The Cookie Jar Restaurant — Restaurant in Fairbanks

My daughter and I came here for lunch on 5/3 & 5/6. The food is incredible!! However the poor quality of service marred the whole experience. On 5/3 we were sat almost immediately which was super nice. Our host was pleasant. Our waiter was there quickly with our menus. This is hard to explain: she was not rude but she did not have patience were patience is required. My daughter has an invisible disability and this has impaired her ability to learn to read. She also struggles socially/publicly and comes across as very shy. I encourage her to partake in life even when it is uncomfortable for her. Our waiter lacked patience with my daughters struggles with ordering and exhibited rudeness in her tone ( used to finish speaking for my daughter), her physical demeanor, and overall interaction. I ordered coffee immediately and my daughter needed a few minutes to decide. She was ready to place her drink order by the time my coffee arrived. The waiter just set the coffee on the table and walked off. ** I don't use sugar or sugar substitute; I sweeten my coffee with honey. She left a tiny container. 😔 We were ready to order by the next time the waiter came back but she only came back to check on the table directly across the aisle four times. When she decided we were ready to order, my daughter finally placed her drink order (Dr. Pepper), which she still did not receive until her lunch arrived. This was all meant to be a treat and a lesson for her. She absolutely loved it and decided this is her new favorite restaurant. We decided to try this again (5/6) because we are local and the cookie jar is fairly close to our home. The second experience was much worse. The host was absent and when he noticed us, he didn't offer a greeting or anything. When he was finished cleaning tables, he asked for my name and saying nothing else. We sat down to wait. I don't know if he called my name and I didn't hear him but eventually I turned around and he was just staring at me. We discussed what we wanted to eat beforehand. The waiter dropped off the menus and walked off saying she would be back. By the time she came back, we both were ready to order. We placed both drink and food order. My daughter ordered hot chocolate and I ordered coffee with honey & cream. She came back with coffee and cream. She set it down and walked off, I don't think her feet actually stopped. We both waited without refreshments for our food. My daughters hot chocolate arrived when our food arrived. However, there was a miscommunication and 2 were brought out by a waiter; the original waiter made this very complicated and was extremely invasive of everyone's space while trying to "fix" her mistake. It was also at this time she brought honey. I feel terrible for the person who made the hot chocolate. My annoyance was written all over my face and it had nothing to do with that person. I feel terrible for not tipping them specifically, my daughter definitely enjoyed her drink. After the debacle at the table, our waiter graciously dropped the check on our table so we could get out of there quicker. Which I found a bit odd, as I had never mentioned being in a hurry, I was trying to spend time with my daughter, and I had not even had a drink of my cold coffee or warm food. This is the exact experience that locals have said to expect. Amazing food and poor service. I highly recommend take out and...

However yesterday lunch at The Cookie Jar still has me shaking my head. The whole interaction from start to finish was so strange with the staff, especially the server. We were given 2 menus for 3 adults and 2 children. No kids menu/crayons (the toddler next to us had some) When the server came she asked us if we were ready to order, I told her we needed a minute but what was the soup of the day? She informed us it was French onion (Dad's favorite) he asked for a bowl, her response is you're not ready to order I'll put it in when you're ready. He said can I have it now, she seemed taken back. She started to walk away and I said could we have some water? She said okay and dad added can I have a diet? A few minutes later some came and set a tray of 5 glasses next to a 15 month old. What? I hold his hands so he doesn't pull them over as she starts to pass them out. I stopped her at 3 and said thank you 3 is plenty they will have their sippy cups (that were on the crowded table) a glass of water for the littles? At this point I'm thinking maybe she is new? Give her some grace. Dad's soup comes... Wow it's so thick with a slice of cold provolone cheese on top, a hard dinner roll. Then his diet soda comes. I got up and took the silverware off other empty tables. After what felt like an eternity the little ones food came. The picture is the little guys lunch for $6.99 half a waffle? Thought they forgot the rest of the meal. They assured me they did not. The other kid meal was $10.99 and was definitely microwave Mac and cheese. After forever (the kids had already finished) our meals finally came. It was basic & not hot, more warm. When we were finished we waited for a long time, then I went and found her and asked for a check. This is probably the 3rd time it has been a blah experience and I'm personally over it. The tables are way too close together, it is over priced mediocre food and blah service. My husband would like me to add they also do not make an omelet. He said they just put eggs on top of the ingredients. Another add... my father in-law has a walker, like a lot of their customers. It's so crowded you can't get through without bumping into people and it never fails they put us in the furthest table from the door & restroom. Again just my personal experience... If you love it...

We normally do not write reviews, but strongly DO NOT recommend to families. Please keep reading...

We were a group of four: two parents, and two children (ages 5 and 2).

We called at 9:30am on Sunday, looking to make a reservation. Were told that they do not take reservations on weekends. Arrived at 11:15am. Told the wait would be 15-minutes and that we could wait inside (which was packed), outside or in our vehicle. When we asked how we would be notified if we were outside or in our car, we were told a staff member would come to find us. At 11:30am, we went back in and asked if our table was ready. Were told that our name had already been called. Yet, we had been watching the door and not a single staff member came outside. There were also other guests still waiting outside who had been there before we arrived.

Once seated, our waitress said that the kitchen was behind, so we should put in our orders right away. We ordered simple breakfast items for us and the kids. We waited until 12:35pm. Having only seen our waitress once when she delivered our drinks, my husband left our table and walked up to find the waitress to ask if our meals would arrive before 1:00pm (1.5hours after order). At 12:45pm, our order arrived.

We were not the only guests who experience this. We counted at least 4 other tables that were waiting just as long as we were. Our kids were getting restless and we wanted to pack up our left-overs and get our bill. My husband left our table again and retrieved our own to-go container and we packed up our remaining food ourselves.

The staff did not look to be coordinating with each other at all.

Overall, the worst part of our weekend trip to Fairbanks. The food was fairly average, and moderately overpriced. We did not feel like the staff respected us, our time or our experience. Have had better experience in high-school cafeterias.

If thinking about where to have a good meal that you can enjoy with you family and friends, definitely avoid the Cookie Jar. Will not...