Sparky's Diner — Restaurant in Garfield Township

I stopped going to Sparkys two years ago because J&S was closer and better quality food. Plus, I had enough mudd flavored coffee in the military to last two lifetimes. My folks convinced me to revisit the joint on a recent Sunday. I pushed back, but they said they had a good experience the day before, and I'm always about 2nd chances.

A lot can change in two years, and it sure did, for better and worse. That Sunday I was delighted to find it was under new ownership. And even more so seeing their new Mexican food menu, which they serve all day, exclusively after 3pm, and breakfast until then. When I asked the server about swapping out the rice in the burrito for a single scrambled egg, She hesitated and said she didn't think they could do that, but would ask. And indeed the gatekeepers of ingredient substitutes approved. And the meal was dynamite.

Today I decided to give it another go. So I took a seat at the same table as before. But with a different server. I asked for the same exact thing as before. She said verbatim what the prior server had said a few days before. And to my unpleasant surprise, this time she informed me that the egg / rice swap was a firm no go. She was embarrassed I am sure. And probably a bit concerned when I declined to order anything else. But I tipped her $20 dollars anyway, Even though all I had was sweet rice milk to drink. I was a server too once. And what became a teachable moment, was for her boss, not her.

And another gracious server overhearing the situation stated profusely that there was a miscommunication issue and that they could indeed do it as ordered. However, the taste of that order would have been sour and bitter in my mouth. And yet everyone's experience is their own. I cannot say what kind of experience you will have, but for me the 3rd time is not a charm. And I won't be dining there again. It felt like that chef in that Jerry Seinfeld episode. But this time the...

I am aware that the bar is low, but I believe these are the best tacos in Traverse City. It used to be just a diner, but since TC Latino took over, there's some pretty good Mexican food coming out of here.

It's not pretty (It's a diner, after all) so maybe this is not a date place, unless the person you are dating is very chill. One time, I heard "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" come out of the kitchen 4 times in a row, and the first two times, it was sung in Spanish... the third and fourth time, it was the original English version. The fourth play through ended abruptly, as if someone in the kitchen suddenly realized that maybe, just maybe, the Total Eclipse fest wasn't good for business. But it was... everyone in the restaurant loved it, and each time the song was repeated, all the diners made eye contact and smiled. I almost gave the restaurant a 5th star just because of this great memory.

The service is terrific and attentive.

DO: Get any taco, you will be satisfied with the quality of the tortillas, the freshness of the fillings, and the tastiness of the meat. The barbacoa stands out to me as the best.

DON'T: Order the beef rib platter, they are delicious but you have to have jaws of steel to chew it, this meat is...

If I could give negative stars I would....I believe they must have new owners or management, and it painfully showed. When I walked in and sat I accidentally sat in their "closed" section, and they were sure to let me know it was a closed area right away(no biggie, I'll move no problem!) I get up and move over to the open section and take a seat. The young woman who Just spoke to me is now running down to the store for whatever reason.... Leaving at least 1 or 2 other waitresses there. Mind you, they only have another 2 top tables in there already eating. I sat at the booth, without any form of acknowledgement from the staff until almost 10 minutes... They finally brought a menu and then decided they needed to take another 10 minutes to allow me to look at the menu... I had to actually wave her down to take my order.... I get my food, which wasnt anything special, in a timely manner. After getting my food I don't see any staff until I've been done eating for about 5 minutes... Im in the industry so I understand all the situations that occur.... Understaffed, new hires, being busy, and so on.... But there was no reason for the terrible experience I had.... Unfortunately I will never be...