Apple Walnut Café — Restaurant in Marple Township

We were looking forward to this new breakfast venue in Broomall. We go out to breakfast about twice a week and this new restaurant seemed ideal. My brother recently had breakfast there. I decided to try it and we ambled in a couple of days ago for a late breakfast. The restaurant was almost empty but it was nice and clean and well laid out. We ordered breakfast; the prices for breakfast seemed slightly higher than we usually pay for breakfast but that was fine if the food was good. The food was good if a little sparse for my liking. My companion asked for pancakes and a side order of eggs and bacon. He usually orders this dish in other restaurants around here but it always comes on the same plate. This time he got two plates; one with the pancakes and one with the side order. So far so good! When we got the bill it was for $31 and some change. I thought this was a little excessive for two breakfasts and questioned the waitress about the price. I was told that eggs were very expensive now with the bird flu and all (sic ). So I asked if the owner or the manager was available and she went to get her. When the manager or owner arrived she snatched the bill out of my hand and dictated to me where I was wrong and mistaken. I tried to take the bill back but she held on to it tightly and would not give me a chance to get a word in. I did get a chance to ask her if she was not concerned about word of mouth and she haughtily indicated that she was not in the least worried before stalking off. I also mentioned her attitude but she did not seem to care in the least. The bill was not itemized and was very confusing; what I think happened was that they treated the sides like a separate breakfast. I didn’t get a chance to make my point or resolve the issue and it irritated me for the rest of the day. This lady was not only rude but also combative. She is obviously not meant for the hospitality industry where the aim is to be hospitable at the very least. You never let anyone leave your establishment unhappy or upset be they right or wrong. What really upset me was this lady’s attitude and approach, I didn’t care about the money but if you think about it; with a tip that comes to almost $20.00 each for breakfast. We frequent all the breakfast places around the area and have never paid that much for breakfast. I hope that something is done about this lady there is absolutely no excuse for rudeness of dismissive behavior to a guest or customer. Although I told her I will not be back, I will go back just to see if things have changed. There is no reason why such a delightful little place should not live up to it’s potential. The waitress was courteous and nice but due to the behavior of the owner she lost her tip, which I regretted because she was just doing her job. If things have improved if I go back I will...

Will not come back nor recommend. I worked all day far from home. I’m not from the immediate area and I was so hungry and I was looking at reviews for someplace on the way home and saw the excellent rating. It was 1:55 PM. I understand that they close at 2:30 however, an average person who is alone probably takes 20-30 minutes at most to eat a lunch. The hostess couldn’t even bring herself to halfway smile when I walked in the door. Actually had a miserable look on her face. She was definitely very unhappy that I just walked in. When she led me to my table, I tried to ask her if their syrup is real maple or not. She shut me down right away, saying she was only the hostess. I didn’t think that question was too difficult for anybody who works there to be able to answer. Then the server came over and same thing, she could not even bring herself to attempt an inkling of making me feel welcome. The menu made the fried potatoes sound like they were so delicious but they were absolutely awful. I will say that the white toast was very good. The server finally had somewhat of a cordial tone when it was time for me to pay to the check so she could get her tip. I was so tempted to leave her one penny and write a note on the back of my receipt, but I’m gonna give them the benefit of the doubt and perhaps they’ll think about how they treat the people who are keeping them in their job. I did leave a reasonable 15% tip, however, it was not deserved. I was out the door in 30 minutes and all of a sudden, the hostess smiled and told me to have a good day. They were just glad that I was leaving I guess. I would never expect anybody to be overjoyed or all smiley because I came into their business establishment, but to actually look so miserable that you make your customer feel unwelcome is just inexcusable. I should’ve just walked out the door as soon as I saw the hostess’s face....

Had to start my review while I’m still sitting here because this place was SO good.

The food was fresh, perfectly cooked, and more interesting than most breakfast menus. They even gave me a delicious little piece of cake when I walked in! I had the Avocado BLT and it had the best structure/texture of any BLT I’ve had. The crunch of the rye bread was perfect, just enough mayo, the bacon didn’t pull itself out of the sandwich when I bit into it, the tomato held its shape and had great flavor….

And honestly that wasn’t the best part of the experience. I sat at the counter and was given some of the best service I’ve ever experienced. The kind that deserves immediate recognition.

Angel was aptly named and made me feel at home. Wasted no time getting me a coffee, gave me space to pick from the menu, and noticed within a few seconds when I was ready to order. She refreshed my coffee when needed, checked in on me exactly as often as I wanted, and was also just generally really kind and funny. It was perfect service!

And I’m not even paying close attention to that stuff usually. I only leave reviews when they’re really really deserved (in either direction).

Trust the reviews, you’ll have a great experience...