Hub and Spoke Diner — Restaurant in Salt Lake City

I have avoided editing this review for a while now because the decline in quality of food and service is so heartbreaking. I have left my original review below so that you can see just how much I used to love this place.

Quality has been declining for months. It was all minor stuff at first that was easy to overlook: food not cooked as well as it used to be, staff less attentive and friendly, tables not wiped down thoroughly... But my husband and I just loved Hub and Spoke so much, and some of the staff seemed newer, and everyone has off days.

One weekend I found a piece of shell in my eggs benedict. I've never had a piece of shell in eggs at a restaurant, but again, everyone has off days... still. That was difficult to overlook, I think most people would agree that biting into unexpected eggshell is pretty unpleasant, gag-inducing.

The next time we went was the last time. My husband and I like to sit at the bar, we requested to, they said yes but they just had to clean up after the last customer that sat there. Totally normal. The wait was long for just wiping down a surface (almost 20 min) but they're a busy place so we were patient. We were finally sat at the bar and it was FILTHY. Crumbs and grease everywhere. It was not only not cleaned, but the person who sat us didn't notice, and neither did the staff behind the counter who were chatting and on their phones. It's not like I don't think people should be allowed to talk at work, but it is very much possible to work and have fun... After a few minutes my husband asked for a rag to clean it himself. The server he asked was legitimately surprised by the request and offered no request for the state of the counter.

So that was what happened AT the restaurant. We packed up our leftovers at the end of our meal and when eating them later at home my husband found a huge piece of some kind of parchment or wax paper in his burger. And worst of all, later, I had a SEVERE celiac flare up that could only be explained by gluten cross-contamination.

Now, eating out with celiac IS always a risk, but part of the reason Hub and Spoke used to be our go-to brunch spot was because they had always been very knowledgeable and conscious of gluten and potential cross contamination. Before this I had NEVER been made sick from by Hub and Spoke. We know it was from this restaurant because we hadn't eaten anywhere else in a couple weeks and we don't allow anything with gluten into the home.

It doesn't surprise me that I was glutened there. Based on the state of the counter, the previous eggshell in my eggs, and the paper in my husband's sandwich, it's obvious that their standards for cleanliness have significantly dropped, and the quality of service has too.

We loved this place. We were loyal customers and wanted to support this business for years to come. But this wasn't just an off day, this was a steady decline ending in an insulting and literally painful experience. I don't think we can every bring ourselves to go back.

Original Review:

My friends and I are regulars here. The atmosphere is that of a bustling café, there's many options for dietary restrictions, and ALL of the food is excellent. Yes, even the gluten free and vegan food.

The pancakes and waffles are enormous! A lot of bang for your buck. The shrimp and grits is one of my favorites, so much so that I have a hard time wanting to order anything else... The coffee is very strong and acidic -- I like it that way but if you don't definitely add cream and sugar.

The servers are also kind and friendly and are a big reason that it's such a nice place to eat.

One of my absolute favorites in...

To start, the cappuccino at the hub and spoke is excellent! We sat on the patio, which was very pleasant as it was a beautiful Thursday morning. Little did we know, Thursdays are this particular part of Sugarhouse's garbage collection day... and they apparently take that quite seriously; at least half a dozen garbage trucks passed by, next to hub and spoke's patio while we were there. Because of the patio set up, we couldn't really see the trucks, and thankfully, they were not accompanied by the wafting scent of smashed trash! We could, however, hear them, as they were literally only a few feet away. All of that being said, the food, and especially the service, greatly overshadowed any noisiness, and we enjoyed a lovely breakfast. Unfortunately, Utah (or perhaps just Salt Lake County, I'm not certain) law prohibits the serving of alcoholic beverages before a certain time in the morning. What time that is, however, remains a mystery. We've had bloody Marys at Gracie's at 10, and at the Bohemian at 10:30, mimosas at Ruth's diner at 11, but at the hub and spoke you'll not be able to enjoy a morning elixir before 11:30.

I had the smoked salmon Benedict. This was our first time at hub and spoke, so I inquired as to whether the smoked salmon was raw (as in lox), or more like fully cooked salmon filet. Unfortunately, our server wasn't familiar with lox and described it as shredded. As it turns out, it was cooked, smoked salmon filet, shredded. And while it was quite tasty, the salmon ended up being spread just a bit thick for my taste. If I were making the dish (and I will more than likely steal it), I would use something closer to lox (or smoked Norwegian salmon). The star of the show, without a doubt, was the poached eggs... probably the best I've ever had at a restaurant!! Hats off to hub and spoke! If I were going to nit-pick... not that I ever would... but if I were, I would say leave the eggs in the water maybe another 8 seconds, 10 tops...

My wife had the breakfast nachos. Anyone who knows anything about us knows my wife is the quintessential nacho snob of the world, so you know she had to try these. The chips were very thick, house-made, and fresh..."appropriate to the task of holding all of the nacho toppings;" eggs, cheese sauce, salsa, black beans, queso fresco.' She especially liked the green sauce. They must've been good... she ate the entire plate!

Would definitely recommend, and certainly, bring out of town friends and family here! Really, REALLY good food, excellent (scary fast) service, and the prices are so reasonable we can't advertise them here... so go there and see for yourself... you...

Felt a little let down. The food tastes good, but I feel like for the price:portion ratio the food deserved a little more time spent in preparation.

The Kentucky Brown sounded delicious, with smoked turkey and bacon and avocado... And it tasted good. But the turkey was underneath the bechamel and it was soaked and lost. Aside from the meatiness of the bacon, the rest of the dish was just kind of a mush. Tasty, but it deserved better.

The Crab Benedict was another tough one. It was served on a flapjack, which seems creative at first but while eating it feels more like an improvisation. Just don't feel like it worked all that well.

The biggest disappointment was the shake. Got a dirty chai boozy shake. It wasn't even really cold, let alone a shake. There was no remaining icyness -- it was just a super thick drink. It felt like they'd left it out for a half hour before bringing it to the table. For a $9 shake I was pretty disappointed.

The Mimosa was good.

The place gets 3 stars because it tasted good, but for the cost that's probably still being a bit generous.

Finally, felt let down by the service. She offered hot sauce, then didn't bring it til we were nearly done with our food. Couple shared a shake, it came out with one straw. She said she'd bring a second straw, and it came out after they'd finished the shake. But the biggest disappointment was at the end when going over the check. My shake was listed twice on the receipt, so we asked her if we were charged twice. Her response? "I didn't charge you twice. If I had, I would have brought you two." Um, ok, snark much? Mistakes happen, not like we were accusing her of double charging us intentionally.

I've attached a pic of my plate (went with a group and ate family style, so don't take this as an example of their...