07/28/09

Nice Neighborhood Place

by NeilC

I like this place because it is walking distance to my home, has friendly service, is very kid friendly, has pretty good French toast, and decent coffee. I have been there numerous times, and have never had a bad enough experience that I would take the time to write a 400 word essay on how bad it is. I worry about people that give reviews of family run neighborhood places like this based on one experience. I swear, people go to a place once, have a bad experience, then tell everyone that it is the worst place ever and not to come within a half mile of it. The service is inconsistent because they have a lot of turn over due to hiring primarily high school and college kids. Some reviewers just need to chill. If the coffee doesn't come round right away, they won't complain if you get up and serve yourself. It's that kind of place.

• Pros: Friendly Service
• Cons: Occasionally a little slow

03/15/09

Good food, nice people, SLOW service

by aee9488

I live just around the corner from the Varsity and would go there weekly if it weren't for the glacial pace of service.

The food is excellent, the coffee is good, the staff are genuinely nice people and work very hard. Perhaps they're short-staffed: no bus-boys, only one or two wait-staff when the owner is not around. I've never seen the staff dawdling or gossiping or hiding out from the customers. And still...

Expect to be seated rather quickly and then wait five minutes or so to be asked if you want anything to drink. Ask for a cup of joe and someone will be back to fill your cup in another five, Alas, that person can't take your order, and you'll finish your coffee waiting for the person who can. You'll order and ask for a refill on the coffee. The refill will not come until you flag someone down on their way to another table.

A day or two later, the food will arrive. If you've ordered toast, the waitress will promise that it'll be along shortly (i.e. after she puts it in the toaster). When she delivers it, she'll make a big deal about how "piping hot" it is. Your eggs are cold by now, but whatever. Can we have some more coffee? Sure, the waitress will reply, I'll send the other girl over. (By this time, the coffee girl has graduated from the U and is enrolling in a Masters program out-of-state.)

The owner is a very nice lady. I've spoken with her about the service on four separate occasions, but not noticeable change.

It's a shame, because the food is great and the location is very convenient for neighborhood folk. But it's faster for me to drive down to Pike Place or Cap Hill and get a great breakfast served quickly. If the traffic isn't heavy and I catch the lights I can LITERALLY get there and back faster than if I go to the Varsity.

• Pros: Great breakfasts
• Cons: Long waits for menus, food, and coffee refills

09/25/08

Real people, basic food, good place

by us5466

I'm surprised by the tone of some of the reviews posted here. I've eaten in restaurants all over Seattle and all of them have the occasional off day or wait person who is not on his/her best game. For a breakfast joint, the Varsity is as good as any place in terms of price, quality, service, location, decor, etc. Just look at the people waiting on weekend mornings....that tells you that most of the time they are doing a pretty good job of what they do.....basic American breakfast and lunch menu at reasonable prices.

I notice that none of the highly critical folks named a different restaurant that embodied their idea of what a good place would be. I suspect that is because such folks are universally cranky and critical. Anyway, I've eaten many times at the Varsity in the past 25 years and I'm a purchasing agent by trade...which makes me focus on value...that is, is what you get for the price a good deal and does it match up with a reasonable expectation? The answer is yes. Remember all those people waiting on weekend mornings.

The owner of the Varsity is a friend of mine and many of the people who work there are here sister, daughters, etc. It's a family business. If you aren't happy with something, try talking to one of them about it. They care a lot about customer service.

• Pros: location, menu, prices, people
• Cons: having to wait on weekends