Merry Ann's Diner — Restaurant in Champaign

Merry Ann's isn't so merry... :(

To be honest I am a little torn as to how to go about this one. On one hand, Merry Ann's Diner is a greasy spoon. And for that, I got what I expected. However, the rave reviews of the passed and the ravings of the local person's I spoke too, it was supposed to be the cat's meow. That it wasn't.

Initial impression: I almost walked out and left. The first person I met was rude and in a seemingly bad mood. She felt that she needed to explain to me the procedure, as if, I had never experienced COVID dinning before. That may be for some, but don't treat me like a child, don't try to explain the details, just tell me what the wait is and then listen to me...

Food: good at best. "The Omlet was Huge" is a total fallacy. It was standard to small for a three egg omelet. The amount of cheese and ham were acceptable. The mound of hash browns was very ordinary. Very, very ordinary. Some seasoning would have been welcome, but not even a hint of the flavor of bacon on the same grill(?)... Plain Jane. Disappointed to say the least.

Coffee: Garbage... Absolute garbage. And not that I wanted more, but $1.99 for a small cup of coffee and not one offer for a warm up or refill.

Atmosphere: Typical diner, except there wasn't one happy person there... People have been begging to open up so they can make real money again. Maybe not here I suppose... It reminded me of Mel's Diner from the old TV Show, Alice. Staff were not in pleasant moods, ice bins were slamming right next to my table, containers were being thrown around, seemed like the folk's there were hating life...

OVERALL: If you're mildly drunk or really hung over, may be the place for you since you won't remember anyway. But if you are looking for anything else besides mediocre prices, mediocre food and bad coffee, this isn't the place for you. I have raved about greasy spoons. In fact, they are some of my favorite places to eat. Merry Ann's isnt so Merry, nor will it make the list of second chances. Only saving grace was that I believe my server was potentially a sweet person outside of the restaurant. Pay more elsewhere, you'll thank me later... Would have rated 1.0 star, but I don't Hate anything, although this was close, strong disdain, strongly dislike,...

I was verbally attacked by a male named Chris, in front of everyone including customers. I have multiple sclerosis and it was snowing outside with no parking spots. I already ordered my food and paid for it over the phone so I pulled up to the door because my legs weren't working properly that day. Best man began yelling as soon as I walked in the door telling me I could not park there because I was blocking the way. However there were several cars driving past my car perfectly fine. There was also no sign saying you couldn't park there. I would have moved my car and got a refund and took my business elsewhere but he refused a refund and blatantly ignored my request. apparently someone else paid my ticket so I was told I needed to grab my card and pay for theirs. Which I did, because the people who checked me out we're very nice, and said my ticket would not be nearly as much and they would refund me. However, I refund was not made so I paid over $75 for a breakfast. I've already called management and reported everything but so far nothing has been done. I will be telling all of my friends and family about this incident andReporting this to the better business bureau as well. I also called trying to get a corporate number but was refused by two employees, finally I spoke with a manager and yesterday things will be handled but again, I still have no refund and this Chris person still is employed there. So be aware as he could lash out at any...

It was our wedding anniversary and we had planned to celebrate at another restaurant which held special meaning to us. That restaurant is permanently closed and we remembered that Merry Ann's came highly recommended by colleagues, so we went there. I had a waffle with vanilla ice cream, a special request, and the server (didn't get his name) recommended whipped cream topping. It was perfect! I like that the waffle is soft and fluffy, and so fragrant on its own, but perfect with the toppings. My husband keeps a special diet so he only had the fries and onion rings. He enjoyed every bit of it and I loved the onion rings after stealing one from him. The onion rings were not oily and fried to just the right crispiness, and soft on the inside.

I would return to try other meals on the menu. Finally, the server was great with just enough small talk that made you feel welcomed and appreciated but not too much that steal your time completely.

Definitely highly recommended!

How I rate:- 1-2 stars - Businesses/professionals that do not meet the minimum standard of service. 3 stars - Businesses/professionals that meet the minimum standard of care/service and nothing more; or when they try to compensate for the lack of service by being really nice. 4 stars - Businesses/professionals that take extra effort to be nice in addition to meeting the minimum expected standard. 5 stars - Exemplary service/products and customer...