Kolache Factory — Restaurant in Carmel

I decided to stop at the Carmel Kolache Factory for breakfast today. I had never been but had heard good things about the food. I walked in and took a look at the menu. I noted a bunch of scribbled-out items, which is really odd and makes the place feel like a shady, cheap establishment. I looked past that, but they really need to reprint their menu rather than using a Sharpie if these items aren't offered anymore. I placed my order, which was quickly filled. They even asked if I wanted it warmed, which I did. I picked up a sausage, jalapeño, and cheese roll and a sausage, egg, and cheese roll. I also ordered a small coffee. For $7, I think it was a decent amount of food and the coffee was surprisingly good for a quick service restaurant. I took a packet of salsa to go with the rolls and sat inside to eat. As I walked the dining room, I couldn't help but notice that the interior is in desperate need of paint and drywall repair. There were an excessively large number of gouges and areas of missing paint on the walls in the seating area as well as a fist-sized hole in the drywall under one of the windows. This combined with the artistic touch to the menu display was definitely off-putting. These are fairly basic operational maintenance items. It's almost like the general manager or franchisee wasn't taking their role seriously and were okay with the appearance of the restaurant. This is where the five-star rating turned into four stars. Overall, the food was quite good but the interior needs work. I'll probably return, but I hope they address some of the concerns I've mentioned...

I am really disappointed that I have to share this but I absolutely hate going to this Kolache Factory. I love the Kolache's but my experience and my interaction with the manager here is always unpleasant. Which is very unfortunate because he is supposed to be the manager. 1.) Stop rushing people when they are ordering. When I tell you at the beginning of my order that I have a big order & after every 2 Kolache's I order you ask me, is that it? That is extremely annoying! And you keep doing it after I tell you I will let you know when I'm done! I understand that you may have other things to do but I am literally giving you my money so you can wait until I'm done ordering. There was only 2 people behind me & another cashier 2.) Why wouldn't you grab a box instead of a bag when I tell you I have a big order? Oh, because you didn't want to label it. Oh, I'm sorry that I'm asking you to do something out of your job description. Then you laugh when I ask are you going to label them as you're closing the box. How are the people supposed to know which is which? At that point I almost just said forget it & went to the other Kolache Factory on 106th Allisonville. I hate to give my money to someone who finds it difficult to do their job. I just want to be clear that it is ONLY the interaction with this one particular guy but it's consistent every time. I would have given you 1 star but the food is good, service from the manager...

Wow! I'm impressed. It was a restaurant filled with hungry people. There was one staff member, Maria, and she was working hard!

In comes a Door Dash employee who is frustrated about the delay on his order. Maria apologized, and let him know she was the only person working today and would get to the order as soon as possible. She explained that it had been busy all morning, and she had gotten behind. She was calm, kind, and professional but conveyed sincerity about getting the order finished and to the driver.

The Door Dash driver continued to complain and be rude and mean to her. As the crowd in the lobby became more uncomfortable, and the Door Dash driver left, we each made our way to the register, ordered, and apologized for the way Maria was treated. She responded with gratitude and kindness and went back to working hard to help those of us in line.

The restaurant was clean, and the food looked amazing. The Kolaches were going fast as the customers came in and ordered, but I'm not surprised. The Kolaches are always Great, and I can see why the restaurant is so popular. I can happily recommend the Kolaches, and after the customer service experience today, I can't say enough great things about Maria.

She's the kind of person I'd happily hire for my business if she was in the healthcare field. To the owner of the Kolache Factory, thank you so much for staffing your restaurant with such an amazing...