May's dinner was at Farmhaus in Lindenwood Park, and boy what a turnout! We had a HUGE group. I'm not sure how many were in attendance, but at least 25. You'd think this new restaurant would appreciate the patronage, but unfortunately that was not the case.
The restaurant requests reservations be made for dinner, and we were understanding of the small space, and therefore did make reservations, and we were ok with our group being split up among various tables, but nevertheless, we felt like we were not welcome. The hostess seemed to have a hard time seating us (this might be because they got their books wrong, as my husband received a call the Friday AFTER Good Dinner Club from someone at Farmhaus wanting to confirm our reservations - 'uh, that reservation was for last week!'), and Kevin, the Chef/Owner, made his frustration apparent when he asked to have a 'word' with our President Shelby. That set things off to a bad start.
Despite this unfortunate beginning, we can't argue with good food, and it was great, most folks ranking the meal with 5 out 5 five spoons, however, many people also wished the portions were bigger. I always thought people ate hearty 'down on the farm'! I too loved the food, but my Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf was also very small.
In addition, we need to give a shout-out to server Brittany. Many people mentioned what a great job she did. She was friendly, knowledgeable about the menu, and unlike others, welcoming. Thank you Brittany for your fabulousness!
All in all, the food was great (but could amp-up serving size a bit), however I'm not sure that will be enough to get some people back in the door. Folks like to feel welcome, and some also complained that because of the tiny space and restaurant configuration, it was very loud and hard to hear your own conversation. Granted, we were a big contributor to the ruckus, but if the layout was different, I don't think the noise would've been such a distraction. The restaurant probably didn't expect the immediate popularity it has received, so we understand the reason for the small space, but our recommendation is: Be happy for the success, and expand so you don't have to be rude when large crowds "inconvenience" you.
That's my dish. I give this restaurant a 2 out of 5 spoons. What about you?
For me, this was by far, the absolute worst Good Dinner Club experience to date. There were several empty tables in the restaurant (I assume they were reservations where the parties failed to show) but the restaurant still took the time to advise me of how unhappy they were with the presence of our members. We were already unhappy with the prospect of having to sit at eight different tables becaue of the reservation size limite imposed by the restaurant at 4. But then to have such negativity for no reason other than that we happened to know each other is ridiculous. In my opinion, a rational restaurant would have been more upset with the no-shows not associated with our group. And then to tell us we weren't turning the tables over fast enough? What is this? A cafeteria? Not for the $90 I spent.
ReplyDeleteOutside of that issue, I wasn't particularly impressed although I will admit that it would have taken outrageously delicious food for me to have gotten over the mistreatment that we suffered. The food was tasty but nothing was especially remarkable for me. I found it a little difficult to find selections that sounded appetizing for me and wasn't all that amazed with the steak that I got. Furthermore, I just really hate the small plate concept. It always results in a more expensive meal with no leftovers.
I was really excited about Amanda's choice but the experience left much to be desired. What I know is that I will NEVER return. Two thumbs down!
--The President
I agree with the comments of both the President and Good Dish Diva. I would think that a sell-out crowd would be exactly what a restaurant would want...particularly in this economy. For the owner to go above and beyond to express his disdain for a large group choosing his restaurant...well it is just unthinkable from a business perspective and a simple common sense perspective.
ReplyDeleteWith respect to the food, I found the menu did not adequately disclose the elements of the dish (i.e. a young woman I was sitting next too didn't eat pork but the dish came with fancy fried pork skins - this wasn't mentioned on the menu). The drinks were terrible. This is a restaurant that tried but failed in the area of trying to be "approachable" yet "innovative." I don't need to take leftovers, but I do think the portion sizes were small and that should not come as a surprise if the menu is properly worded.
Lastly, I think it bears repeating...if you open a restaurant, people may want to come...so you should probably be hospitable when they do so. I recognize that Farmhaus has received both local and national accolades..but clearly management has read its reviews one too many times. Focus on each patron as if they were solely responsible for the longevity of your restaurant, and you will have a recipe for success.
-KC
So sad that I missed Farmhaus - I've heard so many great things about it ... not sad I missed the bad service though. Boo to that!
ReplyDeleteDitto to all the comments. BOOOO to Farmhaus, you could not pay me to go back there. I believe they completely handled the situation wrong and the food certainly was not good enough to overcome how rude and unwelcoming they were.
ReplyDeleteKudos to Brittany for standing out as the only Farmhaus employee to provide excellent service to our group.
As far as the food and drink goes, I was not pleased with my specialty martini, my salad came after my entree, a table mate of mine never got her salad and the portion size of what we did receive was very small.
5 forks down
After reading GDC member reviews, and giving this more thought, I'm pulling a Diva first: I'm changing my rating of Farmhaus - from 3 spoons to 2. Customer service is key. What a shame.
ReplyDelete