Kevin G.
Yelp
I made reservations for my wife, Son, and myself on Mother's Day. On the Saturday before, I called because I noticed the normal hours of operation were 5:00 PM to close and my reservation was for 2:00 PM. I wanted to make sure they were open and everything would run smoothly. I was driving all the way from Sherman, TX (70.7 Miles) and I did not want any issues. I also inquired about the menu and I was told they would be running brunch until 2:00 and then they would be serving the normal dining menu. This was great because I wanted my wife to experience the table side Cacio e Pepe.
Mother's Day was a rainy day, and when we left the house, in Sherman, my GPS said we would arrive at 2:14 and would be late for the reservation that I chose. I drove pretty aggressively to get there and we arrived with 2 minutes to spare. I dropped my wife and Son off at the door and found a parking spot across the street (No Valet on Mother's day??). After I finally got inside, I found my family standing in the foyer along with several other parties. I said nothing as people continued to pile up behind and beside us. I looked at my watch and noticed that it was now 2:12 PM and we are still waiting to be seated for our "reserved" time slot and table. Finally at 2:17 we were directed to follow the host to our seat.
The waiter comes over to take our drink order and then returned to tell us that the buffet was still open and we were welcome to serve ourselves. After further inquiry...we were informed that the main menu wouldn't be available until after 5:00 PM. After some audible discontent from my end, my wife took it upon herself to inspect the buffet. Her affirmative thumbs-up signaled that it appeared passable, so we proceeded to visit the omelet station and navigate the buffet line. However, upon returning to our table, disappointment set in as the only items retaining warmth were the omelets. The potatoes, French toast, waffles, and EVERYTHING else were cold. Needless to say, we did not try anything else because it was Mother's Day, and I wanted my wife to be served... not up doing all the work herself. I will add this tidbit, and I am done.... We ordered 2 drinks off of the menu: The Sangria and the Cotton Candy Martini. When the drinks came, the Martini was a ton of cotton candy and no liquid. A few moments later, the bartender came running out with the liquor that went in the drink.
I will pause before I finish and say that our waiter was new and yesterday was his first day on the floor. I think his name was Caesar. He was nice and will be great once he gets used to the place.
With all of that said: The bill was $189.00! Now...for good food and great service...this is nothing. However,well-maintained in this instance, I could have found a better and more well-maintained buffet at some random Choice Brand Hotel. I used to work in the food industry, and I had many of them as clients, and they at least kept the food warm and ready. For $45.00 per person, I expected a LOT more! Actually, what I expected was the main menu being available because of the conversation I had with whoever answered the phone when I inquired. I normally would not write a bad review, and I rarely take the time to do so, but in this instance, I feel it is warranted! No "Reserved" Table or time slot and $189 for 3 mediocre meals and 2 drinks is hard to accept. Funny thing I noticed after leaving - we never took any photos of the food or drinks. We ALWAYS take photos of our food because we brag about having more photos of food than we do of our children. Then, years later, when they show up in out "memories," we try and guess or remember where we ate by the photos of the food. Clearly, this was a non-memorable moment, and the saddest part was we went to eat somewhere else after leaving!
