The flotation device is the best bar and restaurant in the area. Awesome food, great drinks and the best staff. Bartender is very friendly and excellent at their job. I stop here every time I am in the area. Never disappointing. Just had the fish and chips and clam chowder, best I have had ever! Get in here! I just wish it was closer to my home :-) read more

Had a great time there, service was prompt and friendly. Many events being held there, very relaxed, local bar atmosphere. Very nice staff and owner. read more

I really like this place! Bar and grill with lots of personality and home town feel. I'm not a huge fan of their breakfasts, but they have great burgers. The last time I played pool there, the tables were pretty worn out but it was fun nonetheless. They often have live music on the weekends and is a regular haunt for music enthusiasts. Located in Purdy on Purdy Drive, The Float is easy to get to from with Burley, Olalla or Gig Harbor and provides easy access to Highway 16. read more

This place is another blue collar tavern. No where near as good as the Hy Iu by any means. The Float has just lost some of their best bartenders and servers and since that service has taken a BIG hit. Food here is ok. Just ok. Breakfast is not the best in Gig Harbor or the KP but it's also not the worst. Karaoke night is fun people watching and always busy, band nights are slammed and football season is packed. They have a small beer selection compared to most all other places here and the mixed drink prices are a wee high. If you are there on a Friday or Saturday night you can almost 100% guarantee to see a fight. You can take or leave this place. I only ever come when a friend asks me to meet there and that's only because it's on her way home. You're not missing much if you pass this place up unless it's Halloween. read more

Nice greeting when we walked in. Even though it was very crowded, 3 different ppl helped cleaned the table for us next to the window. The food was great, service was great. The restaurant was packed and it took a long time for the food as we expected but the waitress communicated really well and made sure we had drinks etc while we were waiting. read more

The Floatation Device - New American Near Me - Gig Harbor, Washington

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Great staff, great food and food beer. What else could you ask for?! It's a large space as well so good for larger gatherings and they have entertainment some nights. I know they have karaoke on Thursday's. read more

I went for breakfast upon referral of the Westwynd Motel receptionist. There were only four other tables when I arrived but none of the four ladies behind the counter greeted me or acknowledged my existence until I walked up and asked them if I should just sit anywhere or ? I was told there was wi-fi by the Westwynd receptionist; there was not. The breakfast menu ranged from $4.99 to $8.99 with the usual All American type offerings. I ordered coffee and an omelet with a couple modifications. The portions were large, enough for two meals. And my omelet was impressively stuffed with big chunks of bacon, thickly sliced avocado, large pieces of tomato, etc. Their biscuits are large and come with an incredible amount of creamy butter. My service was pretty bare bones both in attitude and function. I did buy a pint of their bbq sauce (haven't tried it yet) to use on the grill soon. I've seen this restaurant described as a "charmless dive ... service poor unless you're doing shots or buying pull tabs" and I'd have to concur. I've also seen reviews commenting on super slow kitchen service. That wasn't my experience but apparently it's an ongoing problem to be aware of. read more

This place has got to be as good as it gets. I swung by on a Saturday around lunch based on the name alone. Who does not want to eat at a place called the Flotation Device? Please! Anyways, I sat down at a table termed "The Table Of Knowledge", and before the server even had a chance to greet us, a local informed us that we would indeed be smarter after sitting at this table. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they only served breakfast until 1 pm, and lucky for me, it was only noon. :) Who doesn't love a good breakfast. Well, I ordered the Captain's omelet and washed it down with a double bloody mary, cuz why not? The omelet was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S. As I had checked on Yelp, I found that they were supposed to have great french fries, so I asked my server if I could have french fries instead of hash browns with my omelet. Guess what? They were able to give me the french fries, and there was no disappointment. Hands down the best, crunchy french fries I have ever had at a restaurant. The service was great, the food was delicious, and the prices were swell. I only wish I could come back for karaoke or a Seahawks game--I bet it would be crazy!!! I will be looking for an excuse to return! read more

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We arrived at 11:00 AM and were told to sit anywhere. We got seated and the coffee and order service was quick. The server advised that they were behind on orders and it would take about 45-minutes to get our meal. We laughed it off and said no problem, we understand. It's 12:20 and we're still waiting for our food. We've been at the table now for an hour and fifteen minutes and we just told it would be another fifteen minutes or so. I sure hope it is worth the wait. Otherwise, we will likely not be back. It's unfortunate because it's not far from where we live read more

Until a recent bad experience here, I had regarded 'The Float' as one of the best breakfast joints around. I won't go into all of the gory details, but what should have been a small problem with a meal was made much worse by how the employees handled the situation. Still, it is a cool old bar and I've had many great meals here, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt with three stars instead of one. Someday I'm sure I'll return here and hopefully be able to upgrade this review, but it's gonna be a looonnng time. read more

I thought I had found a nice little breakfast place... Been going there for a couple months... Went there couple mornings ago and they change their breakfast food... Disappointing hash brown patties and greasy sausage... Hoping this is just a one time deal because they were busy and maybe they're out of the good stuff... If not I won't be back... I am sad read more

Food quality is not bad, but they appear to have a single burner stove. It always takes a long time. That's ok when I'm with my adult friends as I don't mind having a few drinks as I wait. However, its a bit more of a problem when wrangling my kids. Wait staff is always attentive. I go somewhat regularly as its one of the few restaurants in the area. read more

Cons: Service was horribly slow. Took an hour to get food to our table for just two people. Bathrooms were dirty and out of paper towels. Haphazard condiment placement left us searching for tabasco on the other tables. Felt uncomfortably cold in the back of the restaurant and bathroom. Pros: immediate seating, food was good for the price. read more

Five stars because it is our neighborhood tavern and we have been coming here for over 15 years. Great spot for a burger and people watching. read more

If you're ok with poor service on a regular basis, this place is for you. Don't get me wrong the food is actually pretty good. You won't write home about it but you would leave satisfied. Well you would, if you weren't constantly disgusted with the service. A quick synopsis of our last 3 visits: - all was good until it took over an hour for breakfast to be served. - a year plus later, all was was good until the waitresses friends showed up, or maybe just the regulars who she like to flirt with. A good 30 minutes without a drink, waiting for the bill. I think, is it me, am I expecting too much? - today, ordered a Tito's and tonic, got a Tito's and soda, drank it and then politely asked if they could make sure the next one had tonic. Ordered an appetizer, quickly asked for napkins, before the waitress disappeared. I didn't want to be high maintenance and ask for a plate. They never showed. Dinner arrived, it was tasty! Once again empty drink and no check for a good half hour. I'm done, not sure how this place continues to stay in business. Honestly, I don't blame the staff as much as I do the management or the owners. 2 people can't service an entire restaurant. Eating at the Float is like sitting in rush hour traffic, dying of thirst, just wishing you could be home! read more

First time here, it was a Saturday night with a band and the place was packed. Had an awesome Buster burger and came out super fast considering how busy the place was. The band was great and a good atmosphere. The person taking care of the back room (Jessica) was super attentive and was on top of everything which was impressive because how many people she had to look after. read more

The Float is pretty close to our house so we pick up from them regularly! They have some great burgers and I love their fries! Sometimes the service is a little light, however completely understandable under the COVID circumstances! I have no problem waiting a little bit when I can see that they are short handed and working hard! Thank you guys for being a great neighborhood bar and grill! read more

We live near here and have eaten here several times and the food has always been just ok and service has been pretty consistently not great although we did have a Sunday breakfast that the service was awesome. The last time I went was Thurs the 18th of April. We got a to go order of Fried chicken the nine piece and an order of fried clams. I waited for 20 mins to get my order taken, the servers kept "looking thru" me like I wasnt there. When I finally got our food and got home we had 3 legs, 3 breasts and 3 thighs, we ate the legs and started on the breasts and both were still frozen in the middle. I called and then went back to get a refund or something else to eat. The server said she would have to deduct for what we ate to do a refund so I just said let me get a salad but I cant eat a few things on it so can you leave them off like onions, olives and alvocodo. Low and behold when I got home what was on the salad?........ NEVER AGAIN read more

The customer service was amazing! Wife and I are vegan and they even accommodated us. Thank you!

The food was mediocre but the service was terrible. In all took about an hour to get our food. They were nice servers just not very attentive. We sat for 20 minutes before even receiving a menu that I eventually had to ask someone that wasn't our sever for. read more

I so wanted to like this place. Breakfast is my favorite meal to eat out. The Floatation Device was such a disappointment. The server was attentive but when she took our order didn't write anything down. Both of the orders had errors. Husband got wheat toast instead of white and I got hash browns instead of home fries. I know those are small things but why ask what you want if you don't get what you want. I ordered the Rancher omelet, ham, sausage, bacon and cheese. Sounded great but they used Italian sausage in the omelet. They really should indicate that on the menu, I would not have ordered the Rancher if I had known that. I didn't order a Bloody Mary but I watched while one was being made. Looked like a 16 oz glass and everything was looking pretty good until the vodka was added. The person making the drink used the vodka bottle cap to measure out one capful of vodka for the drink. One capful? Maybe they use almost no alcohol because it was in the morning but jeez! read more

Went with a group of friends, had potato skins, cheese sticks, and nachos for appetizers. Nachos didn't have much cheese but that was the only down side. Had a vegi and meat pizza's both were cooked very well. Will return again. read more

Can't go wrong with good food, good service and good entertainment. Music every weekend! Dance floor isn't huge but we all get cozy dancing. Daily specials throughout the week. Breakfast served daily. Great selection of beer on tap. After a few times there you feel like family. read more

The staff here is the best-food is always done perfectly. This is our to go breakfast and we live in Tacoma

Zero if I could. Went in after seeing where others thought it was good. Unfortunately, we walked in and were ignored for abt 5 minutes. Left and won't be back. Too many other choices. read more

Ahh, The Float. What can you say about her that you can't say about the Lady Of The Night you visited in Southeast Asia that you'll never admit to anybody, ever? She's rough around the edges, unkempt, and at first you find yourself wishing for better... And then she gets her hands on you and you throw all conventional thinking out the window. She's perfect. She's your mistress of the sea. She's your home away from home. That's what the Flotation Device is in Purdy. Nearly 30 prison-grade search lights are arranged in the pattern of an 'Eat At Joe's' arrow guiding you into the uneven parking lot of The Float. You're immediately greeted by gargantuan chainsaw carvings, including a combination of a 1990's era Troll Doll and the 12th Man- a hollering figure who's got a big 12 shirt on. When you see him, you know that you're in the right place. As you open the door, take a moment to breathe your environment in. Collegiate and professional football helmets line the room and classic photos of famous athletes adorn the walls and the bar. The flooring is tile and carpet, and the barren parts of the walls look to have been built during two distinct human ages: wood paneling and logs. There's old outboard motors on the wall for decoration (or for an impromptu naval getaway) and pull tabs to keep you busy. They serve karaoke some nights and a jukebox the rest. My memory of this place forever will be Omi's "Cheerleader". It's a favorite of one of the best bartenders that I've met. It always seems to be playing when she works. To this point, the majority of what's been described sounds less than great... And it would be, if appearances are all that count, but we know better than that. There's an old saying that you can't put lipstick on a pig, but I ask "Why not?" I'd talk about that pig the rest of my days! What makes this place magical is the staff. Though I've yet to set foot inside The Float during the day, the night crew are special. They have personal relationships with their guests, and are very good to newcomers. They make for the perfect neighborhood bar. They remember your name, know your drink and are always happy to catch up with you. They're also incredibly memorable characters. Jessica, Heidi and Homer are the three that I've had the most experience with during my visits and I wouldn't have it any other way. They're essential to this building's success. If we're being honest, running a great bar isn't rocket science, it's not even bar science like Jon Taffer would have you believe. It's having a good selection of beer and wine (check), a location (check) and a service staff that makes you feel important and wanting to come back (check check). If you find yourself thirsty in Purdy, or even just passing through, take a moment to stop by and allow this exceptional team the opportunity to take care of you. Your bill will always be less than you think it should be, and you'll always stay longer than you intended. And you'll stay willingly because the fun you can have here on a random weeknight eclipses anything you can do outside of these walls. read more

Basically a tavern atmosphere with a full kitchen serving local Northwest favorites such as fish & chips, barbecue, burgers, sandwiches, etc. Hearty breakfasts are served until 11AM (2PM on Sunday). The restaurant features pool tables, pull tabs, dart boards, a big screen TV ... all the amenities of a local tavern. We go for breakfast and/or lunch! Beware ... the portions are HUGE. I got the chicken fried steak and eggs with pancakes and it was enough to feed an army! And I ain't no tiny guy! Three of us could have been fed on what came out. We didn't learn our lesson on our first visit and both ordered a lunch. OMG!!! My wife ordered nachos and they came out piled high on a huge platter! I ordered a burger and, again, it was bigger than most places with the home fries piled high. Besides quantity, the quality is right up there. We had expected standard tavern fare but were pleasantly surprised. Everything is cooked properly and served hot and fresh. The service is good to excellent. they also have a full bar for those that need a little boost during their meal. Now if I can only get enough courage to come on all you can eat ribs night! read more

Man, I used to love going to The Float. It's your typical tavern with some really great food - and some pretty decent BBQ to boot. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be going back anytime soon due to the service I received at the counter. I arrived early for lunch with a friend and decided to play some pull tabs and drink beer while I waited. There were two servers working the counter, one on the bar side and one on the pull tab side. I opted to sit by the pull tabs and was served by a mature blonde lady, maybe in her late 50's. It wasn't that she was rude, it was that she was completely inattentive. Over the course of about 90 minutes while I waited for my lunch friend, I was only able to get two beers in and play about $40 in pull tabs. I'd have to stop her and ask for another beer or to play more when she went walking by. My friend did finally arrive and we again had to ask to order lunch. The food was great as usual, but through our meal had to ask for more beers and I wanted to continue to play pull tabs. We finished our meal and again, asked if I could put another $20 into the pull tabs (I was about $80 in) when she says to me, "I'm too busy for pull tabs - no". Now, I don't know what she was too busy doing on a Tuesday afternoon, for there was no one else sitting at the counter but us - so I was really surprised by this. $60 bill, $80 in pull tabs, terrible service, and for the first time in my entire adult life - I stiffed a server. Sorry, lady - you didn't deserve a tip. A simple, "I'm pretty busy, can I get to you in a few minutes" would have totally sufficed - but I didn't even get that. Guess I'll find another cool tavern with good food to meet my buddy at - it won't be The Float anymore. read more

This place used to be a nice spot for lunch. Not anymore. It's a tavern atmosphere with decent food and the absolute worst service during lunch. When I arrived, a menu was placed on my table without asking if I would like anything to drink. Then 5 minutes go by before I'm asked about my order. I ordered a burger and a beer and it was another 5 minutes before I got my beer. Burger is decent at best. The lunchtime waitress walked by my table three times without a word or even a glance in my direction. My empty beer glass was on the edge of the table for 15 minutes without even a question as to whether I would like another. 19 people in the whole place and you can't even get a beer. I'm glad I only come by here twice a year. Definitely better quality food and service at other locations in the harbor. read more

The sauce on the Buffalo Wings was great, but the wings themselves were brutally overcooked.The second time around they were way too dry. The ribs were OK, but nothing to crow about. Salads with wilted iceberg lettuce. Add to that the place is a bit of a dump and you've got an unremarkable place. Update: I went back again (where I live, if I never went back to mediocre places, I'd have no place to eat locally. They produced some damn respectable wings this time. The salad was still nothing special, but whatever. Upgrading back to 3 stars. read more

Excellent food and service. I really enjoy the pub bar and grill atmosphere. Had a great dinner with the family. The captains plate was perfect the oysters were deliciously cooked and the fish was beer battered with dill I think and was great. I highly recommend this place. read more

Been coming to The Float for years and, have avoided it in past years. This place has seen it's share of bad times for food...However, I am pleased to report they've been doing great for the past year. We stopped in tonight and had a all you can eat BBQ rib special and a French Dip. Both were very good. A bit too much sauce on the ribs but, they were tasty. We are casual folks that enjoy the tavern atmosphere and you should be prepared for that. Some people bring in kids - we wouldn't but, to each their own. Oh, they do have some great mini-corn dogs for appetizers that can make a meal by themselves....mmmmm....love them. We rated three stars for the food and service....and made it four stars due to the fact they have karaoke and live music occasionally. All in all, The Float has improved from years past and that is good to see. We' ll keep coming back. read more

If you are into waiting an hour for your food, or are just a general hilljack, you will absolutely love this place. I have been here twice. The first time, waited a full hour for food and I assure you I'm not one to exaggerate. The food was actually good but certainly not good enough to justify that wait. We decided to come back and give another chance since the first time was extremely busy and also during their transition between breakfast and lunch. This time, it was 45 minutes and 4 coffee refills later we still had no food, so we left. The waitress, who was nice but barely apologetic, seemed like this was not the first time someone walked because of the wait. The crowd was average and there were plenty of empty tables so no excuse for the wait, AGAIN. Definitely not planning to return which is sad because there's so much potential for a great breakfast hole in the wall. read more

Stopped in here for a going away party for a friend. Our server, Grace, was AMAZING! She easily handled our party of 40+ people with finesse, quickness, and a wonderful demeanor. She was working her tail off but still maintained her sweet smile! I will return again just because of her excellent service! read more

Been here 4-5 times for breakfast. Haven't been for lunch or dinner. Absolutely love their big foot chicken fried steak. It's a huge portion and if you haven't tried it before, you're missing out. If you want something other than white or wheat toast they charge extra and I've tried the home made biscuits a few times and seem to have gotten an old batch that had the taste and flavor of an old box of arm & hammer that had been used to freshen the fridge for a few years. None of us in our group could eat it. The service is also hit and miss if your not a regular. So, if you want an epic chicken fried steak and can overlook a mediocre service experience I highly recommend The Float! read more

Just moved home from New Mexico and my buddies took me to this out of the way place. The prices and food are great and the service was just as good! Had such a good time the first night with Val, I decided to come back for Mon night football... Cute bartenders (a huge plus) great atmosphere, and never got close to having an empty glass without an offer for a new drink! This is a new regular hang-out for sure! =) read more

The food was decent - typical diner fare. Service was okay - got the feeling that they were afraid to come by because of the wait - 50 minutes from when I started paying attention to the clock. We came in at the tail end of the Saturday breakfast rush, but it was a crazy long wait. read more

Love this place, best breakfast in the area. Very friendly staff, home feel. Must try their chicken fried steak. It's to die for and the best I ever had. read more

I ordered the ribs. Tough and I ended up serving them to my dogs. My guy ordered the chicken friend steak. He loved it. Portions are large and if you like pub food this is your place. read more

So disappointed this place is close to home and I hoped would be a favorite. Not even close. Tried the burger two different visits the first time it was burnt to the point of crunchy. This time though cooked less it was as bland as can be and served in what seemed like a bun from the day old store. The service was lackluster at best. This place is a hard pass for me from now on read more