Black Bear Diner Santa Clarita — Restaurant in Santa Clarita

This review is based solely on the service I received by the waitstaff and a couple of things I observed. I did not stay to order food. My family and I decided to go to the Black Bear Diner for dinner last night. The restaurant was pretty empty but upon entry there was no one at the seating podium so we waited around for a bit. A solid 15 mins or so passed and still no one came to seat us so I walked over to the online order checkout line and was asked by a waitress if I was ready to checkout and told her we'd be waiting for a while but no one came over to the seating podium. She apologized and quickly took us to a table. Not more than three minutes after the first waitress brought over a high chair for my son, our waitress for the evening came over and asked "are you all ready to order or do you need a minute?". No introduction, welcome, anything of the sort, just straight to ordering. We said we needed a moment and the waitress said she'd come back and appeared a bit put off. Another couple of minutes (probably 3-5) went by and she came back "ready to order?". No offer to take our drink order or even politely ask if we needed more time with the menu. I felt incredibly rushed by this waitress which was odd since the restaurant was so empty. I told her we'd order drinks to get started and asked her a question about the sweetness of the Arnold Palmer's they served and she rudely responded but quickly brought us the drinks once we ordered them. When she gave me my beverage, she placed it right on top of the menu that I was reading and scurried off again. We were seated very close to the kitchen so I could see her preparing a to go order and watched her grab a biscuit with her bare hand and place it in the plastic container and arrange the rest of the food (still with bare hands) that was in the container. I also saw the chef who was not wearing gloves either, rub his nose, adjust his glasses and keep cooking. When I mentioned that to my husband he turned his head and saw the chef scratch his hair net/hatless head with his bare hand and we decided to leave. My husband and son left and I stayed behind to pay for the drinks we ordered. My waitress didn't seem to care one bit that I said "I'd just like to pay for the drinks. We won't be dining here" and took her sweet time creating the check and cashing me out. After that experience I won't be returning to this Black Bear Diner location. If you're looking for a decent, affordable, family friendly restaurant there are other options in the Santa Clarita area. I wouldn't recommend...

As a first time customer, I was quite surprised, not only by the level of quality of the food here but also the price. For a little less than $30 (minus whatever tip you leave), they pile your plate with pretty good food. Granted, I had the dinner combo with two free sides, but they ensured there was barely an inch of empty space on my plate. There was so much on my plate that I didn’t even finish (a rarity). I ordered the tri-tip and shrimp combo here and while my expectations weren’t that high, it was still great quality food, especially for the price I paid (my combo was almost $25). I came in at a pretty slow day so the only other customers were a small family and an elderly couple, so it was quiet. The decor is quite nice. They really do lean in on the bear theme. It has this woodsy vibe like I was in a cabin. There’s a coziness to this atmosphere as well that’s welcoming and entices me back to it. Again, I stress the affordability of this place and how the quiet, subtle atmosphere gives off this “at-home” feeling. Service here is great. They treat you like actual guests. Although there are other food options here in this lot, Black Bear is by far the best option. The service was standard but good. What really caught me off-guard though was the food. I really did not expect that level of quality. I was expecting something along the lines of a standard, boring diner. But it was surprisingly better. The tri-tip was seasoned beautifully. A little dry but there is steak sauce if needed. The fries were crisp and salted perfectly. The fried shrimp was one of the best I’ve ever had, too. I could feel the crunch with every bite. Would I return here? For the prices that they offer, the quality of the food, and just the nice, quiet atmosphere (at least on a slow day), I definitely would. Highly recommend as well. It may not seem like much on the outside, but it is good...

After much anticipation, finally went to the Black bear diner and had a really unique experience.When we first were seated, we were given a laundry list of items that were not available. After that the people in our party were served their food all at different times, and 30 minutes after one person in our party had ordered our server came back and told him what he had selected was not available and he would have to choose something else. I ordered the Grizz a breakfast entrée that contains ham sausage bacon potatoes and eggs. Along with pancakes as well. Girlfriend ordered the chicken Caesar salad. When We finally got our order there were french fries mixed in with my girlfriends salad. When I cut up my eggs which I had ordered over easy, there was a clump of clear runny egg whites indicating they had not fully been cooked. Waitress assured me that’s how they’re supposed to be and I asked to speak with a manager. Was met by an extremely rude manager named Joseph who told me clear runny egg whites is how eggs over easy are prepared who extended to me an aggressive unprofessional attitude while being unapologetic and argumentative. Told me he would take 299 off for the eggs even though half of my meal was still on the plate because I didn’t feel like risking getting salmonella poisoning. Paid the check and left the restaurant hungry and unhappy. Poor management to say the least, shoddy service, culinary ignorance/irresponsibility. My first and last time at the Valencia location. And probably anywhere else. It’s too bad because I really wanted to like that place. Two thumbs down. I’ve never yelped any business before, but what I experienced on Saturday night certainly gives me the incentive to create an account and do just that. If I could post a rating of 0...