JAM Eateries — Restaurant in Columbia

Just over a week ago, we made our second visit it JAM... We first visited June of 2023 for the Ed Sheeran concert. Since then we have been pregaming to fit this in our travels again. We live over 4 hours away but that doesn't stop us from sharing how I would walk there for a churro waffle and the most velvety cheddar grits that exist in this life. On this visit it happened to be Super Bowl Sunday. When we arrived it was an hour wait and some people were walking away and all I could think to myself is y'all are crazy to walk away. We had some great conversations with others who were waiting and said it was their first visits. Jam by far is one of the top Breakfast/Brunch experiences that I have had. When you are added to the waitlist you get a text message. That link shows you in real time how many are on the list, the place number you hold, and time estimate. Once seated we already knew what we wanted. I ordered the Churro Waffle, which is drizzled in salted caramel and cream cheesed frosting, with a side of bacon and cheddar grits. My sister has the Coconut Cream French Toast with the grits on my recommendation and that fact that I didn't plan on sharing mine!!! My fiancé had the Breakfast Burrito with Grits as well. Our server was Sthfani (I hope I'm spelling that correctly) attentive and multiple manager make their round to check on everyone. We absolutely love seeing what's happening in the kitchen with the full floor to ceiling glass that allows onlookers... It's amazing to watch how no one's food sits...everyone runs food to ensure to guest experience. We all enjoyed our food and it was so bittersweet to know it will be a while before we return for another amazing meal. We purchased some swag...and some dessert for later on. With traveling we have some thermal bags from my business that keep everything nice and cold. When arriving home we couldn't wait to dive into the Cherry cheesecake, banana pudding and the CranOrange Muffin...We also have a jar of JAM to try....The muffins aren't much to look at in the dessert case but I can assure you...get more than one... We thank everyone at Jam for the amazing food and wonderful service. If I didn't stress it enough, please order the GRITS!!!!

Another visit adding more photos of more food...

We went to brunch at Jams out of curiosity since the previous restaurant had been a favorite. The interior is attractive with with new flooring, light grey paint, and bar layout. All in all, a very neat and well decorated interior!We had only a few minutes wait for a booth. The noise level was above average with the background music too load. Burl Ives singing Christmas songs above the noise of the diners was a bit much.

Andrea was our waiter and she was attentive, cheerful, and eager to get us served. The wife ordered a Benedict egg dish with waffle wedges. I ordered a fish and chips platter.

Our drinks were brought quickly to the table. She orered a raspberry hot tea, while I ordered the iced tea. I have to say that my iced tea was superb for a common drink. It's color was a beautiful light amber and very clear,and the taste made me of think of Texas sweet tea but without the tooth hurting sweetness.

I always inspect the cutlery before dining. There was a fork and knife, and, miraculously, an actual spoon , nestled together in a crisp heavy white paper napkin! And each was clean , shiny, and without any water spots! Three for three!

Our order arrived shortly after our drinks. My wife's Benedict eggs were super and the waffles were crispy and hot! She commented her home fries were delicious!

My platter showed up as a sandwich. Not expected, but accepted since the price was the same, I was hungry, and I didn't have to eat the bun my fish was hiding in! Fish: haddock and the batter was fried exactly my way: crunchy and crispy and very warm. There were chunks of a dill pickle in the slathered tartar sauce...a nice touch for the sandwich, and another dill spear parked on the edge of the plate. Finally, a serving of french fries. They were a tad below average: cut very short and thin they cooled rather quickly. Noting to write home about.

So the brunch was enjoyable but a tad expensive. The total was$40 for two entrees and drinks.

Also be aware thatthey are a breakfast - brunch- lunch place...

Me and my family are frequent guest for Jam Eateries and visit at least once a quarter to get brunch. But for today, I don’t know if it was just a one off or there was miscommunication from the staff.

We were greeted at the door by the hostess and requested to sit outside. The male host (the gentleman with the Arabic tattoos)show us to the table and told us that our server will be with us soon. Keep in mind I have 2 kids who are ready to eat! 15 minutes later, no one has checked up on us. There was another server helping the other tables outside, I get it, we are not your table, but he didn’t check to see if we have been helped. No one did. I had to leave my wife with both my kids ( who were hungry and ready to eat) to let the hostess know that our “server” hasn’t even showed up to greet us. She said “ I will work on it” and walks away.

I return to our table and another several minutes elapsed and our server Felipe introduced himself and took care of our order and drinks. After this point we wait for our food (no complaints with that, I get it food takes time to make)

We waited a total of 30+ minutes to be greeted at our table, order our food, and receive our food. My wife’s French toast was not that great this time, and for $17 dollars that’s a little disappointing. The sausage links also tasted off. The $8 matcha latte was the most disappointing. I could walk to Dunkin across the street and get a matcha latte that tasted better for $2 dollars.

And after this there was no apology, no accountability for this. If I didn’t go and tell someone that we were waiting, I can almost guarantee that we would have stayed waiting. Funny enough if I didn’t say anything and our table got up and left, no one would have noticed.

I have always raved about this place, to my friends, family, and co workers, but after this experience I don’t think I can anymore. This is enough for me not to come back. Which is a shame cause the vibe is great and the food is consistent....