Gold Mine Café

This place is awesome regardless if you eat there for breakfast or lunch. Menu is extensive and the prices can’t be beat. They also stay open for dinner on Friday with a limited menu. Desserts are fantastic as well as the daily specials.

The reason Gold Mine inly has 3 stars on Unilocal is the location… gas station does not represent the quality of the food served! The food and service is awesome! My only complaint is that they’re not open for dinner ;-) The Catfish and sweet potato fries are the best. I’m new to the area, this is a favorite eating spot for me!

Ordered: The «Special.» Two Eggs Over Well. Livermush. Sausage Gravy Biscuits. Ice Water. $ 4.27.
It took approximately twenty minutes for my food to be prepared. I was starting to get restless.
The food was tasty. The eggs were cooked a little under well, but that probably made them taste better. The Livermush was deep fried and it was extra crunchy. Truth be told, it probably was fried a minute too long. The sausage/​gravy only contained one small piece of sausage. After my liberal application of salt and pepper, it didn’t make much difference.
Service? The last several times that I have eaten here the service has gotten progressively worse. Today I waited about five minutes for a waitress to approach my table. She ridiculed me because I only ordered ice water. She never returned to ask how my food was, or to refill my glass. She basically hung out in the kitchen talking to the other «girls.» So, it was basically no service today. She was rewarded with a suitable tip.
A lot of people eat here each day, and the café is well thought of by the locals, who are mostly day laborers, retirees, and contractors. The restaurant is clean. Gold Mine Café is not a bad place for breakfast or lunch by any means. Just don’t be in any hurry for your food, or expect stellar service, and you should be okay.

Ordered: The «Special.» Two Eggs Over Well. Livermush. Sausage Gravy Biscuits. Ice Water. $ 4.27.
It took twenty minutes for my food to be prepared, and I was starting to get restless. The restaurant wasn’t busy either.
The food was tasty. The eggs were cooked a little under well, but that probably made them taste better. The Livermush was deep fried and it was extra crunchy. Truth be told, it probably was fried a minute too long. The sausage/​gravy only contained one small piece of sausage, which was definitely not the way that it was served in my southern home.
Service? The last several times that I have eaten here the service, which was once outstanding (Jessica), has gotten progressively worse. Today, I waited about five minutes for a waitress just to approach my table. She ridiculed me because I only ordered ice water, which I REALLY did not appreciate. She never returned to ask how my food was, or to refill my glass. She basically hung out in the kitchen talking to the other «girls» ignoring customers. So, it was basically zero service today. She was rewarded with a suitable tip of $ 0, which equaled her surliness and inattention.
ALSO:
I was astounded that the young girl doing the cooking had precooked at least a pound of bacon to a brittle state — in order to save time I suppose. She had then stood the bacon strips upright in a ceramic container to be used for breakfast orders. This resulted in brittle, COLD, bacon which was extremely unappetizing. I saw this while settling up my bill at the register. Since then, I have avoided ordering their bacon! I’ve never seen this done anywhere else, and to me it is the sign of a lazy and/​or inexperienced cook. Serving cold bacon is inexcusable in a southern kitchen!
A lot of people eat here each day, and the café is well thought of by the locals, who are mostly day laborers, retirees, and contractors.
The restaurant is clean.
Gold Mine Café is not a bad place for breakfast or lunch by any means. Just don’t be in any hurry for your food, or expect stellar service, and you should be okay. It also pays to know what to order and what to avoid.
I think that this restaurant has great potential because the owners seem like nice caring folks.
The location shouldn’t matter if the food is outstanding. Some of the best food that I’ve ever eaten has been in places that were out of the way. Using the Field of Dreams philosophy…“if you build it, they will come,” also applies to restaurants that make excellent food. Harvest Moon Grille in Lincolnton NC is a prime local example of this caveat.
—- Update: It is now 2016, and I haven’t been back in 2 ½ years. That’s how bad the service had become. Good luck!