I came here on Sunday before exploring the beach and chose it after reading several detailed 5-star reviews. I was indeed excited to come here so it pains me to leave them (or any business really) a 2 star review.. it really does. It seems they took over from a former restaurant named Island Thyme early last year, so perhaps they still are experiencing growing pains. There was also a private party going on, so that clearly played a factor in their disorganization.
Upon entry, the owner asked if we'd like to eat indoors or outdoors. As I was about to respond, she stated "you'll have to sit outdoors, we have a private party inside." Interesting start. After we were seated, my date noticed most of the staff seemed a bit dejected and I replied "Well in my time as a server years ago, that usually reflects not so great management."
Sadly I think I was correct. Our food took at least 45 minutes to arrive. At about the half hour mark, the owner came to the table and said that our food is coming out "right now." We ordered a grilled cheese and a burger, which both came with a side of fries. The burger wasn't too bad (except for an indelible crunchy piece that I had to place into my napkin). The fries on the other hand were most definitely undercooked. I took a few bites of the grilled cheese, which I did find quite tasty.
After we finished our meal, we heard the owner tell a table that they are BYOB, so they can feel free to grab a beverage from the deli across the street. That information would definitely have been welcomed, as we could sure have used a drink while waiting for the food.
When the owner finally came by to check on us (after we ate), we asked for the check. We then watched as she then greeted new guests for the private party and seemingly forgot about us for over 10 minutes. Luckily, a different waitress noticed the credit card I had placed on the side of the table and asked if we would like our check.
Everyone's human and we all have off-days/nights, so while my date was quite frustrated and still hungry (barely ate half her food), I figured you can't win 'em all. Little did I know that the best was yet to come. After having to track down a pen to sign the bill, the owner approached us one last time.
"Hey I'm the owner and I just wanted to say... can you leave your tip in cash."
All in all, great location, good concept, but definitely a severe lack of execution. Perhaps the next time they book a private party, they should consider closing it off to the public, as I noticed several other tables seeming frustrated or ignored as well. read more