Serving Time Cafe / Hard Times Cafe

5 Reviews on “Serving Time Cafe / Hard Times Cafe”

• Brightpool

  Similar to Ma and Pa burger joints. I went to the Serving Time Caf for the first time on April 11, 2013, in a group with about 12 others. A few customers were already in the caf, but we took up all the remaining seats and two or three more as they became vacant.The caf is in a double-wide modular home with the kitchen taking up about half of the west side, with bathroom facilities farther down a hall on the same side. The east side, where the customers enter, has about five tables with chairs and a small room with a few more seats. They also have a wooden deck outside the east side of the building, with more tables and chairs, which can be used in nicer weather.The menu includes quite a few choices, and they do serve the breakfast items anytime during their working hours. They are open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, Monday through Friday.Our group had hamburgers and fries, the Monte Cristo sandwich, and several other items. All in my group said they liked what they had. I got the taco salad with everything, including jalapeo peppers, for $4.49 plus tax.I thought the taco salad was done well, but could have used more flavoring on the ground beef. The salad came with one 2-ounce cup of salsa and one 2-ounce cup of ranch salad dressing. I thought a 4-ounce cup of salsa would have been better, and they might have provided more if I had asked, but I worked with what I had and still enjoyed it. I would give the taco salad about 7 points on a 10-point scale. I would have given higher points for flavor on the meat and more salsa.The tip box next to the cash register represents a favorite charity, as the inmates are not allowed to have cash, as I understand it. During our visit, the tip box was for the benefit of the Primary Children’s Medical Center.

  July 12, 2013, 2:29 pm

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• Jace

  It was an awesome experience! The food was good and it was only $6 for 2 people! I highly recommend it!

  July 11, 2013, 5:39 pm

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• Alfred

  Great concept, poor execution (no pun intended). I was really excited about going to the prison to eat dinner food prepared by inmates. What a clever idea and a great way to help them learn business skills and great ready for life on the outside. However, unless you love government commissary food you’ll be greatly disappointed. Having lived through the great Kennecott Copper layoff of the 80’s and eating government food out of necessity back then, I don’t get a euphoric hankering for those flavors. The staff was very friendly and the preparation was spot on so they would be best served to go outside of the prison system and get ingredients that would allow them to cook better tasting food.

  March 13, 2012, 6:16 pm

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• Notorious

  One unique cafe. Had the philly and the meat was below average. It wasn’t cut thin nor was it very moist. The marbleing certainly didn’t help the cause. Didn’t really enjoy the fries either, but the onion rings were good. The crazy thing about this place is its location and staff. It literally sits right outside the front gates of the prison and the cooks are prison inmates. Pretty cool, if you ask me. It makes for an interesting experience. Although, had I not asked a correctional officer standing in front of me in line if they were inmates or not, I would have never known.

  December 22, 2011, 10:21 pm

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• Johnny Cage

  I went to serving time cafe this morning and I was blown away. We went as a joke and were expecting sub par food. The food was delicious!! The service was top notch and the facility was neat and clean! I will be going back multiple times.

  September 27, 2011, 8:27 pm

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