Black Bear Diner Chino — Restaurant in Chino

Update: April 25, 2025: We Bears decided to go to Black Bear for lunch. We were seated pretty quickly.

Our server came pretty quickly and took our drink order.

As I was looking at the NEW menu, they have changed the menu completely. No more ribs or fried chicken. There are some new items.

I had the meatloaf dinner. The clam chowder was too watery. It didn't have any flavor.

Honey had the classic cheeseburger. This was good. We also ordered to go a bear claw and carrot cake. The bear claw ($8) was old, dry and stale. The carrot cake ($8.99) wasn't even a carrot cake. I would not recommend any of these desserts.

I was a regular customer. We have decided not to come any more to this Black Bear.

Update: May 6 2024. We Bears decided to give this Black Bear Diner another chance.

We arrived after 4 p.m. Jordan, I assume is the Mgr was working the shift by himself. Jordan was very polite, friendly, courteous and attentive. He took our drink orders. He came back later to take our dinner orders.

The place started to get busy with more customers coming in and to go orders. Jordan handled every thing in a timely manner.

I am glad staff has changed. The food is better than I expected.

We Bears really like this Black Bear Diner again.

I would recommend this place.

Today, we bears wandered over to the Chino Black Bear. I am sorry to say today is my last time we will go to this Black Bear Diner.

We placed our name on the waiting list. The restaurant wasn't even busy. There were alot of tables and booths available. We waited and more and more people came in. So we were still patience with the wait. The tables and booths weren't even clean.

Then the young hostess told us, there is a party of 12 and they were short staffed. Then the young lady said she will seat us shortly. There was another party of 4 sitting and waiting. We were there first and the young lady said "I don't know who was there 1st." So she proceeded to seat them before us.

We bears said enough is enough. Today is the 2nd time this has happened.

Like I said I do like Black Bear Diners. I will go elsewhere instead.

We drove to Brandon's Diner and received great service and no wait.

We liked Bullhead City, AZ's Black Bear Diner. They had alot of servers, great food and service. The wait time was less than 10 minutes.

My husband is going to call Black Bear headquarters to complain about our treatment.

When I go to OR again, I will stop by the original Black Bear Diner...

$31 for one meal? I’m not usually one to gripe about prices. I think if you’re serving something great, you can charge whatever you want because it’s an experience and a memory that will last. This, however, seems egregious. I tried this meal before at a different location and loved it. I got the black berry stuffed French toast. It was delicious the first time I ever had it. It’s like a fat bear claw but instead of apple, it’s black berry. Here at the chino location, it was alright. Wasn’t bad. I can make excuses all day long for why this might be. I might not have been so hungry. Different locations will always vary, even with the same meal. This is a big business with workers that probably come and go so balancing consistency and quality is always going to be tough. I also believe in tipping so even though I was handed a bill for $26, I didn’t automatically jump to punishing the servers by leaving out a tip. The servers were great. The cooks are working hard. They’re all doing their part… I’m just concerned because for a bit of scrambled eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, an orange juice and a French toast, $26 seems pretty steep (not to mention the 18% tip I added on). While I feel like it’s fine, I don’t really feel inclined to stop in again. I love diners and I feel like my money would be better spent at a mom and pop shop where I’d get just as good if not slightly better quality for half the price and it would be contributing to a community business, not a giant conglomerate that even posts on their paper how many locations they have and what year they opened. Seems like a weird flex for a place that wants to seem down-home. I’ll come back with family if family elects to come, but on my own, I’ll be...

Well, where do I even begin with my experience at Black Bear Diner? Let's just say it left me feeling more like a hibernating bear than a satisfied customer.

First off, let's talk about the food. It was the epitome of mediocrity. Everything I tasted seemed to lack flavor and personality. It was like the culinary equivalent of a snooze fest. Even dishes that should have been bursting with taste, like their famous pancakes, fell flat. The food was warm, but not in the comforting, home-cooked way. It was more like the lukewarm, forgettable kind of warm.

Now, onto the surroundings. Dingy and worn would be an understatement. The décor felt like a throwback to the 1980s, and not in a charming retro way. It was more like stepping into a time capsule that desperately needed an update. The furnishings looked tired and well past their prime. It was hard to relax and enjoy a meal when the surroundings were so uninspiring.

And don't even get me started on the service. It was a joke, plain and simple. The waitstaff seemed more interested in chatting amongst themselves than attending to the needs of the customers. It took forever to get anyone's attention, and even longer to get our orders taken. It was as if we were invisible bears in need of a picnic basket rescue.

Overall, my experience at Black Bear Diner left much to be desired. The food was mediocre, the surroundings were dingy and worn, and the service was a complete joke. Needless to say, I won't be returning anytime soon. Save yourself the disappointment and seek out a dining experience that's actually worth your...