Penny's Diner — Restaurant in Hearne

Where do I start?

I guess I'll start with what was acceptable. The decor, theme, and music was original and beats stopping at a run-of-the-mill fast food restaurant. The food was okay and nothing tasted bad. I actually enjoyed my chicken fried steak and gravy. The prices were reasonable and the portions were generous.

Now for what was NOT acceptable. The service was absolutely atrocious. We were greeted by a sarcastic comment about our vehicle from the waitress that we would soon learn to despise: "Nice pink rims." My party and I arrived around 11 am, in between the breakfast crowd and the lunch crowd. However, we had to wait disproportionately long for everything: drinks, utensils, food, etc. We were continually apologized to: "Sorry, we're just really swamped today!" We were bewildered by what the waitress meant. There were only two other seated parties in the entire diner. The waitress also had a sulky attitude and gave short answers and blank/death glares when asked simple questions. For example, a person in my party asked if the restaurant had free refills. The waitress responded with a death glare and a harsh "yes", then grabbed the glass and huffed off. We felt like everything we said deeply offended her. The waitress' bad attitude did briefly improve when the manager walked in mid-meal. In a desperate attempt to improve her service in front of her boss, she pasted a smile on her face and actually came over to our table to check on us. We were shocked at this abrupt change in attitude until we figured out her ulterior motive. She also repeated the "we're swamped" tale to her manager.

Also: We were all given PLASTIC UTENSILS in place of silverware because we were told they didn't have time to wash the silverware from breakfast because they were "so busy/so swamped." I literally could not cut my chicken fried steak with my plastic knife, so I had to get up, go to the kitchen counter, and ask for one from the cook (who moved as slow as Christmas).

Another negative intangible aspect of the restaurant was the local clientele. They all went out of their way to make us feel foreign in their podunk town thanks to their glares and obnoxious behavior. At one point, a 350 lb. woman walked past me and hit my right shoulder with her large bottom, literally knocking me into my friend. Did she apologize for literally tilting me off my axis? No, of course not.

The entire lunch felt like it was Country Bumpkins vs. City Slickers. We left feeling like victims of some TV spoof. We now somewhat fondly refer to the experience as the "Penny's Dining Experience" and if we are truly honest, we would probably go back just to see if the restaurant improved. It has a lot of potential. If you're in Hearne, Texas and are looking for a "unique" and "different" dining experience, then Penny's Diner is the place for you - just don't expect to receive ANY country...

Nice place to enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner 24 hours a day. Great staff and food is tasty. The prices are very reasonable as well. I enjoyed my meal and the service. A variety of items to choose from but not many vegan or vegetarian selections. Enjoy.

Today is Saturday, July 9, 2022 as I decided to revisit Penny's Diner and enjoy the great ambiance I receive there at 2:30 am in the morning.

Sadly, this was not the case. I got to meet the owner as she and the cook was there. I simply ordered 2 eggs over easy and a slice of toast. She was kind to offer us water, but it went south from there. I tried to start a conversation with her as I normally do and she told us about her great homemade cream topping for her cinnamon buns. The cinnamon buns were good as my girl got one.

I hated how she didn't wish to get to know me or her and simply enjoyed talking about herself keeping it short. She quickly asked for payment as if she thought I would leave without paying based on the color of my skin. This has never happened before the various other times I ate here. She didn't even offer me a copy of the receipt having me sign only the merchant copy. Tsk tsk tsk. Clearly I entered back into the 1960s when I walked through the door this time as you can tell she didn't approve of me having a Caucasian soulmate. I really enjoyed eating there but alas I will not eat there again. As a member of the National Press Club of Washington DC and Founder / Owner of Get Up Radio Media Broadcasting, I cannot support a business that doesn't accept change. Unless you support racism and the old ways of the south, please pass this business by and eat at McDonald's or another place 1 mile up the road instead. Thanks!!!

Ps. No vegetarian options and most of the food is...

We are in from out of town. Came from diverse, thriving Tampa to be with family getting married in this rural country area. It’s clear people of color are not welcome. I watched myself and another black family get ignored. Very backwards.

I rate this as two stars because of the quality of customer service and the food quality.

My family of 3 came in(for the second time) to this place for a quick breakfast from our air BnB. We watched 2 tables get served before us walking in. In particular, another family who sat at the breakfast bar had 3 meals come out before ours. We waited about an hour for our plates.

We had to find the waitress and ask her to get us drinks vs being greeted upon walk-in. Her name was Nicole or something.

Now, this is our second time in here, this rural area doesn't have other options. We had a classic breakfast, a pick3 and a country breakfast. The place had about 3 tables of people, so it was not busy. Scrambled eggs and pancakes shouldn't take that long.

The country steak was served without gravy. Came out as a side 10minutes after our plates were there. The hashbrowns were basically burnt on all 3 plates and looked/felt/crunch like lays potato chips.

In conclusion, this place was cute, menus written on walls (innovative cost saving measure) and had potential. Moderate prices. I can't help but feel like we were treated differently here because we are black. I'm not going to allude to any rationale other than rural, small town, America nuances for out-of towners. That was the vibe. Wasn't very welcome. From walking in to paying was just cumbersome. The server clearly just did not care to provide customer services- she even walked by without looking at us when we tried to pay for the register.

Objectively...