Jay's Deli — Restaurant in Greensboro

TL/DR: cross contamination, bland and over seasoned food in the same order, long wait times, nice environment

I was there when the doors opened at 10:30am. I ordered two grilled cheeses with a side of carrot sticks and potato salad. 11$. It took TWENTY (20) minutes to get my grilled cheeses. I was the first order in the restaurant, that seems a bit ridiculous.

Firstly, the food; I feel comfortable saying I got about 4$ worth of food. The grilled cheeses were as described but the potato salad is pure mustard. I normally like yellow potato salad but this is inedible. It taste like a mustard packet with some relish thrown in. Not to mention, it’s about an ice cream scoop sized portion. The carrot sticks have no flavor…?? They taste like they’ve been sitting in water and have dirt from the peel still on them. In fact, I watched the employee dump water out of the styrofoam container my carrots were put into. They are crunchy but lack density, hence backing my idea they sit in water to keep them from going limp. I’m guessing that’s how the carrots can become so flavorless. Well there is some flavor I suppose, I have a dirt taste in my mouth from the one bite I took from a clean looking stick.

Secondly, the staff. Is it normal for your staff to handle food without gloves? I watched an employee build multiple salads, touching multiple styrofoam containers, wiping her hands on her pants and still grabbing the lettuce and MEAT TOPPINGS bare handed. Cross contamination seems to be a threat for here… I have included photos of the employee doing just that in case you don’t believe me. The rest of the staff seemed alright. Moving and bustling around.

Thirdly, the atmosphere This was the only positive and why they got two stars instead of one. It was a clean environment and I liked the plants and vibes of the restaurant.

Fourthly, overall I am not impressed, I will not be returning. In fact I wish I would have asked for a refund and denied the food while I was still there (TO-GO order). I paid 11$ to eat two grilled cheeses that cost them not even 1$ to make. I hate waste so the carrot sticks will end up in my compost but the potato salad is a lost cause. The wait the other reviewers speak to is no joke. Again, 20 minutes for two grilled cheeses? That seems a tad excessive.

I’m sorry to whoever Jay is that your company is falling, but this was...

Absolutely Disheartening Experience

I typically only leave positive reviews because I genuinely enjoy supporting restaurants and small businesses. However, my recent visit left me feeling so disrespected and disappointed that I feel compelled to speak up.

During a lunch meeting with guests, I discovered a hair in my wrap. Out of consideration for those dining with me — so as not to ruin their appetites or cause a scene — I quietly ate from the other side of the wrap and waited until the end of our meal to discreetly mention it to our server. I calmly showed her the hair, made no demands, and did not ask for any compensation or for the item to be removed from the bill. I simply wanted to let someone know.

To my surprise, shortly after, a young woman from the staff approached our table in a confrontational and interrogative manner. She questioned me about the color of the hair, which I did my best to describe (it appeared to be a fine brown strand blended into a textured wrap). Despite my respectful tone and demeanor, she dismissed my concern by saying, “Well nobody back here even has hair,” in a sarcastic and condescending tone. She told me they removed the item from the bill, but essentially accused me of fabricating the issue — something I find deeply offensive and unnecessary.

What hurt most was that I had chosen this restaurant and spoken highly of it to the others. This was their first time here, and unfortunately, the experience was ruined not because of the hair in the food (which can happen anywhere), but because of the way I was treated when I chose to speak up.

As if that wasn’t enough, after this interaction, our original waitress never returned to check on us or even made eye contact — a clear shift in her attitude following the incident. We were made to feel invisible.

All I wanted was a little acknowledgment and kindness. Instead, I walked away feeling attacked, embarrassed, and incredibly disappointed.

I will no longer be patronizing or recommending this restaurant. I also intend to use my platform to respectfully caution others. Kindness and professionalism go a long way, especially in the hospitality industry. Sadly, both were sorely...

I frequent Jay’s often for lunch, but will NEVER go back after my experience yesterday. The hostess came to my table and asked me 3 times if my other person was still coming. (A friend was supposed to be meeting me for lunch but she got caught at work and could not come). The third time the hostess asked me she also said "because I have a line out the door". I said "what does that have to do with whether or not my person shows up?" She then said "after you're done eating, I'm going to need you to leave". I turned my head and said "excuse me!??" She said “I have a line out the door and you're taking up a booth.” At that point I told her I was no longer speaking to her and to send her manager over. The owner/manager came over to my table. The entire time he had a smirk on his face, he repeatedly talked over me to defended the hostesses behavior because they were "busy and short staffed", and was incredibly condescending. I told him if I was in his position, I would be extremely concerned that was the culture in my restaurant - a culture where we walk up to someone before they are even finished with their meal to ask them how long they will be and tell them they need to leave as soon as they are done eating. For the record, I had no intention of just sitting and hanging out - but to be TOLD to leave immediately upon finishing my lunch was insane. The owner continued to back up his hostesses behavior, but then stated that is not his culture. But it IS the culture because if you read recent reviews this has happened several times!...