Mel's Drive-In — Restaurant in San Francisco

This has been a restaurant we've frequented for years, but due to the experience we had today, we'll NEVER spend a dime of our Black, hard earned money here again.

We were told by waitress Ann that we needed to pay BEFORE we receive our food!! Of course we refused and asked to see the manager. Ann came back to our table and said the manager said we didn't have to pay first after all. We went ahead and stayed for our meal, only to observe if any other patrons around us were asked to pay first, because after this encounter, I had lost my appetite. The two patrons seated at tables near us, who were there prior to us arriving, paid their check after they finished their meal!! We told Ann what we had observed and she said "that's because that waitress refuse to follow directions"...Really?! Eventhough waitress Ann walked back her request for us to pay FIRST, we insisted on speaking with a manager after observing others weren't required to pay first. The manager came to our table and we informed him of our dissatisfaction, feelings of discrimination and being targeted because we're African American. He apologized and said this was a "new rule" implemented by his General Manager yesterday and the other waitress who didn't ask customers to pay first, was unaware of the "new rule." I explained to him that we were told by waitress Ann that the other waitress "refuse to follow the rules." Which is the truth??!!.. He proceeded to tell us that he understood how we felt and he would probably feel the same way. I also told him that this is blatant discrimination and we will post this incident on Yelp, Google and any other site where potential customers will see...Of course, no response from him. Also, they had postings at every table to cover many requirements due to COVID19 and how to order online, but nothing informing customers that they must pay before receiving their order. And if this is truly a "new rule" for EVERYONE, then it should be posted so customers can decide if this is a restaurant they would like to support and all staff should be informed. We will tell all family and friends not support this discriminating restaurant! I thought we as a people had come a long way, but I see we still have a LONG way to go to arrive at a place of equal justice and equal treatment of all regardless of skin color...Don't spend your money at this restaurant, especially if your Black!!...REMEMBER...

31 years of pleasure and fun...good food (until now) great service (mostly) and great bang for the buck...BUT, on our last two visits we noticed something disappointing. My kid lives in Brooklyn but visits us in San Francisco frequently...we always make a trip to Mel's, a family tradition...but my wife says no more. When the kid was here we went for lunch...we noticed the brand of ketchup had changed... always Heinz ketchup before, but now Hunts...still a reputable brand just seemingly cheaper; didn't taste as good... was thinner and in a plastic container. The kid (a regular restaurant dinner in NYC) said Mel's was trying to save on condiments...a bad sign. Then, yesterday my wife and I went for a decadent adventure... milkshakes and fries at 10:00 a.m.! I always get a side of blue cheese with my fries, something I learned when I was a kid At the famous Bob's Big Boy's Drive-In. The brand of blue cheese had changed and it was nowhere near as good as before. It didn't have that blue cheese look or taste. It was more like mayonnaise with a dash of some kind of blue cheese flavoring. That's when the wife said that's it! If they're saving on condiments then likely they're cutting back all across the board so that's it. Got to find a new tradition. "Sad in San Francisco" And now they charge $5 if you want a burger with the impossible burger patty instead of the beef. So, $21 for the burger and $5 for no meat option. $26 for a...

Definitely a very good diner!

To begin with, being in SF, it had parking (seemed very safe) - Win! Win! Win!

Vibe - Suddenly transcended to the vintage America. Potion sizes - American Size Jumbo, Furniture, gum ball machine and jukebox(though they don’t work) will give you the American experience!

Food - As a vegetarian with a partner that can’t have eggs, we found limited options. Having said so, it’s supposed to be a vintage diner - not sure if we were expecting a little too much! Mac and cheese: Godly! Amazing! Not the first option for breakfast, but incredible! Black bean veggie burger: Much above average but a little dry. Mimosas: I’d say they were quite authentic! $5! Chocolate Milkshake: Must try!! Heaven! It’ll be a little too heavy for 1 person, so reevaluate before order, and note- always room for chocolate milkshake!

Service: as expected, diner styled. The waiter was kind enough to have our chocolate milkshake in Togo boxes without smirking(yes, we’ve faced this in other diners).

Price: we’ll a little overprice, but it’s a diner in SF! What’re we even expecting! I mean we all have overspent for breakfast, this is way under over-spent threshold though. Our bill for 4 items came to around $40ish!!

Definitely recommended once for vegetarian people. For food maybe other options are best but chocolate milkshake and Mac and cheese, let your gym trainers know you are...