I have been visiting Smitty's Restaurant & Lounge in St. Paul, Alberta for a little over a year. My…read moreoriginal review was 3 stars because the food was just okay, but I am now lowering my rating--not because of the food, but because of the cleanliness and management's response to customer concerns.
In the past year, I have had to complain about dirty cutlery and bright green flecks floating in my tea. It doesn't happen every time, but often enough--about once every four visits--to raise serious concerns.
Most recently, I found more green flecks in my tea. I politely asked to speak to the owner, not to cause a scene or ask for compensation, but simply to understand why this keeps happening and what was being done to fix it. Instead, only a supervisor came by. No one else followed up, and when the bill arrived, the tea (which I had not touched) was still charged. There was no apology, no explanation, and no acknowledgment from the owner.
The fact that the owner would not take even one minute to address a regular customer's concern--and chose to leave both teas on the bill--tells me that customer care and cleanliness are not priorities here.
Because of this negligence, Smitty's has lost my patronage. I hope this review serves as a warning to others and a reminder to management that basic cleanliness and respect for customers should never be optional in a restaurant.
To be clear, this review is not a reflection on the wonderful staff--Fanny, Pauline, Carly, and Amanda--who have always provided friendly and attentive service. This is strictly a reflection of the lack of leadership and accountability at the management level.
