Orange Inn — Restaurant in Laguna Beach

My friends and I visited the Orange Inn in Laguna Beach on Sunday morning, May 26. We were excited to enjoy breakfast at this local spot, but our experience was somewhat disappointing.

Upon ordering, the cashier was noticeably unhappy and gave us attitude. When my friend requested a medium OJ, the cashier abruptly yelled, "Small or large!" repeatedly, instead of simply explaining that those were the only available sizes. Her behavior made us uncomfortable and embarrassed, as everyone in the vicinity could hear.

Additionally, when I ordered a fresh orange juice, the server placed it on the counter rather than handing it to me, despite my hand being outstretched to receive it. This small gesture felt dismissive.

The food was decent, though we were surprised that tortilla chips were served instead of French fries. While one of the employees was kind and helpful (I wish I had his name), the overall service left much to be desired.

When looking for a table, we found one with dirty dishes left by the previous customers. Although the staff removed the dishes, they did not wipe down our table. I noticed they cleaned other tables for other customers, which made me wonder why ours was overlooked.

Overall, the food was okay, but the service needs significant improvement. We hope for a better...

First time customer. I’ll touch on the service first. It’s Labor Day today, the little spot was full, line of people, and the service was impeccable. The staff was moving! Getting people’s order in and out of the kitchen quickly. All while still taking the time at the counter to explain the favorites to us. Now the food. We had the breakfast burrito with sausage, huevos bodreros, strawberry shake, banana shake, coffee, strawberry and jam sandwich , and cinnamon roll. The breakfast burrito was by far the best breakfast burrito I have ever had. It was perfect. Refried beans with cheese, egg, and avocado. A little tapatio packet it came with was the cherry on top. I had to stop the guy helping us on the way out to let him know how good it was. Everything else was fantastic. The coffee was so good , next time I’ll buy some of their coffee beans they have for sale. The shakes were tasty, not too sweet, just perfect. Getting a table can be a little challenging since it’s a small spot, but the size of the shop just adds to the appeal. I’m sure the workers are compensated ok because they were hustling and they were happy. But if the owner reads this, and is maybe thinking of giving them wage raises or bonuses or something…do it. Your staff just won you two...

My expectations for this place are set low. It is what it is.. I’ve been supporting this local business off and on for at least 20 years and I like the long time owner, we are of the same generation, kinda old school, the way I like it. That said, the morning of August 23rd, stopped in to have breakfast. The girl working the counter gave me the impression that she was unhappy working there. Could’ve been my misperception however, as I walked away to sit with my coffee and await my order, the impression I was left with was that she had absolutely zero personality, none. Not someone you’d want forward facing as the front person for any business. When breakfast arrived it was sort of semi-tossed on the countertop to my left side with a “here” as she about faced and quickly scurried away. Kinda rubbed me the wrong way, as if she were feeding an animal. Come to think of it, believe she’d treat an animal better.. this confirmed my zero personality assessment in the first place. Made me feel like I should just take my business up the street to the Penguin....