LaRue's Family Restaurant — Restaurant in Oshtemo Charter Township

For many years their breakfast was very appetizing, the best in town. Unfortunately, time came when I had major heart surgery (The doctor said that the Arteries were 98.9% blocked and the artery on the right side was totally deteriorated. The doctor said that I'm a dead man and he didn't understand why I'm still alive because there's only one artery on the right side and mine is totally deteriorated. I said to the doctor that this dead man is talking to you. Then the doctor said that when he took the artery from the left leg, he cut it into a Y shape and replaced the deteriorated artery with this good artery and then he also grafted the two arteries on the left side. Doctor cut the chest in half in order to be able to perform this surgery. The doctor said that he has bad news and good news for me, which do you want to hear first. I said let's start with the bad news. The doctor said that the bad news is that when the grafts start to collapse, they cannot replace the grafts because the operation alone will kill me. I said okay, and the good news is? Then the doctor said that the good news is that when the heart starts to race, you will have only 90 seconds to stop the heart from racing or else you're dead. I said to the doctor, no problem, we all have to go sooner or later and I would prefer that it would be quick instead of the long lasting suffering that some people go through that lasts months, years. The doctor said that I cannot run, jump, swim, golf, etc. because the heart will not be able to be stopped in time. The doctor said that I should do alot of walking because then I can feel the heart and then I can stop and take a breather and continue walking. I used to mow my lawn in about 75 minutes, but now it takes 4 to 5 hours to mow the lawn with the electric start personal pace lawnmower. I like the smell of the fresh cut grass while getting my walking in at the same time. I carry the Nitro in a small container attached to the loop of my pants because if the heart races, then every second counts, and alot of seconds would be lost if the Nitro would be in my pants pocket. The doctor said that I cannot have caffeine because it will make my heart race and how do I get the caffeine out of my body within 90 seconds, or else I'm dead. The doctor said that I can have decaffeinated coffee. I drink my coffee with cream and sugar.) and then I had to watch what I eat. Doctor said that I can only have Turkey, Chicken, and Fish. I can live with that, healthy eating never hurts anybody. having been eating at LaRue's Restaurant for many years, I continued to eat there especially since they have egg beaters (Egg Beaters are egg whites that look like eggs.), turkey patties, American Fries (American Fries are cubed potatoes.), and lightly toasted Rye Bread. Their coffee cups come in two types. The cups with design on them are for regular coffee and the plain cups (No design of any type.) are for decaffeinated coffee. And when the server brings the coffee in the carafe (The one with the blue plastic ring is regular coffee and the one with the green plastic ring is decaffeinated coffee.) then I can be sure that I am getting decaffeinated coffee only. Unfortunately, they are beginning to be very disappointing lately. My American Fries came burned, they were actually black, of course I complained about that. Another time, the eggs were so runny that even the fork couldn't hold them. I always order eggs very well done, solid. I complained about that also. (Is it possible that the cook is having a bad hair day?). Then this incident really turned me off, a complete shocker to me. The eggs were so badly cooked that when the waitress brought the eggs, she immediately said that she is taking them right back (Now when a waitress did that so quickly, there's no doubt about those eggs.). Also, the American Fries (Cubed potatoes.) were so burned that they were hard as a brick. While the waitress was taking my plate back, another waitress was immediately pouring coffee into my plain coffee cup from a blue carafe. (Blue carafe is...

They do not accept credit/debit here, but there is an ATM in the lobby.

Of the two breakfast places on this block, LaRue's is probably the nicer one. It's much bigger, and the food was pretty great, especially considering the price.

The crowd here is similar to Ted & Marie's. Older folks who are frequent fliers of the place and have probably been coming for years now. Before I came here, I never really understood what Google meant when it asked if "this place [attracts] a trendy crowd" but that's now very obvious to me.

I have a small number of complaints, but overall they're not a deal-breaker.

First off, I had an olive pit (seed) in my olive burger. When I alerted the waitress, she just shrugged it off; no apology, no feigned surprise, just a "oh alright" and on with her day. The olive itself didn't really upset me, (olive seeds happen, no big deal) but the way the waitress was so nonchalant and apathetic about it was a little odd.

Secondly, no credit/debit. If the owner or manager ever reads this, please, I implore you to join 2018 and add a debit card reader. Even just an iPad with a card swiper would do it. I realize most of the regulars probably always pay cash, but if you want new customers it would help to not have your location on maps display "Cash/Check Only."

Finally ads. I've grown accustomed to the Pepsi/Coke exclusivity, all the food brands including Heinz and Tabasco. Those kinds of product placements I've come to expect. And advertisements for the locations specials are almost welcome. But the placemats at LaRue's are just a wall of advertisements from local companies with nothing to do with the food industry. Insurance, pharmaceuticals, landscaping, etc.. And it doesn't stop at the placemat, the mugs also were covered in advertisements. Now this is savvy business to be sure, but it's extremely tacky and almost a little off-putting.

Overall the food was good enough to outweigh my three negatives. I had the Olive Burger and it was definitely one of the better olive burgers that I've ever had. If you think you can overlook the crowd, ATM machine, and advertisements, then it should be a very...

I stopped here after my first choice turned out to be a restaurant that was closed for construction. As soon as I reached for the front door, I noticed a sign that said, “Cash only, no credit cards”. Normally this would be enough to make me go somewhere else, but I was tired of driving and really wanted to eat. I had money in my pocket, and I decided to stay.

I ordered the hot turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes and when it arrived, it looked good. You could tell the turkey was hand carved as some pieces were thick and others were thin. The turkey was very tender and moist. The gravy was darker than I’m used to on Turkey sandwiches, it almost looked like a beef gravy. Looks aside, the taste was good. The mashed potatoes were very creamy and smooth.

This was a wonderful lunch. The ONLY reason I am giving them 4 stars instead of 5 is because it’s cash only. It is 2023 and I understand that there are charges associated with accepting credit cards, all you must do is put up a sign that says there would be a -% added to credit card charges. I know many other small businesses that do this, and it is so much more accommodating than just CASH ONLY…

I’m sorry to say, but I...