Himes Breakfast House — Restaurant in Tampa

I came to this restaurant to pick up an Uber Eats order that was supposed to be ready—or at least close to ready—when I got the notification. It wasn’t. I sat patiently for 10 minutes, which is already a long time for an order that should have been prepped or nearly done. While waiting, I looked into the kitchen and noticed the staff weren’t cooking or prepping anything. There was only one ticket hanging, and instead of working, the kitchen staff were just standing around playing and chatting like they had nothing to do.

I asked the hostess to please check on the order. I watched her speak to the cook, and based on their body language and reactions, it was obvious the order had been forgotten altogether—it hadn’t even been started.

Meanwhile, the manager—who I later learned is also the owner—was on the phone with a customer who was clearly upset about a messed-up order. Instead of trying to help, the manager was giving them attitude and brushing them off. I waited until he got off the call and then approached him calmly to let him know that his kitchen staff were goofing off while a customer’s order hadn’t even been started.

I thought maybe this would concern him enough to go check or correct the situation. Instead, he looked at me and said, “Oh, you’re one of those online delivery guys who doesn’t want to wait? You can cancel the order and get out.”

Not only was that incredibly rude and dismissive, but it also showed total disregard—not just for me—but for the customer who placed that order and ended up getting nothing. This restaurant wasn’t busy. There was literally one order, and they couldn’t even manage that. I told him he was a terrible manager, and he proudly replied that he doesn’t care because he’s the owner. Then he started putting down the fact that I do Uber Eats, as if that somehow makes me less deserving of respect.

When I pulled out my phone to take a picture of him after being treated like that, he actually followed me outside, gave me the finger, and tried to stop me from taking a photo—which I have every right to do for this review as agoogle guide, and not only a part time uber eats driver.

This place replaced Jimmy Hula’s, which used to be amazing. Now it’s a complete train wreck. Lazy, careless kitchen staff. An arrogant, disrespectful owner who gives attitude to both his own sit-in and takeout customers. No wonder his staff don’t take their work seriously—he doesn’t either.

Eat here at your own risk.

Update

As you can see from the reply of the same rude manager/owner—it says it all.

As was clarified in the main review, Uber Eats by design never sends a driver before the order is in the works. In 90% of cases, most orders are already ready and waiting—let alone in this case, where the order wasn’t even started. Flat-out lies.

As I stated, I’m a 5-star Uber Eats part-time driver doing this to help my college daughter buy a car—which he insulted me for. I was kind enough to sit down and wait ten minutes past the pickup time, and only said something when I realized his kitchen staff were just playing around with each other, with absolutely no orders being made.

Again, complaining to this man brought nothing but pure nastiness. Since this is a new restaurant, more negative reviews will soon fill this section, confirming my claims.

Petty and neurotic—good luck if you’re not satisfied and dare to complain. You’ll be met with the same nastiness and aggression I was met with, just like the separate customer who called upset about a...

If you are looking for a place to get disrespected by employees, then this is the place to go. I recently visited Himes Breakfast House with my father and elderly grandmother, hoping for the same pleasant breakfast we experience weekly from this establishment. While the initial service from our waitress, Kristen W, was friendly, the experience quickly shifted following a small mix-up with the check.

After patiently waiting to inform her of the error, she returned to the table and corrected it. When my grandmother made a light-hearted comment about the situation, the waitress responded with a dismissive eye roll and a sarcastic laugh — an unprofessional and unnecessary reaction.

As we were leaving, a staff member who appeared to be a manager thanked us for coming. We respectfully shared our concern, and he assured us it would be addressed. However, just as we were about to exit, the same waitress emerged from the restroom and loudly said, “Have a fantastic day” in an unmistakably sarcastic and condescending tone, which spoke volumes about her character and the establishment.

Having spent years in the restaurant industry myself, I found the blatant disrespect, especially in the presence of management, deeply troubling, which leads me to wonder what other factors are being overlooked by employees and management.

Himes Breakfast House promotes itself as a neighborhood diner offering a quick and delicious meal, but unfortunately, that is extremely false advertising. I would recommend exploring other local spots in Tampa where hospitality is genuinely part of the culture, because starting your morning with bitterness is...

We gave this place a try to support local about a year ago. Our breakfast spot had been First Watch prior. We go every so often, and I always get country fried chicken. They don't have that on the menu. They have country fried steak (fatty cube steak that i wouldn't even call steak). However, they always did it chicken style when I asked. Waitress today seemed to think I was joking around when I asked for chicken instead of steak twice. I made it clear twice. So loud in there, you can not help but yell to get your point across. So guess what comes with my meal.? Country fried steak!!! Along with burnt toast. I guess the big chain corporate places have consistency on their side. No, we were not comped my "steak" either :) I paid for the meal while asking the cashier to put country fried chicken on the menu. She thought that was funny and didn't know what country fried chicken (some call it chicken fried chicken) was either. This is the South guys!!! The customer is always right, guys. These kids working at this mom and pop breakfast joint should get trained better. Especially in the products they're selling and the customers who are buying. I won't be back for a while, no doubt. I'll just have to find another spot. One bad day in business can cost you a lot.

I rarely leave reviews. No, I did not notify management at all. I am treating this as a secret shopper type event.

When you see this management, maybe you will take the initiative to better the experience I had today. Seems local is great out of the gate, but once things get established, the ball gets dropped more often and unnoticed. Well, here's your warning...