Zachary's Restaurant — Restaurant in Santa Cruz

As you get old, and your feet hurt and your hearing goes vague and misleading, a big bottle of nostalgia is the perfect breakfast condiment, along with a couple of doses of good long term friends. So where do you go 30 years later? Where do you go that hasn’t changed and was perfect in your youth? Zachary’s. Welcoming old decor, aged but not shabby, same wood floors and high ceilings. I mention to the waitress how in the old days, the wait staff would tell the cook if someone looked like they were on hard times and he would pile on the potatoes so they could at least be full for the start of the day. The waitress tells me it’s the same owners and they treat staff like family (and her eyes get a little misty). My friends have pretty complicated instructions about what they want and how they want it and the waitress doesn’t bat an eye. I get those amazing home fries that are savory, crisp, soft in the center and of generous amount and I get the chili which is obviously fresh and simmered to perfection. Clear distinct flavors that have blended, but not been lost in each other, like a good marriage. Was it that good when I was young? Is it actually an improvement over the perfection of youth? It brings back memories of breakfast with Page and Paul when I was but a raw skinny little sprout. Thank you Zachary’s! You put a nice burnished glow on the memories...

After reading the reviews for Zachary's, we came in expecting great things. Unfortunately, this was not the case. We were greeted and seated by a very kind gentleman, loved all the plants and local art but then our waitress came over... I'm not sure what we did that she didn't like but from the moment she came over to our table she was outstandingly rude. She cut us off when trying to order, walked away from the table without saying anything and never checked on us once. A kind man from the back brought our food out and we had to flag somebody down to get water refills. When we were done she came back to the table, grabbed our plates without saying anything and slammed the receipt down. Then we provided a card and when she came back with the tray and receipts to sign, she THREW IT on the table and walked off. The only words she said to us the entire time we were there were, "what can I get you?" I could have dealt with it better if I thought she was just a rude person, but she was actively being chatty and friendly to the tables right next to us. Apparently she just didn't like us and instead of being professional and asking another waiter to take over, she ruined our experience. Not a great experience, not worth the 2 mile walk, never...

My 2yr found Zachary's on a Friday afternoon as he exited the car, just running through the front door, and jumping on a bench seat ... It wasn't busy at all, and we were looking for food. But then the 2yr old jumps up and heads for the door, I chase him outside, because we're definately eating here. Then the young kid waiter says, "you guys don't have to eat here" I look at him, and say "you don't want us to eat here? Because I'm just chasing a kid around " So when you say that to a customer, that might take that as a negative interaction. It got better, just before I sat down, the nice older sassy waiter, goes "do you know what you want? Usually people know what they want before they sit down"... Ok, maybe a little sensitivity training like the Starbucks thing is required here? When talking to people of color, maybe the Zachary's waiters should just treat everyone like everyone else, or maybe they were. All we needed was some french toast with extra fruit, a side of eggs and sausage with lots of coffee, which they seem to love offering ❗ The interactions got better, when they realized how cute my son was, and how easily I could be understood when I spoke. Food was good❗ The day was...