I write this review not about the food, but about a recent change in this location's management. I've been a customer at this restaurant since the Original Roadhouse Grill opened in Whittier. I used to love their Bison steak, which they offered prior to the pandemic. Although they've discontinued it, I continued to frequent this location because it's one of our hometown restaurants, the food has always been good and more importantly, my guests and I always felt welcome. All of that changed yesterday, when another person and I stopped in for an early afternoon meal. As a result of the way we were treated, we ended up walking out and probably won't return.
To begin with, there's no longer anyone at the front desk as you enter. There seemed to be at least three people in the restaurant. One person in the kitchen cooking. Another sitting down on a table to the left of the entryway, eating and one other fellow in the bar area. We sat in the entryway for quite some time. I walked around toward the kitchen looking for someone to get us seated, but was completely ignored for at least ten minutes. I finally walked into the bar area and asked several people who were chatting like patrons if anyone there worked at the restaurant. With that, a little short and extremely rude unshaved fellow piped up and said "I do and I'm busy right now, just wait." I was stunned that an employee would first ignore us and then act like he would do us a favor and seat us when he got through talking to the people in the bar. He stayed there talking to those customers for at least another five minutes before they left the restaurant. His behavior was so rude that the customers he was talking to eventually walked by us and said they were sorry he behaved the way he did, but the food would be worth it once we finally got seated. Well, I've always enjoyed the food, so we waited a bit longer. Eventually, the employee who was eating at a table to the left got up and walked back into the kitchen. He ultimately walked back toward the front where we were still waiting to be seated, but simply ignored us. I've never before been treated as though I just didn't matter at any restaurant. Mind you, there weren't many customers in the restaurant as it was about 2:00 pm.
Finally, the little short obnoxious guy from the bar walked out and grabbed several menus and begrudgingly took us to a seat. While doing so, he literally chastised us, stating that he's very busy and behaved as though we should have no expectation of being seated when we come into the restaurant and that we were imposing on him, rather than as valued customers. Once we were seated, he actually told us that he was so busy that we would have to wait until he was available to take our order. I stated that I understood that he was busy and wasn't blaming him, to which he literally yelled back "YOU ARE BLAMING ME!"
I've never in my life been treated by any restaurant the way this little fellow treated us. My guest and I looked at each other and both decided we couldn't eat in a restaurant that had an employee that behaves so rudely and literally insults its customers. I've been eating at this location since it opened. Indeed, I frequented the restaurant that was in this location before the Original Roadhouse opened, decades ago. We up and left, telling your employee that we didn't want to eat there at that point. We went to Chili's, where we were treated the way customers should be treated. Well, Original Roadhouse, you've lost some customers. Even the people this fellow was talking to realized how rude he was and seemingly apologized, noting that the food was worth it. No, it's not worth it. Customers want a pleasant atmosphere as well as good food. This guy has to go and someone needs to train all of the employees to greet customers as they come come through your door. Don't leave them standing by themselves at the front desk for ten to fifteen minutes. The employee sitting eating could have easily said, hey I'm on my break but someone will be with you shortly. The little guy that was talking to his friends in the bar should have realized that people were waiting in the front and at least said something. Then, there was no need to verbally insult us after he finally seated us and told us he was busy and wouldn't be back to take our order for some time. Who does that? I'm certain none of the restaurant's owners encourage that type of behavior.
Anyway, to whoever owns the Original Roadhouse in Whittier: You've lost a regular - decades long - customer. I won't be back as long as that guy works in your restaurant. Neither will the person who was with me. You need good management more than anything. No good manager would let such an abusive employee treat customers the way this guy did. If you've got video of what happened, I urge you to review it. One employee can destroy a business and this guy is doing exactly that. read more