Tonight, I took my daughter and toddler grandson out to dinner at Alpino. We arrived at 7p and was seated promptly. Waiter was gracious, gave menu recommendations, and took our orders. The fried calamari and chilled corn soup came out fast but after that, we waited and waited...
After 30 minutes, Grandson got antsy so we stepped out on the deck. Waitress Claudia told us we couldn't stand there because the wait staff needs to be able to run food out. We moved to the ramp and Claudia said we could not block any walkways. So we went back to our table. More than 45 minutes passed and still no pasta or pizza on the table. We did not want to bother other diners inside so we sat with him on the waiting bench to play with 2 matchbox cars.
The waitress Claudia (not our waitress by the way) approached and very rudely ask if we were done with our table and told us off in front of all the other guests that we could sit on the bench either because that's where people wait to be seated. We looked around and there was NO ONE else waiting to be seated! That's when I approached our waiter to ask how much longer for our food? I was not talking to Claudia but she took the liberty of telling us "waiting 20 minutes for our food is normal and should be expected." So I calmly asked my daughter and grandson to wait for me in the car while I settled the bill and continued to wait for the food to go.
At 8:20p, I was handed our food!
During my visit to Driggs this week, we have had NO problems eating with my Grandson at Forage, King Fish, Teton Thai and Citizen 33. Despite tonight's long wait, we would have not complained because our table's waiter was professional and polite. Claudia, on the other hand, was unnecessarily rude and off-putting. It was clear, she wanted us to go!
I travel and I write restaurant reviews. I, myself, used to be a server so I keep in mind, the service staff works hard. That said, this is the first time I have ever written a bad review about a waitstaff! Was the food good? Yes. But I will not return because of Claudia's attitude.
John the owner did offer his apology once he noticed what had happened. John also acknowledged the time on his watch. I hope John will have a talk with Claudia. The restaurant tonight was not full. All Alpino guests should be treated with kindness and welcomed. No member of the waitstaff should be exempt from that high bar standard. read more