Small Batch At The Cupola — Restaurant in Harbor Springs

Rude service. Overpriced for the type of food served, yet we were willing to give it a try. The waitstaff spoke unkindly to another waitstaff about us when our group came to have lunch. We were a part of a bicycle group biking across MI. Our lunch stop was in Harbor Springs. The outside patio caught our eye. There were no waiting parties or signs outside, so we sat down and inquired if we could eat there. The waitstaff sneered, then turned to another waitstaff in my earshot and said, "These people!" A table of ladies nearby heard the remark and were surprised at the rudeness. We decided to leave and we went to a darling cafe called Turkeys, where the staff was kind and the food was delicious.

Rudeness seems to be a theme, Additions from other customers reviews:  .....The food was delicious, the place was nice, little overpriced and however the waitress was so unprofessional, and rude. We tried not to pay attention to her attitude and mood, cuz the food was delicious, but the service matters anyways. We paid attention to other customers too, she was treating everyone the same- rudely......

........Same server as our last time. Not friendly at all, bordering on rude. Tried to make small talk .....

Second time eating here. The food and atmosphere are wonderful. My issue is with the server we had. Same server as our last time. Not friendly at all, bordering on rude. Tried to make small talk and was met with a stony face. It's very off putting. The job gets done, we got our food is a timely manner and it was very good. Also when the server gave us the check they waited at the table instead of giving us some time to figure out our tips etc. this was slightly pressuring and we ended up giving a way larger tip then we should have, given the unfriendly service we received. ......

.......We came here for brunch on a Friday and left disappointed.

The good:

•the setting - cute and quiet

The bad:

•the setting 🙃 - we sat on a table in the parking lot and it was slanted at a significant angle. Not super enjoyable trying to keep drinks from spilling!

•the food - the food was the most disappointing. It wasn’t bad; but it wasn’t good, either. We ordered the Rise & Shine, Southen Benny, and Dutch Baby. Everything felt bland. The two former dishes didn’t seem to be salted at all, except for the potato’s.

•the service - we were checked on a couple times; no drink refills, no response to my request for salt/pepper

•the price - we were disappointed with the lack of kids menus, and $5 up charge to split a plate. It ended up costing $23 for our daughters to split a small pancake. (Also, $8/cup for orange juice 😳, not noted if it was fresh squeezed, but it...

OK so here is the scoop…. The Food AMAZING!! This is a Family operation with Mom the Chef - Dad in the pastry shop - and The server (Taylor). Many have written about Taylor’s lack of service acumen and Taylor often responds to reviews and speaks to being overwhelmed (I’m not sure people would line up to work with him) But give the kid a break as he was the only person that was serving - hosting - taking payment - expediting food. Taylor has two other heads that assist (one I believe dishwasher and one general help). Taylor is in fact dismissive and likely from being overwhelmed or otherwise - but I assure you the mom in the kitchen can cook and -make an amazing presentation!!!!! So maybe the server needs to be like Ed Debevicks (Chicago) where you know the service comes with attitude but it’s worth it. I encourage you to pre read the FB page and you see a plea for the inclusive and diversity - IM TOTALLY fine with that but it does help to set your expectations of the experience. If the service was simply less dismissive and actually a little more “inclusive” of the dining experience it would be in excess of a 5Star review! Small Batch is a GEM - and a little TLC can make it among Best in Class… but maybe just maybe thats not what they want - the Boutique may be the path…. We will certainly go back and we know what to expect so there you have it. #edited to be less...

The food is amazing and that’s the whole point of going out to breakfast…every time we have visited we have had something new and exciting. The cornmeal waffle served nacho style is unreal. My husband still dreams about the red velvet pancakes. That being said; the service exists. Don’t expect much more than the bare minimum which is slightly disappointing considering the check average (100% appropriate for the quality of food & on par with the price point of the area). And don’t miss the pastries, it has moved to a small shop next to the seating area!

**Thank you for the response, I am aware of the areas staffing issues…I would like to clarify that there were three tables in in close vicinity to us and the tables were all VERY polite “please”, “thank you”, “on your next trip” were all phrases used to ask and receive anything from the server—it was just met with silence. No one would ever fault a server for being busy, most diners are 100% aware of the staffing issues here (& everywhere). But perhaps a kind response or even the slightest acknowledgment that the simplest “please” was heard would...