On a Sunday afternoon with not much to do, the Scutch Family decided to take a drive to the small town of Rockford.  Among the cute, small shops that the town has to offer, Arnie’s Bakery & Restaurant stood along the Rogue River.  We noticed it as we were driving toward the river and saw the big, red sign that said “Arnie’s.”  We decided to stop in.

When we first walked in, we were greeted by a friendly hostess; however, she was uncertain about what seats were available in the dining area and we had to wait a few minutes for her to decide where to seat us.  We then followed her to our table which happened to have a view of the downtown area.

Our waitress came out to welcome us and to take our orders, about five minutes after being seated.  She was very enthusiastic and welcoming, considering that Arnie’s Bakery & Restaurant was packed to capacity for lunch hour.  

I ordered half of a chicken salad sandwich as well as half-size lettuce wedge salad and my sister, Kristen, ordered the chicken tenders with fries and a side salad.  Soon after, the waitress took our menus away, and we continued to chat and take in the atmosphere of this well-known local restaurant.

Like I said before, Arnie’s Bakery & Restaurant is set on the Rogue River.  This allows for a nice, pleasurable view while eating.  Even though we were seated on the “street side,” we could look across the restaurant through the windows on the opposite side to see the river area.  Unlike the Arnie’s Bakery & Restaurant at the Beltline and 28th Street, the dining area is much smaller, which obviously does not allow for as large a capacity.  In my opinion, the restaurant in Rockford is slightly crowded.  I am surprised that the staff is able to maneuver quickly through all the closely placed tables.

After approximately fifteen minutes of waiting, our food was served.  Unfortunately I had a few complaints.  I asked for my salad and sandwich without tomato yet when it arrived, it was topped with tons of chopped tomatoes (which I had to pick off).  The chicken in the chicken salad was tough and chewy.  Also, they did not ask me my choice of substitute salad dressing knowing that the blue cheese dressing that I ordered was out.  Instead, they used ranch dressing and bleu cheese crumbles.  I suppose it was fine, however, I would have liked to have known up front as I might have chosen a different dressing.

Arnie’s Bakery & Restaurant offers a free cupcake with every entree.  I ordered a chantilly cupcake and my sister ordered an Oreo cupcake.

The cupcakes were served to us promptly and were placed on warm, heated plates, which I think was a nice touch.  To me, it’s hard to go wrong with cupcakes, and we both thought they were delicious.

Would I return here again?  To be honest, I do not know.  The staff seemed a bit untrained and unorganized.  From not knowing what tables were readily available, to not honoring my “no tomato” request, to creating substitutes without asking, I was a bit disappointed with the service.  However, this restaurant does have an excellent location and generally the food is tasty and appealing.

To conclude, I would recommend Arnie’s Bakery & Restaurant in Rockford to someone who does not mind a crowded dining area.  I do think that this restaurant has more cons than pros to offer.  Hopefully, our visit just fell on an “off” day.