The Gourmet Shop — Restaurant in Columbia

Decided to give this place a try this morning because I wanted a decent breakfast with my morning coffee and Starbucks didn't have anything good to eat. I ordered the grits bowl which came with a side of toast and jam, as well as cheddar, egg, and bacon on top. I went ahead and ordered extra cheese because I tend to like more cheese in my grits than most people. And I ordered an iced mocha. So this comes out to be $14.30 and I think well it must be good food, no worries. I pay and when I get my takeout order, I'm instantly disappointed. I paid $1.50 for extra cheese, (after it already comes with cheese on it) and maybe a fourth of my grits has cheese on it. Most places charge about a dollar less for extra cheese, nevermind the fact that this bowl of grits was over $9 after tax. So I ask the cook if I could have a bit more cheese on it, which he did without fuss. I then walk to my job down the street, open it up and prepare to dig in. I go to butter my toast and it is extremely stale, not even warm. Chewing if was almost similar to chewing beef jerky without the flavor. So I put the toast down and accept defeat from the bread gods. I decide to dig in to the grits, that's when I realize the bacon egg and cheese is just one big clump. Literally, I was able to pick it all off up off of the grits at once with a fork. So much for mixing it in the grits. Now I'm considering taking my meal back and asking for a refund for my grits bowl at least, I will not be eating here again. This is the only time I've ever returned an order to a restaurant. Guess ya dont know until you try it.

Update: I switched my rating from 1 star to 2 stars because when I took it back, the manager instantly knew it wasn't made properly as soon as she saw it. She was very apologetic and offered a refund as well as a fresh order. I graciously declined the offer of a fresh order and offered to possibly try them out again at some point. At this point in the morning though I wouldnt have time to wait on it to be remade and to eat before I...

Do not get me wrong: the food at this establishment and wide variety of selections has always impressed me. However, the culture against the “homeless/hungry” (and myself, who tried to help an individual by purchasing his meal) was angering. I understand that the general manager, Zac/Zach/Zack, and the employees may have to deal with these populations on a daily basis and strive to keep the atmosphere at a high quality for patrons; however, the manner in which this situation was addressed in real time was unbecoming and unprofessional of a leader.

As I sought to order a meal for the individual, Zac/Zach/Zack was engaged in a constant shouting match with the individual (must have had previous interactions I am unaware of) and at a point, was engaged in a shouting match with me, as one attempting to diffuse the situation. This was no black-and-white issue but rather an issue of basic human decency. By the time I paid for the meal and returned to give the individual the receipt, he was already gone (with the food). The manager, who made it clear he was the top of the food chain, had retreated to the employee room.

I summoned him and we had a conversation about the interaction. I relayed that I understood his actions but made it clear that his delivery towards myself and the individual was uncalled for. We reached a mutual understanding and shook hands and I WOULD consider returning to this establishment after some time passes (because we all have off days and he came back out to somewhat civilly discuss the incident); however, the southern hospitality was not on display at all...

Overall, I really liked this place. The food and drinks were excellent, and the coffee was high quality. There’s the actual restaurant portion, a bakery section, and a wine/cigar section. They have indoor and outdoor seating available. Staff was compliant with COVID-19 Guidelines. Everyone was still seated very close together though. I would have given this place 5 stars but our waiter disappeared. When we first got there we had a waitress and she got us what we needed initially. Then after that we had a waiter and he only came to check on us twice (once to order actual food, and once to give us the check). He was very attentive to the tables next to us on the right but completely ignored our table and the one to our left. At one point, a family sat down to the left of us after the other guests left and they waited for about 25 minutes before they left because no one even came to get their drink order. I was very disappointed in this aspect. Another downside is this place only has one unisex bathroom, meaning only one toilet so you will be waiting awhile to use it. I would like to point out that we went during brunch which is a very busy time and I can understand that things won’t happen right away. However, to be completely forgotten about by staff is really annoying especially when staff is attentive to the people around you. I would like to return because the food/drinks were excellent but I’m hesitant to based on our waiter experience. It’s a shame because the two times we did actually see him he was very sweet and...