Stacks Pancake House — Restaurant in Mission Viejo

It's been a while since I have given a negative review like this one. We have been very careful eating out over the last month. No problems. Every place was carefully selected regarding safety their safety protocols. All has gone well especially while in San Diego over the last couple of days. They were even more diligent than L.A. county where we are from. Until we stopped here for breakfast on our way home. From the time you walk in, no one greets you and checks your health status. Nothing. You line up, allegedly 6 ft apart. You step up to counter and a young man takes your order immediately You are supposed to know what you want from the writtings on the wall while you are being rushed by the people behind you. I made my quick selection, and so did my confused husband, paid our bill and given a number and fend for ourselves on where to sit. The tables inside seemed spaced appropriately, but full. The outside patio was a nightmare. The tables were close together with only 2-3 feet separation, people were hoovering behind you waiting to pounce on the next available table! A young couple immediately took a table 2' from my husband's back. No wearing masks, of course, they were ready to eat. The dirty rag was used to "clean" the tables. I didn't see any kind of antiseptic spray. Now, about my food. I had ordered two eggs over medium, with louisianna sausage and fruit instead of potatoes. My eggs were over easy (yuk!) and cold, the sausage was tasteless even though they look spicey. We received no bread, nor were we asked about it as we went through the line or we would have order it. The fruit was the usual "Denny's" type mix of fruit nobody likes. How did this place earn a 4.5 ating? I would say an easy 3.9 at most. I did receive anoher plate of eggs medium, semi-warm, but by then my husband had long finished and I waited for my breakfast. Kudos to the cook for his pico de gallo. Fresh and delicious. Only thing I enjoyed besides the toast. Service from our server was so so, we only saw her twice, when we asked for two glasses of apple juice which we paid for at the table. Give the level of service and cold eggs, I would have given them to us on the house. But this is not kind of place. I do want to point an exceptional busboy working in the patio, who had more customer service than anyone else on staff. He looked embarrassed and kept apologizing on behalf of everyone. He couldn't have been sweeter. A tough task but well appreciated by us. We gave him the only sizeable tip as an encouragement to continue to be a caring and helpful person. We were appalled by the lack of customer service by everyone else and mostly by the lack of adequate safety precautions during covid. It was downright scary. In 8 months we had only encountered two bad experiences, yours and one other place in LA even busier and bigger than you. So no excuse for the lack of service even on a Saturday. We will never return here or to your other stores because it's clear to us to us that your management, and staff are truly lacking. Personally, I'd wouldn't even give you two stars. I was being kind. Only because of that young hispanic busboy who should be promoted. He's better than what you currently have. I only regret not getting his name, but he was working in the patio on Saturday, 10/17...

It pains me to leave this review. My family and I usually LOVE Stacks (Dana Point location) and have been going there for years. Today, I placed a to-go order over the phone for pickup at the Mission Viejo/ Ladera Ranch location. Arrived to pick up order and stood in line (didn't know that the Door Dash and Uber Eats drivers could just pop to the front of the line and get served asap, but that's another issue). I asked before leaving if there was extra coconut syrup- a male employee confirmed he just checked. This was where I realize I should have assumed that orders often get packaged wrong which happens at many restaurants, not just this Stacks location. Drove home VERY happy in anticipation of eating a yummy breakfast with my family. That feeling was short lived. NOTHING in the order was correct. If one small item was missed, no worries...but NOTHING WAS CORRECT what so ever. Hollandaise was not on the side as asked, zero extra coconut syrup provided- didn't even get one, instead one regular syrup provided. Items I didn't even order were in the bag. I drove back exasperated and hungry. I showed my inital order receipt and what was in the bag to the two female employees. They apologized and did offer to remake my order which was was kind and helpful. I declined as by this time I was not only late for work, but my family had already decided to eat at home as they were also very hungry. I was also quite perturbed that the male employee who said he "just checked" remained quiet and took absolutely no responsibility whatsoever. This happened on 5/21/21 at approx 845am. Never had this occurrence at the Dana Point location, so when we do return to Stacks it will be at this location. CHECK YOUR TO GO ORDERS is my best advice and prepare time-wise to have an incorrect...

In an area where urban planning builds the community, this restaurant is such a pleasant surprise among corporate names.

This place is on the map for being an excellent brunch/lunch joint. The menu is tinted with Hawaiian goodness. A twist that is bringing flavor to a very bland town where familiarity guides all the homeownership.

Hawaiian is American if you're wondering. Much of the cuisine is traditional US of A, but with the tasty influence of Hawaiian culture.

The stacks of pancakes are phenomenal with the different choices of flavors. A standard breakfast affair is always a good choice, and their breakfast burritos are big, hearty, and the choice of proteins will keep things interesting. I always choose Chorizo, because I just like the tasty grease dripping to the plate as I devour it.

Of course, they have a Loco Moco. Now you don't even have to take a 6 hour's flight to enjoy a good example of Hawaiian goodness. Otherwise, you can also enjoy a rather decent Eggs Benedict.

There are also choices of juice that include orange, guava, and pineapple, but unfortunately, they are not fresh squeeze.

The staff is overwhelmingly friendly, as this place gets really busy on the weekends. Kudos to all the...