Breadmen's

I hadn't been to Breadman's in 20 years but returned on a Friday just before the lunch rush with my daughter (a UNC-CH student). She wasn't interested in going and I wish I hadn't insisted we grab a quick lunch at what I fondly remember as a Chapel Hill landmark. The hostess didn't even say hello, just motioned to us to follow her. That was the least of the rude service. When I mentioned the unreasonable wait to the waitress, I could scarcely believe the snide response ""Do you want to wait longer?"" suggesting she was going to walk away to punish us. This was just after she brought our drinks which we hadn't touched. Under the circumstances, I wasn't up to being made a fool of in front of my daughter, got up and told the waitress that I don't patronize businesses that treat me poorly. Her reply: a loud sigh and a loud expasperated ""Jesus Christ!"" as if we were nuts. We quietly and patiently waited by the front door/hostess station after I said I'd like to speak with a manager. When the owner/manager came after a few minutes, he practically shoved me from behind toward the door saying ""Let's talk outside."" It was obvious he didn't care and I told him not to touch me. It was clear he was not at all interested in what I had to say about his staff's behavior and just wanted me to leave the restaurant. He then said he didn't serve drunks in his restaurant -- suggesting I had been drinking though I was quiet and stone sober -- it was about 11:45 a.m. This was obviously just part of his little power-trip game, no doubt practiced many times. I told him what I thought of him (we were outside by this time) and continued to the car and he went inside. As we were driving off he returned to the parking lot with some thug-kitchen help and pointed at me -- probably telling them to beat me and my daughter up. The owner is a lunatic and his rude staff no doubt gets its poor standards of service from him. One other thing I noticed is that there were no UNC students working -- just what appeared to be illegal immigrants -- the hostess, the bus boys, the waitresses. With so many UNC students looking for part-time work, you'd think he'd have the decency to hire Americans. So much for the old Breadman's of memory. Never going back. more

I have eaten at the restaurant numerous times and have had little problems. I called for a pick-up order, however, and was extremely disappointed. I was asking the worker on the phone to repeat the options and he replied that he was busy so could I hurry up? You should never disrespect a customer like that. I asked to speak with a manager and he did not apologize, and simply stated that they are busy so I needed to be quick. I was furious and decided to order at another restaurant. I will never eat at Breadmen's again. more

Seriously. This place used to be a Chapel Hill icon!\r However, over the last two years I have watched this place tailspin downward in all areas of reasonable dining expectations. The owners are burned out, and so is the staff. Sorry, but it needs to be said. I am a ""Chapel Hillian"" born and raised and I want the old Breadmen's back! Pros: good location Cons: bad service/ worse food more

This is a staple breakfast house of Chapel Hill, there's no denying it. The food is decent diner food, service usually ok. Today though was the last time I or any of my friends will ever return to Breadmen's. We are all UNC alumni that have been going here for years, and today we had brunch before carpooling to visit our one missing UNC member who just had a baby. Upon returning at 4:30 to get the 2 cars we left in the BACK of the lot, the owner yelled at us across the lot "" hey girls get your cars out of here or I'll have them towed"" we responded, "" Sorry! We did eat here this morning, we just needed to carpool afterwards"" His retort was ""I really don't care! Get them out of my lot!"" There were a total of 5 other cars in the lot so clearly we were not taking up valuable places for customers. So Old Man Breadman, you can have your lot back, and rest assured we will never take up your spaces again. As I look at other reviews on here I'm surprised I haven't encountered this crotchety old bastard before. My reccommendations: Go to Foster's Market, Mama Dip's or Elmos instead. more

me and my husband go there at least a few times out of the month. even on a tight budget we are able to eat there. we consider it to be our little ""date time"". we go after we drop our son off at daycare. Its not romantic or anything but its fun and the food is good! Pros: good parking good food Cons: none that i can think of more

Yummy waffles, banana pancakes, delicious french fries, all sorts of great fattening hangover/indulgence food.. at night good mix of healthy veggies too. They cook all their veggies without animal fat or butter so you CAN find something healthful if you really want to. But I'd also recommend the cornbread.. Pros: Good food, cheap, group seating Cons: sometimes long wait on weekends more

Diner style food (a tad bit greasy, etc.) and atmosphere. Place can pack in patrons...possible due to college town. Only real complaint was we ordered the same meal for takeout after dining and the portion of turkey was literally 1/3 the size as that offered in restaurant without a discount...a common problem for many restaurants, but never that severe. Won't return Pros: Large portions, cheap prices, good service Cons: Poor takeout more

I went with my family today to have some breakfast, we were waiting for 45 min. for the food that came cold, also the waitres didn't came to our table; at the time to pay the bill I got the tips included in my bill, I went to talk to the manager in a polite way when the owner approach and star yelling at me, telling me that his waitres is the best one that he has, didn't let me to talk and also call me a lier, so if that is the way that I'll be treated from the owner of a bussiness, what can we expect from his staff??? Pros: k food Cons: Worse owner ever! more

I visited Breadmens about a month ago and was asked to leave becasue the person that was with me had a developmental disability. We had ordered our drinks and were waiting for our food. She was feeling anxious so she went for a walk while we waited fo our food. The owner spotted her walking outside and came out to talk to her. I followed and he asked her to leave because "" he does not allow people like that"" at his restaurant. I apologized for her walking outside and told her to come sit inside. He insisted we leave because ""he does not allow people like that at his restaurant"". I let him know that we were waiting for our food. Again he repeated ,""he does not allow people like that at his restaurant"". So after telling him a few choice words we left. This individual was very upset asking what she did to get us kicked out. Pros: in chapel hill Cons: awful owner more

We have been eating at Breadman's for almost 20 years now and have to say that it is the best home cooked food for the money in all of downtown Chapel Hill. We have never known the owner to be anything but corgial when engaging with his customers -even during high traffic days like Sunday morning or before a game. They employ several college students and therefore the staff sometimes changes but for the most part, we have never experienced anything but good food and good service. We have even had occasion to use Breadman's for catering and were thrilled enough to recommend to our friends who also used them. Those long lines are there for a reason! Pros: Great homemade food at great prices. more

I went to school in Chapel Hill and was a frequent customer from 1977 to 1980. Although my daughters are now in school at UNC, I had not been back to Breadmen's for years. I checked out the reviews on this web site before deciding whether I should go back. I found the reviews really confusing; some are really good, but others are highly critical. I am happy to report that we had a great experience. My omelet was fantastic, the coffee was hot and good. the service (from Jermaine) was prompt and friendly, and the prices were very reasonable. The place reminds me of the old location accross the street; same wooden tables, and the same logo on the menu. The place is not fancy, but I think it is certainly worth a visit. Pros: Breakfast more

I went there involuntarily on a sunday morning with my family, and now i go there every weekend morning voluntarily. The food is not expensive and amazing! The coolest people work there, and amazing service. I recommend the corn beef hash!\r \r LOVE BREADMAN's! Pros: cheap, good food, amazing service, cool people work there more

My husband and I made the mistake of having breakfast there with our daughter yesterday. The food was acceptable, not outstanding, but the service was awful. I would have liked a refill of my coffee but our waiter never came by. It was Monday morning and there was hardly anybody there so it wasn't that the place was busy. \r \r We waited for almost 30 minutes for a check with our dirty dishes stacked on the table. The owner was chatting with some patrons and never noticed. We finally went to the counter and asked to pay and the waiter came by mumbling, ""Thanks guys,"" in a monotone. I was going to call the restaurant to complain but from some of the other posts, it sounds like the owner is just as bad as his staff. Pros: Acceptable food. Cons: Terrible service more

My family and I had the bad fortune of choosing Breadmen's for breakfast last Sunday morning. My wife and I had just flown up from Florida for my granddaughter's 4th birthday and decided to take her mother, father, brother and the other grandparents out for a meal. I had been to Breadmen's many times in the past on my visits to Chapel Hill, without incident. We were seated promptly and the waiter took our order. After over thirty minutes and after other customers, who had arrived after us, had ordered, eaten and left, my son in law walked over to the counter and asked to talk to the manager. The owner came over and without hearing our complaints, accused us of creating a problem. He yelled at us to GET OUT! He would not listen, threw to-go boxes on our table and screamed for us to leave. Not a problem man...we left and will never come back and intend to tell every one we see of the outrageous treatment that we received at what we once considered a Chapel Hill tradition with our family. The owner seriously needs some kind of counseling for his own good and that of his customers. more

We ate at Breadmen's this morning for the first time since moving to CH. We weren't overly impressed by the hostess' attitude or the waiter. But, the worst part was when a family of 6 or so plus two small children was RUDELY kicked out of the restaurant! They were there before us, received their food after us and were trying to make the best out of the situation. When they asked for a manager, the owner came over. They had received their food by then and wanted to just let him know that, although they were perfectly willing to stay and pay for the meal, they were disappointed that the food had taken so long. The owner became completely irrational and started yelling at the family who was just looking on in shock. He even made up things they had supposedly said! They were still polite yet he told them to get out of the restaurant. My family was just shocked that this was even happening! He then went in the back and returned with to-go boxes, threw them on the table and said (really yelled) pack up your stuff and go. They were just dumbfounded that this had even happened, as were we. We will NOT be going back because of the rudeness we witnessed. Cons: Irrational owner more

this is my favorite restaurant ever. the place is kinda run down, the seating isn't very comfortable, but... more

I attended a breakfast sponsored by the current school in which I am employed and which was catered by Breadmen's. The breakfast was scheduled from 7:30-9:30am. I arrived at 9am and was surprised to see that they had run out of food. I was distraught over this and attempted to understand why the food ran out. I was then informed, rudely, that it was not Breadmen's fault and that I should be more respectful of my comments. Frankly, the owner of Breadmen's was very rude and unapologetic, while he attempted to blame others for the fact that either they did not bring enough food or gave too large of portions to the attendees. Regardless of the quality of the food, I do not recommend supporting such a rude individual's business. Cons: Service more

Just moved here and have only eaten there once, but I had the best omelet I've ever had. Very fluffy - cooked perfectly. Pros: cheap, good food more

When I went to Breadmen's for lunch I was dieting, so I ended up getting a veggie patty and fries, which was good, but I felt as if I'd wasted my time there because the veggie patty tasted like those you buy from the grocery store. I can't say it wasn't good, just usually when I go out to eat; I would rather try foods that are much different than those that I can prepare easily at home. My boyfriend, he got a burger and some fries and loved his meal, he left wanting seconds because he can eat, so neither of us had any major problems with the food, the service was fine. Our meal came out prompt. Pros: good parking, prompt seating Cons: nothing more

I like Breadman's a lot. I used to go here alot for lunch when I worked in Chapel Hill. It's usually crowded all other times. The food is always good, very rarely had problems. It's also a very good deal price-wise. Wish I had more time to go back. Pros: service, value, food more