Pit Stop Diner — Restaurant in Oceanside

Manager Andy, if you read this review, please improve, After visiting the nearby Mission today Tuesday June 23rd , my parents and I were deciding to go get lunch, we looked at Mexican restraunt near by or Pizza place or go to the Pit Stop Diner. I read the recent reviews on Pit Stop, not very impressed but wanted to give the place a chance. Walked in, loved the decor, due to Covid-19 some tables were not available, but some were available for indoor dining. The table we sat was near the classic car, loved the car and gas pumps and decor. But I noticed the table top was dirty, had food from previous guests, the rims that hold the table top also had food in them, first impressions, reviews about cleanliness were right, I really thought with Covid 19 all restraints would be thinking about their customers and providing them a clean table to eat at. Well we ordered 3 drinks, 3 burritos and 2 orders of beans and 3 orders of rice, they really should be able to make a combo, but they do it individually. Order placed, money paid, cashier comes back and says we are out of rice, who would be out of rice at lunch time? Between 1 and 2 PM and out of rise! Asked if we wanted refund or fries, gave us two orders of fries for our 3 orders of rice :/ Sorry, not happy! Also customer restroom is closed, you walk to the employee restroom which is filthy, another bad impression, employees use this bathroom and touch my food :/ Again with Covid 19 you need to be constantly cleaning and disinfecting table tops restrooms, come on now! Help wanted on window, hopefully this place gets good help soon. Scored 1 star for decor, loss stars due to not having the food I ordered, should have plenty of rice ready, disappointment also with lack of ambiance no music or T.V.'s on and cleanliness of the place, felt depressing. What concerned me was dining room table tops where people eat were dirty and the bathroom, dirty should never be allowed. Employee bathroom that customers need to use, should be sparkling, you have a latch to lock the door, please fix, put a handle, something, urine on the commode, bathrooms should be checked on every 30 minutes, no excuse! Since employees and customers are...

This place must pay for good reviews. I've live a mile from the Pitstop for 10 years. It was okay when I tried it 10 years ago. I decided to try it again because it's close to my church and a group of us like to eat after church.

The climate is always stuffy. I asked if they would turn on the A/C. They did but promptly turned it off. On of the ladies couldn't take the heat and left.

The staff was rude to us when we asked if they could accomodate us as we had disabled people in our group that couldn't climb into the tall chairs. It wouldn't be an issue if we could have pulled tables together but they are bolted to the floor. We were left to figure everything out ourselves after being told off. Some of us wanted to leave, one did, some said, we're here, let's just give it a go.

The food was nothing to write home about. No reason to go back. In fact, I've ordered take out for this place 3 times (2 times during covid). One time the gravy that should have been packed in a soup container was upturned in a styrene box and leaked all over all the other containers. It was an utter disaster. The next time I ordered Sundays and banana splits. Asked if they would leave them in the freezer until I picked them up. They said yes. I picked them up, stuck them in a cooler and drove a mile to my house where I discovered they were all soup in the large Togo containers they were tossed in. No ice cream containers and they weren't in the freezer when I got there. They were stacked in tied bags sitting on the counter. I asked if they were in the freezer and was told yes, they were just brought out. Rubbish. No way is that possible. I put them in an ice chest to go 3 minutes away and they literally poured out of a 9"x9" Togo container? Nope. Last, and more recent, my disabled husband is bedridden. He wanted a steak sandwich. I ordered sandwiches for both of us. His sandwich was fine but cost more than the prime rib sandwich at "Hunters"! I can't remember what I ordered. Must have been ok.

For me, there's no reason to return to this restaurant. I won't be suggesting it again to the...

Way too pricey for a burger, I had by far the worst onion rings I have ever eaten here. My bf had the chicken dinner plate and he feels sick from it saying that the chicken was awful.

Conclusion, go to Money pit, the food is actually good and is 5 bucks cheaper for a meal

EDIT:

I appreciate the reply, but I want to clarify a few things for anyone reading this.

I came to Pit Stop excited — I had heard that this place used to have some connection organization that runs Money Pit, another local diner I’ve always enjoyed. Given that shared history, similar menu items, and the same over-the-top diner aesthetic, I was expecting a comparable experience.

However, The prices here were significantly higher (up to double in some cases) for lower food quality. I ordered a chicken plate with fried zucchini and onion rings. What I received was a plate covered in an unnatural, absurdly orange fried coating — the kind that makes you pause before eating. After eating I had stomach issues as well.

I didn’t raise the issue during the visit because, frankly, the food was so far off from what I expected that I didn’t think it could be fixed. When you're paying premium prices, the food should at least be edible, not something that needs to be "addressed on the spot" just to be tolerable.

My mention of Money Pit wasn’t about “promoting” anyone — it was about context. When you brand yourself in a similar way and keep menu items like the obscure “junkyard hot dog,” which is 5 dollars more than the alternative, you invite that comparison. And when people are paying more for worse food, it’s fair to point them to where the original quality still exists.

This isn’t just my opinion either. There’s a thread on Yelp from customers asking what happened to the food quality at Pit Stop since it was sold off. Clearly, I’m not alone in noticing the difference.

That was my honest experience, Feedback shouldn't be dismissed— it should be...