Last night we headed over to the Galaxie Diner (now known as Valley Diner due to a copyright claim) to check out the newest store to open in Founders’ Circle with a friend. Located in the space which previously held failed ventures Jan’s Brown Bag Deli and La Luz, this is an entirely new restaurant which will directly compete for business with those who currently frequent Suzie’s Kitchen in Rosemount. According to an advertisement which appeared in one of the local junk mail fliers, the owner of Galaxie Diner previously owned by the Uptowner Cafe and Cahill Diner. From the get go I have to admit that I was excited to try another non-chain restaurant serving diner fare–especially when I found that Suzie’s Kitchen in Rosemount was certainly lacking in that department.
I previously viewed the Galaxie Diner menu which was made available to me by a loyal reader and much commentary has already occurred on it in the comments below (which were copied over from the original post for historical purposes). It’s very similar, if not exactly the same aside from different names, to the menu for the Cahill Diner. When I mentioned this fact to my wife she replied, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”
Whenever I see a diner-like restaurant the first thing that comes out of my mouth is, “I really hope they have an open faced sandwich,” and thankfully the Galaxie Diner has two of them (roast beef and turkey). Now, they also have plenty of other options including burgers, sandwiches, breakfast all day, as well as shakes and malts. Without even giving it a second thought I knew that I was going to go for the open faced sandwich. My wife, who originally was not going to go but because I found a B1G1 free coupon, ordered her typical burger. I did ask for a side of gravy so that I’d be able to dip some of her fries in it.
We arrived at 5:30 and were the only ones in the place. While it’s relatively new, based on all the traffic the website has been getting for it I assumed that more people would be inside than just us. We were waited on promptly and then given some time to look over the menu. My wife ended up going with the 1/2lb California Galaxie which comes with lettuce, tomato and mayo for $7.75 (they also offer a 1/4lb for $6.25) and she asked for cheese (.40 more) and went with cheddar. My buddy ordered their Fried Egg Ham Burger which is listed as a 1/2lb burger topped with smoky ham, cheese and one fried egg for $8.50. I ordered their Hot Turkey Sandwich (My buddy and I both really wanted their Hot Beef Sandwich but they ran out of roast beef…) which is listed as being served open-faced on white bread with cranberries and mashed potatoes, covered with gravy for $8.50.
Our orders arrived quickly, being that we were the only ones to have ordered (more people arrived in the mean time) and were portioned well. While several others have complained about the prices, I thought that for what we received it was certainly worth it. My Hot Turkey Sandwich was huge. It was sitting on a slice of thick white bread, had plenty of real turkey (no lunch meat here!), and lots of mashed potatoes. The side of cranberry sauce was also nothing to shake a stick at. While it was portioned well, it was lacking distinctive taste and the turkey wasn’t heated thoroughly enough. The cranberries needed to be a little more tart for me (I realize that some would prefer them be sugary so YMMV) but were plentiful. There was more than enough on my plate to split it in half and take the rest home. Overall I liked it but I think it could be better although this may simply be because I had my heart set on the roast beef and not the turkey.
My wife’s California Galaxie was big. It reminded me of the burgers you get at Junior’s Cafe in Eagan. The toppings were fresh and the fries were plentiful. I asked her to order it with a side of beef gravy so I could dip her fries in it and even though I’m not a fry guy, these were very good. Her burger tasted great and even though she intended on only eating half, she plowed her way through the entire thing and believe me people, she has not eaten that much in the last 8.75 months.
My buddy’s Fried Egg Ham Burger also looked good and he happily polished it off without a complaint. He did mention, however, that it still was not as good as the burgers at Bar 508 downtown.
Overall, I liked what I saw at the Galaxie Diner tonight. Do I think that it’s the best diner food to ever pass my lips? No, certainly not, but it definitely is a great start and one that I look forward to coming back to again and again in the future. While I don’t suggest coming from far and wide to try anything we had tonight, I do recommend it over the burgers we’ve had at Suzie’s Kitchen and a variety of other places around town. So if you’re craving a decent burger in the South Metro and don’t feel like hauling over to Junior’s in Eagan, stop in to the Galaxie Diner instead.
Have you eaten at the Galaxie Diner in Apple Valley? If so, what did you have and what did you think of it? Please go ahead and share your thoughts as I’d really love to hear what you have to say!
Address:
Galaxie Diner
15322 Galaxie Ave #101
Apple Valley, MN 55124
Phone:
952-698-1810
Hours:
Monday – Friday: 6 AM – 9 PM
Saturday – Sunday: 7 AM – 9 PM
See all the pictures from Valley Diner on Flickr here.
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December 20th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Galaxie Diner: http://tinyurl.com/ydxnj7j
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
December 20th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Good luck to them.
December 20th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
the following was on craigslist:
waitress/waiter Wanted (Apple Valley )
——————————————————————————–
Date: 2009-12-16, 12:11PM CST
Reply to: see below
——————————————————————————–
I’m looking for some nice out going- people person waitress/waiters – I’m in the process of opening a new resturant here in Apple Vally, MN Called galaxie Diner
You can call me if intreasted or email me at loveegypt12@msn.com
or call me at 651-808-2944
Tony
The address to the place is:
15322 Galaxie Ave So Suite 101
Apple Valley, MN 55124
December 20th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
They have a shot. While Suzie’s isn’t terrible, it definitely has opening for competition due to some of the less than freshly cooked/made options there. Considering that they seem to stay busy, it does seem there is some sort of market for a diner.
I tend not to eat too much fast food anymore and I’ve noticed the prices creeping up at McDonalds and Wendy’s which also provides some room for the diner that can keep their prices in range of such places and improve the food quality significantly.
December 20th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Galaxie Diner: Apple Valley, MN | Bill Roehl http://bit.ly/70OlzU #apple #google #voip
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
December 20th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
On one hand, I’m glad something is opening within walking distance, but on the other hand…a diner? Really? Darn.
December 20th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Crystal, diners can mean a lot of things but I have to say I agree with you. Don’t get me wrong–I love the idea of a diner and I’d love to see one in AV, I just think that the beautiful space left by La Luz is deserving of something a little different and more in the mid-range rather than the low-end as I envision most diners to be.
Now, if the Galaxie Diner is going to be more like the Town Talk Diner but with decent food, then I’ll be happy. But if it’s going to be another $6.99 breakfast, burger, and open faced sandwich place, I think that it would fit better elsewhere.
December 20th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Bill – you said it much better than I did. I agree, La Luz was a beautiful space and I’d love for a Town Talk-like restaurant here in AV. I’m not geeked out about another burger and fries joint – I want something fresh and new.
December 20th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Doomed.
December 20th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Jan’s Brown Bag Deli was horrendous. I like La Luz – the polish sausage & egg wrap – yummy. I will give this place a chance. Just a wee bit scary after the predecessors….
December 20th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Seems kind of out of place for the area (or what they want us to perceive of the area with other ‘upscale restaurants’ and day spas). Plus it is near the traffic circle of doom so there is that…
December 21st, 2009 at 4:42 am
[...] Animal to Meat asks: “Is Organic Valley a corporate hero or a sellout?“, Bill Roehl previews the Galaxie Diner in Apple Valley, and an interview with anti-Cargill lawsuit lawyer Bill Marler. var addthis_pub = [...]
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:57 am
I think Town Talk, The Bulldog, and the Blue Plate restaurants offer good models that someone could follow in the South Metro with success. All of them have an interesting menu, tasty food, but still have a large heaping of mainstream American appeal. Hopefully we are done with the Bonfire copycats (think Plasma TVs in the restaurant – Jake’s, Enjoy, Doolittles remodel, Granite City, Anthony’s, etc.)
I don’t necessarily dislike all of those restaurants, I just think they all are trying to fit into a mold.
If you’re going to copy a restaurant, please try to copy something somewhat interesting. At least a place like Babe’s doesn’t try to pretend to be more than it is – a bar! I do hope the Galaxie diner succeeds, best of luck to them.
December 30th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Saw their ad in the Clip N Save. It claims it will open in “early January” and it is owned by the person who previously owned the Cahill Diner and Uptowner Cafe. The menu will be American, Cajun, Tex-mex and more.
A quick Google search finds the menu for Cahill Diner and oddly enough it starts out with a Cajun and a Tex-Mex breakfast option: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inver-Grove-Heights-MN/Cahill-Diner/39176167841#/photo.php?pid=1879966&id=39176167841
January 3rd, 2010 at 2:50 pm
TGIFriday’s has a lot to answer for. As I recall, they were the inventors of the type of chain restaurant that has since taken over the country. Friday’s was really very good in the beginning, however. I’m sure that they made most of their food from scratch on-site back then, and it was very exciting to eat there in the late seventies. Large groups of people would meet there fro an entire evening of eating and drinking and it was a lot of fun. They started the whole monster nachos thing, and I recall their “steak on a stake”; it was chicken-fried steak on skewars with gravy on the side and it was yummy.
That said, the genre has sprouted tentacles that includes sports bars, “gourmet” hamburger chains, etc., and mediocrity and copy-cat-ness are the norm now, along with that Sysco truck. I eagerly await anything that is different and good. Heck, I’d take something that is the same but good – what if some enterprising individual took the best menu items from Chammps and Applebee’s and their ilk and made them from scratch from better ingredients? Or how about if someone actually listened to the hot wings lovers on this site and invented a sauce system that gives the customer an opportunity to customize the amount of heat in their sauce?
Two good maxims: 1. You can do anything as long as you do it right; 2. There are no rules.
January 5th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
We can’t wait for the diner to open……this is exactly the kind of place a.v. needs. Best of luck to the owners and staff.
January 5th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
Mr Sippy, I hope you are right, but how do you know what kind of place this is going to be?
January 5th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
Chad, take a look at the menu I linked above. That’ll give you a pretty damn good idea.
January 5th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
My goodness, what a totally boring menu. Can they not come up with anything fresh or original????????
January 5th, 2010 at 10:27 pm
I’m applied and am most likely getting the job. I figure I’ll work there for about 6 to 9 months. At best.
January 6th, 2010 at 9:47 am
Gita Job?
January 6th, 2010 at 2:45 pm
Chad, excellent question….the reason that I am so optimistic is because its not a Denny’s, Perkins or an IHOP…..Gita, I hope that your future boss doesn’t know that you are planning for their business to fail….I wouldn’t hire someone with that kind of negative attitude.
January 6th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
I didn’t take Gita’s comment that way, Mrs. Sippy (cool handle, by the way) — I interpreted it as meaning he/she was only planning to be there short term. Which is fairly common in the restaurant biz, from what I understand.
January 7th, 2010 at 10:41 am
Hey thanks Tim, I like it too….I hope that you are right about Gita, however I worked in the biz for over 14 years and to train someone to work in a restaurant takes a lot of time, money and effort…if they only want to work there for just a few months, (and if the bosses knew that,) they probably wouldn’t be hired in the first place. Still can’t wait for it to open, and if Gita is my server and gives me great service, then I will be leaving him/her a great tip!!
January 18th, 2010 at 11:02 am
They are now open and having plenty of blinking lights in their windows. I’ll probably head over there in the next few days. If anyone else has already tried it feel free to post your review below!
January 18th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
I noticed that when I drove by about an hour ago. If I hadn’t already had lunch I would have turned around and stopped in.
January 18th, 2010 at 6:34 pm
I am excited to try it, and willing to support a local business…as long as they’re good! I know I am late to the convo but Jan’s was trying to do too much. Coffee shop, market, deli, cafe, etc. La Luz had good food, but obviously didn’t make it. We’re going to the Galaxie Diner on Wednesday, so I’ll report back.
January 21st, 2010 at 7:39 pm
Thanks to a loyal reader who received a copy of their menu today, we now have a copy to share: Galaxie Diner Menu
January 21st, 2010 at 7:44 pm
Looking for Galaxie Diner in Apple Valley’s menu? Look no further: http://bit.ly/4MRT3u
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
January 21st, 2010 at 8:27 pm
They serve Coke products, won’t someone be happy!
Looks like a nice menu, props for not going generic.
January 21st, 2010 at 8:30 pm
YESSSSSS! Wait, free refills I hope?
January 21st, 2010 at 8:39 pm
I wish the Galaxie all the best and they are certainly starting out well by offering deliciously refreshing Coca Cola products, however…my two cents:
The menu looks nice enough, though I completely disagree with the comment “props for not going generic”…I don’t see anything on there that makes me think “HEY I WANNA GO TRY THAT RIGHT NOW!”
Someone funnier and wittier than myself might remark “Finally, a place to get jalapeno poppers and chicken strips in the South metro!”
January 21st, 2010 at 9:09 pm
Looking at the menu, I guess the key for me is just another place to go that isn’t McDonalds, or Burger King, or Culvers, or Applebees. Not sure if the food they will serve is sourced from anywhere different, but at least it’s something different to try.
January 21st, 2010 at 9:11 pm
Well, I plan on being there this weekend. I’ll have a review up sometime shortly thereafter.
January 21st, 2010 at 10:04 pm
Sorry for my tardiness in reporting back, but we did eat there last night. Sadly, we had the place to ourselves for most of our dinner. But the wait staff and kitchen staff were VERY attentive!
We are a family of 4 with two kids, 3 and under. My hubby had the Cajun Breakfast and it was very tasty, I sampled a few bites. My son demolished (and I mean EVERY bite) of his Mickey Mouse pancakes that were topped with, drum roll please, whipped cream and chocolate chips. He was delighted! I ate a club sandwich with fries. My sandwich was good, with very fresh tomatoes and lettuce, but nothing extraordinary. Fries were pretty greasy-take it or leave it at a “diner.”
We will go back and eat there versus one of the chain places, but I will probably order breakfast next time. I hope that others start to try it out and the community shows support in the first few weeks. We live very close by, and really hope that this place stays put and is successful!
January 21st, 2010 at 10:59 pm
Stopped by for breakfast. The people were nice. Service was good. Prices are high.
Had a rodeo omelet, added hashbrowns and a cup of soup. With a soda my total was $14+. I did not need to add the hashbrowns, as they were in the omelet, but I wanted to try them. They were fine, as was the omelet. The cup of soup was seriously ridiculously small. About the same size cup that some places serve ranch dressing in…………
Honestly, the food was nearly identical to what I would get at Perkins, which made me very sad.
How to improve? Get salsa that is spicier than ketchup. Really, could you have found anything more bland? Use chorizo or something in the tex mex type foods. Find bigger cups/bowls for the soup. Take $1 off the price of everything.
I will stop back in a week or two and see if anything has changed. Nothing at all offensive about this place. Nice people, ok food, beautiful space. But nothing I would drive very far out of my way to get to. At least not yet. They just opened, and I am hopeful for some improvement.
January 22nd, 2010 at 9:52 am
My comment about not going generic was in reference to the titles of the items, mostly. Yes, same fare as you would find in other places, but they don’t just call it ‘bacon & eggs.’ They came up with some original-sounding and appropriate to the restaurant’s name.
January 22nd, 2010 at 10:22 am
Not original, but there is still definitely room in the south metro (in my mind) for a top-notch burger, breakfast and other comfort food (e.g. biscuits and gravy/open-faced sandwich).
The prices do look a bit high which makes me nervous. I gladly pay $8 for a burger or omelet if they are above average, but I fear 90% of the south metro has proven that they’ll settle for saving a couple bucks and stick with Perkins/Dennys.
Anyway — should be a good place to try.
January 22nd, 2010 at 10:41 am
i’ll wait for a few more reviews. the ££’s do seem a bit high for me.
bb
January 22nd, 2010 at 6:38 pm
When I looked at the menu, I thought the prices were way too high. $1.99 to add hash browns? Those are cheap, ridiculous. I will wait for a few more reviews before I go. Hopefully, they will adjust their prices or do some coupons.
January 24th, 2010 at 9:56 am
I have moved the comments from the original post under this one for historical purposes.
January 24th, 2010 at 10:10 am
Galaxie Diner: Apple Valley, MN (http://tinyurl.com/ydxnj7j)
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
January 24th, 2010 at 10:24 am
I am glad your visit went well. I will have to try some of the non breakfast items. I would admit that the prices for what you had looked much better than the prices I paid for the items I ordered.
Have you had a Hot Beef (Blue Plate Special) at Wallys Roast Beef in Bloomington? Might be a great place to take care of your craving.
January 24th, 2010 at 10:30 am
Chad, Wally’s very limited hours don’t work for me.
January 24th, 2010 at 11:15 am
Looks yummy. I assume your D5000 took the pics for the article? You can really see the difference.
January 24th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
Just had breakfast at Galaxie Diner – split the Eggs Benedict with my husband. His egg yolk was solid, mine was 70% solid. Luckily, I like mine less runny, but overall wasn’t too impressed with the Eggs Benedict.
The hashbrowns were pretty darn good – standard hashbrowns, but crispy on the outsides, which was perfect.
The service was pleasant, but a bit overbearing at first as we took awhile to decide what to order and two servers alternated asking if we were ready yet. Our server gave us a free pancake to try, which was very nice of her. The pancake was pretty good, nothing special, but hit the spot.
Our order too way too long to come out – landed on our table 30 minutes after ordering without an explanation of why.
I’d be willing to go back and try other items. I like that there’s a non-Perkins, Denny’s, IHOP option out there and could see this being a spot where the locals go for breakfast.
January 24th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
b, how were the fries?
crystal remarks ‘The hashbrowns were pretty darn good’.
i guess from the posted remarks suzies may be in trouble!
bb
January 24th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
bb, as I stated in the review, I’m not much for fries but I do enjoy them in gravy. My wife seemed to like them.
January 24th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Yes, I used the D5000 to take them. Overall I’m pleased with it but I have a lot of work to do to get up to speed on taking pictures with the camera.
January 24th, 2010 at 1:40 pm
I had lunch at the Galaxie Diner on Friday. I had a 1/4 pound cheeseburger and fries. Quite good. I’d say the whole place is similar to Juniors in Eagan, but with the nicer non-diner decorations from the late La Luz. While my 1/4 pound burger was tasty, it was tough to compare to Juniors’ 1/2 pound burger; next time I go back I’ll get the larger version for a more direct comparison. The fries were okay, not as good as Juniors, but okay. Overall, the menu was very diner-ish and the service was good. While I was there, around 1:00, there were a half-dozen other customers, not bad for the first week in business. I will return.
January 24th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
My mouth is just watering thinking about that Fried Egg Burger. Has to be my favorite burger concoction.
January 24th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
Fried egg burgers rule. Really, fried eggs on a lot of things rule.
January 24th, 2010 at 2:57 pm
We also had breakfast at the Galaxie Diner this morning.
We got a late start and arrived at about 10:40am. The place wasn’t packed but they were doing good business. We sat ourselves and were immediately offered menus and something to drink.
We placed our order about ten minutes later and then we waited…..and waited….and waited. After 20-25 minutes the server came over to say she was sorry for the wait as they were running behind. We were pretty understanding and not in a huge hurry so no big deal. We then waited…and waited…and waited. After another 20 minutes my wife flagged down the server and gave her the universal WTF signal. The server apologized some more and went to check on our meals. She came back 5 minutes later and said that our meals were on the house and should be up shortly. I didn’t look at the exact times, but it was about an hour from the time we walked in the door to the time our food was placed in front of us.
As far as the food was concerned, it was good. I ordered the “Tex Mex” (it was frickin’ huge) and my wife had some pancakes. Both were just fine, nothing to complain about, but also nothing to rave about. The Tex Mex had the standard no-heat “Pace” style salsa and shredded cheddar on a tortilla stuffed with hash-browns, eggs, and sausage. I think the salsa is the weak link and the dish could be much better with a fresh salsa that had a little kick.
We were very happy that they took care of us after the slow service, and we’ll be back to try it again in a while once they have some of the kinks ironed out.
January 24th, 2010 at 4:39 pm
Nils and Tim, if you really like fried egg burgers, I would recommend the 508 Burger at the 508 Restaurant (former Old Chicago on 1st Ave) in downtown Mpls. Awesome garlic fries come with this and thick cut bacon on this bad boy. I try to get down there a few times a month for lunch.
508 Burger 9.25
Handmade patty, American cheese, bacon, egg, lettuce, tomato and onion
January 24th, 2010 at 10:53 pm
I think we might have been there at the same time you were there Bill. My wife and I were there with the kids at about 6:00 last night. There were only a few people in the place which was ok since it gave us a nice corner to spread out into without our kids annoying everyone else. We both got burgers and they were pretty good. I had the bacon burger which was really good. I also thought the fries were pretty darn tasty.
The staff was great, the food was good, and even the owner came out to say hello and ask how everything was. Overall I really like this place and I want to go back again for breakfast. I really hope this place makes it.
January 25th, 2010 at 4:51 am
[...] A first look at the Galaxie Diner in Apple Valley, the current and future wanderings of Tosca’s Adam Vickerman, Cafe Maude’s Aaron Slavicek is out and Burke Forster is in, long thoughtful musings on Julia Child and Bouef Bourguignon, some great new back-and-forth in the comments about Duluth’s Hell’s Kitchen-owned HellBurgers, tuna salad with soul and a side of nostalgia, will authentic Chinese gem Tian Jin fall apart under new ownership or blossom anew? (stay tuned), three things one local blogger just won’t eat, the food at Rainbow is dubbed “lackluster” (including non-hot “hot” food; just had this happen to me at Quang…), and poor marks for the lack of vegetarian options in Minneapolis restaurants. Also: Why not build a statue of a giant pierogi in Northeast? var addthis_pub = "heavytable"; var addthis_options = 'favorites, digg, delicious, stumbleupon, twitter, facebook, reddit, more'; var addthis_brand = "The Heavy Table"; [...]
January 25th, 2010 at 8:32 am
Does anybody know if the Heartland Cafe in the Farmington bowling alley is still open (I don’t recall them ever advertising their existance)? If I remember correctly they had a pretty good open faced sandwich lunch special (Its been 10 years since I worked in Farmington).
January 25th, 2010 at 11:07 am
There is still a cafe at the Farmington Lanes. They do good blue plate breakfasts, etc. I’m not 100% sure, but I think I’ve had an open-faced turkey there. Pretty much everything I’ve eaten there has been standard, straightforward greasy spoon.
January 25th, 2010 at 12:20 pm
From the website :http://www.farmingtonlanes.com/menu.html
It looks like it’s now called the Farmington Sports Bar and Grill with a menu available at that website. So depending on how far back you go, nope, not the same, or sure, exactly the same.
January 25th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
Interesting. I would have sworn I had been there (and more than once) in 2009. Man, sometimes time just flies.
January 25th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
I guessing it was the Country Lane Cafe, since it was about 10 years ago. I think they were only open for breakfast & lunch during the work week. Word was that the owner was the former head chef at the Chart House (not that the Chart House was all that memorable)…
Do recall an open face sandwich at Key’s Cafe many years ago (like 15) that was like Thanksgiving with the amount of food on the plate (including cranberries & stuffing).
January 25th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
TID, your comments are going into the spam filter for some reason. Sorry for the delay in getting them approved. It should learn that you are ok after a day or so.
January 25th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
It was the Country Lane. The owner sold it in December or so of last year. I used to go there pretty regularly with my Mom & Dad for breakfast on Sunday up until it changed hands. The gal that owned worked another full time job and it just wasn’t worth the hassle as they were breaking even. The food was tasty and consistent. Lately, we have been going to either J’s in Burnsville or the Longbranch Saloon in Farmington.
January 25th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
Looking forward to trying the Galaxie Diner, the picture looks divine!
January 25th, 2010 at 9:09 pm
The wife and I headed over to Galaxy diner before our Monday night grocery shopping. Lately I have been doing the groceries on Sunday, but with the games on, we let it go. We parked in the lot in back, plenty of spaces and walked in. One couple with kids was getting ready to head out as we walked in. The waitress greeted us warmly as my wife picked a spot to sit. Looking at the menu my wife was torn between the Reuben Sandwich, or Steak Dinner. She loves either usually. I myself chose the Chicken Fried Chicken, and my wife went with her gut, and the steak, we both went with the salad, though the chicken noodle soup was tempting.
While my better half and I went through coupons and built a quasi list for groceries our salads arrived. Nice fresh lettuce and not bad tomatoes considering the time of the year. I’m not a salad guy in general, so I just pick at it, though my wife rated it great. The waitress was attentive without being overly so. I noticed I picked up the moniker of “sweetie” as the waitress dropped off my drink, and picked up my salad dish. My wife didn’t notice. figures.
My wife’s steak and fries arrived first, she requested it well…well done, no pink in the middle, and that’s exactly how it arrived. Perfect for her. She also asked for her fries to be extra crispy, and that’s how they arrived as well, a bunch of fries. A few moments later, my chicken fried chicken showed up. The fries looked tasty, and when I tried one a little later, I found they were really done quite well. Nice crispy outside, nice soft potato inside. My breaded chicken patty with white gravy, and mashed potatoes showed up a minute later.
Now I don’t regularly eat this dish, but I didn’t want a burger or a steak so I gave it a shot. I have to say it wasn’t bad. Not a good judge of the gravy myself, my wife said it was quite good from the nibble she had. I agree that it was just fine. So was the meat and breading, it was nice and quite warm, perfect food for a cold night. The mashed potatoes were what I label country style (lumps) and with skin on. Looked like red potatoes. Pretty tasty, I didn’t feel a need to add any butter or salt, and took them just the way they were on the plate. I barely was able to eat them all. The portion size for both of us was plenty. Both meals came with a dinner roll, and I thought it was pretty good as well. My wife enjoyed her steak and fries, but probably will try the Reuben next time. She really prefers the rib-eye steak cut. She called the Steak good, and fries yummy.
I liked the inside of the place. A little more open and with the big windows open to the street than say Suzie’s. It was nice view at night, with few cars driving by and snow blowing around, not bad. While we were there, one older gentleman came in and ordered a malt, and something else and sat in the comfy chairs reading the paper. Another family came in as well, and it looked like another group was heading in as we walked out. Not gangbusters busy, but it seems it was steady. We’ll probably go back for lunch some weekend.
And yes, free refills.
January 26th, 2010 at 8:57 am
well ‘sweetie’, were you compelled to include a generous 30ish% gratuity:)
bb
January 26th, 2010 at 11:05 am
Ate lunch again there yesterday. This time I had the 1/2 pound cheeseburger. Found it very good, almost up to Junior’s quality (which is the best in the area, IMHO). Definitely a winner here.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:11 pm
Finally tried out the diner tonight. What a huge disappointment. My husband and I really go out of our way to support the non-chain restaurants – especially around our home town of Apple Valley as they seem to keep coming and going. They were busy tonight and maybe not prepared? Our salads came out first – a tossed salad and the coleslaw. We couldn’t believe the size of the coleslaw – not the normal 1/4 cup portion. It was the same size as the tossed salad. That would have been fine if the coleslaw wasn’t swimming in its own sauce. Then the tilapia dinner came out and the server told me that my dinner would be out in a second or two. Well, my husband completely finished eating and the server came to clear our plates away. She asked how everything was and I said that my salad was fine. She looked at me strange and then I told her I was still waiting for my steak. Off she went to investigate. Turned out that my dinner was served to another table. More apologies. We were patient and continued to wait. She came back and told us that the dinner will be on the house. Well, the steak arrived. Don’t know why they ask how you want your steak done. I had said medium-rare to more on the rare side. Well, how do you cook a steak that isn’t even 1/4″ thick any way but WELL DONE. I could only try 2 bites of the “shoe leather” before deciding that why eat something that had completely no taste? Luckily the mashed potatoes, 4 shrimp and the tossed salad helped me to not be starving anymore. The other server came and cleared my dish – never once asking why I left practically the whole steak on my plate. We left a tip for our server as it seemed to not be her fault. Then we headed for the door. There in the grill area stood at least one manager type and a few other staff and they yelled out thanks for coming. I turned and at this point was speechless. I had thought that maybe all the long waits, etc was due to too few in the kitchen … not so. And why did the manager not come over himself to apologize for the mess? He certainly doesn’t care if his business returns, does he? I knew we should have ordered the burgers as everyone else’s post seemed to say they were great … oh hindsight.
January 28th, 2010 at 8:55 am
well, we tried it yesterday for a late lunch, 4 of us. a ruben, a patty melt, a hot beef and hashbrowns and eggs for moi.
server, friendly,
food appearance, good, fries and hashbrowns great.
ruben and patty melt good,
the hot beef looked every bit as good as bills pic of the hot turkey, big chuncks of meat.
my order was f—-d up!the hashbrowns were supposed to be mixed with onions, ham and peppers. the cook forgot the extras! so i brought it to the attention of the server and mr. cook whipped them up and added them to my plate. i mixed the eggs in and sturred up the whole mess. it was very tasty, finally.
18$ or so without tip, a bit spendy for me. and after we got home, found the twofer coupon in one of the local rags! a day late and a dollar short, story of my life.
we’ll go back, but only with coupon in hand.
bb
January 31st, 2010 at 7:51 am
Maybe I can talk the Mr Marcos into going out for lunch to give Galaxie a try…magic words “I have a coupon!”
January 31st, 2010 at 10:28 am
I went last night. Had the 1/4 lb Bacon Cheese Galaxie with the fries. I’m happy that they have the 1/4 lb burger option on most of their stuff–1/2 is just too much for me. I loved the fries–very crispy coating on them.
One thing I’d like to see in the future is the option to get a different side item (i.e. coleslaw, or a dinner salad even if you have to pay a little extra to sub it) than fries, as sometimes I just am not in the mood for fries. Otherwise, the meal was quite good, and I’ll go back to try something else soon!
January 31st, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Long time listener, first time caller (I have always wanted to say that).
Can you tell me where you found the coupons. My kids used to love the smoothies at La Luz after an afternoon at the splash park. Now they want to try the diner.
January 31st, 2010 at 2:07 pm
dk, there was a stack inside the building if you entered from the back (they would be on the left hand side of the door) or you can get them from last week’s Clip and Save.
January 31st, 2010 at 2:09 pm
Ahhhh music to my ears!
January 31st, 2010 at 2:14 pm
dk,
I think the Wednesday paper usually has miscellaneous coupon inserts and about once a month a “Clip N Save” mini magazine is included in the bundle. In the February issue on page 3 there is a coupon for “Buy one Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner, Get 2nd one FREE.” There is also a senior citizen 20% off coupon but not sure if you’d be in that group. :)
OR…like Bill said, there are stacks of the coupons by the back door of the restaurant.
January 31st, 2010 at 2:14 pm
er… not “Wednesday paper,” meant “Wednesday’s mail”
January 31st, 2010 at 6:41 pm
Gave lunch a try..if you call 2:00 lunch. Of course what I thought would be me and the wife turned into both sons and a sister in law. I should have looked for the coupon. The Burger was good, though next time a 1/4lb will be fine. No problemgetting cheedar chese on it, unlike Susie’s. My wife didn’t find the Reuben all that special. One son had the omelet and loved it but had about 1/4 of it left as it was a big omelet. We tried the appetizer platter and it was all good. No complaints from anyone.
My wife asked for her fries extra crispy and when they came they didn’t quite meet her standard. They were happy to make her some more. I thought there were fine. Both visits I found the service to be above average and they were busy when we were there even though it was long after a lunch rush. I guess that is good for them.
February 1st, 2010 at 9:09 am
The wife and baby and myself had breakfast at Galaxie on Saturday. The place was pretty full and we had to wait about 5-10 minutes to be seated, no big deal. We both had omletes, hashbrowns and coffee. Good quality food (veggies seemed fresh) and good service, kept our coffee cups full. Price was a little bit high, but worth not being in Perkins. :) I think the total was about $25, before the tip. Definately should have looked for the coupon a little harder! Nice place, good food, good service. We will probably go back. I really want to try the burgers, but 10 AM seemed a bit early for that!
February 1st, 2010 at 10:15 am
I have been to the Galaxie Diner twice this past week. The first experience was pleasant. We arrived on a Friday morning and there were very few people there. The service was great and my daughter enjoyed her food. I made a return trip with my son on Saturday morning. We arrived at 8:50 a.m. and were told that it would be a 10 minute wait. The place was packed. We waited 20 minutes for a table. I immediately told the waitress what my son wanted to eat and drink. She informed me that it was her first day. We received our beverages in a timely manner. We sat for 40 minutes without food. During the 40 minutes we never did have a waitress make a return trip to our table. I complained about the wait and told them I needed the food and drink in a “to go box because we had to leave. I was then given the check with an apology but no discount for the bad service and the long wait. Needless to say, I will not be returning and I suggest you skip eating there on a Saturday morning…….
February 3rd, 2010 at 3:11 pm
Galaxie diner Never Again!
My hubba & I were happy another food place opened near home as we don’t like going very far. We just got in the door & saw 2 tables empty So we went to sit at one & a waitress came over & bellowed wait over there & she pointed to some waiting area in the corner so we waited there & waited Finally we just seated ourselves after the waitress passed us by a few times filling others drinks. The place was full It was last Thursday around 1pm The waitress passed us by a few times then literally threw a couple of menus at us as she whipped by. We found something to order & waited & waited Still no drink for us Never even asked if we wanted water? We started looking around & only one table had food & was eating Everyone else were waiting? But we were patient afterall It’s a New place? Well 2 men came in & sat down in biz suits & seated themselves at the table right beside us & the waitress came running over & asked them If they wanted the usual? Cokes? At that point We had Our Coats On & Left!! Never Go Back There!
~~We went across the street & ate a Ramys! We eat there alot The Foods Yummo!~~
And I see Suzies kitchen was mentioned? We tried it & I ordered a Rueben sandwich that came with no cheese as discribed on menu & the owner came over & asked How the food was so we told her about the cheese & She pointed to the guy at the grill & said That’s Impossible That He makes alot of those a day & He knows to put cheese on them! No I’m sorry etc…Well I guess she won’t be seeing us again either! lol
OK I’m done complaining! lol
February 4th, 2010 at 9:43 am
Flo, was your waitress named Gita?
February 4th, 2010 at 10:07 am
Sorry…. I never got her name ….I was seeing stars! lol She had long brown hair but I think the other waitress had long brown hair also?
February 4th, 2010 at 11:28 am
I’m really sad to hear about the problems when the place is busy. The one time we went when it was busy, there was clearly a sign that said please wait to be seated. The waitress we had both times was tall, slender, and with long brown hair. The other waitress I noticed was shorter, but we were on the other end of where she was working so I don’t know.
One place where Perkins can excel at service, where many places, and it sounds like this one will fail. That is at Setting Expectations. You go to a Perkins and see a pile of people there (say Sunday after church) you can get your name written down and they’ll tell you how long it’ll be. i.e. 45 minutes. You can then decide if you might want to try some place less crowded. Even small restaurants that are just starting out need to realize that the key to success is in the customer experience. You need to protect that experience, and if necessary, that may mean you have to tell some potential customers you can’t seat them because you’re simply overwhelmed.
February 11th, 2010 at 10:01 am
So I’ve had Galaxie Diner twice more since my original review. Here’s a quick followup:
1. These were both pickup orders.
2. The first one was the hot beef open faced. It was good. Same mashed potatoes and some great roast beef. Tasty for sure but definitely not as large as the heaping serving I was provided on my review visit. Whether this was due to the size of the to go box or because I was recognized on my actual restaurant visit I do not know.
3. The second one was their take on the Minnesota fav, a Jucy Lucy. It didn’t look like any Jucy I’ve had before, although I am not an expert by any means on this genre, and when I asked if jalapenos could be thrown inside and was told yes, I was surprised to see them piled on top instead. Also, the portion of fries in the to go box was dismal and they were soggy. They need to put them in a separate container I guess.
Overall the food was good each time I’ve eaten there and I’ll be happy to continue to return. Unfortunately it looks like the service issues which appear to be on-going are turning many people off (thus the 50% rating on Urbanspoon) and while Panino Bros. can continue to pull that off because they’re a bar, I fear for the longevity of the Galaxie Diner because they’re not slinging beer over the counter–something which I suggest for any South Metro restaurant which wants to survive in today’s market.
February 11th, 2010 at 10:04 am
Thanks for the follow up. Good to know they serve Juicy Lucys, I will be definitely making a stop there for that.
February 14th, 2010 at 7:45 am
So glad you put this review up. I was just telling my wife that we need a great casual, non corporate chain food mill on this end of town… especially for breakfast (I-HOP sucks).
She liked La Luz for the 4 weeks it was open, before the owners quit (what, didn’t they have a business plan?… great food and ambiance, half-assed marketing)… actually, I was offended by their sour grapes message “people of Apple Valley don’t like fresh food”… I figured they would if La Luz would make an effort at letting them know about their restaurant…
But I digress… we’re on our way over to the Galaxie this morning. Thanks for the review! We hope this place is lasts!
February 14th, 2010 at 9:14 am
You nailed it, Kyle — these places set up shop and then expect people to magically come to them without investing any money or effort in marketing, building awareness, along with not trying to meet their customers’ needs.
If people don’t come to your business, it’s not because they don’t know what’s good, it’s because you didn’t do a good enough job of letting them know you’re there AND convincing them that they should do business with you. Maybe it’s because you didn’t budget enough money for it, maybe you just didn’t put in the effort, but either way it’s on you, the business owner.
February 14th, 2010 at 9:21 am
La Luz failed for a number of reasons which greatly outweighed the lack of advertising thing. And when I say greatly, I mean it.
As for Galaxie, well, they are apparently having service issues related to being overwhelmed with patrons, advertising more than they already have would be detrimental.
February 14th, 2010 at 5:37 pm
I know how to make your restaurant successful: have all of your relatives astroturf a local blog and really turn off your potential customers.
February 14th, 2010 at 6:35 pm
lol lol @Greg good one!
February 14th, 2010 at 10:53 pm
I picked up to-go orders a couple of times in the last week. The service was adequate, don’t really have any complaints. Mr Marcos was sick with the flu (respiratory, not vomiting type) and he specifically requested their mashed potatoes a second time after eating them the first time. We both found the potatoes tasty and authentic potatoes instead of ‘potato flakes’ from a box. We’ll go back, definitely a nice option for our area.
Side note – what is the custom for tipping on “to-go” orders? I generally don’t tip in those situations but wonder if I’m just a cheap bitch? Along the same line, do you tip at buffet type restaurants? Discuss!
February 14th, 2010 at 11:15 pm
My SOP is to not tip for takeout, but I tip about 10% for buffets (my standard is 20%, assuming no major issues) since there is still some service involved — clearing plates and whatnot. I seldom go to buffets, though.
As for the reasons behind La Luz (I always want to type La Lulz) going out of business, my comment about advertising was for independent restaurants in general, not them specifically since I’ve read about the issues they had.
February 15th, 2010 at 9:00 am
I don’t tip on to-go orders. I will often give a nominal tip on counter service if the person working the register is also the person making my coffee drink or will be the person cleaning up my dishes (a place like Pardon My French, etc. where you order, sit down and they bring the items out to you and clean up after you leave).
I also leave a small tip for buffets for the clean-up/refilling of drinks.
Of course, there are exceptions and special circumstances.
February 15th, 2010 at 9:31 am
I usually tip a small amount, 1 to 2 bucks generally, on take out. The only reason for this is because most of the places I get take out from are places I visit often, and I appreciate thinking this will help make sure my order is well taken care of.
I normally tip in the 10% range for buffets and 15% for decent service at a sit down meal with table service.
February 15th, 2010 at 9:37 am
1. I generally do not tip on takeout (Satay2Go is an exception per Chad’s comment).
2. I generally tip 15 to 18% depending. Last night I tipped 20% even though they didn’t deliver our appetizer (the direct and multiple apologies as well as the offer of a free dessert to make up for the mistake satisfied me).
3. I worked in a buffet restaurant and had to work for tips. I routinely got jack shit. Thus I tend to tip if I can. Unfortunately they generally do not have credit card tipping spots and I don’t carry cash so it makes it hard.
February 16th, 2010 at 11:31 am
Color me unimpressed.
I was there this morning around 10am. There were only 5 other people in the joint, and 2 waitresses on duty. No sign saying to seat yourself or wait for a waitress, and no one acknowledged my entrance. I wandered around a bit and sat down.
It took waaaay too long to have a waitress finally come over and give me a menu. And here’s a tip: If you’re going to run a diner-like breakfast operation, put coffee cups on the table when you set them, then greet me at the table with my menu and a god-damned pot of coffee. Don’t make me wait several minutes to get my coffee. And when I ask for ‘real’ half & half [they had Coffee-Mate crap at the table], don’t make me wait several more minutes for that. It was almost 10 minutes into my adventure before I got to my first sip of coffee.
I ordered the Rancher’s breakfast: 2 eggs, sausage, hash browns & toast. Took a bit longer to come out than it should have, considering there were only 5 other people in there, and 4 of them already had their food. Eggs were a bit underdone (runny whites on over-easy eggs. Yuck). The sausage was OK, and the hash browns, while made to order, had no flavor. No onions in them, no nothing, and no taste.
Then it took too long to get the bill, in fact the waitress never got the chance, I had my credit card out already and just handed it to her. I noticed one of the other tables had given up waiting, too, and went up & paid at the counter. The Rancher’s was listed at $7.99, the bill was for $10.49, so I guess my little cup of coffee was $2.50. Come on, really? $2.50 for that?
She asked how I heard of the place when she gave me my menu, and I said a local online website. She said she hoped I would enjoy my food. Unfortunately, it was nothing special.
I don’t eat out very often, but I do like eating breakfast out, I just haven’t found the right place since I moved here a dozen years ago. I hate the chains, and would prefer a mom-and-pop kind of place. I was hoping this might fit the bill, but I’ll have to wait & see. My first impression wasn’t very good, and I’m the kind of person that struggles to give a place a second chance. I’ll remain optimistic, but won’t hold my breath.
February 16th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
I have found that to be an common experience at many places. One of the challenges I have had with trying different places, especially when traveling is that the lack of information when you come in the door tends to make you feel like you should already know something that apparently everyone else knows. That’s how it was when I was younger for sure. Now, if there isn’t a sign that says wait, I seat myself. If they wanted me to wait, they should have put up a sign.
Onions in hashbrowns…. if they put them in mine, they’ll have hell to pay. If you want them in yours, you should ask.
Eggs done wrong… send them back. They are a new enough location that they need to learn to do things right. My wife is fearless in sending stuff back to be done right. I have tended to just eat what is placed in front of me. I’m trying to find a middle ground.
As far as your bill… don’t forget the tax. Food sold at restaurants and bars is taxable in Minnesota at 6.875%. Coffee should be $1.75 according to their menu. Tax would have been around 67 cents by my math, but there may be some extra local tax I’m unfamiliar with to get it to 75 cents. I wouldn’t hesitate to ask about that at a restaurant. I’ve seen errors often at various restaurants when adding up a bill, usually due to special insert prices.
Come on galaxy, work on your service. Get a person in there that has experience with good service to run the floor. Some retired person would be great, as you might only need them for a couple months to get things up to speed.
February 16th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
He also asked for “real” half-and-half. Perhaps they charged extra for that.
February 16th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
Right, tax. Forgot about that one. Oops!
I am not one to send food back, especially in a case like this where I had already waited too long in the first place. And I don’t typically question a bill amount, unless I know for sure it’s wrong. It just seemed that $12 (including tip) ended up being a lot, once I thought about it.
They had sugar, Sweet-n-Low, that yellow-packet stuff, and raw brown sugar packets, but only Coffee-Mate for creamers. Come on, give me a break, that’s stuff’s crap. If you’re going to have all sorts of choices for sugar, you should for the creamer, too. You know, milk, half & half, flavored shit, whatever. Don’t make me beg. (If my mother sat down at a table with that stuff on it, she would be likely to get up & leave. She uses half a cow in her coffee, and it had better be the real stuff, or else.)
February 16th, 2010 at 9:00 pm
I saw that this one was at 99 and I wanted to take it to 100. I figured it would be fun like watching the odometer flip. ;)
I want to go back for breakfast, but I think it would have to be on a weekday. I like this place and I want to have another decent breakfast option in the south metro.
February 17th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
The tax was changed to 7.125% but I am not sure how long ago.
February 18th, 2010 at 10:37 am
Have eaten here a few times and liked it. Went for lunch yesterday, however, and experienced the terrible service others have complained about. After a waitress told me to seat myself (they were only about half full), I waited for a long ten minutes without anyone coming to my table. No menu, no water, no nothing. During this time the waitresses were laughing and gabbing at the counter. They were not busy. After ten minutes I got up and left. The owner (?) followed me out and asked why I was leaving, and I said it was because I wasn’t waited on. He asked me to come back, but I said (truthfully) that the wait was too long and I didn’t have the time. I refuse to frequent dining establishments that ignore their customers. Sadly, I will not be coming back.
February 21st, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Quick follow up. We had a nice breakfast there Valentine’s weekend. Food was good, service was o.k. I see a lot of comments here complaining about the service… it could certainly improve, but the severity of many of the comments here are, in my experience, unjustified.
We’ll go back. I really want a place like that to succeed. And I hope that all of you who have concerns about the place, take a moment to provide your feedback to the manager/owner… versus passive-aggressive sniping in an online forum.
February 21st, 2010 at 6:43 pm
The only issue with letting the owner know, is that often the owner is busy working, and they do not seem to have a web presence or a method for collecting input from visitors to their location. I.e. comment cards.
February 21st, 2010 at 6:44 pm
They read the site here, don’t you worry.
February 21st, 2010 at 8:29 pm
Actually, the owner contacted me via email (thanks to this site — obviously reading the posts) and invited me back. However, given my experience and the multitude of other comments about service issues, I really have no desire to go back until the service has been improved. I enthusiastically support independent businesses, but not when they’re doing things wrong. They lost this customer because of bad service. I’ll give them another chance only when they get the service problems fixed.
February 21st, 2010 at 9:32 pm
While I did not love the food, I have not had any service issues on my two visits. I would say Michael that it says something about wanting to serve the customer to follow you out of the place AND to follow up by contacting you via email to invite you back. Not sure how much more could really be expected of management.
February 21st, 2010 at 9:42 pm
Here’s the deal. In today’s competitive environment, a business establishment gets one chance to do it right. They make a big mistake (like ignoring a customer) and that customer decides to take his business elsewhere. I had eaten at Galaxie three times prior and liked the food — not the best I’ve had, but good enough to keep coming back. But one bad experience — in my case, being ignored for ten minutes at a not-busy time — is enough to sour me on the place. For what it’s worth, I walked out of another restaurant (Chez Daniel Bistro at the Bloomington Embassy Suites) Friday night because there was no one at the reception counter for a full five minutes; I figured the rest of the service would be just as bad and went elsewhere. You can’t ignore your customers, or they will go elsewhere. If other people report that Galaxie has improved its service, then I’ll give it another try. But don’t expect me to frequent a place that ignored me. They have to fix their problems before I’ll return.
February 21st, 2010 at 10:12 pm
We went to Galaxie Diner a few weeks ago – here was our experience:
- We waited about 10 minutes at the “Wait to be seated” sign before being told to sit anywhere we wanted – except that none of the tables were ready. There were only about 3 tables occupied in the restaurant.
- Once we sat down, it took about 10 minutes to the waitress to bring menus.
- When the waitress brought our drinks (luckily just water) to the table, she dumped one very large cup of water in the middle of the table, soaking three out of the four of us.
- We dried off and placed our order – two chicken/bacon/cheese sandwiches, an onion/tomato/swiss omelette, and the pork chops. We got two bacon cheese burgers, an omelette with gyro meat and green peppers, and pork chops. By then, my kids were so hungry they ate the burgers, my wife sent back her omelette, and eventually got the right thing, and I ate my pork chops.
- It also took way too long to get our bill – we finally walked up to the counter, and paid up there.
But:
- The food was pretty good – the kids really liked the burgers (would have liked chicken better, though), my wife enjoyed her (second) omelette. My pork chops were really tiny/thin, but not dried out, and seasoned well. I probably wouldn’t order them again, but they were good enough.
- My wife’s omelette was comped
- We used the two-for-one coupon from the local coupon paper.
We’ll probably go back, but not for awhile. They were definitely having some problems getting things in order, but they’d only been open for a week or two when we went.
February 23rd, 2010 at 3:33 pm
Ok, so I’ve read the reviews about how the service could use some help, but hey, this is a brand new place and it’s expected that it will take some time to get the waitstaff working smoothly together. Also, if it’s usually crowded, shouldn’t that be a good sign?? With that aside, all I’ve heard about the food itself was GOOD! So let’s talk food since this is a website for restaurants. I had a build your own omlet the other afternoon-OMG~SUPERB! And the hash browns are seriously the best I have ever had-so fresh! This food has turned me into a breakfast food snob-I can no longer eat the other cheap, microwaved “food” from IHOP and the like. Seriously, you have got to try this place! I really hope this place stays a success!!
February 23rd, 2010 at 9:31 pm
Hi Everyone,
My name is Tony and I am the owner of Galaxie Diner. I want to take this opportunity to thank the people who like the food and the service and hope that we continue to make you happy, food and service wise. For those of you who have been unsatisfied with your visit, we are a new business and all new businesses have kinks. We will continue to work hard to give the best service we can and make you happy as well.
Tony
February 23rd, 2010 at 11:03 pm
I went to the diner with my daughter and had a very good experience. I ordered a 1/2 pound bacon cheeseburger. The waitress was very nice and waited on me promptly. I got my drink right away the food came less then 10 minutes later. Everything was very good. I am not sure why there are so many complaints.For those of you who have nothing but bad things to say… remember this quote? “He without sin casts the first stone.” Now lets hear your complaints and hear how you have never screwed up and your perfect waitressing…
February 24th, 2010 at 6:34 am
Tony,
Thanks for posting, and good luck. I wish you and your business years of success. Please get some new salsa with a little bite. Your tex mex dishes are a little on the bland side imo. Although we are in MN, so perhaps that is the goal.
Miss M, you seem to not grasp the point of a review.
February 28th, 2010 at 11:06 am
Have had breakfast here twice. Had the cheese omelot twice and they were outstanding. Probably the best omelot I have ever had and I have traveled a lot. My wife had the eggs benedict and also outstanding. Hash browns done perfectly and the coffee is excellent.
No need to have to cross the river for breakfast anymore. Service was excellent both visits.
This is a great spot and deserves local support.
February 28th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
We went back for our second visit this weekend. Last time we both got burgers (very good) so we wanted to try a couple other things. I went with the Galaxie omelet and my wife tried the country fried chicken. We went at about 4:00, so while there were other folks there, it was not super busy. Our food came out pretty quickly and once again it was really good. My omelet was one of the best I’ve had in a long time. The only issue that I had with it was that it seemed to have a little too much butter or juice inside. Otherwise very good. I did not try my wife’s food, but she was happy with it.
They still had some small service issues like a sign that says wait to be seated when they end up telling you to sit anywhere and a minor snafu with a coupon that we brought in. None of that bothered me at all though because our waitress was very friendly and genuine. She even ran back to get some crayons and a coloring book for one of my kids while we waited for the food.
They don’t have everything perfected yet, but I would definitely go back. The food is good, the staff is friendly, and it’s just a nice little place to eat.
March 4th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
I have recently visited Galaxy Diner on business. I am in the process of trying to get their staff covered with AFLAC. I have talked with the owner, Tony, who I think is a very nice and straight up guy. He seems to run a very nice place. It is very clean and what I would consider cozy. I had the opportunity to try some of the food, I had the gyro sandwich with fries. I have to say, it was much better than I expected. It was full of meat, which for me is a great thing. The lettuce and tomatoes were very fresh and delicious. I have to admit the fries were stupendous!! I didn’t even need ketchup!!!!! The prices are very reasonable and with the couches and tv, it seems like a great place to just sit and spend some time. There is even a small library in the rear section with a couch for some leisure reading which I thought was very different and nice. I will definitely be going back! I recommend this spot to people of all ages, they even have coloring books and toys for the little ones…
March 8th, 2010 at 11:51 am
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March 13th, 2010 at 11:30 am
I finally got in here for breakfast today and I have to admit, even though I am not a breakfast fan, it was pretty good. After asking owner, Tony, what he suggested I switched from my usual to try their Cajun breakfast.
Well, it was good. Not great but as many of you know my breakfast tastes are not like most people’s so take that with some salt. The hollandaise kinda drowned out most of the flavor (which is a complaint of mine for eggs benedict too) but what remained were the flavorful sausage slices. Next time I’m going to ask for the dish with no hollandaise and I’ll love it 100x more (I guess what this means is, well, I don’t like hollandaise much).
The service, which some people have complained about recently, was excellent today. I looked around and didn’t see any tables neglected and people were being told to wait for a seat (by a sign and in person) as they walked in the door. Seems like that kink is worked out. There were plenty of open tables but there was a steady stream of people walking in the door–definitely a good sign.
March 16th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
Bill, you forgot to add, “Met Blaine while there, man, he is even better looking in person. And that baby of his!” LOL
March 16th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
Well, I didn’t want to out your breakfast dining habits…and yes, your daughter is something–she was giving my son the eyes already!!! ;-)
March 17th, 2010 at 10:11 am
haha, nothing like a god ole’ fashioned “arranged wedding”!
April 18th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
My partner, me and a friend of mine went to breakfast at Galaxie Diner last weekend (4/11/10) and we were not disappointed. My partner and I both had the “Berries and Cherries” pancakes while our friend had the french toast. While I didn’t sample the french toast, he did say it was very good. The pancakes were fantastic: a pancake of blueberries, raspberries, and cherries each. They were very thick and fluffy and between the three of us we went through an entire server of syrup! If I had to have a “complaint”, it would be that I go through a cup of coffee pretty quickly and had to wait for the cup to be refilled often. I would rather we had a pot on our table or just use a bigger cup. Either way…I’m really digging for a “complaint”…and that isn’t much of one! :-)
April 20th, 2010 at 9:18 pm
Wanted to check back in. We’ve been back to Galaxie a couple times since the last time I posted. The service issues are DEFINITELY worked out. They’ve hired a couple of excellent servers and the kitchen and front staff seem to have the process worked out.
I had the Cajun Breakfast on Easter morning — delicious! My wife had the Gyro Omlet… also very good. Maybe the best thing about Galaxie is that their menu has a good selection of traditional and unique offerings.
Also had lunch — I ordered the Patty Melt, the kids (1 and 3 years old) shared a cheeseburger, and my wife had the Tuna Melt… again, the food was excellent — except maybe the fries (I just don’t like that style)…
We’ll be back often!
April 20th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
… oh yeah, and they have damned good coffee.
April 21st, 2010 at 4:40 am
Ate there last night with my family. Service was awful, order wrong, food terrible and prices outrageous. I do not like McD’s but it is FAR better than this place. Not gonna make it.
May 3rd, 2010 at 5:55 pm
“Prices outrageous”?!! Really Ali? When you get to Mc D’s, ask for a side of hyperbole with your Happy Meal. Maybe get a cup of credibility for dessert. Cripes.
May 10th, 2010 at 10:34 am
Made it back to the Galaxie diner on Saturday for lunch. Our service was way better than the first visit and the food was good. We’ll be back again.
As we were leaving, I noticed an interesting business located on the second floor on the Kami side. See image below.
May 10th, 2010 at 10:39 am
ROFLMAO.
May 10th, 2010 at 11:08 am
Wow…that’s crazy.
I wonder if they’re hiring freelancers.
May 10th, 2010 at 11:12 am
I wonder if they would hire a press release writer. The City of Burnsville is apparently looking for people who can write releases full of bullshit and buzzwords!
May 10th, 2010 at 12:51 pm
I disagree Bill. Burnsville has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to people that can product bullshit and buzzwords. Honestly, it’s pretty much the identity of the city right now.
May 29th, 2010 at 6:52 pm
Paid a visit to the Galaxie Diner last Wednesday following my daughter’s preschool “graduation” program. It was one of those late mornings/early lunches where all of us had different ideas about what we wanted, and I immediately thought a diner type menu would fit the bill. For once, nobody in my family objected when I recommended trying something new.
We arrived at 11:05, which was early for lunch, and thus there were only two tables filled at the time. The cook greeted us as we walked in, and we were seated promptly. In all we really had no service issues, although you still didn’t get a feel of “polish” (like the shoes not the country) from our server, who was a little awkward. But all in all, I didn’t have any service complaints.
The menu is quite nice actually. Good variety – didn’t look like they were trying to overreach, but something for everyone. Nothing jumps out as a WOW though, so I wonder what they think is going to hook a wide array of customers long term? In fact, though the atmosphere is nice enough (and comfortable), you really don’t get a sense of the personality of the place. It’s a diner, and there is some sense of diner here, but the leather contemporary couches and the mellowed paint colors certainly don’t remind me of an authentic diner or any particular era. Also, the menu is filled with traditional hits, but no signature items — again, with this approach, your food better be exquisite and memorable to hold on long term. We’ll see how it goes.
I ordered an omelette with sausage, hash browns and cheddar inside, and salsa and sour cream on the side (the Ranchero omelette, maybe? I forget the name). It was damn good – eggs were fluffy and rich, the sausage was tasty but not overwhelming, and the hash browns were quite flavorful and well cooked. I would definitely order that again. The cheese sticks my daughter ordered were standard issue, very bland batter coated cheese sticks — not my favorite, and they were “out of” marinara that day, which I found odd. My wife ordered a veggie burger (really honey, really???) which turned out quite tasty and flavorful with a nice bun. The big smile on my wife’s face a few bites in confirmed it hit the mark, whatever mark a veggie burger is supposed to hit.
I liked getting a Coke in a nice Coke glass with lots of ice — cold and tasty, and the coffee was OK, not remarkable as an earlier poster had suggested, IMHO. But all in all, we all left satisfied, and both wifey and daughter suggested we go again, which is not an automatic for an Apple Valley restaurant for us.
All in all, I like the Diner. I think the food is pretty good, and the menu varied enough to hit some craving whenever you go. I don’t, however, see this spot becoming a South Metro star, however, because it lacks a personality, an identity, and a special food niche that would make it jump up in your head when thinking of somewhere to go for food. Couple it with that amazingly annoying inner courtyard, limited parking space it occupies, and I wonder how long it will be before we are wondering what’s next to go in across from the Kami in Apple Valley.
May 30th, 2010 at 9:20 pm
Personally I wonder how Kami stays in the spot far more than I wonder how Galaxie stays open. Other than that, I thought your review hit the spot….so to speak.
May 31st, 2010 at 11:50 am
Hi all
Here is a copy of an email I sent today about the service in the Galaxie diner.
Good day,
I arrived at the diner at 10:15 for breakfast and half the empty
tables were dirty.
It took 10 minutes to get coffee and it was so ridiculously slow. We
had to get our own menus, other people wiped their own table and got
their own condiments rather than wait for the “waitresses” to bring
them.
When we left some of these tables were still not bussed.
My partner and I ordered simple breakfast food ( eggs, hash browns,
and toast) yet it took 40 mins to get them.
When my breakfast arrived, it was lukewarm at best and I HAD to send
it back/cancel the order. Thanks for a total waste of time.
We live locally and want to support local businesses but really this
is silly.
Take a look at other businesses/competition ( like Suzies kitchen ) to
see how they do it.
I don’t expect the service to be really fast but glaciers move faster
than some of your staff we had today.
I typed this lengthy report on my phone while I was waiting.
This inefficiency will cost you your business if left unchecked.
It has cost you our patronage already.
Mark
June 1st, 2010 at 9:49 am
Mark,
Could you please go into more detail on what you mean when you say Galaxie Diner should look to Suzie’s Kitchen in Rosemount for inspiration? Are you limiting this to simply service? Because the service is fine but the food at Suzie’s is little better than mediocre.
While I have never had a service issue at Galaxie (and that very well could be because I am recognizable), the food is quite good. The food at Suzie’s, while far better than what I had at Millie’s Deli in Chanhassen quite recently, is overpriced and kinda boring.
June 3rd, 2010 at 7:32 am
[...] to have a hard time keeping customers happy–even their biggest champions. Then there were the two “diners” which opened up seemingly weeks apart… We know that people will always try to open yet [...]
July 12th, 2010 at 11:29 pm
Just got around to trying out the ole Galaxie tonight. Walked in and sign said seat yourself, so we did. A female server dropped off our menus and informed us our waiter would be with us to take our order. There were maybe 12-15 others in the joint, which I took to be a good sign. Waited about 5 minutes, waiter showed up and we were ready to order.
Wife ordered up the open face turkey sandwich and a coke. I opted for the Fried Egg Ham Burger and water. Drinks came out quick enough. Then we waited, and waited, and waited some more. Drinks were empty. Waited for refills. No idea where the waited disappeared to. Meals came out eventually after about 30 minutes and we scored some refills. Woo-hoo!
My burger was huge, the fries looked good too. Of course, a couple of bites in I quickly discover it’s overcooked. I don’t know why restaurants bother to ask how you want your burger or steak cooked if they are just going to cook it till the pink is all gone. I usually order Medium-Rare or Medium. This time I opted Medium because I don’t want too juicy of a burger since I had a egg and ham on top of it and wasn’t sure what to expect with that. Well, the burger was medium well at the least. Wasn’t juicy at all. Disappointed about that but it was edible and I wasn’t going to send it back just to wait 30 more minutes for a new one. Fries were very good.
Tried the wife’s meal and it was pretty good. She said it was good but not very hot.
Never got another glass of water even though I finished my second one half way through my meal. Part of the reason why I didn’t finish the burger.
Overall thoughts: Liked the menu a lot, perfect for me, I love breakfast anytime of the day, like sandwiches and burgers, there was a lot I’d like to try. Prices were pretty reasonable. My burger was pretty good, wished it was cooked as I requested but still tasted alright. Liked the look of the place too. Service needs improvement. Given the size of the place I can’t explain where our server disappeared too.
Oh, having Sebastian Joe’s Ice cream was a special surprise. Both the wife and I had a scoop on the way out. Really reasonable, $5 and change for the two scoops.
Yes, I’ll be back again!
July 13th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Ate here for the 3rd or 4th time on Sunday. We got there around 12 and didn’t end up eating till about 1. Not too big of a deal as we figured it would be a busy time. They had some tables set up just outside the door so we just sat there while waiting.
I had the omlette(again) with hashbrowns. Both were quite good as usual.
My wife had the 1/4 pound cheese burger and fries with a chocolate shake. She enjoyed the food and style of fries, but thought the shake was “overly chocolatey”!
My brother and his wife also had breakfast, omlettes, hashbrowns, pancakes. They were also very happy with the quality of food.
Service was so-so. Not super slow, but not quite fast enough. :) Again, it was pretty busy so I guess its somewhat understandable.
I think the total bill for the 4 meals, 2 coffees, 1 juice, was around $45.00 w/out the tip. Considering the price is about on par with what we would spend at Perkins, and the food quality is WAY better, I will gladly put up with waiting for a table or somewhat slow service. I just wish there was some space for them to expand.
Good coffee+great breakfast food=hangover GONE!
August 3rd, 2010 at 7:31 am
[...] in May, reader Dave provided a photo of an essay writing business which recently opened in the same complex as Galaxie Diner. Surprised as I was that a business such [...]
August 20th, 2010 at 11:04 am
Galaxie Diner has to change its name due to a copyright claim. You can suggest a name by Monday the 23rd and if your name is chosen you receive a $100 gift certificate.
Enter on their Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Apple-Valley-MN/Galaxie-Diner/112924355384491?v=wall
August 20th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
Well, I know where they can get a cheap sign if they want to go with “EssayWritingCompany.com”?
BTW If Galaxie Diner has to change their name then does Apple Valley need to rename Galaxie Avenue?
August 20th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
Apparently it was a Galaxy Drive-in that called dibs. At least that was the rumor I heard when picking up a to-go order.
August 20th, 2010 at 2:48 pm
Actually….
Only the Galaxy Diner in Rahway, NJ has an open copyright claim on the name, and has no legal remedy available to it given the difference in spelling (Galaxy versus Galaxie).
It DOES appear, however, that the Galaxie Drive-In in St. Louis Park does have trademark protection applied to its restaurant concept, and that is where it gets rather interesting. From the look and feel of its website, one COULD argue that Galaxie Diner copied a LOT from the Galaxie DI, including look and feel, graphics, color scheme, and font. I’m NOT saying they did, but one can easily see where the contention might come from.
So it appears to me that the choice is change the name, or completely redesign the place, including web, menus, etc., and that is no fun.
For what it’s worth I think they could go with The Kosmos Diner – kinda like a galaxy, but with a twist.
August 23rd, 2010 at 11:37 am
Does Galaxie Ave Diner get it done? Or still to close?
August 23rd, 2010 at 4:15 pm
Galaxy Diner in NJ wouldn’t have much of a case, given there are about 1,300 miles between the two establishements AND you cannot trademark common English words (e.g., Galaxy Diner).
Galaxie on the otherhand… wouldn’t that be owned by Ford? My first car was my grandpa’s 1968 Galaxie 500… Not sure what the origin is for the spelling.
The Drive In may have a legit beef (pun intended) with the Diner. As Jason noted, the look and feel of the logo is a bit short of incriminating… that said, those are common style elements of a 1950s decorated joint… so…
I’d also invite you to visit the website for Galaxie Diner in Calgary… again, nothing unique or original about the concept of a 1950s style joint named Galaxie Diner: http://www.galaxiediner.com/.
The diner in Apple Valley at least has claim to a location on Galaxie Avenue… not sure if that’s a legit defense or not….
September 2nd, 2010 at 6:37 pm
They have narrowed the choices down to these names:
Ma’s Diner
Valley Star Diner
The Corner Diner
Classic Diner
My Diner
Head on over to the Galaxie Diner Facebook page to vote: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Apple-Valley-MN/Galaxie-Diner/112924355384491
—
I personally like either The Corner Diner or Valley Star, the other ones just don’t do a thing for me. You?
September 2nd, 2010 at 6:38 pm
None of them really do anything for me. I liked the user suggestion of Kosmos or Cosmos diner to play off the galaxy thing.
September 2nd, 2010 at 8:06 pm
Yeah, The Corner or Valley Star are the best of that bunch, but they all sound rather generic. I think they need something with more character.
September 3rd, 2010 at 11:19 am
re: earlier post on copyrights/trademarks
You can indeed copyright ordinary English words – in fact, most copyrights include nothing but ordinary English words. What’s determinant is if the words create a business name or a distinguishing slogan/buzzphrase that becomes an identity or characteristic feature of a business. Certainly, Galaxy Diner in New Jersey COULD legally copyright that business name and be entitled to protection from infringement by other businesses under a properly filed copyright claim. Big Boy restaurants and Toys for Tots are just two of millions of examples of copyrighted “ordinary English words” protected by copyright laws.
That said, as I mentioned, the spelling here is different, and so such protections would likely not hold. But in this case, I don’t even think it’s copyright problems they are encountering.
Trademark protections can be afforded to a business regarding a look and feel, a logo, a slogan, a specific menu item (or restaurant style that extends beyond general food categories, such as the Stuffed Crust Pizza, etc.). Trademarks protect businesses who grow and are identified around a particular style or communicated message(s) to customers from being duplicated without consent and/or renumeration. If you look at, and compare, the styles, fonts, color schemes, genre, and menus between the Galaxie Drive-In in St. Louis Park and the Galaxie Diner in Apple Valley, you wouldn’t have to stretch to assume it was the same concept, potentially the same ownership, another branch of a chain perhaps, or what have you. In that case, a valid trademark infringement could certainly be argued, and given the proximity of the two restaurants, Galaxie DI could argue southern metro customers could be deciding to eat at the “closer one” versus making the trek to SLP based on that infringement. That, I believe, is the essence of the issue here, and rather than scrapping the whole concept, menu and design of the existing Galaxie Diner to remedy the trademark infringement issues, they are alleviating the problem by changing the name.
Of course, I could be dead wrong, and this is a copyright case brought by Galaxy Diner in NJ, but so be it.
I think The Corner Diner could work. It fits the odd space, and is an effective name IMHO. Ordinary, yes. But in a way, Galaxie (former) is a fairly ordinary concept, so reaching for pizzazz in a name, and then not fitting that style in substance is always a recipe for disaster. That said, IMHO, you never get huge, and packed, with a name like The Corner Diner. So, it depends on what they are shooting for.
Cosmos Diner was mine, and I still like it, so forward any gift certificates to me if that’s chosen, thank you.
Valley Star is yucky, and My Diner is awful, IMHO. Ma’s could work, but seems bland – I agree with the earlier message.
October 5th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Galaxie Diner is now officially known as Valley Diner per the owner.
December 4th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
My wife and I returned here today after many months away due to slow, poor service earlier. They seem to have their service problems fixed. The place was busy but we were seated immediately, waited on promptly, and had our food in short order. I had the double decker burger, quite tasty. My wife had the grilled chicken sandwich; she said the flavors were fine but it was a poor cut of meat, big piece of fat running through, she couldn’t eat half of it because of that. So we’re mixed on the food, satisfied with the service this go round.
December 5th, 2010 at 8:02 am
Valley Diner gets some publicity in a Star Tribune fluff piece: http://www.startribune.com/local/south/111171849.html
December 7th, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Re the Star Tribune fluff piece – the issue is not copyright infringement – you don’t have to change your usage of a business name or phrase because of a copyright issue (Perhaps one thing that might implicate a business name is if you are using someone else’s copyrighted logo that contains the business name; but even then you can probably keep using the name by itself). The nearly-exclusive way to obtain and enforce rights to a business name is through trademark protection and the associated rights under state and federal trademark and unfair competition laws.
It’s likely that the same company that threatened the diner has both a copyright and a registered trademark that uses the Galaxy name; but clearly, the whole business naming issue is a trademark issue. Sad to see that the Star Tribune writer (and likewise the owner, after going through this dispute) doesn’t know the difference between a trademark and a copyright.
Just a suggestion, Bill – I know it’s not your error – but I would appreciate if you would change the first sentence of the top post to say “legal issues” or something like that instead of “copyright claim”.
December 7th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
ACLR,
While I appreciate your input and I agree that a trademark claim is the correct way to go about and enforce protections of a business’ name, according to the owner (who I have spoken to about this in person) and all of the media accounts of the story, it is a copyright claim which forced the change.
Thus, even if it were incorrect for the owner of the Galaxy Drive-In to do, it stands as a copyright issue until I hear otherwise from someone closer to the issue or see the actual written complaint with my own eyes.
December 7th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
Fair enough. It’s just annoying when you know something is “patently” wrong. Pardon the pun. I hope the owner wasn’t given bad legal advice, but in any case their name is now changed.
For those interested on what the US Copyright Office has to say about copyrighting business names, take a look:
http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-forms.html#business
“How do I copyright my business name? Which form do I use?
Names, titles, short phrases, and slogans are not copyrightable. You may have protection under the federal trademark laws. Contact the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, 800-786-9199, for more information. “
December 31st, 2010 at 11:07 am
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February 28th, 2011 at 8:08 am
[...] the area has recently retained several businesses including Ramy’s Pizza and Valley Diner (previously known as Galaxie Diner but under the same ownership), many others previously located [...]
March 21st, 2011 at 4:45 pm
My husband Matt and I decided to try Valley Diner for brunch on Sunday. The place was full when we arrived at 11AM, we were greeted promptly and told it would be about 5 minutes. We went over to the comfy chair area to wait with another couple also waiting for a table. The other couple was seated quickly and a new couple walked in the door was seated right away. This always annoys me. A waitress noticed the look on my face and came over to say “sorry, I didn’t know why you were sitting there.” Really? Even though you just sat people sitting next to us? What is exactly the point to the comfy chair area…for us to stand by the front door?
I was willing to brush it off since they seated us quickly afterwards. Our waitress took our drink order and delivered our coffees quickly. She was nice enough to bring us condiments after realizing our table wasn’t dressed but neglected to bring us silverware and napkins until our meal came. Luckily we had straws from our waters to stir the coffees. Matt and I both ordered the eggs benedict with ham (I’m a vegetarian so mine on the side to give to Matt) with hashbrowns. At this point the restaurant had only a few other tables filled. 30 minutes later I was enviously eying the food in front of the couple erroneously seated before us. After a total of 45 minutes our food came. During the time we waited the waitress came by a few times to refill our coffees but never acknowledged our food was taking unusually long. Still no silverware…
The food was the worse part. The eggs benedict was awful. Now I am wishing I didn’t have silverware. I had a really hard time eating even some of it. Matt at the rest of mine since he will eat what isn’t even edible. But we both agreed the hollandaise sauce came from a can. At least I hope so or there was something very funky with the sauce. The eggs were overcooked and totally hard in the middle. Very disappointing. Now I was even more irritated that we had to wait so long for food from a can. The waitress took forever bringing our bill and in the end Matt got up to pay at the front register.
I was wishing I had gone to Perkins, McDonalds, or IHOP. The food would have been a step up from Valley Diner even if the service is just as bad!
June 20th, 2011 at 8:38 am
I regret to say that my family of 4 had a horrible experience on fathers Day at Valley Diner….We put our name on a waiting list (on a napkin) and was told 30 minute wait. after an hour wait…the host came out and got a group of 4 who has been waiting only 10 minutes. I ran up to tell the host and he apologized and said he accidently skipped over our name and said we are next in line. I was irrate and we left with a bad taste in our mouths. Good food but horrible service.
June 20th, 2011 at 10:22 am
It really is a shame that this place continues to get it wrong. I would gladly try it again but my experience ( and many others on here ) is that of a restaurant that could be a valuable addition to the area but fails on organization. The wait time is ridiculous as is the attention to detail.
If the person who owns the place is reading all these comment well they should be taking heed and try to improve the experience.