Cozy Cabin Restaurant — Restaurant in Warren

It was the summer of 2009, and Sean had just turned 19 — old enough to vote, old enough to rent a car in some states, but still carrying around one last piece of unfinished business. His friends knew it. He knew it. Even the diner staff at the Cozy Cabin Diner in northern Michigan seemed to sense it, like he gave off a faint aura of “still figuring things out.”

Al and Sean were on a road trip — no GPS, just a paper map, a cooler full of questionable sandwiches, and a mission to find the weirdest roadside attractions in the Midwest. They’d hit the Mystery Spot, the world’s largest cherry pie tin, and a taxidermy museum that smelled like regret.

But nothing compared to the Cozy Cabin Diner.

It was tucked off Route 31, surrounded by pine trees and a gravel lot full of pickup trucks. Inside, it smelled like cinnamon rolls, bacon grease, and wood paneling. The waitress — her name tag said Miljana — had a voice like gravel and a laugh that could startle raccoons.

Sean ordered the “Lumberjack Slam,” which came with six eggs, three meats, and a pancake the size of a hubcap. Miljana winked and said, “You sure you can handle all that, sweetheart?”

Al, never one to miss an opportunity, leaned in and said, “He’s got a lot of firsts to check off this summer.”

Miljana raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

The diner closed at midnight, but that night, it stayed open a little longer. Miljana invited them to the back patio, where the staff sometimes hung out after hours. There was music — old Motown playing from a dusty boombox — and someone passed around a bottle of cherry moonshine.

Sean, normally shy, was suddenly charming. Maybe it was the moonshine. Maybe it was the pancake-induced euphoria. Or maybe it was the way Miljana looked at him like he was more than just a kid on a road trip.

Al, sensing the moment, made himself scarce — wandered off to look at the stars or maybe just pretend to be interested in a raccoon rummaging through the trash.

And that’s how it happened. Under the soft glow of string lights, with the scent of pine and pancakes in the air, Sean had his first real grown-up moment. It wasn’t glamorous. It wasn’t planned. But it was real. And it was his.

The next morning, Sean walked out of the Cozy Cabin Diner with a swagger that hadn’t been there the day before. Al didn’t say anything — just handed him a coffee and nodded.

“Feel different?” Al asked.

Sean grinned. “I feel like I finally earned my Lumberjack Slam.”

And from that day forward, every time someone in the friend group mentioned Michigan, Cozy Cabin, or pancakes, Sean would just smile and say, “Best diner in...

Why one star overall? Because this place STOLE $6 from my account 8 hours AFTER posting the original meal transaction. This place left both transactions as pending until two days later, which they then finalized as one transaction. Yes, I have screenshots of everything.

I paid for the meal with my card, LEFT A CASH TIP FOR STAFF, wrote ZERO on the tip line (because of the cash tip), filled in the meal price on the total, signed, and was then refused my own copy of the receipt.

The meal transaction was posted as pending as soon as it was processed on 30 Apr 2025 (around 11:30 AM or so). The fraudulent additional charge was posted as pending around 4:00 PM the same day. The charges were not finalized until 9:46 PM, 2 May 2025, and were lumped together as a single charge.

The Better Business Bureau has already been contacted, my bank is involved as well, and I will be contacting MasterCard, Visa, and the Attorney General's office ASAP regarding this matter.

After all, if this place did this to me, exactly how many other people for how much hard-earned money have they robbed in this fashion?

The detailed ratings simply reflect that this is a run-of-the-mill independent family-style restaurant with average offerings across the board. You won't be disappointed by any means, but you won't write home either. They're good for filling your belly, but that's about it.

UPDATE 8 May 2025: This place took the time to respond to my review (on 8 May 2025 - nearly a week after I wrote this review), but has yet to respond to my BBB complaint despite their having been notified of such complaint within 24 hours of my filing it - as in a week ago.

Note the attempt in their reply to blame this on the bank. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not having it. As I said before, I have screenshots of two separate transactions: the actual price of the meal, and the additional charge THAT THEY INITIATED according to my bank.

Now, to address the "invitation" to discuss this privately: Ms. Gjonoviq, I filed a complaint with the BBB. YOU can respond to ME there IN WRITING so that 1) there is no doubt what was said, and 2) there is a public record of this entire issue that isn't in a review of a place (meaning there will be evidence for court proceedings if necessary, not something dismissed as a subjective matter of opinion).

I will not be dismissed, and this will be done according to my terms, not yours. We will discuss this in writing through the...

Dawn is one of my favorite waitresses, although we’ve only had her once as a dine in, and usually get sat in other sections, I still admire how she handles and treats her customers around us. I came in and got a carryout and got the wrong order French toast, I called once I arrived to work and Dawn answered, she immediately knew they made the wrong one and told me she would take care of it on my next visit.❤️

My next visit, Dawn did just that. She took care of my order the best she could because the ticket was not under her name. We had a waitress named Chrissy I believe? This time, Kinda tall blonde. With the most respect, Chrissy had a bad attitude this visit, and our experience this time wasn’t as good as others , our order was correct, and she did well with checking in, but just the way she carried herself today was something I think she needs to work on. We all have hard & stressful days, but when infront of customers you need to compose yourself to the best of your ability.

When it came time to pay and Dawn was helping me fix my ticket, Chrissy seemed unsure about it, and wanted Dawn to talk to management, completely understandable.

shortly after you can hear Chrissy talking to other waitresses about who is to be sat next in rotation, Chrissy loudly announced how they all had 6 and she had 4, and needed two more tables to catch up. She had an attitude towards them and told them “Do not play with me” while walking out to her tables. To me, that’s unprofessional behavior in-front of customers. Also while paying, the busser threw away my boyfriend’s food before I was able to get a box. All our stuff was still at the table. (Jacket/phones). He brought me my boyfriend’s phone and I told him we weren’t done. So the pancakes my boyfriend had that came with his omelet meal was wasted, and I lost out on money due to this.

Next time I guess I will have to wait for a waitress to bring me boxes instead of getting up and asking for them.

Other than this visit we love this place and will...