Worst dining experience! My husband, my son, and I came to Tap House Grille for dinner while…read morestaying at our vacation home nearby, and it was one of the worst restaurant experiences we've ever had.
We arrived around 7:45 p.m., ordered drinks, and then waited an entire hour before receiving our appetizer--after the restaurant had mostly emptied out. The "nachos" were nothing more than broken tortilla chips topped with vegetarian chili and a few jalapeños. There was virtually no cheese, and I had to ask for sour cream. To make matters worse, they were served with paper plates.
During that entire hour, our waitress never once checked on us. She never apologized for the wait, never refilled our drinks, and never asked if we needed anything. We honestly thought our order had been forgotten.
The atmosphere wasn't much better. We heard other tables complaining, glasses crashing to the floor, and the entire evening felt like we were on a prank show.
By 9:15 p.m.--an hour and a half after arriving--we still hadn't received our entrees, which were simply a grilled chicken salad, chicken fingers with fries, and a kielbasa dinner. I can't comment on the food because we never got it.
At 9:20 p.m., I politely got up and asked our waitress how much longer it would be. Without even looking up, she snapped, "She's working on it." No apology. No explanation. Just attitude.
At that point, we'd had enough. I asked for the check for our drinks and appetizer so we could leave. She stormed away. When she returned, she dropped the check on our table--which still hadn't been cleared from the appetizer--and walked away. When I asked her what her name was, she ignored me completely.
I then asked the blonde bartender for the waitress's name. She first told me it was Paula, then quickly corrected herself and said, "Oh wait, it's actually Jess," once she realized why I was asking, so I'm still not sure which is correct. The waitress appeared to be a heavy-set woman in her late 30s or early 40s with brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, which should help management identify who waited on our table.
Before we left, we overheard the bartender telling two guests that there was only one server and one bartender working, another employee had been called in too late to make a difference, and the cook on duty wasn't the strongest, which was why the kitchen was so slow. While I understand that staffing shortages happen, none of this was ever communicated to us. A simple explanation and apology would have gone a long way.
I paid the bill and left.
We have a vacation home just 15 minutes away and dine in the area often. Unfortunately, after this experience, we will never return. Between the excessive wait, poor communication, rude service, and disappointing food, this was easily one of the worst restaurant experiences we've had.
