Lumberjack Cafe — Restaurant in Big Bear City

So I don't like to post bad reviews, everybody deserves a second chance. I honestly can't believe that a place that does so much business would succumb to a mistake like this. I stopped in this morning for a takeout breakfast for a friend. The restaurant was busy for "post breakfast right before lunch" but not super weekend busy. I waited for an expected amount of time and paid. The server was very amicable and did her job well. I took said breakfast, ham steak, over easy eggs, hash browns and one pancake home, held by the consumer/friend. I'll be transparent as heck right here.....my friend is a consummate complainer, all day, every day, so I wasn't surprised when he said it tasted like &$#@! I thought, "here we go.....$#@&"! He left it on the table and sat on my couch and sulked. After several minutes I gave in to curiosity and walked over, fork in hand, and tasted the home fries. Yikes, for once he actually had a valid complaint! (Write this in my diary!). It was horrible. Do you know what rancid oil/grease tastes like? Their "grill lubricant" or grease was rancid or old, it was straight on nasty. I've cooked professionally for nearly 40 years .... I know when oil/grease has gone rogue. Have you ever had a bottle of oil you haven't used for a long time? Maybe it's sesame oil, walnut oil, etc., you just don't use it that often. One day you say, "Ooooo, this recipe looks good, I have that oil" and you add it to your adventure. When you taste it, oh man, you can taste that " ooooo, these nuts are bad, got a bad pistachio, something mysky going on here" taste? That's rancid/old oils gone awry. I'm very surprised that no one, I guess, complained, it's an easy yuck moment. I will say that I've eaten at this place once before and had no complaints. I'm just surprised that they served food with this big, avoidable mistake. It won't make you sick, well, beyond maybe a bathroom quick sprint, but it just tastes nasty off. Sorry LJC, you messed up on such an everyday...

Hubby and I spent a weekend in Big Bear and didn't know anything about this place. We drove up Big Bear Blvd til we found something that sounded good and this is where we ended up. The parking is NOT great, especially if they're busy. Lucky for us, we got there just before the breakfast rush came it. I ordered the scramble with sausage and a side of waffle. My hubby ordered the chicken fried steak, log potatoes and egg over hard. Let's just say we were both pleasantly surprised. The food was really good and the portions were good size too! From the outside, it didn't look like much. Even when we walked in, there was nothing fancy about it. Kinda felt like I just stepped into an old Aunty's house where nothing matched, everything looked super old and yet, it was still cozy & inviting. But wait, I forgot to mention our waitress...I forgot her name but she knew her stuff. She was very efficient, memorized our order and was quick to answer any questions. This was a really nice spot and we both killed our breakfast plates in no time!! Don't let the outdated furniture fool u. And yes, I'd come back and order the same thing again (I love the waffle)!! Just make sure to get there before it gets busy, otherwise you won't...

I went to breakfast this morning with a friend of mine and thought we would try the Lumberjack. We were seated quickly but sat for almost 20 minutes & were never acknowledged or brought coffee or water, while everyone around us (that came after) were tended to. Let me mention that we were not of the same decent as everyother person in the building. I am a resident of the mountain and was treated like a tourist (a white one at that). I own a business as does my friend, we pay taxes, we by local and are respectful to EVERYONE regardless of they're skin color. This place absolutely does not adhere to the same moral code as most people. After waiting with no assistance we got up and left. We will not be sending any business to them from our customers, family or friends. We ended up finding another place to go, we had a great breakfast, fantastic service and will definitely be returning to the second place.

Also, I would like to mention, that we told the second restaurant how we were treated & the owner said that it's not the first time they've heard that.

If you are looking to sit with no service and be completely ignored, then this is the...