The Breakfast Club & Pub — Restaurant in La Crosse

Visiting LaCrosse from out of town. We were there on a fairly busy Sunday. Got a table faster than predicted, maybe 20 min wait. We got our order in fairly quickly - 2 bloodies, a Benedict and a sandwich. But alas, I think the server/bartender just totally forgot about us. it WAS busy, and we're patient, empathetic people, so we didn't expect anything to be super fast. Plus we were having a nice conversation, but after a really long wait - close to an hour from when we sat down ... Really. I didn't want to be jerky, so to make sure I wasn't imagining it, I checked it against the timestamp on the text from the hostess that our table was ready ... Plus, the party of two next to us who sat down after us, and ordered after us were already finishing their meal (I've been a server, I know not every party is the same, timing-wise, but they were FINISHING!). Anyway, at that point, my partner asked about our bloody marys, which we also still hadn't gotten. Because of her lightbulb-going-off reaction, it became clear that the server had forgotten about us. She made the bloodies, and then I saw her rifling through her notebook, finding our order and then entering it in the POS. Our food ended up coming VERY quickly after that, delivered by another person.

I want to say here, like I said, I've been a server. In fact, I wasn't a particularly good one. But I know enough to know that this is SOLELY a management problem. The server got in the weeds, and screwed up. Could happen to anyone. But once that happened she never again made eye contact, didn't deliver our food, didn't explain, or apologize, didn't say another single word to us. I understand it was probably very embarrassing. Again, I've been there! But, if your employees are afraid to make mistakes, or afraid of customers, or don't know how to handle the mistakes that WILL happen, then the management, is failing in atmosphere setting, goal defining, and ongoing training.

Writing this, I'm so mad at the management, thinking back to bad bosses I've worked for, and so sympathetic to the server. It is Management's job to find the right people for the right spots, to coach them, to help them be successful, to prepare them for all the myriad things that might happen during a shift. Continuous pulse checks, ongoing training, and intentional vibe setting are your job!

Maybe it just happened to the two of us, that one time, and it never happens to anyone else. But based on the server's reaction, and the demeanor of the gentleman that ended up delivering our food, I suspect this is a thing that has happened before.

Again, the problem IS NOT that it took us 70 minutes to get our drinks and food. It's that no one acknowledged it, owned it, or made us feel like they cared about it at all. And that's a management and training problem, not a server...

Was told it would be a 30 minute wait, but ended up waiting only a few minutes, which was a pleasant surprise but after we sat down and ordered we were not impressed with the food or service. The orange juice was watery and the bacon was dripping in grease and very fatty and chewy. The table to the right of us sat down and ordered just a few minutes after us as well as the table to the left. Table to the right ordered about the same time we did. We got our food then the waitress told the table to the right that their order was never put in and they would put a rush on the order. Table to the left got their part of their order but was waiting for silverware and syrup. We were able to give them our syrup as we were done eating and waiting for our check but unfortunately I dont think they would have wanted our silverware we had already used. Table to the right finally got their food as we were ready to leave and waiting for our check. Keep in mind they arrived a few minutes after us. Table to the left finally got up and went over to the bar to try and get someone's attention and was able to get the bartender to grab silverware for them and eventually came out to bring them the rest of their food. At this point we have been waiting 20 minutes for our check after the waitress had said she would be right back with it. I went over to the bar to ask for the check and stood there for 5 minutes and no one came over to help me so I sat back down as I saw the waitress with Bills in her hand. But they were not our Bills. Take to the right was done with their meal and just waiting for their check. Its now been 30 minutes and we decide to get up and sit at the bar until someone came over to help us. A different waitress looked at us and made eye contact but just turned around and went the other way. After about 10 minutes waiting we were finally able to flag down the bartender and told him about how long were were waiting. As we were talking to the bartender table to the right was getting their check and we ended up leaving around the same time. We kept out calm during all of this but patience was running thin. I'm assuming the bartender must have been the manager or supervisor on duty. He said it was the waitress first busy day. I dont blame the waitress at all and we could see she was trying very hard the whole time. If it was that busy they should have sent in some...

The place was packed when I showed up. The waitress was amazing and attentive, making sure I was staying hydrated.

If you're a fan of John Hughes and his movies, you'll love the atmosphere, music, and the menu.

You have the choice of breakfast, brunch, or lunch. I'm defacto breakfast every time.

Portion sizes are amazing, you are getting more than what you bargained. I left stuffed, happy, and paying what I got.

When requesting ketchup, It's ANNOYING getting a tablespoon of ketchup in a single serve cup. It looks like Tabasco is served the same way. I can understand sour cream served in a cup. KETCHUP?

The 4 items I got 1)Corned Beef Hash 2)Biscuits and Gravy 3)Pancakes of the Month (Cinnamon Toast Crunch inspired) 4)French Toast

What can I say about the French Toast? You can go to Wendy's and their French Toast is going to be waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy BETTER! What I was served today was a slap in the face to the French.

There was a light egg coating on each end of the bread. It was a sad attempt. Even the person sitting next to me at the bar didn't bother taking their French Toast home. DO NOT GET THE FRENCH TOAST! 1 out of 5

Corned beef hash was good. I would get this again. Then I'd remember why I get annoyed with the single serve cups of ketchup and Tabasco. Looks like it was made in house. 3.5 out of 5

Biscuits and Gravy are a great hit. Chef Mic wasn't used to nuke the food (a common practice by some places). Gravy was great. Biscuits are nice and pillowy. You're left satisfied. 5 out of 5

Pancakes are going to be the reason why you eat at this establishment. BEST PANCAKES IN TOWN! They will fill you up. If you're someone who goes heavy on syrup, you're going to be annoyed with the single serve cup. 5 out of 5

As busy as it was, food was coming out hot. Majority of the patrons were chowing on breakfast. I saw some of the omelettes coming out, those look amazing. I've also heard great things about the cheese curds.

Stay away from the French toast! You can do better by making it yourself. Or getting a frozen batch from a grocery store. Even the French would get upset at the attempt of toast covered in an egg batter.

It must have been a mimosa discount day. Bar tenders were constantly mixing. In and out in less than 1-hour. I'll come...