Casualbird — Restaurant in Daytona Beach Shores

For a long time my fianceé and I have been eyeing this casual brunch joint and finally did so after both a push from a coworker and finding the perfect opportunity to visit on a Saturday afternoon.

It was around 12:30 - all parking spots were full but we got lucky waiting for only about 30 seconds before a car pulled out - no idea where to park if this is the case and no spots free up but I believe parking in the plaza across the street might work (don't take my word on that).

Busy but not claustrophobic-inducing, the easy-going beachside look of the place gave it a bright and warm feeling despite the cloudiness of the day outside and it was definitely the type of place one would walk into and feel like the day has just started. Naturally, because of this, I opted for something more breakfast-y and my fianceé got something more towards a 'lunch' type of dish.

My 'Chicken and French Toast' was amazing - two nicely sized pieces of chicken and four big pieces of french toast. Both options felt and tasted like they were made on the spot and came out with a great deal of warmness. The taste matched the presentation - with the warm syrup given, as well as the orange honey butter, I was in heaven for both the chicken and the french toast. Casualbird also had a jam station so naturally I enjoyed some strawberry and raspberry jam with the toast and by the end of the meal I was beyond satisfied - I almost went back for seconds since I wanted to try even more toasts that they offered, haha.

My fianceé's 'Hey Honey' tasted great - the chicken sandwich was super filling but the broccoli salad (by name alone I usually wouldn't order as a side) was surprisingly a huge hit with me - it tasted like a very fresh and flavorful potato salad and was very refreshing in both taste and feel.

HIGHLIGHT of the meal, though, was sitting counter-side and seeing a wasp on the window that likely accidentally flew in from the front door nearby - after notifying the staff an employee came from the back and, with gentleness and ease, enveloped the wasp in a paper towel and killed it without causing any issues/hubbub while the dining area was still full. Was impressed how expertly he handled it and I jokingly said 'Five stars!' after he did it to which he replied 'woo!'

Little did he know, though, that was not a joke and we had a five star experience here - will definitely be back sometime. Thank you Casualbird!

Now to also try the ice cream sandwich truck parked...

One person in our group has a dietary restriction and ordered a drink with a milk alternative. The communication between the cashier, the drink maker and server was not effective because our server scolded my friend for not alerting them that she had a dairy restriction. I guess at this establishment ordering a drink without milk is not a reason for them to make it without milk unless you also add that you’re allergic. But NICOLE remained hostile from the time she brought the correct drink back until we left. Other customers witnessed this and became uncomfortable. One older lady actually addressed NICOLE directly about this and Nicole became irate with her and dismissed her as well. NICOLE returned to our table to explain why she was upset — not to apologize — then stormed off when my friend attempted to respond. It was an awful exchange and there was NO MANAGER ON DUTY to address or help deescalate this staff member. It was awful. We appreciate the patrons that offered their support and also those who decided to leave because of how terribly we were being treated. (You walk up to pay at the register then sit and wait for your food so we couldn’t get a refund so it was nice to at least see the establishment lose a few customers as a result of this exchange). The icing on the cake was NICOLE opening an employee only side door to yell at us on our way to our car. She slammed that door shut so we walked back in to get her name and she hid in the back and wouldn’t come out. We got her name from another employee and left.

The food was...

A hostile server refused to give her name after a combative outburst. I continued to ask for her name and she said it’s Ava Taylor but another employee said it is Nicole. My friend and I both ordered a matcha latte — mine with oat milk and hers with whole milk. A server delivered the drinks but the one with oat was not labeled. When I asked for clarification about which had oat milk the server was verbally aggressive and blamed me for not specifying that I have a milk allergy. She stormed away to remake the drink. When I asked for a straw she said to get it myself. A concerned patron saw her belligerent behavior and spoke to other employees on my behalf trying to find a manager. The server came back to the table to say that I should have specified the milk allergy. I tried to provide constructive feedback about her hostile behavior but she kept talking over me and would not allow me to speak. I asked a different server (Sofie — who was very kind) for the manager. She said the manager was out of town and gave a name (Brooke) and a phone number. Before leaving I asked the hostile server for her name. She refused to give it. After I continued to ask for her name she gave me a name Ava Taylor — which is most likely a fake name. She then opened the side door and followed me out of the restaurant to my car screaming at me “I hope you don’t get sick”. This harassing and threatening behavior left me shocked and shaken. Many patrons had a look of distress and witnessed this combative outburst and came to check on me....