Roxie’s Breakfast & Lunch — Restaurant in Kalamazoo Charter Township

Follow-Up Review:

{We have changed our initial rating to a 5 star from 3 because of the drastic improvement over our prior visit. Make sure you read the full details below!]

Yesterday my wife and I returned to Michelle's at approximately the same time. The attentive server/hostess was working, but another had already greeted us, very polite server/hostess. Our original hostess did not let on we were there, even to the cooks.

We ordered different food this time. I had the country-fried steak with hash browns and eggs, with a biscuit instead of toast. OMG! The steak was thick and filled the dinner plate with an amazing sausage gravy with massive sausage pieces. The flavor? Amazing! The best part was the presentation. The last time they served our food, it looked 'blah'. This time, they garnished it with green flakes (Most likely parsley flakes) and it looked great. I had to start eating before I could take the included picture. Of yeah. My wife had waffles with blueberry and strawberry topping and perfectly prepared bacon, exactly how she ordered it. Nothing was cold at all.

We did met with Steve and found out the cook was new to the store and we had presented an amazing opportunity for him to learn the store. It was he, in fact, that prepared our new meal and we were all pleased with the improvement!

Lastly, once more, the parking lots, flower beds, sidewalk and widows were clean and well taken care of. Inside it appeared to us like their sense of cleanliness is a priority because it was like nobody had eaten there before us. (Incidentally, there were 6 tables already served when we arrived...)

I will end this on a positive note that we WILL be going back on a regular basis,

{{{ INITIAL REVIEW}}} My wife and I were driving by this morning and noticed they were open. It was slightly after 7:00 am EST, the time they open for business. Since we were both hungry, we made the choice to try a new place to eat. We parked in the back lot since it was the same distance as the front one, neither very close to the actual entryway.

We went in and were almost instantly greeted by a bubbly hostess or server (Not clear which). She seated us on the left where there were 4 other booths occupied. She took our refreshment order, then continued helping her prior customer.

When it was our turn a couple minutes later, we told her the items we wanted and she put in the order after serving our soft drinks. (Coke product everyone, no Dr. Pepper which was disappointing to my wife and I)

The food was served with a few minutes and much to our dismay, all of our food was mildly warm, not hot as if it had just been prepared. To me, it seemed like the items were taken from a buffet storage area in the back where things cool off quickly - I have been to many breakfast buffets and what we were served clearly seemed to be in the same category)

Giving our hostess credit, she noticed our disappointed looks instantly and had it all 'remade'. She showed genuine empathy for our plight and refilled our glasses while we waited. When it was served, I did not have the heart to tell her that the food was still below standard.

I had a pancake (that filled the plate and was also very rubbery/chewy), two eggs over easy, 2 pieces of bacon and hash browns (that were undercooked significantly). My wife had a 'Farmer's Bowl' that most of it was also either only warm or...

She seemed upset the food wasn't right, (we know she could tell), but I insisted it was okay. To be honest, she was the best part of the visit and if it had not been for her attitude, we would have gotten up and walked out and never returned.

The tables were clean, no trash could be seen anywhere. All around was only a neat and tidy restaurant as it should be. Even the parking lot was pretty clean - a nice trick considering it is winter right now.

Will we return? Yes, but without her there, we will not stay. It is a simple as that until we get decent food prepared correctly for...

I haven't felt compelled to write a review a restaurant in many years. Today, that has changed, because of the terrible experience I have had at Roxie's on Gull Road.

Everything went well until I ordered. After I received my drink and placed my order, my server completely disappeared. I understand this was the busiest time of the day for business, but my dad had to yell across the dining room for some hot sauce (And when he got his hot sauce, it was an off brand knock off of Frank's anyways....).

The food actually looked fairly okay once it arrived. I had chicken and waffles, as a skillet. There was a bed of hash browns and bacon bits, a layer of chicken and waffle chunks, and then my scrambled eggs on top. What appeared to be quite appetizing turned out to be a poorly constructed plate. The eggs were alright, but not the fluffy goodness I typically expect when ordering a scrambled egg. Underneath, the single chicken strip they used was clearly reheated in the oven. I could not tell if it was frozen Tyson chicken, or if it was made a night or two before. Regardless, I was pretty displeased by the texture. If you don't have the ability to make a food fresh, don't serve it! The waffle pieces underneath were already coated in sugar, which ruined the texture. The sweetness also felt out of place with the savory components around it. Hash browns on the bottom were quite soggy, and not very warm by the time I got to them (I eat quite quickly, it was only about 3-4 minutes after the plate had made its way to the table). Not to mention the sugar crystals fell into the potatoes, leaving a mess of sweetness. In fact, I would bet there was more sugar in the potatoes than salt. Instead of toast, I had ordered a lemon curd blue berry pancake, which was actually alright. Nothing to write home about, but it was at least well thought out.

My sister and dad had similar experiences with there plates, but since I wasn't eating them I can't fairly critique them. The worst part, by far, was the bill. It was $47 for 3 people to eat breakfast, before tip! We didn't even order anything that was especially expensive to make. In total, we had my plate, my dad's omelet, and my sisters pancake with a side of hash browns. My dad and I did switch our toast out for the pancakes, which rose our total about $5, but it was still extraordinarily high.

In the end, it was a poor experience. I don't think my family will ever be coming back to Roxie's. I just wish I read the reviews before we stopped in, I would've never came to a restaurant that admits to using canned corned beef. I find the prices charged for the service received very disrespectful, and borderline immoral. I advise anyone to think twice about choosing Roxie's if you want a...

Edit (12 December 2020): Still great. We got a pickup order of the breakfast bowl for two, which includes fruit and a half gallon of orange juice. At first, the bowl in the Styrofoam container looked a little deceiving and my husband and I weren't sure if we had gotten the right portion size for two people. Well, I can tell you it is definitely the right portion size. We weren't even able to finish it! Also, we let Janine know that we were 20 minutes away and she arranged it so the food was piping hot when we arrived. Perfect timing! Still just as good as ever. Thanks, guys!

Original: Words can't describe how delicious this breakfast is. The hubs and I have been coming to Michelle's restaurant for several years now, and it is their crave-worthy dishes paired with consistently excellent service and fair pricing that keeps us coming back. Today, our expectations were surpassed once again. I called our local location and could not get through, so I tried the number for EMA catering that is posted on their website. Mike answered the phone, and gave me the number for their curbside pickup available at Gull Road only right now. He made sure to let me know that if I couldn't get through, to call him back and he would take my order. I called the number but didn't get through immediately. I figured I would give it a couple minutes, because I know restaurants are super busy answering phones at this time. Before I could try again, Steve called me and informed me that Mike had called him and asked him to reach out and take our order. This level of customer service blew me away! I went ahead and ordered the breakfast bowl, which is our old standby. (Though absolutely everything on their menu that I have tried is scrumptious- especially the blueberry crunch cakes and giant cinnamon rolls). The bowl was generous in size, even compared to the usual. And it was exceptionally delicious! The combination of bacon, ham, and sausage paired with biscuit, tater tots, melted cheese, and the best gravy around certainly made our drive worth it! Thank you to Mike and Steve and the rest of the Michelle's crew....