Geneseo Family Restaurant is a staple of being a Geneseo student. It is located on Main St. and is a popular destination for weekend brunch. The only competition GFR truly has in the area are Mae’s Diner and Denny’s, but students flock to GFR on the weekend due to their unbeatable prices.
Breakfast foods are what GFR does best, serving a variety of omelets and eggs as well as pancakes and French toast. Both their omelets and French toast are some of the best I’ve had; their French toast is not over or under soaked in the batter, so it has a good texture, and there is quite a variety of omelets without a wrong choice available on the menu.
When it comes to lunch, the go-to should always be GFR’s monster burger. This is a burger with the classic add-ons, except instead of buns the fillings are stuffed between grilled cheese sandwiches. While this may not be the healthiest option, it is unique and tastes great. There is even an option to substitute a veggie burger on the monster burger, but this does incur an additional fee.
The only issue with the monster burger, and other burger options at GFR, is the beef patty. The patty is very thin, so ultimately it can easily end up dry and overcooked, but when prices are as low as GFR charges, it’s to be expected.
While the restaurant does have some healthy options, the best items on the menu tend not to be good for you. This is mostly because a lot of items have a healthy base such as eggs or salad, but the add-ons that make it so tasty tend to be greasy or fattening. Ultimately, the food is still healthier than what you would be eating on campus.
GFR has fairly good service, especially considering how packed they are on the weekends. The longest wait times I’ve seen have been at most 10 to 15 minutes during their brunch rush on the weekends, which is very speedy compared to other restaurants.
The wait staff at GFR is always friendly and timely as well. The food is always prepared and served quickly, and the check is always given to you right away, so there is no issue of waiting around. The wait staff and cooks are all clearly very experienced and on top of what they need to do.
GFR has high-quality food for low prices and excellent staff. Most food is delicious and worth the trip. While there are some issues, such as lower quality burgers and a lack of healthy options, the low prices outweigh the problems.