voucher for Uber eats for the inconvenience.

The atmosphere is definitely family friendly, but can be a bit loud at times. But it’s never negatively impacted my experience.

Haven’t had a bad experience yet, and I doubt I...