Golden Egg Cafe — Restaurant in Bartonville

Where do I begin without making this a novel, so excuse me if it turns into that... This by far was the WORST dining experience of my life!!! I worked in the restaurant industry as a hostess back in college, so I feel I am far more patient than the average customer, but this experience was unbelievable! We have eaten here many times & it was always wonderful, but since its under new ownership, it is a matter of time before they run this establishment into the ground! Our group of 10 immediately got sat which should have been a red flag b/c usually this place always has a wait. The restaurant wasn't busy & our order was immediately taken. We ordered salads & pancakes, grilled cheese & a chicken wrap... A pretty easy order. After an hour without any food, our server came up to apologize for the delay... Again, having worked in the industry before, I knew she wasn't necessarily the one at fault, but where was the manager to try to apologize since the kitchen was behind & make sure our order was coming out ASAP. My friend told the waitress the kids were starving & asked for crackers for the kids to snack on & the waitress said all the crackers were stale & she wouldn't want the kids to eat them. My friend asked to speak to the manager & explained to her we had been waiting over a hour w/ starving children & the manager didn't apologize for the wait or try to reassure us she would look into it... All the manager did was provide a condescending smile. They finally brought out the salads 30 mins later, but they still didn't have any of the food for the kids. At this point, the youngest child had to be taken to the car b/c of a meltdown, so we told the waitress to take the kids food off the ticket & run our checks. They brought out the kids food following that request & all the food was wrong, so the kids wouldn't eat it, so we told them again to take the kids food off the ticket. The waitress proceeded to bring out the chicken wrap, but we said we were ready to leave so they boxed it to go & gave it to our friend... Again, we were ready to leave, so just take it off the ticket, but when we got our checks, all the food was still on our tickets & the manager was refusing to take the items off. My friend literally had to show her the food that was just thrown in the trash to prove her son hadn't touched his food b/c it was wrong & remember the to go "chicken" wrap we asked to be taken off b/c it hadn't come out yet when we were ready to leave, well the manager had the audacity to ask for the food back in order to remove the item off the ticket. That's when I told her to do the right thing b/c she never once apologized for the wait or incorrect orders & any other establishment would just comp the items & try to salvage the situation. I told her to do the right thing again & we would pay for the items we received that were correct, but she wasn't willing to budge. It wasn't until I asked her if she would rather us walk the entire check all together that she was willing to adjust the check. The whole time she did this w/ the most condescending smile that I eventually told her I didn't appreciate b/c you could just tell how condescending she was trying to be to all of us... It was the most passive aggressive behavior I would expect from an adolescent child, not a grown woman who is in the field of customer service! The final joke was the "chicken" wrap they boxed up for our friend didn't even have chicken in it, but again she wanted to charge her for an item that was once again wrong. As I told the manager when I lost my cool, under her supervision this place was going to hell in a hand basket & it's unfortunate b/c it use to be such a great place that all the local neighbors wanted to support & see succeed, but under this new ownership it's bound to fail sooner than later, so I’m warning you, please don't waste your time or money on a place that clearly doesn't care to serve...

Worst service ever! Manager, a Asian lady, has no idea how to provide exceptional customer service. I understand things happen in the restaurant/food & service industry. We waited over 40 minutes for our breakfast, and when it did arrive, the order was wrong and not hot. The crepes were returned to be made as ordered. The skillet plate was luke warm, the eggs over-cooked a bit, but i ate it. It was good, avacado wedges were not very appetizing to the eye, a bit bruised and over-ripe, but not the end of the world! Of course, the crepes didn't come out until i was almost done with my skillet plate. So, i was not enjoying breakfast with my MnL. Omg the crepes came back & were cold! That's it, can we please speak to the manager? Here comes little asain lady full of excuses, but did not offer an acceptable restitution!!! We paid the bill, did not eat the pancakes or the crepes, as pancakes were cold too. We live in Lantana and have been 1/2 a dozen times, honestly never excited about their service, kind of expected with a bunch of 16+ year olds, but they're trying, It appears their leaders (ownership) are molding them into poor food service providers, the attitude from the server was apparent when we expressed our dislike in the total breakfast experience. In fact, when my 80 year old Mother-n-Law offered to take me to breakfast, i said.... and i quote, "There is a pretty good place right across the street, and they have crepes, but the service isn't that great!" Now i see why i dont go there often, and I will NEVER return. The manager could have made it right. Things happen, I get it. Unfortunately, they have lost our business forever. We gave her a chance to make it right. Btw- I'm sticking to Berries & Batter...

3 years ago I rated this with 5 stars.

After my most recent visit I feel that that does not accurately reflect issues now after new management.

My old review remains below this revision.

I took my famil and a guest there on Sunday March 6, 2022. Note that I have dined there once during the pandemic and was still very pleased with the level of service and the quality of food served.

Yesterday was different and disappointing. Of our 4 orders, two were incorrect. in that they missed some ingredient (powdered sugar on the French Toast) or was not prepared as requested (two diners ordered hash browns, one ordered it extra-crispy. However, there was no difference between the to servings of hash browns).

The server seemed rushed and was not often available to refill coffee or to check on our order and whether we were satisfied, At the same time, several hostesses were standing around the cash register, not doing much.

I should also say that the restaurant at 10 am on a SUnday, was significantly less crowded, even more so than on our last visit in the covid lull between Delta and Omicron.

I was also perplexed by why only two of the 4 diners were served with water.

All in all, next time I want Sunday brunch, I'd be looking somewhere else. --- my old review ----

Friendly, independent breakfast cafe. Service was prompt and friendly. My Belgian waffle with fruit was fluffy and tasty. French toast was deemed "adequate" by a picky eater. The fresh squeezed orange juice was excellent.,. Definitely will go back. Recommended over some local...