Derick G.
Google
We were really looking forward to dinner at Hugo’s as longtime weekly customers of Gibsons on Rush, we figured a night at the casino with friends followed by dinner next door would be a fun change. Unfortunately, our experience at the bar with Joe the bartender was nothing short of a disaster — and a surprising disappointment for a Gibson’s-group restaurant.
From the moment we sat down, it was clear that Joe listens to no one but himself. I ordered a Grey Goose martini, easy dirty with blue cheese olives — not a complicated drink. What arrived was a short glass with no blue cheese olives and the question, “Do you need fruit?” That set the tone for the night.
Next, he pushed soup on us relentlessly, even after we said multiple times we weren’t interested. He was so insistent that two people finally ordered soup just to end the pressure. We placed our full dinner order — appetizers, salads, steaks/fish, and sides — and within five minutes the soup, salad, and both entrées arrived at once. No pacing, no explanation, no apology — just “here it is, eat it.”
When I told him it was unacceptable that we needed to choose between soup, salad, and entrées all at the same time, his solution was to take the steak back but leave the fish at the table, guaranteeing it would get cold. A few minutes later, our crab appetizer arrived — after the entrées. At that point we were completely out of order and the meal was a mess.
We finished what we could and asked for the steak back. As expected, it was totally overcooked and crisp from sitting under a heat lamp. Meanwhile the fish was cold. At a restaurant of this caliber — especially one associated with Gibsons — this should never happen.
By the time we got the bill… we normally would have stayed for dessert and after-dinner drinks. The Turtle sundae is one of our favorites and we would’ve happily shared one with the group. But instead of owning the experience, Joe continued to blame everything and everyone but himself.
At that point, the only thing left to say was check please.
We absolutely love Gibsons and Hugo’s other locations — we’re there weekly for a reason — and we know what outstanding service looks like. This was the complete opposite. Joe has got to go, or at minimum, needs serious retraining. Hugo’s is too good a restaurant to allow the bar experience to sink like this.
