Tucker Street Diner — Restaurant in Raleigh

We were excited for a casual all day breakfast spot to open around the corner from us, but Tucker Street Diner was a shabby experience. Despite only two other parties in the restaurant, our server was MIA, and after finally ordering, it took 40 minutes for basic breakfast food to arrive for the four of us. The pancakes were fine. The fried chicken? More like oversized freezer-aisle nuggets, a devastating blow to anyone expecting a Southern-style indulgence. The fruit bowl ($3 upcharge) was a half-filled ramekin of browning grapes and a few sad blueberries, which gave the distinct impression that they had been abandoned in the fridge overnight and served against their will. We will stick to pancakes, sausage and eggs going forward. The worst part was the checkout process. We received an itemized bill, paid with a credit card, and were then handed back the card with a receipt with no breakdown—just a total that was mysteriously ~$8 higher. A quick calculation revealed that a 20% gratuity had been automatically added, but without transparency or notation, instead leaving a tip line as if we were expected to add a tip to this new total. As someone who tips a minimum of 20% for any service, I have zero issue with the tip amount, but the presentation was misleading at best and deceptive at worst. There was no subtotal, no line item showing the tip amount that had already been added, and no attentive server from whom to request an itemized copy to understand the discrepancy from the receipt provided earlier. This is a scammy business choice, please fix it. The auto-gratuity should appear on the receipt at the time of tipping and signing AND the server should inform guests of it upon providing the check. Otherwise, don't do it. We’ll give it another shot in a month because we acknowledge quality of service, kitchen speed and portion sizes can vary as the new staff is figuring things out. Once these issues are addressed, along with the sneaky auto-gratuity, we hope to make this place a staple for us and our downtown friends. I'll be happy to update this review...

This was an extremely lackluster experience. I will give it another try for lunch and will adjust my review if necessary.

Food was below par. Little to no flavor. Pancakes were small and dry. Maple Syrup was bizarre. They up charge for “real maple syrup”, which is reasonable. However, regular syrup was the consistently of natural maple syrup but with little to no flavor, not sure where they are sourcing this from. My partner ordered eggs, French toast, and breakfast potatos. This was again bland and something on par with like a hotel free breakfast, so not objectively bad, but also far from acceptable.

Despite the food being below average the service is what really bothered me. Being that they are newly open, you would expect that the service would be top notch in order to make a positive first impression. However, what I experienced was anything but. Our waitress was pleasant, but seemed to be more preoccupied by her cell phone than working. She had to be asked several times to bring drinks that were requested and only ever brought half of my food order. I expect there to be some kinks, given this is a new establishment. However, the diner was basically empty when we were there, so the level of service we received was unacceptable.

The diner itself feels cheap and rushed, lacking the charm and nostalgia of the classic American diner they are trying to replicate. It feels fake and lazy, which shines through to the service and food...

First time leaving a one star review… I’ve tried this place twice since they opened just to give it a fair shot and both experiences have been lackluster. Overall the service is abysmal, plus they include an automatic 20% gratuity on all checks and don’t mention it anywhere, which is very shady. On a large party? Yes. On every table, when it takes 10-15 minutes to get greeted, no. I usually leave at least 25% when service is passable and I think this is a ridiculous policy. The first time I went it took over 35 minutes to receive my $9 latte (which is crazy work at a diner), and my boyfriend never even received his coffee. We sat with empty water glasses for the majority of the time and had to ask for a carafe for the table. Food came out cold, but we couldn’t even tell anyone because our server was MIA the whole time, she only came to the table to take our order and pay us out. Today, we decided to give it another shot, because they’re new and probably still getting the hang of things. The diner was mostly empty and we were sat for over 10 minutes with no water and no service, while 3 employees were shooting the breeze so we left. Sad, was truly looking forward to this addition to the neighborhood because a space like this would be awesome, but at this point we have no plans...