Black Bear Diner Natomas — Restaurant in California

I was eating solo out in Sacramento handling business. So I stopped here for a bite to eat. I hate to bring up race, but I was the only African American in the building and the energy spoke just that. When I walked in the door, a short maybe Hispanic woman stood the counter, looked me up and down, did not great me, asked me how many grabbed a menu told me to follow her. Ok. Seats me at the 1st open booth. Walks off. Now I brought up race for a reason. My waiter older white woman, looked uncomfortable serving me & was acting like she was nervous. She tried to relax but her energy was evident. While I waited on my food, every (non colored)person that walked in the restaurant, was greeted with a energetic welcome in, (even from where I was sitting)we will be with you in a minute. I didn’t receive that welcome. Honestly the lady would have let me stand there if I didn’t speak up. My food was 2 stars. I ordered the prime rib scramble with pancake & green tea.I was asked how did I want my prime rib, I said medium well. It came well done, and my pancake was cold. The butter wouldn’t melt. When I brought the cold pancake to my waiter attention, she looked bothered.She brought me back another one but you can tell she didn’t feel like addressing it.Normally I would just leave & find another place,but I didn’t leave because it was close to the place of my business affairs and I thought I chose a good place to eat & relax before resuming my busy day.Ok. As I’m eating, a manager was having a conversation at the table to my left with the same employee that initially sat me at my table. Maybe that’s why she looked so mad at the greeting booth.They were going back and forth about fair treatment & what the manager wanted the employee to do about a situation that’s seems to be ongoing. That was completely inappropriate to talk about or reprimand her on the floor. It disturbed my eating & I looked over to them & the manager noticed,then decided to take the situation to her office. The bathroom was clean & the server who checked me out appeared to feel the uneasiness and tried to make small talk while checking me out. It was odd that my waitress didn’t offer to take my payment from the table like she did the other customers. I was finished eating, just finishing up my tea. I didn’t feel welcomed. I was sat at the first booth upon walking in the door that was close to the front door & a continuous draft ran across my back. I usually ask to be seated somewhere else but I didn’t bother,didn’t want to make it an issue,next time I will speak up. How would you feel about going back to a restaurant who literally acknowledges & gives different treatment to everyone but you? Would you feel out of place? I will not be going back to this location. I will eat at Denny’s...

This review is about the staff.

I've been going to Black Bear for years now. Every time I have sat at the counter, I get immediate service even from the staff that is waiting on the food to get served. This particular location in Sacramento at Natomas, when you ask to sit at the counter, you walk up, you sit down nobody acknowledges you. Part of the reason is because they allow their staff that is on break, to sit down at the counter and have their meals so you blend in with the staff and the current wait staff thinks your just part of the crew.

The first day that I had breakfast, I side of the counter and waited at least five minutes before somebody acknowledged me. The manager who was working had to get the counter person to take my order.

The next day I went in thinking, OK well they know who I am so they'll give me service when I sit down, but no that did not happen. Waited at least five minutes. I got up and walked over to the hostess and ask if they had someone working the counter? Not to mention that there was a table that sat down next to me, by the counter, that wasn't acknowledged. Their reasoning was that they were in the middle of a shift change.

Of all the Black Bear diners that I've been to, this was the first one that I've seen where their staff has sat down at the counter and eaten their breakfast or their meals.

When they do finally, get.to you they're attentive. But I've watched other tables not being acknowledged after they've sat down.

Food is great! Ill always go to a Black Bear Diner when I'm travelling within California. Their food is way better than...

This was honestly one of the worst breakfast experiences I've ever had. I got the Joe's hobo omelette ordered with crispy hash browns and sour dough toast. My daughter had corned beef hash, eggs, crispy hash browns and sour dough toast. The meals came out, her hash browns were crispy. Mine were virtually uncooked, no color, some barely warm while some were cold, like refrigerator cold, still raw, cold crunchy shredded potatoes. Yum. Both of our food was barely warm. I had a bite of omelet and 1/2 piece of toast when I told the waitress. She took my entire plate and I sat there with nothing to eat... Thinking she's bringing me a whole new breakfast? Why else would she take my whole plate and not just bring out cooked hash browns? Nope, she brought back the omelet with the bite gone, hot anemic hash browns and now 2 halves of toast are missing and my omelet is cold. She then got me new "toast" which wasn't toasted, just warmed. I think they slid the hash browns off my plate onto the griddle and back in my plate tbh, can't be sure. My daughter's food was so bland she had to keep adding salt to corned beef hash and she isn't a salt junkie. I was surprised at how empty the restaurant was, it's always been packed when I've been here. Never again. I'll be emailing corporate, too, they need actual cooks on the line or this...