Turning Point of Princeton — Restaurant in Lawrence Township

Usually love this place. But I noticed every time we order takeout we have to wait a long time. Today though waiting 1 hour for takeout is unacceptable. We are now late to our next appointment. Also the place wasn’t busy so not sure what took so long. They also don’t include ketchup, jam, etc for breakfast which every other breakfast place provides.

Update: I returned (for some reason) back in the summer of this year (2024), hoping things had improved. We had been meaning to leave this update for a while, but finally getting to it. Unfortunately, things got worse! (for us at least, prompting me to leave this update). This time it was unacceptable. My family tried to have breakfast here quickly before an appointment. It often takes a good 2-5 minutes waiting at the front with no one in sight, or no one greeting you before you “happen” to catch a waiter/ waitress’ attention to ask to be seated. Once seated, another 5 minutes, guessing who our server would be. A lady finally came. We needed a few minutes to decide, so she got drinks. Took another almost 7 minutes to come back. She dropped off the drinks, then said she’ll “be right back” - but never came back! We really thought she left for her shift or something. We (not an exaggeration unfortunately) waited 10 (TEN) minutes (I counted on my phone). We had so much time, we each took a turn to the restroom to pass the time. Still no one. We began to literally look around and desperately try to make eye contact with anyone who looked like our server. We also had a small child, who (poor thing) was starving and kept saying “mommy I’m hungry.” At this point, we were also becoming late for our appointment, if we had chosen to stay and eat. We finally found a group of servers laughing and chatting by the front door. There was our waitress, chatting and having a great time! Meanwhile, she refused to come! Unfortunately we just plain walked out (which we’ve actually never done before!) We don’t know if this service was discriminatory (they even made eye contact at one point, but proceeded to laugh) but this kind of service is NOT OK. One thing we’ve noticed about this location (& we’ve been to other great Turning Points): while it’s great that your staff is clearly friendly with each other and have good rapport, they are often found laughing/ joking at the expense of customer’s time. Out of respect, please tend to your customers more promptly. They can talk before/ after their shifts. It’s what sets a professional environment apart from an unprofessional one. This is also Princeton, you would expect better. It’s a shame because the food is actually decent, but unfortunately all the members of our party were so upset we all just had to walk out....

When we first walked in, we gave our names and phone number to the hostess and she stated, she will text us when an available spot is ready. We sat down nearby and started noticing people came in and just gave their names and were seated right away at the counter. We inquired why we weren't extended the same courtesy at the counter and the manager stepped in to explain it was a "first-come, first-serve basis." We understand that but we weren't given a spot at the counter and we were here before the other people who came after us. Not off to a good start when the manager continues to repeat, "first-come, first-serve basis," without apologizing for the misunderstanding.

Finally, after a 15-minute wait, our waitress Latrese came and asked if we would like to start off with anything to drink? After ordering coffee and giving our orders, we were promptly served our coffee and about 15 minutes later, our entrees came. Hubby ordered the flight of pancakes and I ordered their special, Home Sweet Home Hash. Both were very good. My eggs were poached over easy and hubby's flight was nice and sweet.

Latrese was always great at checking to see if everything was going well and gave us a brand new coffee carafe when ours was emptied. Great service and huge thanks to Latrese for making it a wonderful dining experience, after a rocky start at the front desk.

Will we be back? Yes, and we will specify, to "please seat us at the first open spot which includes the bar."

It should be noted none of the staff wore facial masks or gloves and there were no partitions between the tables. Definitely, no social distancing...

UPDATE: I gave The Turning Point of Princeton another chance, and I am so glad I did. The food was great, per usual. I had the Grande Huevos Rancheros and a frozen peanut butter hot chocolate and my husband had the Low Country Shrimp Hash bowl and we shared a flight of pancakes. We were seated almost immediately (they weren't as busy as normal), and the service was good. We have out of town visitors coming soon and will be bringing them to The Turning Point of Princeton. Thanks for addressing our concerns.

It pains me to give this place a 1 star because I love it so much. The breakfast food is better than the lunch options in my opinion (I always get the Grande Huevos Rancheros and my husband gets the Low Country Shrimp Hash bowl and a flight of pancakes). This was our go to spot to bring guests when we have out of town family/friends visit. Needless to say, normally I have a great experience and would give this place 5 stars, however, today I called ahead to avoid a long wait (like I normally do); when my husband and I arrived, we were not on the list and were told we’d have to wait 45 minutes for a table. Despite me having called ahead and even showing the young lady at the front my call log and knowing the exact person I spoke with on the phone, my husband and I were not accommodated and had to find somewhere else to go for brunch. Please find a better system for call aheads and/or reservations. It will definitely be a long time...