Sammies Cafe wins battle of the local diners

There’s nothing better than having a couple of local restaurants available for those times when you want to head out for a weekend breakfast or need a “too busy to cook” weekday meal. Recently we visited two local restaurants that prove it’s what’s on the inside that counts – and keeps people coming back.

Sammies Café on 95th, just west of 88th Avenue, doesn’t look like much from the outside. There’s a big sign hanging on the building front advertising the Friday Fish Fry. It’s not until you’re inside that Sammies shines.

The décor is average. The room is small, so why does Sammies shine? It’s the staff. From the moment you walk in the staff is charming. Someone greets you promptly. Your wait staff shows up quickly. Your endless coffee or tea cup is always full. The food is exactly what you’d expect from a neighborhood diner. There’s something for everyone and plenty of it to take home.

The New Coco’s Diner, located at 94th and Roberts Road, could learn a lot from Sammies Café. The outside, full of windows and neon, seems promising. We were driving by the New Coco’s Diner last weekend when we decided to visit the recently reopened restaurant.

From the moment we walked in we knew we weren’t at Sammies Café. The New Coco’s was packed with people who were slightly edgy and annoyed. We didn’t realize it for a few minutes, but there was a lengthy waiting list – despite the restaurant being ½ empty. I overheard someone ask the hostess why no one was being seated. She said they were on a hold to let the kitchen catch-up. This should have been our clue to leave, but we chalked up the problem to the restaurant being new.

When we were finally seated the waitress came by quickly to take our drink orders. She took our food orders and then we waited and waited and waited and waited. An hour passed after we ordered when I finally went to the hostess stand to ask if there was a problem. The hostess told me the kitchen couldn’t keep up and if I didn’t want to wait I was free to leave at any time. As if by magic, our food appeared while I was at the hostess stand.

I’d like to say that the hostess was just crabby with me, but she was equally unpleasant with everyone. She told several people that they didn’t have to come back if they didn’t like the restaurant. She barked at a man with a table full of children that his order must be taking so long because he ordered something complicated. He said that he ordered pancakes for all the kids and eggs for himself. She ignored him and walked away. Another customer loudly told the man that the incredibly rude hostess was the owner’s daughter.

The problems at the New Coco’s clearly were not the kitchen or wait staffs’ fault. There were only two cooks on a very busy Sunday. Those guys were cranking from the time we walked in until we left. The wait staff spent the entire time hearing complaints from frustrated customers. We all waited so long that we started talking among tables trying to figure out what was going on. Everyone in our section said they’d never return. It’s one thing to wait for a gourmet meal. It’s another thing to deal with rude managers when you’re waiting an hour for pancakes. The funny thing is that as I tell people about our experience I hear similar stories. One woman said she heard the owner yell at a waitress in front of her customers. Another said she finally got up and left because she was tired of waiting for her food. Everyone wanted to like the New Coco’s, but the management didn’t give anyone a reason to want to return.

We always speak highly of Sammies Café for all the same reasons that we will never recommend the New Coco’s. The food is very similar, but it’s the people who make the difference. The moment you walk into Sammies Café you feel welcome. We’re happy to support local businesses when they deserve it. For us, the choice is clear. We’ll continue to eat locally at Sammies Café and recommend it to others.