What’s The Early Word on Slim’s Diner – Is It Really as Rough as Some Having Been Saying?

saf

I had lunch there last Friday. The service was pleasant enough, but slow and a bit oddly pushy. (You want to order that dessert now? How about now? How about now? Dude, I’m barely a third of the way through my lunch!)
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Getting seated – they were clearly understaffed, as there were spaces available, but we had to wait, as did the few tables that came in after us.
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We had a late lunch. As we were leaving, they were putting up a sign that said they were closed until 5 (or maybe 5:30?).
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Food was REALLY slow to come out.
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Food was quite tasty, and fairly priced.

saf

Oh, not last Friday. 2 weeks ago.
- ctk
  
  I had a late breakfast there the same day. Good food, good portions, reasonable prices, seating was a mess. Hostess seemed in a daze, counter server was nice enough but overwhelmed, food took kind of a long time (guy next to me was threatening to cancel his order it was taking so long).

Andrew

Ate there its first weekend and that was a mistake — they botched most of our group’s orders and it took about two hours, which was a very long time for some burgers and fries. Might give them another chance in a few months, they were clearly v disorganized their opening weekend.

Ben

I went over opening weekend – other than the long wait (expected) we were pleased. Reading some of the 1 star reviews, people seem to have unreal expectations (e.g., running out of food on opening weekend).

Dognonymous

Maybe I’m misreading you, but I think “this restaurant will not run out of food while I am there” is pretty far from an unreal expectation. If your supply chain and stock isn’t set up, you shouldn’t be open yet.
- Billy
  
  Try opening a restaurant. This happens at EVERY restaurant opening, from an independent diner to a corporate 4 star.
  - Mom2boys
    
    Timber Pizza Opened the same week and my meal with them was perfect. Unfortunately it seems as through I’ll wait longer to give Slims a second chance. Went the second week open and it was a very miserable experience however the food that we ate was good.
- Anon Spock
  
  Running out of food completely, maybe, but ordering is based on past numbers. With no numbers to work from, it’s really just a guessing game. Saying you should be able to accurately predict business on opening weekend to not run out of any items is a tall order. Even the best restaurants occasionally have a run on x item greatly exceeding expectations.
  - BlueStreak
    
    When I was there they ran out of bacon. At noon on a Friday. A diner should never, ever run out of bacon. Ever. Even if you end up having to throw a bit away or feed it to your staff. It’s Bacon. In a diner that specializes in breakfast food. Just no.

anon

went at 8am on a saturday, a couple weeks ago. It was pretty bad. They ran out of grits by 8am (they open at 7, so that was weird). Took them an HOUR to get me my pancakes. wife’s food came out well before mine, but her hash browns were ice cold. The waitress behind the counter had a conversation with another waitress in front of the counter about how bad the chef yells at them if they screw something up, right in front of all the customers with the chef maybe 5 feet away from them. Took way too long to be seated even tho there were plenty of spots open. Never once got an apology from the wait staff and my waitress would not even look me in the eye. Seems like Ruppert should have been there every day they were open for the first month or so to ensure his vision. Super Super disappointed. I really wanted to love it.

Food was just alright. Menu is pretty limited. Ill go back, but only to test to see if they have gotten better.

Alfy

Just don’t

Will

Tried to go for breakfast last weekend. Peered in through the window and saw a few empty tables, but strangely there were a number of people waiting outside. When we walked in, the hostess explained there was a 45 minute wait, and they weren’t seating the full restaurant because they only had 1 cook on duty. It was laughable.

Barry

Yeah. I had the same experience. I tried to eat with my wife around 830 on a Saturday. The place was half empty, and the said we would have to wait 30 minutes due to an understaffed kitchen. I’m not going back for a while.

Eve Tushnet

I had dinner there on Wednesday. Service was quite friendly although the table next to us seemed to have some problems. Food was pricy from my perspective. I had a cup of chili, which was delicious, and an ice cream soda which was fine.

anonymous

are you nuts? nothing on the menu is over $10…

mmm

went on Sunday or Monday July 4th weekend at about 930 or 10. There were MAYBE 10 people sitting down and we were told it was a 90 minute wait for a table. We did not wait.

L.H.O.O.Q.

I live relatively close by but I still haven’t tried this place due to all the negative reviews. Yelp is full of hyperbolic and self centered reviewers who sometimes act like the sky is falling if their expectations aren’t exceeded. But after seeing so many people make the same complaints regarding rude service, bad hours/unexpected closures, and food either not coming or coming wrong I have decided to stay away. If the management comes out through social media or the press and lets everyone know they’ve fixed the issues or I see a spike in better Yelp reviews then I will reconsider. The menu looks good and I want to try it when it won’t be a waste of time.

Colorado

Swampoodle, which opened around the same time on 14th and Kennedy, is getting 4 star reviews on Yelp (to Slim’s 2.5). You’ll find some of the same gripes about service that are inevitable in a brand-new restaurant, but the difference is that people clearly like the food and find the service friendly. So Yelp usually doesn’t lie.

Dan

I went the week they opened and haven’t been back since. Food was mediocre (except for the awesome pancakes). Service was slower than Congress and almost as effective. They did discount our check for the 2hr wait for food. I plan to go back once they’ve righted the ship. As I recall – The Coupe needed a good year before it got full on it’s feet.

Erin

We went for late-ish night milkshakes after having crabs at Cappy’s. They were thin and barely tasted of malt (we all ordered malts), and took a while to come out. They also came out awkwardly staggered with long gaps between each one. Pretty unimpressive for a $6 milkshake.

Anonymous

They use too much milk and not enough ice cream in their milkshakes, which leaves them flavorless. They need to get that ratio down, and yes, the milkshake maker needs to step it up. It shouldn’t take 15 minutes to get a shake.

RT

I went for late night food a few weeks ago. Took a while to get seated. Took a REALLY long time to get our bill and get out of there at the end – at least half an hour, if not more, which is a long time when you would like to leave.

The food was good for late night diner food. However my friend, a vegetarian who ordered the veggie omelet, got an omelet filled with ham. The prices were good, and the menu is extensive. However the wait to be seated and the disorganization that led to the bill taking forever means I am not itching to go back.

banananonymous

tried to go last Saturday around dinner time and couldn’t get in. But luckily I stumbled upon Timber Pizza and was pleasantly surprised. Awesome food, great staff and a really cool setup.

Brad

Went there for Saturday breakfast two weeks ago. Our food arrived 35 minutes after we ordered, and my coffee never came, although parts of two other tables’ orders did (we sent them onward). Last weekend, I thought about going back, shuddered, and stayed home.

Drew

TLDR- Rough opening week but have noticeably improved since then.

Have been there three times so far– once for breakfast (first week), once for dinner (this week), and once to just grab a milkshake to go.

The breakfast experience was sub-par for sure. There was a long wait as expected, but nonetheless they way underestimated when they told us when we could expect to be seated by. The eggs and bacon were really not that good, but to their credit they brought me a whole extra plate of bacon when i complained about one piece in particular that looked barely cooked.

The dinner experience was much better. They were more accurate in their estimate of when they would be able to seat us, and they got everyone’s order right. My burger was delicious, and I was envious of my wife’s french dip after she let me try a bite. Also, they now have boozy milkshakes for $8, which seems like a pretty solid deal compared to Ted’s Bulletin ($11).

I’m very pleased to see how much they’ve improved so far and hope it continues to get better!

PetworthMom

We went two weeks ago on a Saturday, around noon. We put our name in and they said it’d be like an hour. We ran over to the market and shopped. The husband ran the food home, and I just sat on the bench waiting. (It had been about 20 minutes.) After 10 more minutes, they started calling names. No one was around, so they went ahead and sat us.

It took about 1.5 hrs from the time we sat down to being done, and we ordered pancakes, BLT and Club. The food was good, but service was very disjointed and slow.

It took 10 minutes for us to even flag someone down to bring us syrup for my daughter’s pancakes.

They actually started turning people away, even though there were empty seats, to allow the kitchen to catch up.

Food: Good, but a bit salty
Price: Great
Service: Very, very slow

We said we’d go back, but perhaps in a month or two once they work things out.

c

i went last saturday and had a fried chicken sandwich and fries. i thought it was great. services was a bit off, but whatever. it’s a diner, not a fancy restaurant.
peoples i was with got the reuben and the burger, also terrific. the reuben especially.
i’d go back. cool place. casual. not expensive.

c

after reading all these bad comments, i can’t believe how lucky i was in my experience. i think there were only 2, maybe 3 cooks when i was there and the place was full.

jeslett

The only time I tried to go they were taking their second brake of the day and I wasn’t going to wait around for 45 minutes.
I haven’t been back since, but I think I might wait a bit longer.

textdoc

Went there with a friend last weekend. The food was good and the boozy milkshake was DELICIOUS — but the service was rather lacking.

LittleBluePenguin

Agreed – I loved the food, and especially the boozy milkshakes! But yes, the wait was very long for diner food – a certain kind of food I expect to be ready fairly quickly. Our waitress was nice but we did have to ask twice for a few things. If it was super busy, I could understand some of the mix up, but really, I think the waitstaff are just very very young and inexperienced. Food also came out very staggered / disjointed, which was disappointing. Prices were great. But yeah, they need some help in getting this place to run like a diner should, which is to say quickly and efficiently.

JlEE

Bacon was horrible

Alfy

Should’ve had tofu

Anonymous

Went one evening last week and the experience was awful, from the lethargic “hostess” to the slow service to the food. The only thing I could say in their defense is that they were training a waitress, so I could see how there might have been confusion over ordering. But other stuff was just amateur: asking them to refill water, leaving both empty glasses at the edge of the table and getting only one refilled. I also watched one guy whose only job seemed to be tearing up single serving bags of potato chips and putting them on orders. Is that the most cost-effective way for a restaurant to serve food, I had to wonder.
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I spoke to the training waiter (Jared from Silicon Valley’s doppelganger) about everything — and I mean every dish we ordered — being underseasoned, in addition to the raw chicken tenders in my child’s order (which they replaced but were still flavorless). He was apologetic, saying he’d talk to the cook. Which cook, I don’t know, because there were at least 5 people behind the counter. It always amazes me how an excess of staff can lead to such a terrible experience.
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I didn’t want to pile on with our service issues too because Jared seemed pretty beleaguered — the woman he was training was eager but didn’t appear to be picking things up quickly. I wish this place a lot of luck. They’re going to need it.

RELL

I have been twice. The first was about a week after they opened on by birthday, July 6. lol. It was fine, but the head chef guy was making sure the cooks were getting the orders down properly. Food was fine, the home-fries had a unique taste to them. So did the pancakes. a so-so breakfast. I was there again last Thursday and had a good omelette. So i cant complain too much. I know they had like over 300 people during one of their first days. And their hours of operation have changed here and there. Some of the power outages haven’t helped either. But people should just give it a chance to develop. its a small , homely diner that has not been open for even a month yet.

anon

I think people are upset because Paul ruppert is not exactly a noob when it comes to opening restaurants. He has three in petworth alone. The reason this place is not performing is becuase the owner isnt there making sure things run smoothly at first.
- saf
  
  And the last time he had a restaurant that ran smoothly was Ruppert’s. That was a long time ago.

neighbor

Have been three times since opening: one early weekday breakfast in the second week, one Saturday night dessert in third week, and Saturday dinner last week. Most recent visit was the smoothest: arrive 6:15 on Saturday night, told 20 minute wait, so browsed at Upshur Books and came back. Seated our party immediately. Friendly and competent server. Onion rings app came out fast, entrees maybe 10/15 min after we finished those. All the food was delicious (definitely recommend getting the fried chicken sandwich if it’s on as a special again!). Seems to work better with two servers on the floor and no hostess v. one hostess (who never seemed friendly/competent) and one server. I see the kinks disappearing which will bring service up to the quality of the food. Do yourself a favor and get a doughnut next time you go, too., or a slice of peanut butter pie. The baked goods are AMAZING.

GP

Please do not let waitstaff pick music! Aggressively loud, staccato rap, whatever its artistic merit, is not conducive to conversation. Club sandwich was good; burger mediocre. And I skipped a shake to save room for pie, but they were out of apple and raspberry. It’ll be a while before we go back.

andy

Came in Sunday right at opening time. We got a burger, hot dog for kid, milkshake and salad. Came pretty fast, so we were like, “huh, everyone saying it was slow was wrong.”

About 20 minutes later, I wanted a slice of pie. I saw people were piling up at the front door. A table finished and left. Then another. I got a hold of server to ask for pie. She told me apple was out, the rest were there. Great. Raspberry pie was something wife and I had never had. Done.

10 minutes later, no pie. Also, no one from front door is getting seated. No one seems to be cleaning up finished tables. I’m not a food service person but it seemed like what was missing was a busser.

Server comes back, says no raspberry pie. Look at list again – wife less enthused – I ask for buttermilk chess pie. OK.

5 minutes later daughter can’t take it anymore, too fussy to hang out. Have to get a hold of server, let her know no pie, need check. Took 5 minutes to get that taken care of.

Got check, signed and out the door – still not sure if any parties got seated at the booths, probably 10-15 minutes after parties cleared out.

So it’s a mixed situation. As it is, it is hard to recommend. However, I really want these guys to square everything away and prosper. Very much so.

thunder

Folks should check out DC Diner at 14th & H, if they want diner food. I had a great breakfast there this morning, and Ive heard rave reviews of their crab cakes.

textdoc

NE or NW?

2b3s

Based on my one experience, everyone working that day needed to fired. Disinterested waitstaff, and cooks who either didn’t care or had some very strange ideas about how to properly season food.

welshi

Diners are supposed to be fast! That’s why they are around for- quick late night eats! An hour for pancakes, blts, eggs, basic no frills diner food is absolutely ridiculous! I won’t be going & I was so excited to have it in my neighborhood.

Patworth

I’ve given them two tries. First time, my husband and I went for dinner around 7pm on a Wednesday, fully expecting to wait because I know it is a small space. Got there and sure enough there were people waiting outside. We went in to check how long the wait time was, and no one was at the host stand. There were two empty booths that needed clearing and all the servers were behind the counter. We didn’t stick around.

Yesterday, I went back for lunch by myself and sat at the counter. Service was fast enough, but I was pretty disappointed with my grilled cheese, which was really just a warm cheese. The bread was hard, but still white on the outside, and the cheese wasn’t fully melted. Took about 10 minutes to get the check because the guy behind the counter disappeared for a while. Two other people at the counter were also waiting for their bills. I really wanted to like this place, but I can’t say that I do…

Jeff

Kitchen speed is slow. Either their kitchen is too small, the cooks are slow, or it’s under staffed. . . .

Their service was fine. The waiter was clean, accurate, and polite.

Food was good except for the toast, it was cold.

Food prices were lower than expected.

Slims was clean

The wait is too long. They’re very under staffed.

BP

Went mid week 2 weeks ago. Stood in the doorway for about 10 minutes, place was half empty. I don’t think they remembered the ‘wait to be seated’ sign. Once seated – SUPER nice waitress. Kid’s macncheese was awful though, like elbows boiled in milk w no cheese. My burger was bland. These things take a while I assume. Might have been smarter to have two-seat tables in the middle instead of bulky booths. We’ll go back but probably not for a while.

Booksrock

Sunday 7/17 around 1:30pm. wait was about 30 minutes. seated at 2pm. Server was really good. Love the atmosphere. I got a boozy milkshake, the Dude, that was delicious. I will get that every time I go there (unless its early morning.) Partner got a boozy ice cream soda which he thought was fine but he wished he had ordered the Dude. He got breakfast–eggs, sausage gravy and biscuits, and hashbrowns and I got BLT with onion rings. He loved his breakfast but they were out of hashbrowns so they asked if he wanted home fries, which he thought were good. My BLT was too light on the bacon and my onion rings were not hot, so these are items I don’t plan to order again. BLTs are tough–most restaurants over do it but this one was under done. Onion rings must be served right out of the fryer…period. While we were there, they were having to turn away a lot of people because they were going to close the kitchen from 3pm to 5pm. If this is going to be the norm, they need to clearly communicate that via signage, website, etc. We’ll go again–but not between 3 and 5. :)

CVR

My coworker went last night. I asked her about it this morning so it was funny seeing this now. She said her half-smoke wasn’t very good and it made her stomach upset. Her husband wasn’t impressed with his order either (though I didn’t ask what he got). She said the service was terrible and it took forever to be seated. Pretty on par experience based on the below for seating and service.

anon

Looks like Swampoodle won not only the “race to open” but also the food contest as well. That place is getting relatively solid reviews.

neighbor

I plan on waiting until October for all the reasons people have given here.
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Paul knows how to run a restaurant, but he needs to spend some seriously time getting the staff here up to par.

saf

Really? I have yet to have a positive experience at Petworth Citizen. (I admit, I have given up on that, so if that changes, I will never know.)
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When Room 11 first opened, I found it quite unwelcoming. I like it more these days, but that is mostly due to the current manager. The waitstaff…
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I don’t think he needs to spend the time. I think he needs to hire someone who has strong management and customer service experience.
- LittleBluePenguin
  
  I agree – I really WANT to like Petworth Citizen and Room 11, but c’mon, for the love of god, don’t hire surly waitstaff who act like they’re doing you a huge favor to even glance your way, much less take your order. The waitress we had at Slim’s was actually very nice, but quite inexperienced and needs more training.

Evan

Wanna love this place but after three visits it’s not improving much.

First visit – 1.5 hour wait (told 45 minutes; took kids to playground twice) + 1.5 hours in restaurant to get food for 4 adults. Brought vanilla shake instead of chocolate. Entrees were delivered spaced out over 15 minutes.

Second visit – 9:30 pm stop for dessert. No wait, but they were out of all pies and vanilla ice cream. Our choice was a brownie sundae with chocolate ice cream and a chocolate shake. We got one of each. The sundae came out immediately. We ate it. We could see the milkshake station and no one was over there at all. 10 minutes later waitress came around and said it would be out soon. Still no one goes over there. Finally I flag down the waitress and say we don’t want it anymore since we’re done with the first dessert.

Third visit – best of the three but not great. Lunch with one kid, only a 20 minute wait and they estimated the wait time correctly. Shake and burger were good but kid’s grilled cheese was dry as a bone. Bread tasted stale. Good thing my kid really only likes the fries :)

One problem is that every time I’m there they seat two tops in the larger center booths when side booths are available, leaving LONG waits for parties of 4 or more. They ought to send two tops to the side booths if they’re open.

We’ll try again, but with only three booths capable of hosting groups we’ll never go with another family. Nor will we go if there’s a wait; the food’s fine but not worth waiting for. Hope they improve.

MtP

Waitress was fine. Hostess was extremely rude, before and after we had been seated. Literally threw a glass condiment bottle onto our table and scolded us for asking for her help. Almost complained, but then we witnessed someone in charge being rude to other customers. Can’t say I’m eager to return.

Otherwise, good hash browns, donuts, and pancakes. Not much seating. Good prices.

danger

Nothing pisses people off more than telling them to wait over an hour when there are tons of empty tables. If they don’t work this out fast, they’re going to ruin their own reputation very soon.

Shaw

Agreed 100%. This is a diner, not Rose’s. Leaving a table empty for 20-30 minutes is insane. A real diner can turn the whole table in under 40 minutes. If the people show back up, then tell them the people who were here right when the table freed up got it and if you want a reservation, go to a place that offered them. If you want a diner, go to a diner. The two are, however, mutually exclusive.

Uptowner

My wife and I went about a week ago at 3:30 in the afternoon to get milkshakes. The door was open and people were inside eating. We walked up to the counter and sat down. A host came up to us and informed us that the kitchen and register were closed. We asked if we could just get a few milkshakes, and they said no and that we’d have to come back at 5pm. No apology. No explanation. What kind of diner closes for 2 hours in the middle of the day?

siz

also i thought it was supposed to be 24/7?

siz

yeesh, i’ve been excited to go, this is disappointing. someone should bring this thread to ruppert’s attention! although i assume he’s seen the similar reaction on yelp.

lemeow

My boyfriend and I went for a late dinner a few weeks ago. We had to wait 45 minutes to be seated although there were open tables and spots at the bar. Our server forgot to put our order in–so we waited about an hour for our food. She also was very unaware of what’s on the menu. Even getting a glass of water took about 30 minutes. The food was rather “meh.” We’re not interested in going back.

anon

my partner and I went there last Friday. arrived at 8:45pm was told they were closing. we pointed to sign on the door which said they were open until 10. he said sorry we’re closing.

MK

Been there twice and it was wonderful. Had cheeseburgers and shakes both times. The food was excellent, the service quick and the price was fine but they need to do something about the chick at the door. She is not all there.

I really don’t understand the great reviews for Swampoodle. That place is a mess and I won’t be going back. I should not have to wave my hands in the air like I’m at a ballgame to get the waitstaff to notice me. They need to serious training. The food is ok but not enough of it. I had the largest breakfast and I was starving afterwards. For the money you pay the juice should at least come with ice and please, when you clean the silverware and dishes do it in the back and not at the table in front of me. It is not appetizing.

Anonymous

The naysayers seem be significantly outweighing the positives and there seem to be some common themes to the complaints. I assume that the owner is going to stumble on or otherwise be made aware of this thread. Hopefully, some positive changes will be made. I recall the owners of The Coupe announced a big shake up after a slew of bad reviews.
As for now, I think I’ll be staying away. But I hope this place gets its act together at some point and is successful. It would be great to take advantage of a local option for breakfast – my favorite meal of the day.

anon

well, i think the food at the coupe still sucks, but service has definitely improved. and that place is always packed.

Anonymous

Expectations were fairly high because of the lack of food options in Petworth and unfortunately it doesn’t seem Slim’s was prepared or up for the task. Even with high expectations, the service and demeanor of the staff is awful. Waiting over an hour for a table and then two hours for food? It’s a diner! And with the severely limited tables, they need to bring food out faster to keep the tables moving. Did they hire people with no restaurant experience? It’s truly bizarre.

slims

Weird hostess who didn’t even smile or welcome us, waitress who looked overwhelmed, one cook who was working in slow motion, another trying to do good, but screwing up orders. Oh smelly water glasses. Will I go there again, maybe because it is so close by. But I won’t be taking my visiting family there this fall. And the prices are only one or two dollars cheaper than Ted’s. So no value for money either.

2Slow

This place makes Domku look fast. Pancakes took 50 minutes after I ordered them. This was 3 weeks after they opened. I miss Domku.

Vin

Got burgers there two weeks ago. Went in toward the end of the night — woman at register was unpleasant and uncommunicative and the burgers (3) took about an hour. And they weren’t very good (as compared to a chain like Five Guys). Was willing to head back, but unless a more positive review comes out, will probably pass.

anon

If you can go when it isn’t busy, which is never, you can get good food and service. Basically, they opened too early and are working out the processes and training the staff, so it will take some time for them to find their groove. Seems like the kitchen getting orders out is the issue, which then makes turning tables slow, and which is creating the crowds and wait. As for customer service, I’ve been twice and it has been fine.

Victoria

We ate there last week and the service was very pleasant but super slow. However, the milkshake and onion ring game was strong. I felt that for a neighborhood joint it was overpriced. The grilled cheese left something to be desired. I wouldn’t bring the pitchfork like some of these other people are saying but it was average.

Shaw

Went a few weeks ago and it was REALLY rough. Was there on a Sunday night. They have nowhere on-site for people to wait, but they held tables for twenty or thirty minutes with nobody in them for people on the list. A decent diner should be able to turn the table completely in half an hour – no reason on the planet for somewhere so small to leave them empty that long waiting on people who never did even end up coming back.
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Took well over half an hour for food to get over. Some stuff just never showed. They need to hire short order cooks who have worked at a Waffle House before – those people have a system and it works. If they want to be a diner, be a diner. If they want to be a restaurant that has a hint of diner vibe, they should have realized that space wasn’t big enough for a Ted’s. You don’t hold tables at a diner. Whoever is there gets them. You don’t offer anything that takes more than eight minutes to make at a diner. Someone at a diner should make rounds with coffee and water to refill glasses once every ten to twelve minutes. Pretty simple stuff, but it’s pretty important.
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The whole place just felt like it was a hipster who opened a diner because they thought it would be cool and never knew what actually went into running one. I came, I ate, and when I realized I could have driven all the way to the Waffle House in Frederick in the amount of time I waited for ghost guests who never came and they finally offered the table to the people who had been standing there all along, I decided that next time I had that craving, I would do just that.

Waffle House

I LOVE YOU! I actually drive to Waffle House in Frederick occasionally because like you said, you can never go wrong there! They have a system and the food is always good!
I wish they would put a Waffle House closer into DC!

miss pupusa heights

I’m pretty bummed to see all of the negative experiences that people had and wanted to shed some light on the positives. Slim’s definitely wasn’t perfect but I’m hopeful that they’ll work out the kinks in the mexr few months.

I went in last Friday at noon for lunch and there was a small wait. The hostess was pretty rude cand clearly needed an attitude check but we were seated by the window within 15 minutes. I ordered a BLT which turned out very well – would definitely go back for another. Alsp had a bloody mary that was mediocre with slushie ice that got watery pretty fast. Our waitess was very attentive even tho she was swamped. She had a positive attitude and was friendly to us despite running around. My friend got a burger that he said was excellently done. Didn’t take long to get the check and had an easy exit. I think one of the biggest things they’re missing is a busser and a welcoming hostess to set a good tone for their patrons.

I would definitely go back but I would try to go during the week because weekends are nuuuuuts! Really hope they pull thru because Petworth really needs some revitalizing as far as good food and local shops go.

On Capital Heels

I have tried to go here twice, but each time the wait was too long. So I can’t speak to the food, but I wish the place had larger seating capacity.

Sherman circle

I went last week on Tuesday and were seated quickly, and got our food within 15 minutes of putting our orders in. It was a real diner experience. The onion rings were awesome the “side salad” for $3 was could have been an entree, and my double cheeseburger was pretty good.

Definitely going back soon. Seems like there’s better service then, and based on the comments, fewer high-maintenance customers.

Anonymous

I don’t think it’s particularly high maintenance to not expect your food to come to your table an hour after it is ordered. Most of the complaints seem reasonable and there are too many of them and they are too similar to chalk it up to a few high maintenance customers.
- textdoc
  
  Agreed.
  .
  That said… although the service was slow/forgetful when I went to Slim’s, that’s not going to stop me from going back. It’s too close by and the food and boozy milkshakes are too good for me to write the place off without multiple additional tries and giving them some time to get their act together.
- Sherman Circle
  
  My point is that most of the negative reviews are from people who went on Saturday, Sunday, or over July 4 weekend. I did not have a bad experience when I went during the week, so maybe you’ll have a better experience during non-peak times too.

Maggie

I went there with one other person last Saturday and stood at the host stand with about 3 other parties for at least 10 minutes without being greeted. It looked like 2 people were in charge of waiting on and busing all the tables, as well as managing the front. I’ve worked in a restaurant so I’m always willing to give the benefit of the doubt, but not even a “hi how are you we’ll be right with you” after that long is really disconcerting. When we finally managed to grab someone’s attention and ask about putting our name on the list, they acted like we were really inconveniencing them and they really didn’t care if we were there or not. We left after another party said they’d been waiting for an hour and a half… Very disappointing, definitely will go back to give it another chance, but I so badly didn’t want to believe what I had read on Yelp!!

Shawgirl

So disappointing to read these reviews! What an epic disaster, a la the titanic.breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, but maybe we’ll stick to my home cooking. I’m not great, but I get the food served hot and on time, and I have two little kids who wake up hangout so time is of the essence! For those craving a milkshake, go to potbelly’s! I just made a root ear float at home the other day and it was amazing. We need to forget that these delicious things are so simple and cheap to make ourselves or we will become gluttons. So I guess once in a blue moon waiting 2 hrs for a runny milkshake is understandable. Forget what I said about potbelly’s,

textdoc

Have you even tried Slim’s? It sounds like you’re happy to dismiss it without even checking it out.
- dcd
  
  This happens all the time. When a restaurant gets terrible reviews in the paper, people who have a choice decide not to go. Similarly, when there are numerous reports of glacially slow and surly service, long waits for a table, and not great food, of course people aren’t going to be inclined to try it for themselves. “Hey, honey, I know we haven’t been out in a while, but how about we go to Slim’s? It’s gotten horrible reviews, and will take twice as long as it should! Sound good?”
  .
  I went for breakfast the first Sunday it was open. No wait for a table, because I was one of the first people in the door. I was by myself, and one of the first to order, and was there for just over an hour, which is too long, but again, it was the first weekend, so I don’t think that’s unreasonable – there will be some early hiccups. However, it’s 4 weeks later now, and the issues apparently are still there. That’s bordering on a problem. I’ll try it again, but early in the morning, and I question the sanity of anyone who waits more than 5 minutes for a table, much less an hour. It’s a diner.
  .
  Actually, I don’t question the sanity of those who wait – that’s unfair – but I do envy the amount of disposable free time they have. I wish I had that kind of time to waste.
  - textdoc
    
    It’s true that if this place weren’t local to me, the bad reviews would make me stay away. I still haven’t been to the Coupe, for that reason.
- Anonymous
  
  Given the bad reviews and the consistency of those bad reviews, I wouldn’t blame anyone for staying clear of this place for the foreseeable future to give it a chance to get it’s act together. I love breakfast food. And I have looked forward to this place opening. But I’m going to wait until the favorable reports outnumber the unfavorable ones before investing the time and money in getting a meal there. Especially given that many of the bad experiences came after waiting a ridiculously long time to be seated or served.

Chix

I went for dinner last Friday Jukt 22 at 6pm w my 4 yr old. I was told we will have a 20 min wait (it seems there were 2 frre boots and only 1 fam waiting outside) . I asked if we could sit in the counter, we did. My daughter just wanted egss so her food came fiest, mt took a while i ordered a veggie ruben sandwich w fries. When it came the food wast tasty/good. The counter guywho took our order and served us was friendly and polite.

Brad

Slim’s opens at 7 a.m. — or does it? This morning, Sun., July 31, I got there at 7:30, joining a dozen increasingly confused patrons who waited outside the locked door as the staff set up the restaurant. At 7:52, by which time another dozen or so would-be patrons had arrived and left, the head server unlocked the door with a warm “thanks for waiting” but no explanation.

We got our pancakes and bacon within 20 minutes of ordering, about twice as fast as the last time we were here, but none of it was particularly tasty. For now, I’m done with Slim’s.

Petworth Landlord

Been twice. First was their soft open, which I expected to be slow. I had the day off and I really just wanted to gawk at the new diner in the neighborhood, so that was fine. No wait for a solo seat at the counter. But milkshake took 15 minutes and burger took at least 45. There was some discussion behind the counter that made me believe they cooked it with the wrong cheese or something. The hostess and counter man were both very professional, and I got my after meal coffee for free. Burger was a great diner burger–greasy, no frills, double patty.

Second time I went was at the tail end of the Kojo broadcast last Friday. Obviously, there was a wait (45min for a solo counter spot but estimated by hostess at 15min…no problem, again, had day off and was mainly there to gawk at Kojo). On this 2nd visit, I learned that there are 4 seats at the counter (so half the counter) that are “no man’s land” hidden behind an 18 inch tall stainless steel wall. So the (wo)man at the counter cannot serve you from behind the counter. Someone takes your order from behind your stool. Oh lord, no. This also means you don’t get water/coffee refills. You don’t get a “how’s your meal?” I love chili, and I love meat, but the bowl of chili was basically ground beef in a bowl. Sounds good, but was not. Bowl of chili and side of fries took maybe 15 minutes. Milkshake was 5min after that, and I did have to remind them that I ordered one. (Perhaps the lady who brought my food was aware, but she presented my food and asked “if I needed anything else.” Yes–my drink, please.)

Based on my 2 visits, I’ll say their main problem appears to be speed of turning out orders (which directly impacts their ability to turn over tables quickly…and impacts host’s ability to estimate wait times)

I’m confident enough people have enough $$$ invested that they’ll turn this place around quickly. Right…?

abdc

I went for a late lunch a couple weeks back. As stated many times before, that hostess, woof. She was awful. As someone who has been a hostess at a busy restaurant before, I understand the demands and pissy customers suck to deal with, but she clearly could not have cared less and wanted to be anywhere but there. She was not even trying to help the situation whatsoever. As stated before, the tables remained empty even with several people in line waiting to be seated. Our only refuge was that the bartender/server at the bar, who happens to be the manager over at Petworth Citizen, saw how miserable we looked, took pity on us, and cleared us a space at the bar and took great care of us the rest of the visit. They were out of biscuits and gravy, but the western omelette was good, and I really enjoyed the hashbrowns. All in all it gave me more reason to continue going to Petworth Citizen…Slims, not so much. The entire experience took so long, it really just wasted our whole afternoon and inched us a few more hours to death…

Quincy-Street-Neighbor

I’ve been there twice, both at times I thought were off peak hours, i.e. late lunch and late dinner. Both times have been an exercise in patience. For late lunch, I wanted to sit at the counter. The hostess said that that area was only for milk shake orders. So I agreed to that restriction. Discovered that was a complete fabrication because the other counter sitters ordered full on meals to which I did the same. Had the Patty Melt with coleslaw – they were both great!

For late dinner, I waited 45 minutes for a seat at the counter again. The guy working the counter/milk shake station was very understanding and accommodating. Offered me the surplus of a vanilla milkshake order for my troubles. For my meal I ordered the milk shake, wedge salad, Monte Cristo sandwich with fries. You can tell they used real roasted turkey and ham, not just deli meat, in the sandwich. I really liked the wedge salad and the Monte Cristo was HUGE!!! I could only finish half of it. I agree with other reviews, they’re milkshakes are on the runny side.

I’m so hopeful for this place but it’s service is so dang SLOW there. Don’t go there hungry b/c it’ll turn you hangry. Perhaps show up there with a mild appetite. By the time you’re actually hungry, your food will be ready.

I’d rather go to Timber Pizza or Homestead for a meal. They’re way more prompt with their service!

PB

Very small which leads to long wait times. Staff seems inexperienced and not well trained, if at all. Food and drinks are nothing special and generally mediocre at best. The only thing this place really has going for it is a bit of old-school diner vibe. I would not go out of my way to go there again. Will stick to The Diner in AdMo to satisfy my weekly diner cravings. Wish there was a WAFFLE HOUSE closer to or in DC.

anon

Worst restaurant experience I’ve had in DC. Took 2 1/2 hours to have breakfast. There were empty booths and empty seats at the bar the entire time. Everything was very inefficient. It took the staff 5-6 visits to bus a table, 4 visits to take an order. The cooks spent as much time staring out the window as they did cooking. There were four people behind the counter, but there was no noise, no steam, no hustle. It’s like they’ve never been to a diner before.

Food was just OK. Given how slammed they were, I am surprised it came out cold.

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