Original Joe's — Restaurant in Vernon

Went there on 09/10/2022. First of all our sever, Holly was fantastic! She was very polite and incredibly accommodating. She went out of her way to communte to the kitchen my dietary restrictions. For her and the cooks they get a 5 star review! 👍 This review is mainly just about the corporate side of things. When I was in Vernon I was excited to go to OJ's because from their website I was impressed to read the number of vegan options available. When we got there I was disappointed that a lot of the items labeled "vegan" we not actually vegan. I felt terrible that I had to keep asking our waitress to keep going back to the kitchen to ask questions because most of the things labeled on the menu were not ACTUALLY vegan. I also have a dairy allergy so this was very difficult to order. It must have been so frustrating for her and the cooking staff. However this was not their fault. The menu should have been clearly labeled and the company failed to do so. For instance, you cannot call the Cajun Chicken Cheddar burger if you have to serve it without the bun, cheese, and the sauce. The sides were not clearly labeled and I had to ask a ton of questions and had to keep sending Holly back to ask the kitchen staff more questions. We ended up ordering the Teriyaki veggie bowl and The Kona. The veggie bowl was pretty sad looking, there was few veggies and a bit of brown rice, there was no tofu or beans or nothing of substance. The Kona Burger was just an impossible paddy with one single, tiny pineapple ring on lettuce and a tiny bit of brown rice. The meal was so sad looking. I ALWAYS take photos of my food, I didn't even bother with my veggie bowl because it was so underwhelming. I took a photo of my partner's burger to put in this post because it was so pathetic looking. Keep in mind that this "burger" cost $20.50!

Some ways that the chain can improve on this are

clearly label the menu, including the sides. -make clear instructions for staff -ingedient lists -get a chef to create some good vegan options at are not only delishious but also have enough food to sustain someone. -invest in some vegan cheese and some buns. -Make it incredibly easy for staff members when people with dietary restraints come in. This will improve efficiency as well. Anyway. I hope that...

Original Joe's is my 103rd eatery in Vernon on my quest to eat at every eatery in town.

The last time I was here was ten years ago. My family and I would frequently come here because of the unlimited French Fry refills and dill dip.

The dill dip is the only thing familiar that is left from ten years ago.

The server I had is the reason why I give this place a higher rating.

The food is where this place falls short.

Sadly, the unlimited French Fry baskets are replaced by two small sides. I picked fries and veggies & dip.

I was disappointed by the two sides. The Fries were seasoned McCain superfries, and the veggies & dip only had eight pieces total.

My Impossible Burger led to me adding jalapeños for $1.75 extra as it only has a pickle slice, lettuce, and a tomato. I was surprised how thin the burger was overall. I am glad they added in several jalapeños though.

The dill dip was as good as I remember, and the Impossible Burger patty was good. The burger desperately needs some sort of sauce inside.

I couldn't imagine how bland this burger would've tasted if I didn't pay for jalapeños.

After tax and a 15 percent tip, I paid $25.66 for an Impossible Burger with jalapeños that included two small sides and water.

The place is clean. I appreciated the Funkadelic, Apartment, and Stevie Wonder music.

OJ's is fine after seeing a movie nearby because it is the only restaurant in the plaza, but I definitely wouldn't recommend driving from elsewhere just to eat here. It is one of the few restaurants open in town on Sundays.

Nearly any other sports bar and family restaurant in Vernon has superior food and bigger portions.

The food didn't taste awful, and the service as well as the famous dill dip was great. However, the small portions and thin on ingredients will leave you feeling a bit disappointed when...

Came in late tonight after working outside all day. We were all exhausted and ready for some food. Told we could sit where we saw fit and made our way there. Our server, in all honestly, does not seem to enjoy her job. Quite frankly, without us being rude back, she was rude. I've never come across a server who was so forward. Example, we said we were ready to order but had questions about the food, and yes, there was a little "humming and hawing" on our side. She promptly said, "I thought you were ready to order." I looked around, 2 others sat across from us and 2 people behind. 4 others in the place. We are a group of 8. Asked what was on a burger, I told my partner to look at the menu (cause it's written there) and she's like, "Yes, thanks." Weird. Very blunt. Just a cranky, moody server. Clearly she wasn't happy with the lack of a tip. I can't even nowadays. If there is an "expectation" of tipping, then I'm gonna damn well expect good service. I've gotten friendlier service from fast food places and u don't see them asking for tips or expecting them. My meal was awesome. Everyone elses potatoes were super cold....lack of flavor in the Cajun burger. Had to ask for the kids desert cause it was clear they weren't bringing it out. Got them in a to go bag. Kids were disappointed in the tiny brownie with no ice cream. I get it....but I didn't recall asking for it to go. Anyways.....definitely not worth going back for the lack of friendliness for sure. Try somewhere else. Or, save yourself the rudeness and get...