Rise-n-Dine

Reviews 3

AU

Austin Starkey

I have been to Rise-n-Dine probably 1-2 times/month for the last three years before moving away in July. I got to go back today for the first time since then and felt like I needed to leave some feedback. First off, the food is the best part about this place and the reason I always came back. The quinoa grits, chicken sausage, and sweet potato silver dollar pancakes (get all 4 sweet potato instead of 2 sweet potato and 2 buttermilk) are my personal favorites. I also love their almond lattes. Conversely, they could improve on their fried eggs. Im weird and like mine over-medium, but they have never been able to get this right despite having ordered it most of my trips there. I like over-easy too and am not picky at all, which is why I never mind that it comes out on the runnier side. I tried going with over-hard a few times to see if it would be closer to what I like most, but that was too far on the other side of the spectrum. I leave this criticism today because I ordered over-medium and the man sitting next to me said, "looks like you need a straw for those eggs" after they came out. For what its worth though, Ive had trouble finding a place that does over-medium eggs the right way anywhere in Atlanta. Only Pastries-a-GoGo can in my experience. Another piece of feedback is to ditch the Log Cabin syrup bottles. I actually like the syrup alright - thats not the problem, but put them in diner-style syrup dispensers because the Log Cabin bottles seem out of place. This sounds nit-picky as I think about it but would be a simple, positive change. My biggest criticism is the male host and overall wait list management. This feedback doesnt concern list order/fairness or anything like that - its about the general demeanor of the male host and his ability to take names, provide wait times, etc. in a friendly and orderly manner. His current method is to have his back to several groups of people waiting to get their names on the list. I understand hes assessing table availability and the general status of the dining room, but he allows for a log jam of people standing there at the podium and comes off (probably unintentionally) as ignoring them - this leads to impatient and annoyed parties. Just today, the couple standing in front of me waiting to get a name in were kinda ignored (i.e. he turned around, looked at them, looked at his list, then either went outside to call a name or turned back around) 4-5 separate times before he finally addressed them. The host generally comes off like youre asking him a huge favor just to put your name on the list. To be fair, he sometimes has a smile but seems to get easily irritated at peak times. This is amplified by the fact that the owner, Stephanie, and my favorite waiter, William (who I know from several other restaurants in Decatur), are extremely nice and friendly. Their service is great and probably the strong point outside of the food. My feedback: take a partys name and give them a wait time immediately when they walk in the door and get them back outside or shuffled out of the way to avoid a build up at the podium. Actively call people to the podium who are trying to get on the list and move everyone else aside. This would also cut down on the number of people who arent sure about whos waiting to put a name in and whos already done so but is just standing there in the general area of the podium. I hate having to be pushy. Also, have the owner as host full-time or make an attempt to be overly friendly with people - I know it would be appreciated. I overheard two other parties complaining about wait management just today. I see this as the restaurants biggest weakness, so if it could be improved, I would give it 5 stars because the food speaks for itself. Honestly, I want this place to be as awesome as it possibly could be, and these issues have bothered me over the years but havent been enough to discourage me from going and enjoying the food. Really, the only two other minor criticisms are that they dont take Amex and the tap water has a funky taste.

K

K S

I work for a delivery service which is contracted with restaurants all around Atlanta (I wont name which one). Our uniform top is a bright colored shirt with our company name on it which is very noticeable, even in the dark. Part of the job sometimes requires us to place our customers order in person and pay for it with our company-issued debit card. This incident happened around 10:30 this Sunday morning. Im standing in line at the hosts booth behind a small family who were waiting to put their names on the waiting list to be seated. It was busy and there was a male working as the host. When he finally came back to the booth from updating everyone on their wait times, he took the name and party number for the family and then they stepped to the side. I stepped up and before I could even say anything, the host yelled at me to get to the back of the line. I explained to him that I was already standing there and was there to place a to go order and he yelled again "I understand youre trying to place a To Go order but you need to get to the back of the line!" It wasnt until the gentleman behind me spoke up for me and said that I was telling the truth that the host even took me seriously. Then he said in an annoyed tone "Oh, well.... I didnt see you there! You can place your order at the bar. I walk you over there." Mind you, Im wearing a bright colored shirt with a DELIVERY company name on it (also with a hot bag across my arm to keep the customers food hot) while everyone else is wearing fall time colors. I stuck out like a sore thumb. He even walked past me like 4 times before this happened...... Im 26 years old, married, with kids, and my own household, and that man made me feel so small like a child with the way he talked to me. I was honestly torn between crying and decking him in the face, but I had to maintain my composure and remain professional because I was at work. Im going back up there tomorrow to complain to management. I dont care how busy it is, no one should ever be embarrassed and humiliated like that.

DA

Daniel Tan

Simply excellent. The consistency of food and service as been raised my expectations for other establishments. The coffee is wonderful and the variety of roasts they cycle through brings in a pleasant surprise when you visit regularly. They actually cook my eggs to my preferred order with precision, which is not as common as would be expected. The menus variety is sufficient for fun choices but streamlined enough to support efficiency and maintenece of ingredient quality. The sweet potato pancakes produce a delightful smooth flavor with a hint of spices that add up to a wonderful treat. The biscuits and gravy combine a comfort inspiring biscuit with smoot gravy that adds sufficient creaminess with pepper tones to compliment most protein choices. Lastly the chicken the sausage is a wonderful kick in the form of protein. Meaty and peppery it adds as a well matched partner to most menu items I enjoy. All in all a great place,although it can get a bit packed fory taste on brunch times for weekends.