Sander's Family Restaurant & Pancake House — Restaurant in Niles Township

First time and last time here. Here me out, I'm not trying to tare down this restaurant I'm giving a review based off of a two person visit.

Atmosphere isn't really pleasant. The atmosphere language reminds me of a sports bar with a family setting to be called a restaurant. What I mean is that, there was quite a few shouts across the room here and there by employees and managers. There was unfavorable words exchanged,not harsh, but I don't enjoying someone cursing just because it may be YOUR everyday language. As well as, not wanting to be in the middle of a conversation while trying to enjoy a meal. To my elderly mother and I, we found it disrespectful and uneasy while trying to enjoy the food and the atmosphere.

The food wasn't something to go after again;not enjoyable. It was food I could have and should have made at home and better. We both had breakfast skillets and coffee. Coffee was very weak in flavor, seemed like the coffee was also a tad bit old. The skillets seemed they were made quickly because the vegetables in it were not even cooked with any flavor/doneness, or at least blanched; just seemed to be placed on the grill for 1 min then taken off. The veggies were hard, and I don't mean al dente. Hash browns were very under underwhelming. They were like eating 1 minute precooked pan-seared hashbrowns. Nothing fully cooked was on the plate except for the "liquid" eggs; I say liquid because they didn't look nor taste like fresh eggs. Waitresses were handling food with bare hands, and at a forced fast pace, having to push food out faster. Yes, they need to be fast but back of house and front of house should be working as a team to make a smooth transition from order to making to sending out the food. The kitchen atmosphere was definitely a disorganized one. And yes, the atmosphere of a restaurant kitchen can be considered chaotic at times. However, organization and communication are two key points that needs to be implemented; and this restaurant definitely displayed that they were lacking those key points in both front and back of house staff.

The food comes out and gets stacked on top of other food. Very unhygienic because the servers/waitresses should be grabbing the orders in order by the tickets placed. Meaning the bottom food is what should go out first, not the top stacked food. So, by the time your food comes to you, mediocre half cooked, it's room temperature. We also had pancakes that came with the order. And for the good reason to get the pancakes, so the servers/ waitresses don't touch all over your toast. I'll come back to that after the pancakes. Pancakes were probably made from a mass mix, the didn't taste homemade at all. They were quite tacky,semi fluffy, overall quite dense. The bit about the toast, under the hot food lamp, was a sheet tray of toast. Toast should be made to order not made then placed under a hot-food-holding lamp. And the servers/waitresses were touching with their BARE HANDS. Regardless if the hands of each waitress/server were washed, their hands should not come into contact(in this matter) with ready-to-eat foods. That's cross contamination! TONGS should have been used to grab the food and placed back upright in holding container for bread specifically. This is so that the part of the tongs that touches the food can stay clean; i.e. put the tongs in a container on the side of the servers/waitresses are on near the food so it's clean, organized, and efficient. I hope this review will help someone/the restaurant in choosing a better way to service the restaurant your eating...

Don't eat here! This restaurant has been remodeled (it is now a breakfast and lunch place, so don't plan on going here for dinner), and apparently the service and quality of the food has changed as well. I have eaten here before, and it used to be one of my favorite places to go to. Not anymore! I had a horrible experience here today, and I will not return. I ordered a veggie burger, and it was overcooked and tasted absolutely vile. I took two bites and could not bring myself to eat anymore. When I was ordering, I asked for sweet potato fries with my meal; the waitress said that it also included soup. When I asked her what kinds of soup they had, she started to tell me and I asked her to speak up because I could not hear her. She seemed confused by this request and didn't quite know what to do. After realizing that they were no vegetarian soup options, I told her that I would skip the soup. She walked away without offering me an alternative, even though I was paying for the sweet potato fries AND the soup. She disappeared for at least 10 minutes; I had a cup of coffee in front of me, but she had not even offered or brought any cream for my coffee. When she reappeared after 10 minutes, I asked her for some cream, and I also asked her what I could have in place of soup. We settled on salad, and that was fine. The sweet potato fries were good. In addition to the veggie burger being absolutely awful, the coffee tasted horrendous. It tasted like it had been sitting in the pot for a long while. When I asked her, she told me it was a fresh pot; I found that astounding, because that means that the coffee there is just bad, period. I also found it very disheartening that a diner, which should pride itself on serving good coffee, is serving such awful coffee.

It's really a shame. Save your money and...

Sanders lived up to its name. A family restaurant. Welcoming. Friendly staff. Reasonable prices for large portions. Large selection. Something for everyone. At the time, it lived up to my family's expectations. Came in through that Florida room style entry, always a wait. Welcomed by the hostess, sometimes the owner, who always acknowledged each one of us. Always a kind word, greeting We came for dinner. WeekIy. I would get chicken kiev or the sirloin kabob. Somtimes a Greek omelette, village salad. Sad dinner no longer offered. "Not dinner" reflected in no vegetable offered for house specials like pork chops, Greek chicken - both still wonderful. They still offer an extensive menu for breakfast and lunch. Bigger now. Substitutions $2.00. Take-out an extra charge. This place was always BUSY, always a little noisy, between the dishes clacking and other patrons talking. Staff now often rushed, less cordial. That happens. Booths were always a little narrow but ample for eating, a little cramped if you wore big coats. Never a problem with uncooked, ill prepared food. Not since Sam & Hy's deli closed have I had Nova lox, cream cheese, 🍅, onion, on toasted bagel, or good blintzes. Get them here. The parking lot was always an issue - not big enough to easily find a place if you came during a busy time. Some potholes then. Love me, love my dog kinda lot. Reasonably well-lit. Great selection, wraps, skillets, veggie, low-cal options, and of course pancakes. Still meets my expectations, and then some. Prepare for a great meal....