The Friendly Toast

Reviews 4

A

A Private User

The food is unique and the environment is cool looking, but thats all theyve got going for them. The staff is often rude and abrasive. Ive been there twice and had the same experience with them. This last time was particularly bad, but from what I gathered from those I went with, it was not an atypical experience. We were going to go somewhere else, but we were hungry and friendly toast was empty whereas our intended destination was full. Half of our party got there early but they wouldnt allow them to put our names down until everyone got there, which meant a wait. Because we had seven people, the waiter got an automatic 20% gratuity. Now, I can understand an eighteen percent for large groups. Seven isnt large. and the problem with building it in is that they are not compelled to do a good job. They also have a three credit card minimum, which is just annoying. They stuffed us into a table that was too small despite having plenty of room. As we were concluding our meal the waiter came up and said he wanted to go home (they werent even about to close) and that we didnt have to leave but he wanted us to square away our bill. Then they turned the music up way loud. I mean, painfully hurts your ears cant hear the person next to you loud. We could only conclude that they were trying to kick us out. The waiter mixed up the two credit cards that we used and then tried to blame us for it. We took the bill and showed him exactly where wed written the amounts down so he looked at us incredulously and asked if we actually wanted him to change it. One bill was about three times as much, so of course I said yes. He was upset about that. I mean, it was *his* fault, but even if it wasnt, you just dont treat your customers that way, especially when theyre leaving you a twenty dollar tip. And the difference in the charges was nontrivial. When he handed us the receipts to sign he slammed them down on the counter and sorta huffed back. I mean, what, is he two years old? Id never seen a service provider behave that immaturely before, it was kinda amusing, actually. He wouldnt even answer us when we asked if we were supposed to sign all four receipts he gave us. It was ridiculous.

LO

Lori Drew

The " Friendly toast." The name basically alerts customer to the fact that only the toast is tasty and your taking your chances with everything else. In my opinion the difference between a good breakfast and a great breakfast is simple, a great breakfast is when the coffee taste like coffee, the homefries are seasoned perfectly and the eggs are prepared the way you ask. There is no wiggle room, you cant have one without the other and thats why I will not return to the " Friendly toast," in Portsmouth NH. While the toast was, tasty, and home made, the coffee tasted like the server/owner re-used the earlier grounds. It was very weak and not at all tasty. The homefries should have been served with a side of celery and blue cheese dressing, at least Id have something to use to put out the five alarm fire in my mouth. If I wanted spicy Id eat a breakfast burrito at taco bell. The owners should at least place a picture of a chili pepper next to the spicy items on their menu! As for the eggs I had mine over medium and did receive them correctly, so kudos to the short order cook! As for the service, it was horrible, I am a server myself at a popular fortune 500 company and chain. All I can say is unexpected personal touches go a long way, but, so does asking how everything is and if you need anything. I dont need to be smothered with attention yet when I alert you that you forgot my homefries, please dont just drop them at my table without a word. This makes me feel like your annoyed with me for mentioning it!! All in all, I wont be returning, unless I have a craving for fresh baked " friendly toast," and nothing else!

SH

Sharon Sernik

Truly awful service. We arrived a bit before 2 pm on a weekday. The restaurant was maybe half full, so we thought it wouldnt take too long to be served. Wrong. We were seated and our "waiter" (I put it in quotes because he was about the worst imitation of a waiter Ive ever had) brought water. He asked it we wanted drinks, and I asked for iced tea. This was never brought. We ordered lunch and asked for nachos to share for the table. I asked if those came with jalapenos and he said that if didnt hed make sure to add some. 20 minutes later, no tea, and no food. We were informed that the table before us had just ordered the last of the fish and so my husband and son would have to order something else. Why this took 20 minutes to discover I dont know. We asked to have the nachos because everyone was really hungry by now. They finally arrived, without the promised jalapenos. The waiter was taking an order at the next table, and when he finished, I asked for some salsa for the nachos. "Sure" he said. He never brought it. No one came to refill water glasses. I finally had to stand by the kitchen to get someones attention. We were brought tepid tap water with no ice. Maybe they were trying to punish us for not buying drinks, though they never brought the drink I did order. The food finally arrived, and it was okay. Our "waiter" never once appeared to check on us or refill glasses. We had to ask someone else for extra napkins. My husband works nearby, and this was supposed to be a short lunch, and it took over an hour to eat here. I would not eat here again. Interesting menu items, but not worth the aggravation.

JI

Jill Silverberg

It is a shame that this place is rather hard to get to. Then again, if it wasnt tucked in-between a bunch of buildings, I guess it would far more popular then it already is. So what is the Friendly Toast? It is a 1950s throwback, all day breakfast/brunch, American comfort food, coffee shop diner. This place is so many things but never does it come off as trying too hard. Food wise, everything that I have ever had here has been great. This includes sandwiches and mac and cheese. As far as breakfast foods go, that is where this place shines. The number of options they have for this category alone make up about 50% of the menu. Both the breakfast burrito and smoked salmon eggs benedict are great. Sandwich wise, I love The Matt: grilled anadama bread, cream cheese, cheddar, avocado, black beans, & salsa. So good. Drinks wise, they have an impressive tea selection and also beers. The Masala Chai I had there recently was just what I wanted. My only nitpick is that the new menu layout is very hard for me to embrace. I liked the way it was before; now the organization rather throws me off since all of the sandwiches were once together, including breakfast stuff. But thats just me. Also, as mentioned, it is not that easy to get to. Its about as far as the movie theater in Kendall, which translates to having to walk a bit of distance from the T. If you are new to the area, this can be kind of confusing. Otherwise, this place is kick-ass and a great pitstop for some late night munchies