Hwy 17 Diner — Restaurant in Toccoa

To preface, I went here about 11am on a Saturday. The place was packed. I placed my order about 11:17am, and waited. And waited. I thought I saw people coming in after me being served first, but I can't confirm. I was by myself, so my order was not big. At 12:15 ish, almost exactly an hour after I put my order, I was given my food- 2 pancakes, a sausage patty, and 3 eggs, scrambled. By this time, the restaurant had gone from full to about 4 other tables.

The food was decent enough. Their operating hours ensure I wouldn't have much time to visit, but they're about the only place in town that does pancakes, so that's a point in favor imo. I think their biscuits would be a good grab and go, cheap option, but I heard them mention they were almost out and to stop taking orders of them for the day, so I cannot say.

The wait time is, in my opinion, not the fault of the employees. The best chef in the nation can only do so much when they have a single griddle to work with, and that is this place's biggest failing, as far as I can see. They need more cookspace. I daresay this singular issue could be the reason this is at least the third restaurant I've heard of in this spot.

The thing that definitively stops me from going back for now though is their pricing. I paid 19.65 for 2 pancakes, 3 eggs, and a sausage patty. Nothing else. I drank water. I ordered the Jack's special for 9ish dollars, and asked for a rough guess on what it would be to add a pancake and an egg. The waitress said 3, maybe 4 dollars, and I was willing to go with it. Lo and behold, when someone else (an older man) put the check in, it jumped up to nearly 20$, before even considering a tip. This isn't equivalent to the type, flavor or amount of food I ate, and the reality is 20$ is 20$...You will always compare what 20$ gets you here versus over there, and it seems lacking for now. To be frank, I could run to McD's and get a similar type of breakfast for 6$. Any deficit in quality or quantity is made up for the fact I could order 3 of them, with a biscuit per to boot.

I personally find it a shame, as many of the people employed seemed up there in age, leading me to believe (though I am unsure) that this place may have been a passion project as a restaurant. I sincerely hope they can get the ship run a little tighter- In this town led by fast food giants, it'd be nice to see a local...

UPDATE 1/14/25: This is my first review since Fernando took over. While I'm waiting for the menu to change to reflect some more authentic Mexican food - street tacos, burritos (breakfast and lunch) - the new cook did me a solid with my mushroom omelette. You can look back at my other photos. Definitely go!

For me I order a 4-egg "fluffy" omelette (available when Sam is there Tue-Thu) by itself with mushroom, onion and cheese (he gave me a bonus of green peppers). I ask for salsa on the side so I can add as much Tabasco as I want. Sam nails it everytime. The omelette is never overcooked, still silky. I like it a lot! (I added a new photo of my most recent omelette - notice the consistency - this is why I keep coming back; BTW, try their breakfast burrito)

11/18 - Tried the Philly Sandwich (not on a hoagie roll as stated on the menu), and it was fresh, and had cheese onions and peppers. I would have preferred a hoagie roll, but the Texas toast was okay. Onion rings we're also fresh, but not hand-tossed, so expected results. 3/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐

The place is a little warm during summer (need better A/C), but I don't generally hang out that long anyway. Staff is always welcoming and friendly, and there are plenty of regulars. From what I've seen, the grill, prep tables and dining room are always clean. Thumbs up!

I think with any diner, expectations need to be in balance with what they are trying to be. Some reviews aren't fair in that they didn't address the problem with staff or management, who would...

My 1st time this morning 9-13-24 eating breakfast here, after my husband remembering how good it was years ago. After just getting off a 12hr shift & my husband working all night, I was not sure if I even wanted to go out. But we are so happy we went and will be back! The atmosphere was nice. Our server Fernando was very patient as we looked over the menu. He had a very kind demeanor and seemed to enjoy his job and customers and checked on us just enough (not too much/ not too lil). The young lady waiting tables was r there to help if we needed anything. They worked as a great team! Even the young lady who took our payment was smiling and very nice. Obviously the cook was Amazing because we ordered two big meals and finished every bite. Best breakfast we have had anywhere in a while. 🙏❤️❤️❤️ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ HWY17 breakfast wrap was Amazing and hot sauce was a perfect Xtra for it w/ OJ. And My husband had the HOBO breakfast platter, OJ & Coffee. Id recommend both. Lots of food (enough to take some home) but it tasted too good to...