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Cosmo “Spencer” Curtatone
Feb 3, 2026
My mom and I were longtime customers of Dempsey’s. That ends now.
We came in around 9 a.m. for breakfast and immediately noticed the dining room was nearly empty. By the time we left, it was obvious why.
My mom ordered two eggs with toast and sausage. I ordered three eggs with toast and bacon. We also shared a side of sausage, home fries, and corned beef hash.
The food was awful.
The home fries were bland and forgettable. The sausage tasted like the cheapest frozen links you can buy at a grocery store. The corned beef hash—ordered well done—was paper-thin and cooked to death, dry, flavorless, and unpleasant. Nothing tasted fresh, homemade, or remotely worth the price.
The menu itself says everything you need to know. It’s so small and bare that instead of food options, the pages are packed with countless local ads just to fill the empty space. Fewer choices, lower quality—and somehow much higher prices.
Then came the bill.
$70. For breakfast for two people.
Eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, and a few sides—basic diner food—priced like a luxury brunch. My mom and I have ordered this exact meal here for years and it has never cost anywhere near that. The quality has dropped while the prices have become absurd.
Now it makes sense why the dining room was empty. These prices clearly aren’t meant for regular customers anymore. They seem aimed at a small group of retirees willing to burn through their pensions on wildly overpriced diner food—because no one else can justify paying this much for such a mediocre meal.
This isn’t inflation. It’s price gouging.
My mom and I will never return. We’ll be taking our business elsewhere—Donut Villa included—where the same food is served at reasonable prices and customers aren’t treated like walking ATMs.
Dempsey’s didn’t lose us to competition.
They priced us out and drove us away.