Garden Berry Cafe — Restaurant in Vernon Hills

UPDATED: After I left this review the owner called me to berate me. He screamed at me and called me a mean person. Would not let me talk, continued to scream, and then hung up.

I selected the Hampshire store, but the website automatically selected the Vernon Hills store (which looking at the website now, it only shows in the right hand corner). I did not notice this until after I placed the order, I noticed less then 10 minutes after placing and called the Vernon Hills location to cancel the order.

The cashier I initially spoke to was kind, then put me on a hold. Then a man (I assume the manager) picked up the phone and immediately started blaming me for why he was losing money. He said that it was "obvious" on the website that I selected the wrong store and that I am making him lose money. He continued saying that "he wakes up every day to provide for his family and because of customers like me, he is losing money and cannot provide for them"- keep in mind my order total was $25. He then continued on to tell me about an order someone else placed that morning worth $150 that was cancelled, and seemingly blamed me for it? He then guilt tripped me about being the second order he had to cancel today. I then told him that I did not appreciate him blaming me for things that I cannot control and apologized for placing the order to the wrong location. I asked that he cancel the order or if he could transfer it to the Hampshire store. He told me that I am "difficult" and then continued to blame me for "him always losing money". He continued on to tell me that "maybe if I were more mindful and aware that this wouldn't have happened".

What kind of customer service is this???

I was feeling very frustrated by this point as I made an honest mistake and was getting awful customer service, and asked him to cancel the order, to which he responded "do it yourself". I explained that it would not allow me to cancel the order, he said that he had to call a company to have the order cancelled and the money refunded. I am still waiting for the cancellation and the refund.

This was my first time ordering from this cafe, and I may give the Hampshire location a shot, but I will NEVER order from the Vernon Hills location again. I genuinely cannot believe the way that this...

Worst service ever!! Extremely rude!!

We tried eating here on two separate occasions. First time we came shortly after 3pm, only to be told rudely that they were closed. Our bad...we didn't know. Doors were open & we didn't see hours posted anywhere. Figured we'd ignore the attitude and just try back again a different time.

Next time we came in, their behavior was unacceptable. My wife, baby, & I came in and were told by an incredibly ill-mannered hostess that they had no open tables and that we could sit at the hightop counter, but it wouldn't accommodate a highchair. It's a smaller place, and all the 4 person booths were occupied, but they did have 2 open 6 person tables. I asked what about seating us there and the hostess begrudgingly did so, telling us that someone would bring us a highchair shortly.

We waited for 10 minutes, with no highchair in site. I got up to ask the hostess when someone would be bringing us a highchair, but before I could say anything, she curtly told me that someone was getting me a highchair in back and was bringing it out. Ok then. We waited nearly 10 more minutes and then just got fed up. Unacceptable and beyond rude behavior. Extremely inconsiderate. My wife and I are incredibly patient and easy going, but this was just too much. We walked out and vowed to never enter their establishment again. I guess they just didn't care about our business.

There's plenty of great breakfast places in the area, where they'll treat you with kindness and bend over backwards to make you feel welcome. I can't say the same about this place. With all the past turnover of restaurants at this location, you'd think that they'd go out of their way to be polite...not the opposite. Guess they don't understand that great customer service is essential to longevity in their business. Good luck surviving treating...

Garden Berry Cafe to me earns 4 stars and its not in the typical way. There were a few things about my visit here that I really enjoyed. Location: Since I live in the city, GBC had a nice urban feeling to it that I just don't normally get to experience. It's on a nice spot just off the main drag, but not necessarily tucked away out of sight either. The restaurant itself is the perfect design for what it is and where it sits. A cozy and comfy breakfast spot without any unnecessary bells and whistles. Atmosphere: Nicely taken care of hardwood flooring and paneling gives the interior a super enjoyable vintage look and feel. Even though I dined indoors, I was actually more taken by the outside patio seating area. Service: Tayler (or Taylor) introduced herself and was prompt with service, refills, and updates on our order. She did a very nice job. Others assisted her (and vice versa) and overall it felt like it was a collective team effort and they enjoyed working with each other. It was pleasant to observe and even better to receive. Also of note: this was first time I've ever seen my two year old stuff an entire pancake in his mouth. So there's a nice memory to this as well. So what makes this an atypical 4 stars? The food does. It was just okay. I ordered the loaded potato pancakes that looked extremely promising but lacked a crisp potato pancake texture and really had no discernable flavor apart from the potatoes themselves. I also ordered a side portion of Corned Beef Hash, but it was a pre-made mixture that was either frozen or canned. It was pretty easy to see that it wasn't house made. I knew before I even finished breakfast that I was enjoying the intangibles here more than the food. Still a notably positive experience and I would certainly come back, and should I return I'd definitely have to have a table...