Doug G.
Yelp
Bottom line: Get your groceries here. But probably avoid the restaurant. I'd say they have a 3.5-star store, 2.5-star deli/ food, and a 1-star seating area for the restaurant.
There's a lot to like about this place. It's small, but the prices and produce are good. They also have a decent bulk foods selection.
Why only three stars? Two reasons:
First, while I applaud their efforts to provide shelter for those that need it in their restaurant, it creates a setting that I (and apparently others, based on the reviews), don't feel comfortable settling into.
Case in point: today I went into the store via the restaurant sitting area on the side. The only people in there were six unkempt dudes. No biggie unto itself. But they had an "attitude" that was a bit bewildering. One of them said "Hey YOU, how are YOU?" when I walked in. He was definitely wanting to get a reaction from me.
I just kept walking into the store without making contact. But he said something sarcastic (I couldn't make it out) to one of the others there. To me, that affirmed what others have said in their reviews here ... the restaurant simply isn't the kind of place (esp. if you're a woman by yourself) you'll find relaxing.
I know Siskiyou County is poor, and there are a lot of people just trying to make it through the winter. So I'm not sure what the answer is. But it's sad that restaurants like Berryvale's have to serve as perhaps the only places for the homeless and less fortunate to hang out.
Secondly, they seem to be pretty relaxed about people bringing their dogs into the store. For example, the other day I went in and a woman (who seemed to be in fine physical condition) walked right on in with her dog on a leash.
No service insignia or anything on the dog, and no signs that she needed one. AND she came in through the restaurant side and ANOTHER dog in the restaurant barked at her dog. So there were TWO dogs in the store at once.
There are a lot of reasons why this is not cool. For starters, it's against the law. Second, dogs can (and do) urinate and poop in a store; they are a sanitation problem. Third ... they can be a safety hazard - attacking children, etc. But lastly, it's an incredibly bad disservice and an affront to people who DO need real service dogs.
I didn't see any attempts by the store to tell her to take her dog out as she shopped away.
If there were another option, I would go there. But - unless you want to go to Ray's huge supermarket - there isn't. I wrote the manager ... it'll be interesting to see if it makes any difference.
UPDATE: I did get a nice response from Berryvale. They apologized about the woman who brought in her dog, and said they would make further efforts to try to keep people from bringing their pets into the store.
Kudos to them for their response.
