The Coop- Review

The Coop 
Final Review: 3 out of 5 stars

​Sometimes, the only time you get uninterrupted time with other moms is at 9 am on a Friday. My friend Amanda and I decided semi-last minute (and by last minute I mean 5-7 days ago because let's be honest, when you have kids you have to plan things waaaaay in advance) to try out a restaurant we had heard a lot about in Winter Park: The Coop

I was excited to try The Coop because the same people who own 4Rivers own it, and I looooove me some brisket and mac and cheese and french fries. And Cheerwine. Amanda picked me up right at 9, and we braved I-4 traffic into the charming Winter Park district. Amanda has a thing for taking pictures of cool murals and walls, so before we went in, we pretended we were Insta-famous and took a few cute shots of the painted walls on the outside of the building. 

The place was pretty empty (because normal people are at work at 9 am on a Friday), so we went right up to the counter and ordered. I knew from the get-go that I was going to get chicken and waffles; it's my go-to when it comes to breakfast. I also got a soft drink (Hi I'm Diana, and I'm a Dr. Pepper addict), and my total was $14 and change. Amanda ordered the Caramelized Croissant French Toast and asked for no pecans. We had a whole conversation with the woman at the counter about that fact that although she's not allergic, she just really doesn't like pecans. (Sidenote: Who doesn't like pecans?!) The nice woman at the counter gave us our numbers, and we picked a seat. 

As we chatted about mom life, my plate of chicken and waffles came to the table. Amanda's French Toast didn't come at the same time, so we waited and chatted about travel and mom life and potty training. You know, the usual mom conversation topics. 

​And then we realized it had been at least another 10 minutes since my food had come out and the French Toast was nowhere in sight. We noticed another customer approach the counter with her number and asked a manager about the status of her food, so we assumed we weren't the only ones waiting for our food. 

Finally, we saw a waitress coming toward us with a plate, and we were excited to be able to eat. And, like in slow motion, the dish was placed in front of Amanda.

With pecans.

She politely reminded the sweet employee that she had requested no pecans, and she rushed back to make it right. Just a few minutes later, a beautiful plate of French Toast came back to the table, sans pecans (hey that rhymes).

We poured the restaurant's signature maple bacon syrup all over our plates and enjoyed. My plate of chicken and waffles was good, and the portion size was impressive, but overall, it was fried chicken and four mini waffles. Good, but not great. Her French Toast wasn't as sweet as expected, but it was colorful and topped with fresh berries that made it a very pretty dish. 

We ventured out to the patio where we found another painted mural wall and took a few pictures. The patio would be a cute place to hang out at night, with ample picnic tables and string lights. We were a little confused about the phrase on the wall. Anyone else see an issue?

Overall, I'd give The Coop three out of five stars. The staff was friendly, the atmosphere was cute and clean. The food? Decent but maybe not worth $15. 

We loved Winter Park and want to do another mom date there again soon. Where should we go?