Darlene's Breakfast & Brunch — Restaurant in Orland Township

Long time customer here, but sadly this might be my last. Food has always been great, my issue was their poor customer service and policy regarding not making any attempts to resolve an issue or taking an order back due to them following “specific recipes”. So long as they follow their “recipes” the customer is not welcome to ask for an exchange or send something back. My son ordered a smoothie which was way too sweet for us. When asked if they can make it less sweet we were quickly responded at they are an “experimental recipe restaurant” and so long as the recipe is followed, they are not liable if the customer does not like it. Excuse me? I politely asked if they would be willing to add milk or water it down to make it leas sweet, and they simple reverted back to their policy but offered to bring a different drink. Great! Thank you. Unfortunately, After our meal I saw that they had not removed the smoothie which we clearly sent back, untouched. I politely asked for the manager (understanding that the servers are not at fault for following these policies). Sadly the manager came over with all the eye rolls she could bring on and began to regurgitate their policy without making the slightest attempt to resolve, let alone hear me out. Why would you approach a situation like this? I was simply trying to exchange a drink for something else. At the very least, attempt to resolve it by adding some milk or water it down as I has suggested. Again, my issue was not only the policy but the lack of attempt to try to resolve by both the server and manager. I was happily paying $80 for brunch for my son and I, and all I was asking for (politely and kindly) was to make the smoothie less sweet, but was quickly approached with poor customer service. Perhaps this policy stemmed from people sending items back often, but clearly this was just over a drink, but made such a negative impression that I would rather take my business elsewhere. Not all customers are trying to abuse the system. My advice for customers is to be mindful of this policy and hopefully this resonates with owners to try to train their staff on options to resolve rather than just resorting to a...

Firstly- the food was AMAZING. The customer service however, not so much. This was my first time coming to Darlene's. I was so excited to try some of the sweets and maybe even a coffee with my breakfast. I went over the bowls and mistakenly skipped over an ingredient in the brisket bowl. As humans do, I was a little flustered while ordering so I just asked the waitress if the brisket bowl was beef to which she replied yes and described the flavor of it for me. MY MISTAKE was not seeing that it also had bacon in it. When the food came (quickly might I add), I realized my mistake and pulled the waitress aside to explain it to her, and simply ASKED if I could swap it out. IF NOTTTT, it was okay and I would pick out the bacon and pay anyways. She says she doesn't think they'll accommodate me but she'd ask the manager. Everything was fine up until this point. The manager comes over smiling holding the menu and says "I hear you have a problem with the beef brisket bowl??" To which I replied and assured her there was no problem, but that I made a mistake. She very loudly says, "well I mean it's the second ingredient listed"... to which I reply "okay?... and people make mistakes. I misread" so she then proceeds to loudly say per the owners policy and listed in fine print they don't remake something if it was ordered wrong. Mind you this is my FIRST time here so I obviously wouldn't know that. The menu is very large with many options excuse me for not seeing that minor detail on the bottom of the back of the menu. I tell her if it's that much of an inconvenience they just don't have to do it because at this point I feel extremely uncomfortable and she was way too condescending. She says they'll remake it for me and honestly I would've rather just paid for the one with the bacon than have had to go through being publicly reprimanded for a simple mistake. I've worked in food service for years and have NEVER treated a customer like that. The food was delicious, and I intended on purchasing some donuts before I left but I didn't even have an appetite anymore once...

It was out of the way for me, but I dragged my Dad & twin. We arrived before 8am. Plenty of Parking! Plenty of seats!! Not crowded on this Sunday morning. Plus Plus!! We sat where we wanted. They have tables, booths and the booth seat/chair combos. There was also a table in the middle of the dining room to accommodate a large group. We ordered 6 meals. The Strawberry Cheesecake French Toast gets its sweetness from the syrup. So, if you don't want the syrup, the cream cheese will taste like cream cheese. The Brisket Bowl was beautiful and tasty! The mix of squash with the potatoes was a nice surprise. Not the usual array of veggies in this breakfast bowl! Get the Brisket Waffle Bites!!! (You'll thank me later 😋) Mmmmmmmm! Tender brisket, crispy waffles, a bit of slaw...🤤. Ooo-wee, had to wipe off the drool! The Biscuits and Gravy were okay. They were heavy and cakey to me. I needed more gravy. My twin got eggs on top. It was a meal within a meal. Flavorful gravy. For his potatoes, he was able to get French Fries! He was happier than a Pig in... You know the rest. Last but not least, a Smash Burger on the breakfast menu!! Do you hear the harps?? Can't go wrong with that at any time of day! My potatoes were roasted (if I remember correctly). For me, if they were cooked a bit longer and crisper, that would have been perfect. This is their hash brown like option. I didn't try the drinks. Dad had coffee and my twin, lemonade. I worked a double and played the Chauffeur. C'est la vie. Our server was very attentive. Sweet and accommodating. She answered all of our questions with a smile. But, I can't remember her name! (Sorry 😔) With tax & tip, you'll pay $15-$20 per meal. Don't miss out on this gem, in Orland. They've been open for a few months. It's worth the trip! Maybe I can get my Aunt...