Listen, this isn't a place people are going to generally look up a review for because if you blink, you'll miss it. But I figured for the few others in my situation, this might be helpful.
We travelled from Portland, OR to Bend over the weekend for a wedding. We started heading back home and the roads weren't clear enough so we had to pull over and stay the night in Madras. No big deal, better safe than sorry. Someone recommended coming here as they had drinks, food, and machines, so we thought why not! I'll preface my complaint with the fact that I love hometown bars- I'd prefer them any day of the week over a nice restaurant or a cocktail bar.
Here's my issue-
1. We walked in and ordered 2 drinks, and then I asked where the bathroom was. Someone in the bar told me it was outside- so I asked the bartender if I needed a key or if there was a code, and he said "I don't know. It might be locked, it might not be." It was about 25 degrees at the time, no need to be snarky. He tossed the key to me, and I figured it out from there.
2. We had made reservations at a motel heading in and thus was the reason for stopping here, our room wasn't quite ready yet. I ordered another round of drinks, assuming the bathroom situation was a one off bad experience, but the bartender aggressively said "where are your glasses???" (We had been playing lottery), I explained this and he said "you have to use your same glasses while you're here, we hand wash and that's way too much work for us to wash a new glass every time you get a new drink!!" The aggressive tone was extremely inappropriate and unwarranted. Not only that, but we're in the middle of a pandemic- I have to question it it's sanitary to force customers to use the same glass the entire time they are in the establishment?! I've never heard of any type of rule like this; especially during Covid times- even if this is the case; the aggressive nature is not needed nor appreciated.
Again, this is a small bar in a small town. It's not a hot spot or a tourist trap, but the blatantly rude treatment was unnecessary. Go somewhere else- anywhere else if you're just passing through or need a quick drink. read more
