We had five less than mediocre dining experiences at Beef n Bone between 2013 and 2015. Each time, the food was mediocre, but the service seemed to get worse. During our fifth visit, in 2015, even though the restaurant was mostly empty, we sat for thirty minutes before anyone even brought us water, and that was only after I went over to C., the owner, to ask her why we had not yet been waited on. She did not seem to be the least bit concerned that no one had "checked in" with us. After the fifth visit, we decided our time and money was better spent elsewhere.
Today we decided to try going there for dinner again, a full two years later, hoping they have been in business long enough that things have improved. When we arrived at close to 6:30 pm, there were four cars in the parking lot, and one pulling in the same time as us. Four people in the car that pulled in when we did started to go in the door ahead of us. However, two of them ended up standing off to the left, telling us to go into the building ahead of them, as the other two people had to go back to the car for something. When we got into the building, C., the same person referenced above, immediately asked me if we had a reservation. I said no. She appeared quite annoyed. I was surprised by that, as the restaurant obviously had many empty tables. She then wanted us to "check in" by giving her my name and phone number. I was also surprised by that, as we have never had to give our name and phone number to a restaurant unless we were making a reservation. C. was quite insistent. She appears quite determined to "put on airs." I had the same impression I had each and every time I had encountered her on our previous visits - her supercilious demeanor truly takes away from the dining experience. This is Montana - just being yourself goes a long way. The Beef n Bone is not a fancy restaurant. There really is no point in acting as if it is.
The entire meal would have been much more enjoyable had she just let us order our meal without continually telling us what "the lady" or "the gentleman" needed. As it was, she did not listen even when we told her. Nonetheless, the food was okay - it was not any better or any worse than the last time we were there in 2015, still just mediocre. The kicker today was that when she brought the bill, she automatically said something about, "I'll give this to the gentleman", never once considering the possibility that I would be paying the bill. As I was just about finished writing a check to pay the bill, C. came over and loudly said, "We don't take checks - you will have to give me a debit card or a credit card." (Is cash not an option either?) As I handed her my debit card, I said, "Perhaps you could have told me that before I wrote a check?" She said, "You should have read the signs - there is one outside and one where you checked in." (I did not see either sign. I looked for the sign outside when we left. It is behind where the two people were standing who told us to go ahead of them. I did not see the one where we "checked in", possibly because C. pounced on me immediately to require my name and phone number just to eat dinner there.) A simple, appropriate response on her part would have been to have just said, "I'm sorry, you must not have seen the signs that say we no longer accept checks." I realize C. owns the place, so she can put on all the airs she likes, and be as rude as she likes, but her personality and demeanor alone makes us once again inclined to not take the time to drive back to Ulm for quite awhile, if at all. Great Falls is a small town with a minimum number of excellent restaurants. We do not need to "check in" to the ones worth going to, unless we are making reservations. We go to them often enough that they know who we are, and their owners genuinely appreciate our patronage. They do not need to "put on airs." read more