Ol'Days Farm to Table Tribeca — Restaurant in New York

I love everything about this cafe, the music playing in the background, the ambiance, and the vibes. It's so sweet and cute to work on your laptop or meet friends for coffee or brunch. I came here to meet a few people for an interview. My interview was at 5:00 pm, but I got there at 3:00 pm. I asked one of the staff if it would be ok if I hung around until the guests got there, and she said, of course. I used the restroom, came back to the front, and a staff asked if I wanted to be seated and said yes. The staff behind the counter asked for the hostess/waitress to have me seated. She asked where would I like be seated, I suggested closer to the back, where there were less foot traffic and more secluded. She smiled and said ok. I told her that I was waiting for guests at 5:00 pm. She looked a little concerned because they closed at 5:00 pm at this location. She asked me if there were reservations, and I said yes. So, she checked and saw nothing and thought that maybe the reservations could be at the Warren Street location but saw nothing. She said that they took the last customers at 4:00 pm. So, I told her ok, I'll reach out to the interviewer and let her know about the situation. She asked me if I would like something to eat or drink. Meanwhile, I waited for a response, and I said yes. I ordered a hot chocolate and a peanut butter cookie, which were both delicious, may I add. When I emailed the interviewer, she told me to meet her at another restaurant for the same time. I updated the hostess and let her know that I was going to another restaurant, and she apologized for the situation. I smiled and told her that it was okay. I asked for the check for my order. She came back after a few minutes and told me that she let the manager know what happened and they said that my order was on the house. I smiled and said, "Oh my goodness, thank you so much, that's very sweet of you." She said no problem 😊. I knew after this that I would definitely come back and recommend my family and friends to come here. The hostess told me that the owner is from Argentina and they have two locations in New York, one in Argentina, and one in Miami. I told her that I would definitely tell my sister about the location in Miami. I had to write a review of...

With lofty ceilings and lots of natural light, Ol'Days was a lovely place to have brunch. They also had a solid brunch menu with a mix of sweet and savoury options. My friend and I split a Tapioca Bites appetizer and I got a Buddha bowl with added poached egg and chicken breast.

The Tapioca Bites sort of resembled little cubes of what looked like bread, but was actually a lot chewier as it was made from tapioca flour. They were definitely interesting, but unique texture aside, they were a bit bland. I was only interested in eating two or three of them, so I wish it came in a smaller serving.

I quite liked the Buddha bowl with its large variety of ingredients. The bowl was visually appealing, wholesome, and filling. I regretted getting the added chicken breast though as I found it dry and not very well-flavoured. Also, I wish they could have an option for adding a smaller portion of protein (for example half a chicken breast), as I thought the chicken serving was a bit big, and I would happily pay less for less protein.

My main complaint for this place is: on the day we visited, the restaurant seemed severely understaffed. From the moment we were seated to the moment we got food, it took a solid 45 minutes. Not only did the servers take a long time to come take our order, but the kitchen also took a very long time to prepare the food. Even though we ordered an appetizer, thinking it would come out a bit earlier, it actually arrived after the mains. This wasn't just the case for our table, but for the tables around us as well. In fact, the party next to us actually got up to leave, as they had been waiting so long for their order to come and they had other plans after the meal. Thankfully my friend and I didn't have anything time-sensitive planned after the meal, and we were happy to chill for longer (although we were getting pretty hungry), but this is definitely not the place to come if you have any...

Edit: the marketing manager reached out and offered her personal contact for future catering orders and offered a discount, which was a nice gesture.

I don't recommend ordering catering, unfortunately. I have brought clients here for brunch and they love it, so I thought their waffle platter would be great for a breakfast presentation I did for a client. I ordered it 24 hours in advance and had the confirmation. When I arrived 20 minutes past pickup time the next morning, they told me it wasn't ready yet, and that I had only sent them the order at 9:20 that morning. I showed them my confirmation from 24 hours prior, and they were kind of rude and just shrugged. No apology or solution. They told me it would be a 10 minute wait for my order, but I was going to be late to my appointment, so I asked for a refund for the $70 and to just order some pastries from the case instead ($50). As they were putting the pastries in boxes, someone brought out my waffle order all boxed up. Nobody said anything to me, so I asked if it was mine, and they said Yes. I asked if I could take it instead, maybe they could charge my card for the difference, and the staff member said "You want it, too?" No, obviously I don't want it also... that's what I originally wanted! I just said nevermind and took my pastries. Not to mention that the waffle platter is pictured online with edible flowers, but they were not included in the catered box. I loved going to Ol'Days for the seated cafe experience, but the customer service in this case was really bad. I did end up being 5 minutes late...