Twisted Fork Brunch Company — Restaurant in Town of Hempstead

Post covid, there aren’t too many restaurants that serve brunch during the week. There also aren’t too many restaurants that serve brunch late. This place had both. I stumbled across this restaurant after my previous option had closed earlier.

When I walked in, there wasn’t much of a crowd dining. However, there was enough space there to accommodate a crowded restaurant. We had the option to choose between booth seating or tables and chairs.

For drinks, we started off with a water & lemon and a caramel latte. The Caramel latte was smooth. The caramel topping adds just enough sweetness without compromising the drink.

The menu had more than enough options. Whether you’re looking for pancakes, French toast, or waffles, there was something for you. There were two downsides to the menu in my opinion. First, there weren’t any standard options available. For example, you can order a plain stack of pancakes, but on the menu, the only pancakes are a blueberry Lemon Pancake Stack. You can ask for a waffle, but the only options for waffles on the menu include, chicken, apples or bacon cheddar. Being someone who likes to know what I’m paying for, I care to actually see this on the menu. It doesn’t help that the menu states no substitutions. Secondly, you’re ordering side options for sides that are typically included in the meal. Ie: Paying additional for sausages , bacon, home fries , eggs etc.

The food was filling. I appreciated that everything came on a separate plate. This gives more space to eat without knocking food off the plate. I ordered pancakes, eggs and potatoes. Most pancake are usually stacked in 3. These pancakes came in a stack of 5 providing more for leftovers. The home fries were a mix of potatoes, including sweet potatoes. They went well with ketchup.

Overall, this is a pleasant restaurant. The food was great , the place was quiet and the service was up to par. In my opinion, the downsides were pricing and menu clarity. I would definitely...

I’m reaching out to share the experience I had at your restaurant on October 26th, 2024, a day that was particularly challenging for me. After attending my father’s funeral, I was emotionally drained and needed a place to regroup with my son and close friends. TwistedFork has been a favorite of mine, and this was my third visit. I came in expecting the comforting food and welcoming atmosphere I've enjoyed before, but unfortunately, my experience left me deeply disappointed.

During our meal, our server accidentally spilled my entire order—chicken and waffles with hot syrup—onto me, covering my suit. Although they apologized and brought wet napkins, they did not offer more immediate assistance, and my best friend had to request additional help. When I returned from the bathroom, our server mentioned that the item had been removed from the bill. At that point, my friend asked to speak with the manager.

The interaction with the manager was disheartening. Despite my friend trying to express our dissatisfaction, the manager continually rolled her eyes and spoke only to me, insisting she would address me and not my friend. I finally explained that I’d just come from my father’s funeral, was emotionally exhausted, and would prefer my friend speak on my behalf. Rather than show empathy, the manager became dismissive and continued to engage with my friend in a confrontational manner, showing no concern for my situation.

Experiences like these are not what I would expect from a place I’ve previously enjoyed and recommended. A customer in this position should feel valued, and their concerns should be met with compassion and understanding. Regrettably, due to the dismissive attitude and lack of support we received, I no longer feel inclined to return to TwistedFork.

Thank you for taking the time to hear my experience.

Sincerely,

Tracey Ayling...

I always like to give the benefit of the doubt as we're all human and I was in the food industry for years, years ago, but this one left me scratching my head in shock.

I met my friend for brunch at Twisted Fork last Saturday. She arrived first and Twisted Fork told her an hour wait, so when I arrived minutes later, we decided to walk to Soul Brew for a quick coffee & hot chocolate to hold us over while we waited. As we paid for our drinks, she received a text our table was ready so we immediately went back to Twisted Fork for brunch.

With a new coffee and hot chocolate from their neighboring business in hand, we were refused our table unless we disposed of our drinks. We offered to pour into their drinkware, but we were told that wasn't ok. At first, we thought he (the owner) was kidding, but he was serious. He actually stood by me, waiting for me to discard our new drinks and sit us at the table, while pointing to the trash. Unbelievable.

I was floored. I questioned him and his response was "we have 15 different coffees here you can try, so we can't allow you to have that here."

I just feel there was so many better ways to handle this; defer our table for one go while we finish the delicious drinks from Soul Brew. Or pour them into another cup. None of this was an option,

We were sat and the four top next to us was sat and I could see a Soul Brew cup on the table. They must have snuck one past the 'goalie'.

We ordered one dish, shared, and left because at that point we weren't in the mood for brunch there anymore. The meal was decent too, so they missed out on us having a proper meal.

We found another spot a walk away and had some of the best polish food I've had in a long while.

Growing pains? Hardly. Out of touch, more likely.

I guess it all works out...