r/restaurants

So my son made a reservation at a restaurant I’d been to once years ago, that I remembered having really good food in a really cool setting, a beautiful old stone castle, a fortress like building with lush elegant landscaping. I checked out the website, but didn’t see anything about a Mother’s Day brunch and he made reservations for 3 o’clock; he too hadn’t seen anything on the website about a Mother’s Day brunch, so we all thought we were going to a full service dinner.

When we arrived on time for our reservation, they asked for payment upfront of $100 per person and then added on a ten percent kitchen surcharge in addition to tax of course. This was a complete surprise, not only that it was a brunch, but also that it was so pricey. I am a pretty picky eater, and I’m not a fan of buffets in general, but I agreed because we basically had very few decent options at 3 o’clock on Mother’s Day.

The little bit I ate was good, even though I got the last dregs of the prime rib and they even gave me the end crust which I found to be inedible, but the horseradish sauce was delicious and the small edible slice of meat was actually enough for me since I eat very little. I also had a scoop of plain unremarkable mashed potatoes and a salad with blue cheese dressing which was very tasty, but there were no croutons, which I would have liked; they did have freshly ground black pepper. Unfortunately my roll was stale and the various desserts I tried were mediocre. They started cleaning up and closing down the restaurant not long after we got there at about 5 o’clock, I suppose.

They also had king crab legs,
pork ribs, meatloaf, and lamb, lobster pasta, and lots of breakfast stuff, but they were out of pancake batter. The onion soup wasn’t good at all, according to the others. They offered ramen, and the small sushi bar offered only two types of sushi and shared half the table with the ho-hum desserts. All in all, it was quite small, and very compact, just your basic low budget Everyday Sunday buffet and we all agreed it was about a 6 on a scale of 10; everyone said the desserts were mediocre, and the mimosas were made with the cheapest champagne while the pineapple and cranberry juices were brought to the table in small disposable cups. For the price it was a disappointment for all of us.

We’ve been to the Huntington Gardens Mother’s Day buffet on several occasions and it is $100 per person now, but it’s worth it with lavish displays on rows and rows of buffet tables absolutely laden with fresh seafood, oysters, you name it, fresh omelettes made to order, fabulous desserts galore, and impeccable service. It’s about 10 times bigger and more extravagant than what we experienced yesterday. The mimosas are served by the elegant and proper wait staff. Plus one has access to the gorgeous gardens, all for a paltry $100 per person; paltry in comparison to yesterday‘s disappointing experience which left me feeling ripped off.

So would I be the AH if I put a negative review about the restaurant, basically saying what I’ve said here?

On 10 May 2026, my cousin visited Native South - Kitchen & Brew House with family for dinner and handed over their Tata Harrier to the valet parking staff.

After finishing the meal, this is how the car was returned.

The shocking part was not just the damage — it was the attitude afterwards.

The valet driver didn’t even apologize or show basic accountability. Instead, he started arguing saying things like:
“I drive bigger cars like Benz and BMW, Harrier is not a big car for me.”

The restaurant management completely washed their hands off the situation and only shared the contact number of the valet manager, who is apparently “on vacation” and not answering calls.

Current situation:

• Estimated repair bill from service center: ₹40,000
• Insurance claim charges/deductibles: ₹5,000
• Neither the valet team nor the restaurant management are willing to compensate even the insurance charges.

This post is just to warn others:
Please be careful before handing over your vehicle to valet parking, especially at places that take zero responsibility when something goes wrong.

Sometimes it’s safer to park your vehicle yourself rather than trusting careless valet drivers.

Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/duyKSTNMKYDKqjm46
Native South - Kitchen & Brew House
Anand Mall, near OM Convention, Narsingi

Date: 10 May 2026

https://preview.redd.it/ffsapmz0wv0h1.jpg?width=1599&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4a1658ba4b6627a18a0f12144d296300dbaafb9e

I'm in the process of putting together the plan for my first business, a hybrid cafe/restaurant, and aimed to be family friendly.

Would love to hear thoughts from those experienced - do i need to invest in a website? Is it worth it in today's day and age?

Hey everyone,

I currently own and operate 15 franchise locations of consumer repair I’m now considering getting into the food/cafe space for the first time through a franchise-style concept in Texas.

I’m still in the research stage and trying to learn from people actually in the industry before making a decision.

Would really appreciate honest feedback from restaurant/cafe owners, especially people in:
- Coffee shops
- Dessert cafes
- Brunch concepts
- Fast casual
- Similar hospitality businesses

A few things I’m trying to understand better:

- What were your biggest surprises after opening?
- What hurts margins the most?
- How difficult is staffing really?
- What operational issues happen constantly?
- Any supply chain/vendor problems?
- Is second-gen restaurant space actually a major advantage?
- How long did it take to feel stable?
- If you could start over, what would you do differently?

I’m not looking for motivational answers — I’d rather hear the reality, good or bad.

Thanks in advance.

Yes post is written using chatgpt, and no im not scammer or bot lol

Hello ! Heading to Leavenworth soon for a short trip ... any recommendations for good family restaurant ... nothing fancy ... just good food

And maybe different suggestions for :

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Thanks !

Hi Reddit,

I posted this in r/restaurantowners and it was deleted for some reason, so i'm trying here.

My restaurant operates in a niche (vegan) and I want to make sure i'm doing everything I can to maximise the benefits of being in a niche rather than only having the difficulties that obviously come with it.

I'm also looking for advice on how to reach people outside that niche and invite them to give it a try. Every time non-vegans do give us a go they say things like "I had no idea vegan food could taste this good" and I swear our Chef is some kind of wizard when it comes to layering flavours. We know the food is great and the reviews all say so, we just need a fresh perspective on reaching new people.

We are doing the most obvious things - google ads but i'm sure theres more we can do.

Any advice welcome, but please be respectful on the vegan thing, I know people like to crap on vegans but i'm hoping for some actual peer support, thank you!

I like Denny’s. And then waffle house, ihop…..

With 195 countries, not everyone can have their own cuisines/restaurants that are popular around the world, right? I mean, obviously, everyone everywhere eats, but still, which ones have their own popular cuisines (at least in the States, where I am)?

I highly doubt that there's such a thing as Vatican food, for instance ;)

This is especially true given that there are groups of countries that share much common culture (like the Arab world) and may be made of very small countries (Polynesia, Central America)

But anyway...

First off, at least in the States, there's the big 3, above all:

1. Mexican

2. Italian

3. Chinese.

Then you have some runners up that are also big in the States

4. Japanese (or just "Sushi", although some places are called Japanese Grills)

5. Vietnamese (or just "Pho")

6. Thai

7. Greek

8. Indian

9. Brazilian (steakhouses)

Here in the midwest, there is a popular chain of restaurants called HuHot Mongolian Grill. That's the only reason I've heard of Mongolian food, but I suppose it counts.

10. Mongolian

Then you have some deep cuts that I was previously unaware of. Despite what I said above, I have heard of three individual Central American restaurants...

11. Honduran (main dish was pupusas)

12. Guatemalan (although it was combined with Mexican cuisine)

13. El Salvadoran (their main dish was pupusas as well, so there's some crossover)

Some other deep cuts that aren't super big but are some places include Persian. The closest Persian restaurant to me is like 3 hours away in Chicago, but it is there. So here's a couple more.

14. Iranian / Persian

15. Nigerian (Fufu)

16. Ethiopian (there's at least one in Iowa City)

17. Korean (at least Korean BBQ places, never heard of just Korean)

Finally, I was just watching the movie Hitch and they reference Cuban food, which I'd never heard of. Again, I obviously know people in Cuba gotta eat, but I'd never heard of it as a popularized cuisine in the States but for that one line in that movie.

I'm also sure there must be Arabian food, but as said above it's likely just "Arab" and not specific to a country.

Anyway, please enlighten me and each other!

There's also individual STATES in America that have their own cuisines. Well, at least two...

1. Hawaiian (could be seen more broadly as Polynesian, which, as stated, would also encompass many countries)
2. Louisiana / Cajun / Creole (which we would get at Popeye's, right?)

Actually, for that matter, different states' different styles of BBQ could be considered a state cuisine, so we could throw Tennessee, Missouri (Kansas City & St. Louis individually), Texas, etc. in there. And there is of course the concept of "Tex-Mex" and even the restaurant Texas Roadhouse!

Cheese, chicken, produce - costs have been climbing for a couple years now.

Every owner I've talked to ends up doing the same thing: raise the whole menu by 8-10% and hope for the best. But that always felt wrong to me. The problem is usually 2-3 specific dishes. Everything else is fine.

How do you actually handle it? Do you recalculate food cost per dish every time a supplier changes prices, or is it more gut feel at this point?

I’ve got a reservation at both for my husband’s 40th and am struggling to decide which to cancel? I’m a vegetarian, he is not, if this influences any opinions?