The Early Bird Eatery — Restaurant in South Bend

So many one-star reviews and the negatives appear to be "portion size" and "price." Alas, this place is not Lydia's or Eric's or Roma's and God forbid they try to do a menu different the Olympus. I think the one-star reviews are reflective of poor attitudes for change. How sad for these folks to take it out on a new business, but the only way The Early Bird was going to get five star reviews from those one-star folks was if they went with McDonald's style fare. Thanks for not doing that, The Early Bird Eatery.

In Bridgman, this place is a welcome sight. It is clean and bright on the inside. Like other breakfast places in Bridgman, the staff are courteous and greet you with a smile. The difference in this place is the quality of the food. I'm a stickler for where food is sourced from and I did not note an attempt on the menu to identify where the food comes from, so that was my one bummer. The reason I can't eat at other breakfast places in Bridgman is because the food isn't the quality I would spend money on. I want something done well, I'm paying money for it after all. The Early Bird Eatery served me up a delicious plate of shrimp and grits, a dish you don't find at a breakfast place in Bridgman. It an anathema in these parts. I welcomed the anathema and it was a delight! The roasted pepper sauce around the grits was the lightest bit of spice and full of sweet roasted pepper flavor. The grits were the perfect blend of light cheese and heavy butter. The shrimp was real! Haha, it's too bad I have to say that about shrimp, folks! But restaurants these days are jacked! I'm imagining eating this dish all over again and it has been over a week since we went.

The thick cut bacon was just that; thick cut. You wouldn't believe (of course you would) how hard it is to get thick cut bacon actually cooked right! This bacon was slightly crispy but not overdone. I can't even get that right at home. I'll let these guys make my bacon from now on!

My favorite part over all...they serve Infusco Coffee Roasters coffee. This is a win-win whether you are much for environmental impact or not. Less travel means less of a carbon imprint. We can't all agree on that though, so how about the fact that you get to drink coffee that supports a local business! Infusco is right in Sawyer. I've made the complaint at all the breakfast places around in my reviews that they should get Infusco, and that there is little excuse to serve up that flavorless black sludge that passes for breakfast coffee that ALL the other places in Bridgman provide to go with your two-star meal (stillbso petty that folks gave this place one star...I didn't even give those other places one-star and I disliked them quite royally). In addition to Infusco they have cold brew options from Uncommon Coffee Roasters (Saugatuck) and Intelligentsia (Chicago) as well. That's a lot more local than Folgers (3rd layer of Hell) and Maxwell House (4th layer of Hell).

One more thing, the art on the walls is gorgeous and done by one of Bridgman's own residents. Pam makes some beautiful art!

Alright, I'm out of breath. My wife loved the food too and our daughter thought the booths were fun to play in although we all thought it was too hot outside that day, that being my biggest complaint. Thanks for the great food, Early Bird. Glad to welcome you to our community. Thanks for not being the same as every other place....

My Dad and I had breakfast at The Early Bird this morning for the first time, and we were both thoroughly impressed by the whole experience! Firstly, the atmosphere is very minimal and clean, but in a comfortable way that's not pretentious. When you walk in, there's a cute little bar on the left, with regular, open seating to the right. I love the white chairs and sat in one of those while my Dad sat across from me on the banquette seating he prefers. The real spider plants and the wall-hangings are striking but not overdone, complimenting the space perfectly. The service was great; our server (Shaina? Shanna?! I'm so sorry that I didn't catch your name!) answered several questions for us without seeming annoyed and was knowledgeable about the menu and specials. She sold me on a "Bees Knees" latte (non-alcoholic and not similar to the cocktail of the same name), with lavender and thyme that was perfectly balanced and not overly sweet like so many coffee drinks are these days. As it should be, the food was the star of the show! I had the blueberry pancakes with lemon cream cheese in the middle. They are to die for! The amount of lemon creme in the middle of the cakes was just right, as was the flavor-- the perfect amount of tartness to accent the sweet blueberry compote atop the pile of goodness. The vanilla crumbles sprinkled over the whole plate added a bit of texture and visual interest. Looking at the menu initially, I'd been going back and forth about what to order (I'll go for the shrimp and grits or one of their breakfast bowls next time), but I definitely made the right decision today! Dad had Eggs Benedict which he really liked, and he's basically a connoisseur of the dish. The potatoes that come with it were also excellent, crispy on the outside and fluffy within. I had to take half of my meal home, as it's an enormous portion; when bringing me a to go box, Shaina/Shanna (I'm sorry!!) advised me to eat my pancakes cold from the fridge, "like cake," which I am doing while typing this. She was spot on with that suggestion! Lunch is next to try, as the menu is chock full of yummy- sounding options... We were happy to discover a new and delicious place to dine this morning in The Early Bird! Thank you for the awesome food and...

First of all, it is super noisy here. Second and more distressing is: Having reservations here means nothing. It was my first time here, No one greeted us until I approached the check out area. The fellow behind the desk looked up inquisitively and make no comment until I said, "hi, we have a RESERVATION AT 10:45". He said it would be a couple minutes. Our reservation: 2 people, 10:45a, we were on time. We were FINALLY SEATED AT 11:35a after several inquires. My companion is hypoglycemic and by that time was feeling bad. As we finally went to our table, she asked for an immediate glass of orange juice, which the wait staff brought right away. The wait staff took our order right away (wait staff was very excellent!), put in our order and brought our coffees. We ordered straight from the menu, no adjustments. Grits, fried eggs, and a pancake, and a side of potatoes which was included with each meal. FORTY FIVE MORE MINUTES LATER(!) our food arrives. The food was good but nothing of special note. Wait staff was very attentive once we sat down. As we were finishing out meal, we noticed many people waiting to be seated but 4 tables empty. I approached our waiter as we left and said that our review wouldn't be about her but about the inability of the rest of the staff to be timely in seating guests and presenting meals. I also commented about the 4 empty tables and the number of people waiting as we were finishing up. Waiter said, "those people don't have reservations, and those tables have been reserved." I told her this was improbable because of our reservation experience. Waiter responded as they were taught, "I'm sorry. I apologize." Too little, too late. We might grab a To Go coffee, but will not do...