Wakin' Bakin' — Restaurant in New Orleans

Full disclosure. Visiting from overseas. We sought this place out based on reviews, looking for a step above your average hotel or dinner breakfast (we had free breakfast included at our hotel and were after better quality food). Felt quite ripped off. Breakfast for two adults and one child just scraped under $100. Quality was similar to what you would get at a Dennys or even a waffle house, except portions were smaller. Taste was what you would expect, nothing to write home about. On top of that, there were hidden charges like a culinary surcharge of 3% which was supposedly to pay for the kitchen. I’m used to paying tips, but a minimum suggested tip of 20% plus the culinary surcharge is just over the top for what you get. From the reviews, I was looking to get more than just your average diner breakfast and was disappointed. The advertise spend per person was $10-$20. We had three pancake breakfasts, a side of grits, a cup a couple of juices and a coffee. spend was just under $100 with a 15% tip. I should add that the portion size on the scrambled eggs was disappointing. One of the orders was sunny side up and it was clearly two eggs, but the two plates with scrambled eggs or small. I should have taken a picture, so it’s not to be misleading – the portion size was smaller than my 11-year-old...

I visited Wakin Bacon because it was nearby the hotel and on the list of the mileage app I’m currently using. There were several groups at the door waiting for a table, but as a party of one, I was seated immediately. Hurray!

While being taken to my table, I noticed what a cute and cheerfully decorated place it is.

I had previously looked at the menu online and was able to order immediately, especially since the super efficient server was at my table straightaway. I did notice freshly squeezed orange juice,so ordered that, and I have to say it was rejuvenating, or at least damn refreshing!

The Tofu Momma Bowl I ordered didn’t take long to arrive, especially considering how busy the place was that morning. Black beans and Cajun Smashed Hash topped with sautéed spinach, tomatoes, onions, jalapeños and “Tofu Momma’s fresh made chili-lemongrass tofu.” I had asked if the tofu, was spicy; was told it wasn’t, which it wasn’t. The potatoes were a little spicy to me, but I’m fairly sensitive to spicy foods.

I‘ve had lots of great breakfasts in New Orleans and the Tofu Momma Bowl with freshly squeezed OJ did...

While the food was great, the price was pretty outrageous and we left feeling a little scammed. Ended up paying around $50 for two extremely simple breakfasts (eggs, cheese, potatoes). The waiter asked “bread or biscuit” after I ordered, and upon seeing the check we realized that we were charged $4 for a side that the waiter seemed to imply was included with the meal.

Did not appreciate that there was an auto gratuity tip for “culinary service”, that was completely separate from the waiters tip. While I think the food was good and would have taken advantage of an option to tip the cooks, the fact that it was compulsory is plain wrong. That one would have to tip the cook even if they did not enjoy their food is shady. We also only discovered this charge because we asked for an itemized receipt, which is not automatically given to you. If I’m paying almost $50 for basic diner food I expect the workers to be taken care of by the owner, not...