Its in this spot that I usually provide the name, address and phone number of the restaurant that I am reviewing. That way readers of the site can easily get a map so that they can try the place. However, with the Maple Leaf Restaurant, I don't want anyone to try this place.
I had heard from a friend that the Maple Leaf Restaurant had a really good buffet on Sunday mornings. That person is no longer my friend. This was the single worst restaurant experience I have had in the last five years. Hands down. What's really amazing is that the place was absolutely packed, so there were a lot of people in Chardon disappointed that day. Although I was seated pretty quickly, it was easy to see the entire restaurant was in complete chaos. Plates piled up on tables, filthy bathrooms, a line at the buffet 3 miles long, you name it, it was wrong.
While I normally focus on the food when I review a restaurant doing so here would be missing the point. There were a number of people working at the Maple Leaf Restaurant, yet it appeared as if only one of them, a lady in her 40's or 50's, was the only one that actually did anything. This wonman was working nonstop, yet she still remained friendly. I'm guessing she was one of the owners. If so, she needs some management lessons. There were employees just wandering around aimlessly. When I finally arrived to the buffet line there were no plates left. Well I shouldn't say that, there were two plates left, but I sure as hell wasn't going to eat off of them. They had hair and pieces of food stuck all over them. Funny, didn't see that on the menu. Anyway, I asked a petite dark-haired girl with a unibrow if she could get some plates for the buffet. She walked away, apparently unable to hear me, only to return again to stand in her assigned space. I asked again, if I could get some plates, she quickly snapped "They are on their way'! Yikes! Maybe you shouldn't be in the food service industry honey. She was equally a b*tch when I paid her at the register. I hope she gets fired because she truly deserves it. I can guarantee you this much, if she wasn't such a pain in the ass, I wouldn't be writing this now.
How was the food? Piss poor, but I wasn't expecting much going into the Maple Leaf. It was a cheap breakfast buffet at $5.99, so you shouldn't go in with visions of the Ritz buffet. It was your regular breakfast buffet food: eggs, sausage, bacon, pancakes, french toast and hashbrowns. I've had better cheap buffets, but the chaos of the restaurant made it even worthless to make a return trip up to the steamer table.
Although the food was barely acceptable, the service wasn't. I know I'll never be returning and I hope that I save someone the money and frustration of visiting the Maple Leaf.
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