Bernie's

We live a little ways away and needed to grab a bite to eat on our way through town. It was around 2 during the week and things were decently slow although most of the tables did seem dirty, it appeared they could have used a dish person to be clearing/cleaning tables so the waitresses didn’t need to be doing that as well. We were seated within a few minutes and looked over the menus. The menu is pretty simple, mostly sandwiches or breakfast. The waitress came back about ten minutes later and apologized for the wait. We ordered the piglet with greens and the hot ham and cheese. We went and looked around at the goods at the front of the restaurant for a bit. Many of things seemed like they would only be found in speciality stores, so the prices were very high. Side note: I did appreciate that they had a gluten free menu, but I do not believe those items would be celiac safe. We then went and looked at the baked goods and decided on a brownie. The person who helped us was pretty stoic, but rang us up within a few minutes. When we got back to our table about ten minutes later our food was there. The piglet with greens was very good. The hot ham and cheese was just ok, and the store bought chips were not great. Paying almost $20 for a sandwich and chips felt overpriced. The brownie was also very good. The waitress checked on us before we even started eating and I do not believe she came back again. We had been done for awhile and realized we maybe need to pay up front. Our check wasn’t brought to us so we went and paid at the till. Overall I think the atmosphere of the restaurant really just was not our favorite. It felt slightly like a sterile cafeteria/old diner/grandma’s house. The walls were white and bare and honestly all the staff walked around just looking kind of sad. Again the food was overall pretty good, but overpriced compared to similar restaurants with similar items. The greens salad was excellent, though the portion was very small and you also needed to pay extra. I think my main feedback would be putting things in the store that appeal to all income levels. Although we do very well, I think spending $14 for a bowl or $95 for an apron is just not appealing to most people shopping around. If the atmosphere could be a little brighter and have a more cohesive design with a little more privacy between tables, that really would be ideal. The prices should really be lower with the menu the way it is. Unless the menu items are going to be elevated and more upscale, they should reflect more standard diner prices to appeal to that crowd. The staff could possibly use a moral boost and maybe extra help or organization of tasks. They seemed sad and it’s a long distance for staff to be walking back and forth from the kitchen - they could really benefit from a runner and someone clearing/cleaning tables. I’m not too sure we will go back, but we will see. I think there is a lot of potential in the space and a lot of the ideas, but possibly execution wasn’t 100% and could hopefully be refined over the years.

I loved the food at Bernie’s. I also loved that they have a gluten free menu.

Great gluten free sandwich