Village Inn Pancake House Restaurant

I go to the Village Inn (in the Lloyd District of Portland) when I want breakfast and coffee – or Country Fried Steak.  A country fried steak tastes better with dark gravy, not sausage gravy, so that is how I order it.

Don’t you?

Denny’s has always told me they don’t have dark gravy.

Village Inn doesn’t pour fresh coffee every few minutes.  They put a carafe or thermos on your table and you fill your own cup.  I like that and dislike it at the same time.  I miss the attention when a server comes by and fills your coffee cup.  Of course, I also get cranky when no one comes to fill up my coffee.

I have to admit, though, I like the convenience of having the coffee on my table.

I went to the Village Inn with my wife and her daughter yesterday.  I ordered two eggs (fried hard), some strange kind of potatoes that weren’t home fries or hash browns, four slices of bacon, and whole wheat toast.  I meant to order the toast “dry,” but forgot.

Then I made a bacon and egg sandwich.  I like bacon and egg sandwiches.

I like coffee.  Two sugars.  One cream.

I like booths.  Village Inn has booths.

I’ve almost always liked the food.  It is like fast food (but better), they take your order at the table, you can relax, and you get refills on your coffee.

Did I mention that I like coffee?

What I don’t like?  I don’t like paying my bill at the cash register.  I would rather give my cash or card to the waiter or waitress (who is now called a server).  The server would probably just give it to the cashier or the manager.

But I wouldn’t have to do it.

Plus, I try to leave my tip on the table.  If you use your card at the cash register, you have to put in the amount of tip.  If you’ve left the tip on the table, write “zero” for tip.  Then the manager looks at it and thinks you are stone cold cheap.  He doesn’t know you left the tip on the table.

If you have a debit card, it doesn’t matter.  They treat it like a credit card.

I realize it is probably more cost-efficient to do it the Village Inn’s way, but I like it when the waiter (waitress) pours your coffee and takes your money.

You can’t miss the Village Inn.  It is between Broadway and Weidler on 10th (Tenth) Street, next to Safeway’s parking lot.  They have a big huge orange sign on the two major roads.