It was a holiday Sunday, we were hungry, so we reluctantly settled on the Black Bear after unsuccessfully searching for a more suitable, non-chain restaurant.
We were seated right by the main door, so it was terribly noisy and busy with traffic. There were plenty of quieter ares available, but I believe they seat based on conservation of effort on their part and/or by the zone the next server has. Either way, it's not done for the benefit of the client; just the opposite. The result is everybody is squeezed together like cattle, while entire sections of the restaurant lay dormant.
We literally couldn't go a full minute during the entire meal without interruption by somebody. Is everything okay? Do you need anything? How is your meal? And you cannot get through a sip of coffee without somebody trying to splash more into the cup. The service, despite the obnoxious amount of attention, was still haphazard and woefully inadequate.
As for the ""meal""- we both had the same special, which was a 6 oz NY steak, eggs, potatoes, toast. The meat was awful- maybe three ounces of it wasn't inedible gristle, and it was tough and flavorless. The eggs were overcooked and rubbery, so I'm guessing it was cheap fake egg mix that comes in jugs. The hash browns were barely browned, and were slimy and dark on the inside, indicating they were old and oxidized. The sourdough toast was okay, but stale. Still, it was the best thing on the plate.
We ended up waiting 20 minutes for our meals, and were told several times they were ""just another minute"". We were even told that we were waiting on a fresh batch of hashbrowns, which is evidently a lie due to the above-addressed oxidation. On top of everything else, the only thing we were served that day that was remotely hot was the coffee.
It was the worst dining experience we had during our entire 3500 mile journey, and any chain should be ashamed of such food and service. It was my first experience with the Black Bear chain, and my last. My well-earned dislike of chain restaurants has, yet again, been reinforced.
more