Shel M.
Yelp
We live in Charlevoix year round and have enjoyed the Weathervane for many years. My husband and I even had our small wedding reception there because it was one of our favorite local restaurants & the staff was always accommodating to locals. However, in the last year or so, the establishment has been under new management, which has been our main source of dissapointment.
We went down to have dinner last night and wanted to sit in the bar area as we have for several years, mainly because we love the low key dining atmosphere. Typically, this is not an issue since we can usually find an open table and get service right away. However, not last night. No sooner did we sit down at a table when the manager came rushing over, asking if we had a reservation. When we told him no, he asked if we were planning to eat in the bar, to which we said yes.
We were then told that they no longer allow food service in the bar area until after 7:30pm. The bartender explained that the reason for this was so that they could allow the people with reservations to be seated & order. We sat there, contemplating our next move. Did we want to stay for 30 minutes & wait out the "reservation rush"? Or, find some place else? We stood up & started walking towards the door & I glanced toward the indoor dining seating area. More than 3/4 of the tables were empty. The manager quickly shouted, "we can seat you inside the dining area right now if you'd rather eat now".
So, let me get this straight...you're willing to serve me 30 minutes earlier if I sit 30 feet from the bar?? No thanks.
Besides this unfortunate service change, the menu itself has also changed. The quality of their steak is poor (extremely tough & fatty) & some of the old favorites are no longer on the menu. We tried to give them another chance, even with the overall decline in food quality, but our visit last night will be our last until Stafford's makes a change in management & brings back the high quality standards that they base their reputation on. To me, their current manager is too out of touch with Stafford's loyal customer base.