Morgen V.
Yelp
I would not recommend this restaurant. James Pharo, the owner & manager, & his staff are unprofessional and disparagingly rude to repeat customers. Below is my experience:
The 4th time I ordered from the Karlton Cafe since I arrived in town 1 month ago. I was moderately satisfied the first 3 times I ordered from the Cafe, nothing gourmet and nothing to write home about but, fair enough to satisfy an appetite. I ordered a potato pancake as my 4th order for my teenager. I got a burnt, see-through hash brown instead of a pancake (see posted pictures). I called Karlton Cafe to request a refund since the menu said "pancake," not "hash brown." The young female server said James Pharo would call me back. Then, I drove to Pumpernicks Deli in Montgomeryville to get an authentic potato pancake.
I had not received a return phone call in well over a day so I drove to the Karlton Cafe to request my refund & return my order. Instead of listening to my concerns, the same young blonde server and the owner himself, James Pharo, began to argue with me about the mechanics of making a potato pancake. When I asked James, the owner & manager why he did not return my phone call, he yelled "I don't think I needed to call YOU back to argue with YOU over something YOU ordered off of our menu." After he tried to argue with me for literally over 5 minutes over an $8.50 "pancake," he finally gave me a gift card. Unfortunately, I won't be using it there. On my way out the door, the blonde waitress said "Hope you do really well" in a sarcastic sing-songy voice. I would think that during these hard times, a business would be interested in keeping the repeat customers they have instead of rudely driving them away & prompting an unfavorable review. Furthermore, the owner, James Pharo, had a very slovenly appearance wearing a college tee filled with holes and he had unkempt, wily facial hair. His appearance was dirty. Thumbs totally down. Rude, unprofessional & lack of hygiene is a major concern, especially during these times.