Wake ‘n Bacon — Restaurant in Lake View Township

Influencers vs reality. I’ve seen this space advertised numerous times and made a plan to go. The floral design that’s frequently advertised all over is as I have it pictures, cute and small, but not really a “wow” factor. Service is basically walk right up to the counter right away and then do not dare do it again. There is a sign to walk up to the counter. The hostess immediately tried to seat me with a larger group, I advised I was here by myself and was met with an “oh.” After we just stared at each other for a second, I said, “I would like to dine in” and then I was told to sit at one of the two tops. The group that came in after me was then seated. They were brought menus and given instruction, same person whom I interacted with. I was not given nor advised of anything for several minutes. Finally, they came over to me and brought me a menu and then told me about the digital order for yourself system (I could have done all of this without the awkward interaction and wasting time waiting).

I ordered the purple haze coffee, it was fine. The chicken and waffles was great! The food is the reason this place bumped to 3 stars if the food had been bad too, then this would have been a 1 star. I did thoroughly enjoy the food. However, I needed more syrup at a point since they only give you one small thing of syrup. No one came back over despite multiple eye contacts made and there was no option on the system for extra syrup. So I got up and asked for it back at the counter. They said yes and seemed very weird about me having walked back up to the counter. I thought I was over thinking it until a group of three came in right after me and were seated, given menus, instructed, and told that there is a help button at the end of the table if you need anything else, then this person turned around and looked dead at me— which is another thing I was never told of.

Maybe they’re just not used to solo diners, but the service factor was abysmal. Even typing this I’m mad that I still...

First day out to visit Chicago Wake N’Bacon had appeared the night before with a simple Google search of breakfast places near me. Immediately captured by the ambiance and seeing a 4 star rating I was excited. Plus the emphasis on making a reservation added to thinking it must be a big deal. Upon arrival with my boyfriend, I immediately saw the ambiance, but recognized low to no lighting along with a sign that said, “Walk up to counter.” With only 2 tables occupied, we assumed a possible call out or low staffing. As we walked toward the counter, our hostess/server asked if we had a reservation or wanted to just order at the counter. Without checking the menu prior we asked to be seated. She explained the QR code to order from the menu and showed us a call button each table had for assistance. With us being the now 3rd table we assumed we wouldn’t utilize it. Water was given right away as we were seated. Over 25 minutes went by before our food arrived. While waiting we observed that the other 2 tables were never checked up on at all and looked frustrated. One person from another table had to keep approaching the counter for condiments. While I understand they could’ve used the call button, the restaurant was empty. A simple follow up/check-in would’ve been appreciated. And I didn’t even really see our hostess/server either. We finally got our meal and I ordered the restaurants famously noted take on chicken and waffles. Sad to say that while the chicken checked the box for flavor, it barely came warm. Ironically, my boyfriend’s meal came hot and ready. I mentioned I had ordered a latte and that came when I was already half way through eating. In all our years of working customer service and being served at restaurants, we did not leave a tip. And that is hard to say. This review is not to intended to bash this establishment, but more as a learning moment that no matter how packed or empty the restaurant may be service can be bigger...

I visited Wake n’ Bacon 🥓 recently, and honestly, I left disappointed.

Atmosphere & Vibe: The space itself is beautiful. I loved the ceiling décor and the droopy flowers—it made for some cute little photo ops. The vibe was calm, quiet, and family-friendly, which is a plus.

Food & Drinks: I ordered the fried chicken and waffles. The waffle was tasty, and the breading on the chicken was nice, but the chicken itself was bland and under-seasoned. I had to borrow some sweet-spicy sauce from my girlfriend’s bowl just to give it flavor. The thick-cut bacon, though—amazing! I’d definitely order that again. The eggs were solid too.

I also tried a coconut coffee drink that looked nice but tasted underwhelming. I expected lavender notes (my mistake, I guess), but the drink didn’t have much wow factor, and it came in a plain glass instead of the branded cup I saw online.

My girlfriend enjoyed her bowl, which had potatoes, eggs, bacon, and sauces. That dish seemed more successful than mine.

The Real Deal-Breaker: The food alone wouldn’t have stopped me from coming back—I actually wanted to try a few other menu items. But the payment system ruined the experience. You have to order and pay through a scan-to-order app. I paid my $51 total with Apple Pay and assumed I was done. Hours later, I got a notification that I’d been charged $75.

When I called, I was told that if you don’t “close out” properly, it automatically adds a tip (18–20%). Nowhere in the app did it warn me about this, and no staff member mentioned it either. I was promised a callback and possible refund, but days later, I’ve heard nothing.

Bottom Line: The atmosphere is cute, the bacon is bomb, but the chicken was bland, the coffee underwhelming, and the surprise charge with no follow-up from management was unacceptable. I don’t like financial surprises, and poor communication like that makes me wonder how many other customers it’s happening to.

Unfortunately, I won’t...