Cherie Inn — Restaurant in Grand Rapids

We were looking for a 'new to us' place for breakfast and settled on the Cherie Inn as they have decades of 5-star reviews and a well-written menu full of delicious sounding food. I also loved their website's claim: 'gracious service - ambiance - exceptional meals; a Grand Rapids tradition since 1924'. It seemed like the perfect package! We walked in and were seated immediately, which was great! Our server then came to take our drink order; when I told her that I was fine with water, she looked very annoyed and said "water is on the table". Was I supposed to just ignore her when she asked what I'd have to drink? Tell her I wanted nothing? I don't know, I am not a mind reader! She rattled off the daily specials with little-to-no enthusiasm. I ordered a classic benedict, which was described as "2 Poached eggs atop shaved ham on an English muffin smothered with our rich Hollandaise sauce". What I received was 2 poached eggs (one runny, one with a hard yolk) atop lunchmeat ham (nothing 'shaved' or with a rough edge here, totally smooth deli ham) on an English muffin smothered with Hollandaise sauce. I was not wowed, it was just a basic benedict. My spouse had ordered steak & eggs and had requested his hashbrowns without onions. His plate came with onions galore. I am confused by the ambiance as well, it was just a dark dingy dining area, nothing like what we had expected. Our server never came to ask us how our food was, nor did she ask about our experience when she brought us the bill. Overall we were not impressed (as we had thought we would have been, unfortunately). The food was okay, not the best and not the worst. The experience as a whole was disappointing. The only person that had a smile on their face...

The food was average. The hash browns weren't very good, but the rest of it was just regular food, nothing more spectacular than Denny's.

However, the service was awful. The waitress had a hard time with anyone wanting to make substitutions, and she apparently couldn't take a la cart orders, which is really weird. When the food came, some of it was wrong, so we had to ask for it to be adjusted. My son didn't get what he ordered, so he had to sit and wait for them to cook it while the rest of us were eating. My other son ordered hard cooked fried eggs, but when they came they were runny. When he said something, she just said "Well that's the way eggs are!" and walked away, dismissing him. I had to very firmly ask again that his eggs get re-cooked. Her comment to him made me irate. At that point, I decided she didn't deserve a tip. Overall, she wasn't very warm and inviting. It felt like visiting your uptight grandma who didn't have any comfy furniture but only fragile things that you were afraid to touch lest you get a stern scolding. This was supposed to be our Mothers Day celebration, thinking it would be less stressful than cooking at home. I think it would have been less stressful to cook for...

Being from out of town, it seems to be extra special for us to have breakfast or lunch at Cherie Inn--it is almost always our first choice. And having lunch here yesterday did not disappoint--actually, it seemed extra special. First, our waitress, Jeannie, was incredibly awesome regarding her service, and we also enjoyed briefly chatting with her. I believe we did not have to ask for more coffee or water at all, both being readily and appropriately replenished throughout the meal. And Michael--what a treat! It is so readily obvious how much he loves being a host. His special attention to us put the proverbial cherry on top of our wonderful meal/service experience. I sure hope the owner/management recognizes the value these two people add to the restaurant (as well as the food--great quality and menu/special choices!), and I don't doubt that many other staff are just as awesome. Everything I've mentioned above will continue to draw us back to Cherie Inn, but if I had to prioritize the best, it would be the great customer service from Jeannie and Michael....