Breken L.
Google
My boyfriend and I came here for New Year’s Eve and we were really disappointed. Our server was Deja, and she did the best given the circumstances. It’s pretty apparent that the issues are coming from higher up in front/back of house, and far beyond any server’s control.
We had a 7:15 reservation, and arrived on time. There were already 5-10 people waiting in the lobby when we arrived. I went to the host stand, and no one was there. I looked around and noticed the hostess rolling silverware around the corner. I moved so she could see me, but was still ignored. A couple minutes later, a server came up. They walked to the host stand together where then they started to argue about seating rotation and where to seat a group of guests. While they cussed each other out and attempted to problem solve, I still stood there waiting to check in. Finally the server left, and I got an annoyed, “Are you checking in?”
After checking in (almost 7:20), we were not sat until about 7:45, even though we were told “just a couple minutes, they’re cleaning your table now”. The manager had to come over and run the waitlist because the hostess seemed much more focused on her silverware rolling, water breaks, and small talk with other staff. Why she was doing cutwork on a waitlist is beyond me, because her pile of rolled silverware was more than enough.
We sat down and immediately had to change our orders for nearly everything. Moscato? Nope, we’re out. We wanted to order steak and walleye, but they were also out of both mashed and baked potatoes. This was barely 8:00 pm. Poor planning/prep by the back of house, which ends up screwing over your servers by lowering their tabs. We intended on ordering $30+ entrees but instead ordered $15ish entrees because of the side choice options.
My boyfriend ordered the French dip with tots, and I got the burger with fries. He said his was okay, nothing too exciting. I ordered my burger “with pink” and it came out with really no pink at all (see pic). I ate less than half of it.
While we ate, the hostess was rolling silverware in a booth nearby. Why that booth wasn’t open for guests/seating…I’m not sure. She also spent time sitting up at the bar, drinking water and chatting with other staff. Considering that the other host staff and manager were running around and very busy, this looked extremely unprofessional.
Lastly, as we were finishing our meal, there was another couple that was sat nearby. The manager greeted them and poured their water, but no one came back. After nearly 15 minutes, they got up and walked out. Whoever was supposed to be their server had not even stopped by to greet them or take their drink order. They left as we were looking at a dessert menu. We decided to skip it and get dessert somewhere else.
Overall, it was a really underwhelming experience. From the moment we arrived, we felt like we were an inconvenience. We did not get to try the food we wanted, and the food we did order didn’t meet expectations. This was just our experience and hopefully on a less hectic night, things run smoother. I don’t anticipate that we will be going back anytime soon.