Guest opinion of Reno’s Black Bear Diner

I received the following message about a disappointing experience at the Black Bear Diner in Reno. While I clearly cannot verify what happened, I’m happy to provide a forum for people to tell about their dining experiences – good or bad.

At about 8:00 p.m., Sunday, October 1, my wife and I supped at the Black Bear Diner on S. Virginia in Reno, one of the cities that never sleeps. We were informed by the waitress that there was no more soup and no more salad, two items that are offered with any dinner. There was no mention of a substitute (dessert, for instance) or price adjustment. Too weary from our long day’s drive to seek another place, we ordered: grilled cheese sandwich and hot tea for my wife, and a chicken-fried steak for myself.
Well, right off, my wife had to send back a dirty cup. When the food arrived, my wife’s grilled cheese sandwich was extremely greasy. My chicken-fried steak consisted of a microscopically thin slice of meat encased in a hard and greasy batter, all swathed in a colorless but salty “gravy”. There was also a side dish of lkewarm green beans immersed in a murky sea of pot liquid. Normally not a fussy eater, I left most of my dinner untouched on the plate, as did my wife with hers, eliciting no response from the waitress.
Our dinner choices in no way justify Black Bear Diner’s claim of providing wholesome, healthy, family-like food. Altogether, the place seemed to be run by a staff of very young people with little experience and more interest in each other than in customer service. I would not grade this place, even with an F, but would simply not go there.
Hank Slangal