Big Bad Breakfast-Florence — Restaurant in Florence

Ok. You'd think with a name like they have that the breakfast would be awesome, at least that's what I expected, Especially with their prices! Well let me tell ya... To begin with the place is very hard to find with traffic pushing you to move along while you're trying to find it and if you don't know it's in the lobby of a hotel (bed and breakfast)it'll be hard to find, so if you're gonna try it remember that. We were seated by a nice lady who brought us menu's that were a little confusing because the prices were not clear (to us), for instance, a coke was 3 not $3 or $3.00 or even 3.00 and so on all the prices. So we're like... I think that's the price... We'll go with that. The way the plates, such as pancakes, were described and priced was also confusing. Really I think they were trying to be different and cute but to me they missed the mark. Either that or they were intentionally trying to make it hard to understand and I just don't believe that. Why would they do that. Well my first instinct was to just leave but my daughter and son in law said we had to try BBB's. So we take a chance and guess at it... Don't do that! Ask the waitress about pricing and what is or isn't with the order options. We decided on pancakes (they had the number 13 by them so we figured $13? Better be big and bad... Bob I thought). My wife ordered a stack of pancakes and tea, that's all. I having a large appetite and it being almost 11:00 and my first meal, I had a stack with bacon and a bacon egg and cheese biscuit, (it had I think a 6 by it on the menu so $6? And an order of bacon had the same 6 by it so I'm like I get biscuit with bacon egg and cheese for the same price!?) not the BIG Biscuit, just a regular size biscuit and a diet coke. As I say the menu was confusing about options so I wasn't sure about everything. But the big one was more expensive I could understand that. LOL. We get our pancakes and there are 3 pancakes on the plate, not huge as I expected (with a name like big bad Bob's) but not small, so I'm like... Ok they'll taste great probably, best in town... No. Really the problem was they didn't have any flavor at all, like just, no flavor, then she brought the butter and syrup which was very good and really saved the pancakes and the meal! Really, Jacks pancakes have more taste than these did before the syrup and butter! My wife said her's were the same... So I get to the BE&C biscuit and I bite into it and the biscuit is HARD... Like it's been in the warmer for a couple of hours hard. I put jelly on it to soften it best I can and eat about half of it and give up and just eat the eggs and bacon. By the way the bacon was Awesome! Best part of the meal! And also the jelly was very good too, it came in a squeeze bottle and tasted home made. The waitress ask was everything ok and I said the biscuit was hard and she offered to remake it and I said no I was full and she offered me a biscuit to take home, said they were fresh so I said yes but when she brought it she said it wasn't fresh, it was like the one I'd had (I didn't eat it I gave it to my dog who ate part of it). By now I'm just ready to go. I get the bill which I couldn't figure the price so we just went to the check out. Well... For two orders pancakes,1 order bacon and a BE&C biscuit and 2 drinks it was $40 Yes I said $40.00... with tip $45.00 (the service was great btw.) I have never paid so much for breakfast and got so little. I could have ate the same at Jack's for less than 20 bucks. Just blew my mind. I'm sorry but I cannot recommend Bob's Big Breakfast. Breakfast is the least expensive meal to buy at a restaurant so I can't understand prices like...

2nd time eating here this week. Had to bring other friends with us. Let's break down the 3 components that make this an amazing spot to eat.

1. The Atmosphere. As soon as you walk in, you're in that hometown breakfast diner feeling. From the hanging lights above the bar to the decor on the walls, everything is fun and relaxing.

2)The Staff. Warm and welcoming the moment you walk in. And it doesn't stop there. As I said, it's our 2nd, and both times, our waiter/waitress was amazing. First vist had a party of 8, and today was a party of 16, and they handled us amazingly. Very patient and friendly with us and kept up a smile and great spirits the whole time. Even had who I'm assuming was the manager come up and check on us all, and she was just as nice and friendly as everyone else.

3. The Food. OH. MY. GOODNESS! The food was so amazing! I've gotten the chicken and waffles both times, and each time, it's the best I've ever had anywhere! The chicken is seasoned to perfection. The combo of sweet and savory is unmatched. The spicy bacon has just the right amount of kick to give it great flavor without it overpowering the bacon. The hash cakes were nice and crisp and tender inside. The fluffy biscuits and sausage gravy tasted so good. And thr chicken sausage will blow your mind! The coffee has chicory in it which, being from New Orleans, was perfect and tasted like home. And the fresh squeezed made to order orange juice is worth it.

All in all, if you're ever able to make a morning stop here for breakfast, DO IT! You will not...

Updated Review: Finally actually came here to eat. Let me just say, the wait was outrageous. They told us we'd be in in 20-30 minutes, but we were there for over an hour in the parking lot before we got to sit down. Then we ordered and waited like another half hour for the food to show up. The waiters were nice and friendly but it still took much longer than I would've expected.

We walked around in the attached shop while waiting for the food. It was a nice shop, though a bit expensive. Everything seemed to be local and artisan made though, so for that, the prices were understandable.

However, the food was overpriced, especially considering the quality. I got the oyster and shrimp po-boy, and it wasn't that good. It wasn't terrible, but I've had substantially better po-boys. 20$ for a bland po-boy and a tiny cup of fresh fruit is insane.

Then after I finished my meal, I went to the bathroom. The floor on the walk to the bathroom was so sticky, my shoes kept getting stuck, and the water pressure in the restroom was terrible.

Overall, I'm not impressed and have no plans to return to this restaurant. It's not the worst place I've ever been but why would I settle for mediocre when I could eat somewhere actually good?

––––––––––––– Original Review: The appearance of the restaurant makes it look like a barbecue restaurant, and it's not. If you're searching for breakfast food, this might be a good spot, but if you want barbecue food, they don't sell it here. It'd be a better idea to go across the street if you...