Fairlane Diner — Restaurant in East Norwegian Township

This is the second time eating here and with having another not great experience, I don’t think I will be back. The first time we came for dinner. I ordered a pizza burger which was practically raw and the pizza sauce was ice cold. My son’s mac and cheese was good but it was super hot. The waitress offered an extra plate to put some on so it would cool down faster. But the waitress hardly checked on us and the diner wasn’t that busy. My husbands food was ok from what I remembered. Today we went for a late lunch. We were seated in a section where the floors were still wet which we were warned about but I personally feel like they could’ve sat us elsewhere where the floors were dry to avoid a fall risk. We got our drinks: my husband water, a Dr. pepper for myself, and we asked for ice for my sons juice we had in a sippy cup but never received it even after saying something to our waitress. I wasn’t very hungry so I ordered disco fries which weren’t crispy, and tasted undercooked but I continued to eat them. I also asked for a refill on my Dr. pepper and the waitresss gave me a Pepsi instead which wasn’t a huge deal for me personally but another error nonetheless. My husband got a buffalo chicken cheesesteak. No where in the description did it say that it included onions, which he was extremely upset about it. The waitress was apologetic and had the kitchen make him another one. I asked for a kids cheeseburger. The menu does say hamburger but I asked if he could get cheese added which was never added. The burger was burnt and very dry and the bun was stale and hard as a rock. His fries were good though. We both got milkshakes which were good, mine was a bit too thick but i just took it home. No deal. When we got our bill, my husband was staring at it. He didn’t say anything to me until we got outside but he was adding up the total on our bill and they either charged us double for the tax on accident or maybe did it to double charge the buffalo chicken cheesesteak. I’m not sure. But I don’t think we will be back. It’s a shame. I’m happy the restaurant opened up and we love to support small businesses, but the food wasn’t the greatest.

Addition: I let my milkshake melt down a bit and no wonder it was so thick. It’s supposed to be a cookies and cream milkshake and it’s chocolate chip...

This was my first visit, and the restaurant had a fine atmosphere. The waitress was friendly, polite, and attentive at the start, though her presence faded as the meal progressed, and we didn't see her much until the end. However, the food was good. I tried the Fairlane burger and disco fries, and both were tasty. Unfortunately, they forgot the onions on the burger.

Update 7 months later... This was my second visit after about 7 months. I was curious to see if anything had improved since my last time here. The most noticeable change was that the waitress was much more attentive than before definitely a step up in service! Unfortunately, the food experience didn’t follow suit. I ordered the baked macaroni and cheese. After just one bite, I noticed an odd taste (portion is small) but I couldn't tell if it was the cheese or just a complete lack of seasoning, but either way, it was disappointing. The onion rings weren’t any better they also lacked seasoning, or maybe it was the breading that threw them off. Either way, they were bland.

It was also my first time trying the salad bar, and that came with its own issues. For starters, nothing was labeled except the sauces, which made it hard to tell what you were even grabbing. But what really turned me off were the plates many of them were either visibly dirty, had food stuck on them, or were still wet as if they had just come out of a rushed rinse. I had to go through several before finding one that was even usable. That’s not something you want to deal with at a self-serve station. It honestly made me question the cleanliness of the rest of the setup.

There were a couple of redeeming items. The ranch fries were actually pretty good crispy, seasoned well, and definitely the best thing I had (you can customize the cheese and we got the cheese sauce). I also tried the chocolate a la mode cake, which had potential, but again, there were problems. The ice cream on top was freezer-burnt, the icing on the cake was hard, and the cake itself tasted a bit off when eaten on its own. Overall, the service was better, but the food and cleanliness left a lot to be desired. I really wanted to enjoy this visit more than my last, but aside from a few okay items, the experience didn’t...

It’s pronounced “HERO” according to the waitress.

This place had such an opportunity but there are a lot of kinks to work out. We got seated at a table with 2 placemats and no silverware but we had 3 people. None of us ever got silverware after we had to ask for it repeatedly and eventually stole it off an empty table. Another table of 3 was sat next to us but we both had the same rude waitress. One of their party ordered a gyro and pronounced it “Ji-row” to which the waitress said, “It’s actually pronounced ‘Hero’” Another man at their table said, “I think you’re both wrong” but was rudely interrupted by the waitress again who said, “I’m sure I’m right and you’re wrong”. Okay…even if you are, who cares? You knew what he meant and he’s the customer.

She then joked to the table next to us that she just insulted about how her boss was over in the corner eating his lunch and said “the only way I’d get paid around here is if I trip on purpose and get a workers comp claim”. Great idea…joke about insurance fraud in front of a table full of people you don’t know are workers comp adjusters. I’m just saying if any workers comp adjusters are searching a claim on this place…send it to SIU.

The food was ehh…nothing special but okay.

When we finally got the bill, I went up to the counter where the owner was sitting. He saw me with my credit card and the bill but continued talking to a waitress about something personal. Another couple of customers got behind me in line but none of us were waited on. Eventually the hostess came out of the back and went to a different table behind all of us and took the third customer behind me. If that’s where you take bills, why not have the owner direct me over there rather than stand there wondering why I’m waiting for you, the owner to take my money. Fine, you don’t want my money, I get that so I won’t go back. Thanks for helping me with my decision. If y’all fail, and you likely will at this rate of burned food and rude staff, please don’t say it was because the area didn’t support you enough. We tried but if you don’t want money, people...