Brunch Factory — Restaurant in Riverwoods

This was my first time at Brunch Factory. I came for breakfast with my family and had the WORST experience ever! My daughter recently broke her foot and is temporarily in a wheelchair. I called before we got there to ask what the wait time is and make sure there would be accessible seating available inside. I was told that there was no wait and no problem with the wheelchair. When we arrived we parked in one of the handicap accessible spots as we have a handicap placard. When we got to the door, it was a double door entry way with a small vestibule and another double door leading into the restaurant. We entered the first set of doors, however, only one of the double doors leading into the restaurant would open. 2 of the managers came up and tried to get the door open but they couldn't seem to get the locks undone, even when using screwdrivers to try to pry them open. While this was taking place they mentioned that these were new doors, and they didn’t know how to work them. One of them ended up suggesting that we take her around the building to the emergency exit and he’d let them in that way. That was fine, however there was a 3–4-inch lip in the doorway that made it very difficult to lift the chair up over. Once seated we ordered our breakfast, I had ordered an omelet with bacon, cheese, peppers and onions and what I got was an omelet with spinach and mushrooms (which I am allergic to). Fortunately I had only taken a very small bite of the end and realized that it wasn’t mine and immediately contacted another manager (there were apparently 3 of them there) and told her what happened. She asked if I would need her to call 911 but I told her I didn’t take a bite of the mushroom and should be fine but would let her know if I started to have a reaction. The waitress eventually brought out the correct order and we finished our breakfast. When we were given the bill we were surprised to see that they couldn’t even be bothered to comp my meal considering the huge mistake that they made, which could have been detrimental had I had an allergic reaction. I’m not saying it should have been done, however most reputable places would have. When my husband mentioned it to the manager who was trying to pry the door open, his very rude response was “well we gave her a new one didn’t we?” Upon leaving, and having to go back out the emergency exit, we went to our car to find that there were cars parked illegally in the yellow lined spots next to both handicap parking places, making it impossible to use the ramp to get down to our car or to open the car door for my daughter to get in. I went back inside to tell the manager, the same one who I spoke to about my omelet, and her response was “well what do you expect me to do about it? I can’t control what other people do!” My response to her was that if I was the manager I would find out who the customers were and ask them to move or call the police to have them ticketed or towed. Her sarcastic response to that was “yeah, I’ll do that!” I left knowing she would most likely not do that, so I proceeded to call the Riverwoods Police myself to report the cars in the illegal spots. They didn’t seem too eager to send anyone soon so we left and as far as I know, 2 very ignorant customers enjoyed a meal at a restaurant that I will...

From three months ago and our last visit ever:

Food (2/5) "was okay but nothing great," as one from our group noted. I thought the food and coffee was what one would find at a grocery store. It consisted of:

Two bottomless regular Coffees, although they might not get refilled quickly due to busy waitstaff. The coffee was fine and borderline bland;

Tap water served with ice in a large carafe;

One flavorful but definitely inauthentic order of Loukoumades. The ones here are much more airy and mushy than what is made in Greece or offered at any Greek food festival or Greek restaurant. They seemed like something bought at nearby Woodman's Food Market's frozen aisle, which is literally across the street from this Brunch Factory;

One Meaty Omelet which reminded me of the trend Walker Bros Original Pancake House started, several years ago, of shaping its omelets like large killer whale droppings. Brunch Factory is certainly not one to present its omelets any different. Once the unease of seeing the omelet had "passed" -- pun intended -- this dish was light and airy...like Walker Bros';

One Country Bennie Homestyle, described as "nothing special" by its diner, who wasn’t me. But it did look perfect in appearance; and

One Corned Beef Hash with two scrambled eggs, hash browns, and a side of pancakes, eaten but not commented on by their diner, who also wasn’t me. Much of it was taken home and I tried it and the leftover pancakes. The corned beef hash was utterly Hormel-y. The hash browns had dried overnight. The pancakes were a different story. They held up very well as leftovers but were quite doughy.

Service (1/5) came from staff who were busy and at times understandably zombie-esque because of the throngs of diners during the particular visit. Our server was seen racing to cover their dining room section. I felt sorry for them when they couldn’t take our order or refill our coffees without a long, long wait. But it was definitely a long, long wait. Also, we asked for all our orders to be presented at once. That wasn't followed and, when complained of, our food runner/expediter (who was not our server) knee-jerked an "I know" while trodding away, without thought as to what was uttered. Then there's management's several written replies, which are not presented here.

The Atmosphere (4/5) was very good and very familiar. Brunch Factory tries really hard to look like Vernon Hills' Buttermilk Café at Mellody Farm. Waits here aren't at all as long as those at Buttermilk, though. Parking is not as annoying as at Mellody Farm, either, but on busy days comes close. Brunch Factory's dining area is thankfully well lit. And Brunch Factory also thankfully doesn't reek of onion like Buttermilk or its nearby Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar. No "stench souvenir" here, and that's greatly appreciated. When one is finished dining, checks are paid at the register by the entrance. Their suggested "[t]ip percentages are based on the check price before taxes" which is useful to know. I custom-tipped ours. Free balloons given to children were not in any color of the rainbow but gothic flat-black. Creepy, even if it is part of the logo's color; but at least the restroom was immaculately clean to put on...

This location was a replacement to Poached Egg, the revamped Rhapsody Café. Having visited only 2 weeks after their opening, I am both impressed and let down.

Starting off with service and wait time, the wait time was close to 45 minutes, normal for a small breakfast restaurant. Service wise, a couple things threw me off. Nobody introduced themselves, and everything was almost in a passing manner. The wait staff would take our order but talk to other customers at the same time, which while I understand that they may need to communicate with other customers, but I would appreciate that they complete taking my order prior to that.

Food wise, their food was under seasoned and slightly bland. We ordered a Fiesta Skillet without the Chorizo, a Belgian Waffle with Berries, Oreo Pancakes, hash browns, fries, and a side of rye bread. The Skillet was half empty, a rather small serving size for the price paid, which was $16. It seemed to have little egg, laid on top in an almost omelet like form instead of scrambled hard. This was a minor problem, but perhaps the largest issue was the one of a lack of seasoning in the skillet. The skillet was marketed to have Sour Cream and salsa, yet both were missing. When we asked the waitress about it, she gave us two small portions on the side, without so much as an apology for forgetting them. Even still, the skillet needed a lot more salt.

The waffle was overall very well made, and I would highly recommend getting that dish if you like sweet things. I would however recommend using the Maple Syrup provided, as it was a little on the dry side.

The Oreo Pancakes were by far the most interesting, and my favorite, part of the meal. Contrary to traditional Oreo Pancakes, these were made in an interesting manner, with Oreos dipped in the pancake batter, essentially creating a pancake with an Oreo center, something I thought was incredibly cool. This was definitely far on the spectrum on the sweeter side of things, but still an incredible dish if you like sweet things.

The fries and hash browns both were potatoes, prepared different ways, both with little amounts of seasoning. I would hope that with "Seasoned Waffle Fries" I would be able to receive a bit more seasoning.

Overall, the staff was rather nice, the food was slightly under seasoned, and the atmosphere was nice. The seasoning on some items was definitely a let down, but something I believe will improve as the chefs get better at preparing the dishes. The sweet dishes definitely impressed me, especially the Oreo Pancakes, which were prepared in an incredibly unique manner. I know this is a newer restaurant, and I look forward to visiting again when they are a bit more comfortable, and have things a bit more under control. Overall, this is an incredible new addition to the community, and one I was definitely excited to hear about. I hope to...