Sandwich Bowl — Restaurant in Harlan

A friend and I rode our Harley's to Harlan IA this sandwich shop was recommended to us as a good place to try. Considering most small cities have let up a bit on the mask mandates we had no idea we would need a mask to eat at this establishment. We walked in and the young woman working the counter about had a stroke and ran half way across the store to slap a disposable mask in our hands. Then it was another 10 minutes before she even got around to taking our order and then made it very clear that it was take out only despite a sign on your window saying welcome back dining room open. Apparently it was not open for us and we ended up having to take our food a couple doors down to a little bar who showed us a bit more friendly welcome then we got at the Sandwich Bowl. To add insult to injury as the saying goes, I am a fan of Philly Cheesesteak sandwich's and would have expected the Philly to have been outstanding. Sadly I have had better Philly's at Subway. Point being I would not recommend eating at the Sandwich Bowl in Harlan IA if your looking for a friendly welcoming environment.

Gotta love the world we live in today, check out the response I got from the owner of this place, guess the customer is always right does not apply here. First I did not chose to wait 10 minutes to place my order that was kind of done by their staff. Second being forced to wear the mask was not as big of issue as how we were treated, but as you can see the owner's solution to this is to recommend I go to their competition Subway rather than look at how to treat a customer better. Have no worries owner of the Sandwich Bowl, I will ensure I tell everyone I know how you treat your customers and ensure if I am ever in Harlan Iowa again I will eat anywhere...

My wife went there today to pick up lunch for our family and was refused service because she wouldn't wear a mask. She has a health condition that she cannot wear a mask. Our state has no mask mandate and the city where this restaurant is located has no mask mandate. We have eaten at several restaurants in this town and have never been told we have to wear a mask. I'd like to add. I just spoke to my lawyer and he stated it is illegal to require a mask of a person that has health conditions, when there is no state and/or local mandate. He will be in contact with this eatery. The owner has responded with we have a drive up. Well we weren't even told that. The employee seemed more worried about making sure their unlawful requirements were followed than gaining business. Again the mask requirement is ILLEGAL and I have...

Our downfall was that we were in a hurry and didn't realize it would take 25 minutes to get a sandwich. When we entered, there were 4 customers eating inside, 5 tables covered in un-tended dishes, and one table clean and available. They needed another employee to bus the tables. However, when the sandwiches finally arrived, they were extraordinary. My wife never had a Reuben like this one. I had a Flying Pig, with spicy pepperoni, thin sliced pork loin,bacon, sauce and an excellent roll. The prices are reasonable. We both took half of our sandwiches home for dinner. So, when we return to Harlan, we will be forced to return here because we are now slaves to the food. We'll leave more...