My husband and I visited Happy Camper Pizza in Denver on October 16, 2026. What should have been an…read moreenjoyable dinner turned into one of the worst restaurant experiences I've ever had.
We had a 6:30 reservation and arrived at 6:35. Several people and groups were ahead of us in the check-in line. At 6:41 when we finally made it through the very long line, the hostess informed us that our reservation had been CANCELED because we were late! I explained we'd been standing in THEIR line for more than 10 minutes. The hostess said reservations are canceled after ten minutes.
Wanting to be fair, I later made another reservation specifically to investigate whether this policy was disclosed. I checked the entire booking process, the rules and restrictions, AND the confirmation email. NOWHERE was there any warning about a ten-minute cancellation policy!
The hostess offered to make a new reservation. We waited another 15-20 minutes to be seated.
Things only got worse.
Requesting a small sample of an unfamiliar beer turned into a discussion with an employee who insisted it tasted exactly like Coors Light and did I still want to taste it? Yes. I don't know what Coors Light tastes like.
Our individual pizzas arrived eight minutes apart. When I tried moving my pizza rack closer to me, the food runner repeatedly moved it back to the center, even after I explained it was MY pizza. Eventually, he stacked my husband's pizza underneath mine. Why couldn't he simply explain what he was doing?
The pizza was excessively salty, dry, and had burnt crust. See photos. When I complained, nobody offered a replacement, adjustment, or any meaningful follow-up.
Our waitress was almost nonexistent. My beer arrived after the pizza. We couldn't get red pepper flakes, and my husband couldn't order another beer because she NEVER returned during dinner. She took our order, brought my beer sample, and we didn't see her again until she brought the bill.
While I was STILL EATING, an employee removed our water carafe and BOTH water glasses, although we wanted more water!
The one handicap accessible stall in the women's restroom had a clogged toilet that wouldn't flush.
But my biggest concern was SAFETY. My tall bar stool rocked and shifted significantly whenever I moved. Several times I felt I might fall. When someone bumped the stool, it tipped, and I had to grab the table to prevent myself from falling! I have video of the chair. I reported a chair as a safety concern, and I got a blank look.
An employee hovered near our table waiting to clear it. As soon as I stood, he moved in and knocked my eyeglasses off the table onto the next seat. Thankfully, they weren't damaged.
After dinner, we waited approximately 22 minutes for our waitress to return. I timed part of that wait: 14 minutes and 13.1 seconds between speaking to the employee clearing our table and the waitress finally appearing. By then, we wanted nothing else. Just the check.
She returned two minutes later with a handheld payment device that repeatedly failed. She had to retrieve another, causing an additional delay.
We requested a manager, but none came. The explanation? It was a "busy night."
Despite our complaints, we paid the FULL BILL. No discount, replacement, or meaningful effort to resolve anything.
I understand restaurants get busy and mistakes happen. But that doesn't excuse poor food, inattentive service, unsafe seating, and disregard for customer concerns.
What disappointed me most wasn't that so many things went wrong. It was that nobody seemed to care enough to make any of them right.