J T's Diner - Willoughby, OH — Restaurant in Willoughby

So I decided to try this place and immediately regretted it. I can tell that these reviews that are on here or must be family members or friends... I will start out with the wait time I stood there me and my fiance for what seems like 15 minutes before the server would even speak to us. Onvey sat down found out she was the owner and we even more surprised because she was so very rude and short with us. Couldn't answer any simple questions about her own menu and when she found out that she went to school with my fiance she called her nasty names and swore in front of our child and other children and the restaurant. They didn't even have a bad history! the restaurant itself is very nice and I enjoyed the atmosphere.I was so looking forward to going but I warn anyone to go please don't bring your children one for the very rude and horrible language used by the owner and just her horrible attitude that wasn't even directed towards us but every other Patriot in this restaurant. I for one will never be back and I suggest going to a nice little place in Eastlake called Gracie's before you ever go here. I was rushed out so fast I didn't even have time to finish my food which one I asked for a to go box she gave it to me and made a comment saying "good then maybe you can get out of here faster".I'm sorry we were trying to enjoy a family breakfast. My own son told me on the car ride home that that lady was mean and he didn't want her to make his breakfast anymore. I don't know what business model they are using but this is not Dick's in Cleveland where you're rude it's a family restaurant where you should be treated with respect and not rushed out. But most important respect my child. I don't know what kind of business owner this woman thinks she is but I can assure you this place will not last and I truly hope she does not have children of her own I'm assuming not how she treated us and my own son. Again I am very upset and disappointed in a place I looked forward to going and supporting. Everyone else was great there don't get me wrong but if you get the owner I would suggest just leaving. I'm sorry to be so hard for this review but my experience was unacceptable. And I am speaking directly to the owner now. as someone that would like to come and enjoy your restaurant which has such a great potential I feel you should pass your responsibilities to another party. I've been in this business for 25 years and that is just not what hospitality is about. I hope things change and I wish them luck but until drastic changes in management/server are made I won't be back.btw the only other thing that made it tolerable was the very sweet and polite staff that...

Was really excited to go because I'd had several people tell me how good it was. All the reviews said the Eggs Benedict was the business. What they didn't say, however, was that they were only available on the weekend. 😔

Our server was nice enough to help me pick something else and even brought me a taste of the sausage gravy. Unfortunately, it tasted like the bags of gravy that hotels buy to put out at their free breakfast. My next thought was to get the corned beef hash until our server told me it comes out of a can. With those three off the list, there really wasn't anything left I was interested in, so I just got an omelet. It was underwhelming. The slice of cheese food singles melted on top was kind of the straw for me. I go out to eat for a few reasons: the food is technically difficult to make, very time consuming, requires a lot of unique ingredients (especially when you only need a bit and the rest will spoil making your one portion prohibitively expensive), or requires a ton of prep and cleanup. One can make and clean up after pancakes or an omelet in a matter of minutes; they shouldn't be paying a premium to eat those at a restaurant, ESPECIALLY when the product is of significantly lower quality than what you'd make.

That said, the Eggs Benedict must be the greatest thing in the entire world, or I need to stop listening to the people that recommended this place. To be fair, I'll go back on a weekend to try it. Nothing else seems to be made in house, but our server said she's glad they only make it on the weekends otherwise she'd be drinking the stuff all week, so maybe the hollandaise is and that's why people rave about it. Either way, seeing our server again will make the trip worthwhile. 😉 I'll update...

I was meeting some friends who chose JT's diner because they frequent it but it was my first time ever. I sure am glad that I did visit this place. It is a cozy little diner but very, very popular among the residents of Willoughby, OH. The reason I am saying this is because I had to circle around the place three times just to find a parking spot, that is how packed it was. Yes, do not go if you lack patience or are short on time because the queue inside was long but the wait was absolutely worth it. I was warned by my friend that the lady who is the owner of this diner, was a very loud mouth and free spirited person. Oh boy, I sure am glad to have learned it beforehand. A friendly advice, if you do not have a sense of humor, this place is not for you. The boss lady speaks loud, to a point of yelling and she is not the common, customer is always right type. She will tell you what's on her mind. Don't let all this make you think bad of her or the place though, there was not a single thing wrong with the food or customer service. Very, very affordable and economical and equally delicious. Two people can eat a healthy and filling breakfast here for under twenty dollars with free flowing coffee, of course. I would definitely love to visit again even though it is kind of 35 minutes drive for me. Oh, did I mention that you will love the decorations...