Middlesex Diner

Over the last 15 years i’ve been going to the Middlesex Diner whenever in the Harrisburg area often traveling out of my way to dine there. I usually ate a triple decker club plate or hot turkey sandwich platter. I always enjoyed the food, quality and portions. Over the last 2 or 3 years I began to notice the triple decker club portion getting smaller. Less meat and the restaurant began giving a small bag of chips, thrown in the middle of the food, as a substitute for the hearty portion of chips that use to come with the meal. When asked by the cashier i would give my honest opinion of the smaller portion and my dissatisfaction w/the bag of chips. The cashier was never apologetic. She never said she was sorry that i felt the way i did or make a suggestion for an alternative meal on a future visit. She became defensive and basically blamed me for being unhappy with the meal. She never took into consideration that i might actually notice the change in the plate having eaten it for many years. On my most recent visit i again mentioned the smaller portion when this cashier asked how the meal was. This time she again became defensive, defended the plate and blamed me. When i mentioned the bag of chips and the tiny portion contained within she made the excuse of it being more sanitary. I don’t know how the outside of a bag of chips that is exposed to environmental dust, dirt and possibly bugs then thrown on your plate and touching your food is more sanitary than chips being poured onto your plate from the INSIDE of the bag. This cashier was not only rude and insulting but became threatening as well. I don’t know why she asks how the food is. She made it evident that if you don’t say what she wants to hear she could care less. She identified herself as a relative of the owner and she is clearly more concerned with her own ego than customer satisfaction. I never tipped the servers any less because of the smaller portions. They only serve the food. The reason i kept ordering it and mentioning my dissatisfaction was in hope that one day i’d see the plate served in it’s prior glory. It was truly a great sandwich plate. Whereas the present reincarnation doesn’t taste bad, chips excluded, it is no longer a special dish. When I think of the many years i added miles onto my trip to dine there and the many recommendations i made to fellow business travelers it amazes me how easily this egotistical cashier brushed off both my dining experience and me as a customer. I guess i cared more about the sustained reputation, food presentation and quality of this restaurant than this relative operating the cash register. Yes there ARE many diners still offering hearty portions of quality food throughout Pennsylvania. Unfortunately the Middlesex Diner no longer lives up to it’s past that made it so special where an extra hour of traveling time was worth it.

the service is wonderfull and the food and prices are awsome.