Bernie's Diner — Restaurant in Billings

Super slow and unattentive service. Two servers, hostess, and manger working the front and they struggled w 10 tables. I sat at the bar (only person at the bar)...I don't recommend this location as the servers tended to avoid this area and focused on tables. I was finally able to order coffee and had it slid in front of me and just as quickly my server walked away. I thought maybe she was going to get milk or creamer but nope... vanished for a while. When she did come back I got a "what do u want"...which is kinda surprisingly considering this restaurant is in a nice hotel(didn't know that when I selected it). I asked for milk and she gave an annoyed sigh, half filled a creamer (I wasn't given options..no idea what kind of milk product I got) and that was slide in front of me as well. I asked her questions about the menu to which she didn't know the answer and asked the friendly guy working the fresh options in the front. I ordered the elk breakfast without salsa bc I can't eat cilantro. I had to ask someone to find my server for more coffee twice....once the manager stepped in to assist and asked me if I wanted my bill. I said no, just coffee. She made a joke about that and then asked again about the bill. I told her I'm still waiting for my breakfast. She apologize saying she just jumped in the middle to help out. The guy in the front apologized for the server and said she normally doesn't disappear like this...so maybe it's a bad day for them or he is just being polite and making excuses, idk. Fast forward about 25-30 minutes my breakfast came out. The home fries were crispy on the outside and cool/cold in the center, mushrooms were super soggy, eggs and elk were well over cooked... the elk should have been jerky vs sausage..and practically no cheese on it making the whole thing extremely dry. I was given no options for a substitute for the salsa so maybe that could have made the dish more bareable but honestly think it just would have make the entire thing soggy and even more cold. Couldn't eat it. I told the server the breakfast was awful, she just dismissed it and said she'll get the bill. I was told by another employee I should come back and try something from the fresh bar vs the kitchen in the back to avoid things being overcooked. No offer to fix the meal... nothing. ..just come back and try something else. Spent $24 on a meal that wasn't eatable and meh coffee. Maybe fresh meals are the way to go here...but I definitely won't come back...

Soooo we landed at Billings air port and came straight to this place mainly because I’m a sucker for biscuits and gravy and the pictures on Google map looked good, and let me tell you it did not disappoint. First and foremost these guys do potatoes RIGHT! Whether it’s the French fries or home fries these things were perfectly crispy, hot off the frier and perfectly seasoned. Crunchy crispy exterior with warm and fully cooked and soft interior, i dare say some of the best fries I’ve had (if not ever). The gravy was mostly sausage (yum) and flavorful, really well done. The chicken breast was moist and crispy and very good portion size, biscuits were fluffy and very pleasant, I’d give them a 9/10 ( but really have no reason to not give them a 10, okay fried food isn’t healthy so maybe if they make it healthy lol). And they made my scrambled eggs perfectly the way I asked (fluffy and done without being runny or gooey or overdone plasticky). Wife, who’s a country fried steak connoisseur thought it was the best she’s ever had and loved the fries just as much. Daughter not the biggest fan of her Buffalo chicken because it wasn’t spicy enough, but then again we are in Montana and I’m not sure what’s the definition of spicy hot here compared to California with all our Mexican, Korean and Indian spicy foods everywhere so these guys get a pass on that one. But she also loved the fries. For me it’s a definite come back...

Don't judge Bernie's on my visit. It was ok, not great, but I don't know if that's typical. I went on a Sunday around 10AM so it was somewhat busy. I got seated at the bar pretty quickly as it was just me.

The menu has a lot of options. I just got the traditional breakfast. It took a while for my server to see and acknowledge me. She took my order and was nice enough. It took a little while for my food to come out.

When it did, the eggs were cooked wrong, there were potatoes (I had subbed fruit for potatoes. I told her if they're there I will eat them, and I don't want to eat them so please take it back). And there was toast instead of the English muffin I ordered. So most of it was wrong, lol. She brought it back correct pretty quickly and the food was still warm.

The food was decent and there was no upcharge for subbing in the fruit, which was fresh and a decent variety - berries, grapes, 1 piece of melon, and 1 piece of pineapple. A small OJ was $4 which is criminal, but standard, so no worries there. I wish I could just buy two gulps though.

All in all, the food was good, the staff were nice, and the place was clean and had a...