Clinton E.
Yelp
Looking to spend some quality time with your family? Take them here where you'll spend 3 hours waiting on service, food and drinks.
This place has been around for years and I've have been here more times then I can count. Went as a kid as young as I can remember all through high school and into my adult years.
Reservations for 8 people at 630, seated at 630. No acknowledgement we were even at the table or given drink options like a typical restaurant. Water was on the table. Had 5 glasses, 5 silverware and no other drinks until 710pm. Food order went in at 710pm.
Onion rings are the classic favorite. Out of the portobello mushroom app, so got the regular one.
Got some drinks, remaining water glasses around 720.
Got the appetizers around 730ish.
Relish tray which is a favorite from when I was a kid came around 745.
We are at an hour and 15 mins at this point, no entree yet.
I noticed all the two and four seat tables were getting food before all the large tables of 6 or more. I also noticed one group who got seated a solid 30 mins after us, walking out sometime around 8pm who had already eaten and didn't have a reservation. I'm not sure how that makes sense other than they are serving the smaller tables first and leaving the big tables for last.
Food arrived at 849pm; that's 2 hours and 19 mins after arrival. I don't know about you, but this isn't acceptable in the restaurant industry. Even a deep dish pizza in Chicago doesn't take this long. Every entree is the same thing as well, baked potato that is precooked, and your broiled/fried breaded meat of fish, chicken, Turkey or steak. Just seemed like they didn't make the big table orders and pushed all the small tables first to try to get more people through.
Most people's fish that came out was a little dry. My father commented his fish hadn't seen any water in about a year it was that dry. I tried to order rainbow trout but they were out. I had the grouper which wasn't bad. My niece had 'fresh shrimp', which were 6 mid-sized shrimp broiled for $22. They were cooked hard and a little burnt on the edges, just over cooked. Seems a bit much for 6 shrimp.
The alcoholic ice cream drink called a Brandy Alexander, those are the reason we've gone there for years, because for whatever reason they get those right.
Waitress of course was working so many tables I lost track of how many. I think there were three servers for the entire restaurant, not joking... and it has been this way for years, to be honest.
If you want a faster meal go in groups of four or less and sit separately during a busy night. If you go in a group of 5 or more, we saw everyone in the same situation; waiting a long time for their food with barely any notice or drink refills from the waitress. If you want something you either go to the bar and request it; or have to find/stop the waitress to get her attention to get something. I would suggest not ordering/changing your order as that will add even more time to the wait.
Unfortunately this is the way things have gone for countless number of years on a busy Saturday night. They need more than three waitresses for the entire restaurant; need a hostess stand and not have the hostess work the bar and buss tables; the bartender should actually stay at the bar to work drinks. There is no hostess station btw; so you pleasantly wait by the door for the hostess who works the bar to come great you.
Like I said, three hours of quality time with your family and friends waiting on a pricey piece of fish and baked potato.
I'd like to give this place more stars just for the historical fact the restaurant has been around for 60+ years, but service of the larger groups has definitely changed in the past 10 years. Not sure what they need to do different in the kitchen but it doesn't work. They need more waitresses period. A waitress should work 1/4 of a max capacity restaurant, I.e. around 10-12 tables at once; to include big party tables of 6 or more.
Don't go if your in a hurry and have more than 5 people on a weekend night. Guessing it's not bad when they aren't busy, but we won't be going for anymore holidays; that's for sure. 2 1/2 hours for an entree is just too long, especially when it's a fried piece of frozen seafood and a baked potato.