The Cookin' Mill

My husband and I have about half a dozen places around Delaware and Chester Counties that we rotate through for our "escape nights" and last week we decided to hit the Glen Mills Restaurant right off of Rt 1.

We were looking forward to sharing one of their specialty brick oven pizzas. When we got there, we discovered the name had been changed to "The Cookin' Mill". We decided to give the new place a try.

When we entered the restaurant we asked if they still made the brick oven pizzas and were assured they did. We were seated and waited about 10 minutes before being waited on. During our wait, we could easily overhear the conversation of another couple who were complaining about the quality of their pizza and the fact the crust was "doughy" rather than crisp. They also commented that it "doesn't smell right", which pretty much turned us off to having pizza at that point. They were offered a replacement pizza and told it would be right out.

We placed our orders, then I excused myself to the ladies room-- which was not clean by any standard. In my opinion, that's a really bad sign for a restaurant. By the time I returned to the table, our soups had arrived.

Right about the same time I was noticing a small bit of food encrusted on my spoon, my husband was turning up his nose at his soup. He called the waitress over and told her we needed our check immediately and would only be paying for our drinks.

When she asked why, he explained about the foul smell coming from his bowl and we showed her the food stuck to my spoon. The waitress didn't seem happy about it, but I think she could tell she wouldn't be winning that argument, so she told us to "just leave".

The couple with the pizza must have overheard. They were right behind us as we were walking down the steps to the parking lot. Outside they told us their pizza was "disgusting" and after when they realized that there had been some sort of problem with our order, they decided to just leave too.

I can't ever recall having an experience like that in any establishment. An unclean utensil is one thing-- but foul smelling food is quite another.

We will not be returning to the Cookin' Mill. It's obvious that the new owners have no idea how to run a restaurant and it would seem the kitchen staff are equally inept.

If this place is going to stay in business, they had better get someone in there that knows what they're doing. It's not just about poor quality food-- it's a food safety issue.

If you are eager for an evening of frustration and dissapointment, The Cookin' Mill is just what you need. On three occasions I have visited the restaurant for breakfast and been told that several menu items were unavailable because the ingredients were not in the kitchen. I received one outstanding omelet, but was greeted by two horrible omelets on subsequent visits. When I inquired due to the reason, I was told that the first chef was no longer at the restaurant. There is a good reason for this- the owner tends to not pay her staff. In fact, she writes them paychecks drawn on an empty account (is that legal?).
One night a group of 6, including myself and a few friends, went to 'the Mill' for a pizza dinner; the restaurant prides itself in having a great brick oven. After THREE HOURS of waiting, receiving incorrect dishes, and being ignored by the staff, we finally ate a lackluster meal.
If these examples are not enough to help with your decision to dine at The Cookin' Mill, then there is more! Occasionally you will arrive to find the restaurant closed, whether due to a lack of staff, a lack of patrons, or failure to pay their electric bill. Your service will be poor due to the staff hired for absolutely bottom dollar (usually paid under the table).
One would think that the owner would be in the restaurant working, greeting customers, or at least cleaning, but that is not the case. In a restaurant that seats probably 8 parties throughout the day, an owner needs to buckle down and do everything possible to win some business from the local community. Only then will the restaurant survive.