The Egg Station

It's easy to miss The Egg Station, driving in Mulberry -- it lives in a plaza that's set back from the road, and doesn't really grab the eye. This is a common problem along Shepherd Road, and the two restaurants that occupied the space prior to The Egg Station suffered greatly from location-based troubles. Some locations work against a restaurant; this plaza has that problem, and honestly, I didn't expect The Egg Station to thrive in it, no matter how strong their offerings were.Then I noticed the parking lot full, and folks parked two deep on the adjacent grass, during its business hours. On weekdays. At 10:30am. At 7:30am. This place is hopping pretty much around the clock, when open -- indeed, if you're looking for a quiet time there, try dropping in at one in the afternoon, or right as doors open in the morning -- and any place that can regularly achieve crowds like that is worth a visit.I'm so glad I did. This is exactly the breakfast and lunch spot that Mulberry has sorely needed. Big enough to handle its crowds, staffed amply enough that food reaches table quickly and drinks stay topped off, open and inviting, a little noisy at times, but I've never seen it too noisy to visit with your tablemates, and hey, the sound of fellow happy people is a good thing. And yet, what really makes The Egg Station stand out is a large crew with some of the best camaraderie and team interaction I've seen to date. The manager clearly understands, and appreciates, the need for a lower guest to employee ratio, even with the additional cost involved, and more, this team works together beautifully. I typically sit at the counter, and there, I'm treated to pieces of the conversations between employees. I listen to them look out for one another, coordinate tasks, catch up recognizably as friends with a degree of sincerity that's a little disarming, in a world full of corporatized restaurant culture and artificial mock-warmth. Nothing's plastic about this crew's smiles, or their commitment to one another, to their guests, and to the restaurant, and their warmth is quite contagious. This is a really, really special group of people, and as much as I like the food -- it's simple, straightforward breakfast and lunch fare, few surprises, but that's exactly what a place like this ought to be -- it's the people that bring me back, again and again. Having my morning meal in an atmosphere of warmth, cooperation and positivity sets the tone for the rest of my day, and I really do feel that The Egg Station's not simply selling breakfast and lunch, but also selling the climate in which we enjoy that meal, and the experience of being surrounded by a particularly well-run restaurant full of warm, welcoming hosts. Many places offer an adequately warm experience; this one has offered, every time I visited, an unforgettably, upliftingly warm experience, and that's quite unusual.I've not tried lunch fare there, but the breakfasts are quite good. Simple, classic, effective, no great surprises on the menu, what arrives at your table will be exactly as the description suggested, and again, that's very much what you're likely after for brunch; the morning's too early for playful amuses-bouche or daring fusion cuisine experiments. Instead, you'll find solid, dependable American breakfast classics. The omelets are particularly good, the eggs crepe-thin, solid ingredients cooked into them, cheese in the middle as the egg-crepe is folded over onto itself. This is a really nice touch, and makes the omelet structurally sound, easy to dice up and dine upon, and the stratification really helps the flavors to stand out. (Their bacon and cheese omelet was, to my surprise, particularly a standout this way.) The half-shaved, half-smashed classic home fries are a splendid complement, nicely browned and crisp at the edges, tender and still fluffy in the middle. Folks in more of a carbohydrate mood would do well to check out the fruit-filled French toast, often in rotation on the daily specials -- it really is like eating pie for breakfast, and while it proved a bit too rich for me, I cannot help but imagine it's likely to be many folks' favorite menu offering. The coffee's smooth and well-paired to the entrees, a light morning blend with a surprising, if subtle-building, caffeine kick.I struggle to find criticism; my only real point of could-be-better is that the front reception area was clearly not designed for the kind of volume this place attracts -- it's a bit small. The young lady working the register does a great job keeping traffic flowing, mind you, but at peak hours, when there's both a line for a table and a line to pay, the front foyer area can get crowded. Be patient, smile, and accept that the place is simply more popular, and busy, than anticipated. This is the brunch restaurant Mulberry needed. Solidly good food, but more, spectacular people and atmosphere. They really brighten my morning; may they brighten yours too.

After reading some people recommend The Egg Station on Facebook my wife and I decided to give it a try for a late Sunday breakfast. We arrived at 11:00am and the place was full which is a good sign. Unfortunately, that was about the last of the goodness. We weren't greeted and guests at a table near the door told us to seat ourselves. We found one of the last two open tables (several were waiting to be cleaned off) and our server came by about 4 minutes later to give us menus and take our drink order. Drinks were delivered quickly but what followed was a painfully long wait for our food which wasn't delivered to the table until 12:10pm. Yes, that's right. It took over an hour to deliver my wife's order of sausage gravy and my two eggs with hashbrowns and bacon. I was told my toast was 'on its way' but it never arrived and there were no drink refills offered the entire time we were there. While we waited we overheard servers telling new guests it would be a hour wait and several guests left. It took both my wife and me 6 minutes to clean our plates and then we sat (still toast less) waiting for our bill even though by that time the place was half empty of guests. Our bill was delivered to the table at 12:26pm with no ask if we wanted anything else and I noticed it had a timestamp of 11:11am. We mentioned to our server my toast never showed and that it wasn't a big deal but just wanted to let them know. She took back the bill, crumpled it with an honest apology and brought a new one back with a 10% discount. Overall, the food was alright but the speed of the kitchen staff and service was enough to make this a one-n-done for us.

To be honest I was kind of disappointed. First off it took 25 minutes to get our food and once it arrived it wasn't anything special when compared to other places that "specialize" in breakfast. I've had egg sandwiches from McDonald's that are better than what my wife ordered. The waffle was okay but the strawberries had to be out of the can there was nothing fresh about them. The biscuits and gravy was the best part if the meal. Probably won't go back. On a positive note service was good other than food taking forever.

The food is very good.The people serving it are really nice and it's always a pleasure to come in and get a good breakfast for a reasonable price.

This was our last try...your feet stick to the floors, the restaurant is dirty, the bathrooms are disgusting so I'm afraid what the kitchen looks like. Based on the front of the diner I think it needs shutdown.

The food was good, but extremely slow. Breakfast took an hour. My guess is substantially understaffed. Our waitress seemed overwhelmed, as did the rest of the staff.

We came here to eat with my grandparents who just moved to the area. We sat at a table that had ads all over it, so my fiancé asked our waitress how much it is to get on the table. she replied "i don't know baby he just gives me stuff you have to fill out a card". Okay thanks lol. She takes our order without writing anything down. Brings out my grandpas food wrong. No side and the egg was cooked wrong. she never apologized, not even once. she came to check on us maybe twice after we got the food. we had to wave her down to get more coffee... the floor was so sticky it felt like my shoes were about to be ripped off my feet. the bathrooms were absolutely disgusting, and there's at least 10 flies swarming our table and our food. that was our last time coming here. this place is so disgusting.

Food was not cooked to order. The service was awful. I will not be back, ever. Sorry, I use to like it there.

Wonderful service. The waitress on duty was so friendly and attentive.Delicious Breakfast and coffee.Great prices.

Awful service. Food was cold and cafeteria like. The floor was sticky and the table was broken. Skip it