Big Lug is a very cool spot right off the Monon, and even better if you have a pooch with you!…read moreUnfortunately, our experience with the service was pretty disappointing.
We sat right in the middle of the main thoroughfare and were completely ignored for at least 15 minutes before we finally flagged someone down. The guy, "H," apologized and said, "Oh, my bad--it's all good." We figured, no big deal, let's move on.
We ordered pretty simple food, apps and were then going to put in some entrees once apps arrived. We asked for waters and a water bowl for our pups. He brought two waters--with no straws--and no dog bowl. We assumed he was going to grab the bowl, so we waited... and waited. Then I noticed him at the end of the bar leaning against some boxes, texting. So I finally got up, interrupted him and asked for the dog bowl. His response, "oh my bad."
Our appetizers came out, and naturally, we asked for silverware. A few minutes later, I spotted "H" in the corner on his phone again. At that point I was thinking, seriously?! So I got up again, interrupted "H's" text convo and asked for silverware. His response again was, "Oh, my bad." I didn't respond to him I just turned around and went back to my seat.
Honestly, the whole experience started feeling more like a self-serve restaurant than table service. It's a chill spot and we weren't being needy whatsoever. We never asked for any refills- we were merely asking for the basics. We wanted to order more food, but by that point we were pretty turned off and decided to just get the check.
Then came the final straw: my guy had his license and credit card sitting on the table because he hadn't brought his wallet out for our monon trek. When "H" came back with the checkout thing, without question or hesitation - he grabbed the card and swiped it. We didn't even realize what happened until afterward. Maybe that's standard there, but I've never had a server just take my card without asking. Usually you get a "hey do we want to use this card? Or something to confirm. And of course the tip structure is skewed so the min is 20% unless you want to try to figure out to manually enter in 15% (which most ppl don't -incl my guy), so we left 20% and left irritated and still hungry.
"H" didn't seem hungover or anything--he just genuinely seemed like he did not not give a shiiiit. We had to get up three separate times to get things we had already requested: the dog bowl, a couple straws, and silverware. (Basics)
And a quick note on the 7-Layer Hoss Dip: don't expect seven layers. It comes in a small thick ceramic bowl and was basically beans, guacamole, a tiny bit of corn and some hard cheese on top. Definitely would not recommend it. Way too "beany" and not worth $16 at all. The southwest rolls were decent- very fried tho. Cheesecake Factory's are better ;)
The location and dog-friendly atmosphere are great, with the exception of the homeless camp right at their patio entrance, but unfortunately, the service really took away from the experience. Hopefully this was just an off night, because Big Lug has a lot going for it.