Highland Cafe & Bakery — Restaurant in Saint Paul

I recently had a HORRIBLE experience at this restaurant after many years of patronage. One bad experience doesn't always mean you should stop visiting that business but this time it does.

A couple weeks prior I had called in a lunch order on a day that I was stuck in my office alone and couldn't take a full break. I placed a pick up order for curry and kothe. I picked up my order 20 minutes later and headed back to my office. When I got in I realized that they had given me the wrong order. In my bag was a cheesebuger and a side order of mashed potatoes. Being alone in my office and not being able to leave again, I called and the woman I spoke with said that she was so sorry for what happened and that when I wanted to replace my order I just needed to call ahead and let them know what happened. I asked if I should keep my receipt and she said that wasn't necessary.

About 2 weeks later I remembered that I had this order to replace and decided to call it in. I did, and the person that I spoke to was very sweet and told me that my order would be ready in 20 minutes. I head up there to pick it up and instead of my order coming out of the kitchen, a woman who I always assumed was the owner (but is maybe the manager?) came out to essentially accuse me of trying to scam for free food.

She said she was really confused and asked me to explain what happened. I did, although the situation was very simple so I wasn't sure what was confusing. She said she had spoken with her entire staff and no one "fessed up" and unfortunately she was not going to give me my order, but rather give it to me for half-price. The whole time this woman was standing as close to me as she possibly could and it was very uncomfortable. She was asking me the same questions over and over again, I think in hopes that she would trip me up on my "story" somehow. I backed away from her several times, but she would step toward me every time. After repeating myself for a 3rd or 4th time I finally told her that I'd already paid for the food once and I wasn't going to pay for it again, that if decent customer service was too much to ask I would go buy my lunch elsewhere. She then told me that I had "convinced her" and that she'd "take care of it this time" but that she had to be wary because they had been scammed so many times. Which I guess I understand, but treating a long-time customer this way was really mind-blowing to me. Treating ANYONE that way is unacceptable. Finally she got my order and when she came back to me she grabbed both of my arms (between the wrist and elbow) and shook them while saying "Next time, make sure you get a name or more information so we don't have to do this." and I was stunned. Physically touching a customer is completely unnecessary, especially given the tone of the conversation beforehand. It was rude, it was aggressive, and incredibly unprofessional. Then, just as I was taking my order from her, she again asked me what I had gotten in place of my actual order, so I told her again. Her reply was "Hmm, funny since we don't package orders that way...but have a great day." despite me not saying anything about the way it was packaged. What was she trying to accomplish? An older couple at the table next to me had been watching the exchange the whole time and as I turned to leave the man said "I wouldn't have kept my cool like you did, kiddo. I hope your day gets better!" so it's clear that this conversation was overheard.

I will not be visiting this restaurant again, despite how many great experiences I've had there. Situations like this teach you exactly who people are and what their businesses stand for. And this kind of treatment shouldn't...

This is on my Mount Rushmore of Twin Cities food places, and it is probably the George Washington of it. THE GOAT. Whenever I tell people that they always turn their noses up at me and say "Oh Jacob, you are so uncultured" and I respond with "Hold up a minute." Here is why: It meets the heavenly trifecta of quality, quantity, and price.

Quantity: Get the omelet. Seriously. If you are there for anything else, you are mistaken. I mean obviously you get a cinnamon (or caramel roll if you are my wife) after the meal, but get an omelet. These things are amazing, and they are popping out. My wife is somewhat of an egg connoisseur (see how cultured I am now NICK!), and I honestly think taking her here while we were still dating is what made her feel like the idea of marrying me was okay. I get a build your own. Plus, it comes with the toast and the little grape jelly packets which I love. Please, do not change anything.

Quality: I already talked about a lot of this above, but let me say the cinnamon roll (and my wife gets the caramel roll) is amazing. Tastes so good always. Will you get a heart attack from eating more than two? Possibly. Would it be worth it? Definitely. Also, I've literally only been served by the same two women every time I've been there for like 9 years and I value consistency. Tragically, I moved out of the state three years ago but come back often, and this is the first and only place I have to stop, usually on the way home from the airport. Wait times are low, food gets out quick, and it is perfectly consistent. Please do not change anything.

Price: All the above at competitive diner prices!

Look, this place is the best of the best, and anyone who says otherwise is blind. You might ask what does being blind have to do with how good a restaurant is? To that I say, you'll understand when...

Have become a regular at this venue, and left disappointed today. We hit the Diner at a slow time, and were enjoying a leisure breakfast and finishing our coffee and tea. The restaurant was surprisingly SLOW, but eventually started to pickup modestly with a few people waiting for a table, as is common there. Our waitress (Amy) approached our table asking if we needed anything else, to which we replied, "No thank you." She then proceeded to state that if we were done, others were waiting for a table. We were so shocked by the rudeness of such a question, considering other patrons near us that arrived sooner were reading newspapers and books while sipping the last of their coffee. We felt singled out, and were insulted by Amy's statement, feeling it was inappropriate and uncalled for. Amy, her sister (Steph) and mother Debbie rule the roost, and with no oversite by owners or management likely feel they can do as they please. Never a good thing to ensure proper protocol and fair treatment of all patrons... even regulars. Ownership: address this issue, or it will impact your...