The Lunchbox — Restaurant in Tallahassee

First off this was my first time eating this place. I ordered over the phone and the women I spoke to, I can tell carried a certain demeanor but I ignored it. Sounded unfriendly. When I went to pick my food up there were two women working the front on December 12th 2023 around 10am and two men in the back cooking. The lady with the blonde hair greeted me and a few other customers without a hello or nothing just. “You dining in or placing an order”. I said I placed an order and she replied asking for the name of my order. Again I noticed her demeanor from my phone call and it was giving ratchet and yes it was definitely her from the phone call. She said” Nawl it ain’t ready and waved her hand as if she was waving me to step back without checking anything. She asked other customers of black ethnicity with the same ratchet demeanor. However, a caucasian couple were sitting and eating and she walked to them with a different voice tone very politely and helpful. May I add this lady looks Caucasian or mixed. However, the way she spoke to every black individual was as if we all were ghetto or she was annoyed to deal with us. The customer service from her was very hood and just disgustingly unprofessional. She didn’t just do me this way she did the other black customers the same. She didn’t say have a good day to any of us but when the Caucasian couple walked out before they even closed the door. She made sure she yelled have a great day. Now this wasn’t my only thing. I stood there 20 mins damn near waiting for my food. The other lady who was very polite and had a professional tone of voice asked me what I ordered because the other lady had already asked my name and said no as if my order wasn’t ready. She knew I was standing there for a while but said ok as she was bagging up orders and I guess was waiting for mines. Whole time there was two bags of Togo plates sitting on the counter in front of me for 20mins. The food was sitting there before I even walked in. The lady with the blonde hair walked over to the bag all of a sudden and said “you had…” again just unprofessional. I said yes she grabbed it and gave me the total. No sorry no nothing that my food was sitting there ready the entire time and I was standing there for 20mins after you brushed me off saying no like my order wasn’t ready. I said so my food been sitting there the entire time and I’ve been standing here. She said yea n brushed it off. That’s when I got pissed and asked for a manager/sup. She said one wasn’t available and that I can call. Well ima make a review since the manger tolerates stuff like this. My first and last time here. Food was ok though, French toast can have a little more sweetness to it like cinnamon and it didn’t have any powdered sugar. No seasoning in grits nor eggs. Other than that everything else as in...

I visited the Lunchbox (Saturday morning) with the expectation of having a Father and Son breakfast seeing how I have seen other families eating there before. Upon entry into the diner, my Son and I overheard loud rap music from the kitchen. There were explicit music coming from the kitchen, so I kindly requested the waitress to have the establishment to turn down the music. My Son is eleven years old, and I do not play explicit music around him setting a positive example as a role model. I could hear the reluctance of the staff cooperate with my request quoting, " He doesn't want me to tell him what I think. " Once the waitress returned to take my order, I asked if they planned on turning down the music. The waitress indicated that she asked, and what did I want her to do. Well, I considered the establishment a family restaurant and not an adult club with blaring explicit music. At this point I decided to leave. Upon leaving the cook indicated sarcastically to have a good day. This is the same man that I supported by visiting the food truck (located on this same parking lot) to purchase dinners during after hours of the Lunchbox hours on prior Saturday evenings. Now, I understand fully the need to prioritize personal music choices over a family friendly environment. Thanks Lunchbox, I will take my business to respectful family business, so that I can enjoy the company of my son minus loud music and...

Jenny's is a standard on the TLH homegrown breakfast circuit. It's a VERY inexpensive way to enjoy the thriving megalopolis that is our city. Setting, props and lighting play backup roles to the lead actors coming from the kitchen. Usual suspects on the menu along with some creative wraps. The kitchen itself is a marvel in diminution. Essentially a studio-apartment sized kitchen (I.e, the size of a kitchen inside a studio apartment!), this meager square footage consistently bangs out completed dishes for a packed restaurant. When weather is good, there are four additional four-tops outdoors so it can get weeded here. Service is swift - partly due to how compact everything is. Guests walk in to effectively the drinks station, pass the counter and three tables in the process - and "arrive" in the main body of the dining area. All tables are essentially two-tops repurposed as 4,5 and even six tops. (I have sat with five others at one of the two tables beneath the great mural).

Jenny's is one of my favorite breakfast spots (I'll wager I've been here over 100 times - and not once for lunch). You could get most of the menu items anywhere else (most, not all) but it wouldn't be the same. There's something prosaic, if not poetic, in being at the corner of Magnolia & Tennessee with coffee, The Democrat, rye toast, and a spinach/mushroom omelette that just does it for me...