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Happy Birthday to me, happy birthday to me...
Last night, my wife and I celebrated my birthday. In celebration, I decided I would take her out to dinner at a popular restaurant known for serving up really good lobster. The name of the restaurant is The Station House which has 2 south Florida locations. I chose the one closer to the house which had recently opened. It is located in East Deerfield Beach, FL.
Quick Recap (because this is a long article)
1. The bartender and vibrant waiter (explained in detail later) were good. All other staff, from what I saw, are in terrible need of training.
2. The drinks were good
3. The food was good
4. The price was reasonable
5. I would not go back because the hostess staff was trained poorly and the "order taker/waitress" was beyond pathetic
The Details of the Evening (the long part)
The night got off to a shaky start when we showed up to the restaurant at 7:00PM for our 8:00PM reservation. You see, we were told that when we arrive we should request being seated at that time and to cancel the 8:00 reservation. The individual on the phone who told me this said that we should be seated relatively quickly.
Upon approaching the hostess and explaining to her our conversation with the employee answering the phone, the response received was no -- we can't seat you now, we have all these (and she points to the reservation list) reservations ahead of you. Kudos to the hostess for standing her ground and asking me if I'd like to sit at the bar and wait for my reservation (oh, and to spend extra money on appetizers and drinks while waiting until 8:00). The hostess indicated that she should be able to get us seated a little earlier than our reservation.
So, my wife and I seated ourselves at the bar. She ordered a reasonably priced glass of wine and I ordered a "well drink" -- also priced reasonably. The drinks were of average size -- the well drink was tasty and had just the right amount of alcohol (considering I consume around 2 "well drinks" per year, it was important to me that the ratio of alcohol to coke be accurate).
While we were waiting on a mushroom appetizer to arrive, my wife and I were having a nice conversation, but I could not help notice 7 empty tables in our close proximity. Those tables, combined with 8-10 empty ones we saw on our way in seemed like an awful lot to "hold" for the reservation list that was previously flashed in front of my eyes. I was a little irritated.
When the mushrooms arrive around 7:30 (and the Heat were winning against the Knicks -- still in the 1st Quarter), only one of the surrounding 7 tables had become occupied and 6 remained empty.
Still nursing my drink, at 7:45 we were finished with the mushrooms (very tasty) and most of the tables around the bar had filled up (one remained). I did not notice the other empty tables that I referred to earlier, but because the bar was close to the front entrance, I can assure you that they had not filled as the people entering the restaurant were, by and large, directed to the 6 tables which they filled.
At 7:55 the bartender approached me and asked whether we were waiting on a table. I told her about the miscommunication provided by the "reservation taker" and told her that we were hoping to sit at 8:00.
The bartender immediately took action. She got the hostess, told her we were waiting on a table and asked to seat us. 2-3 minutes later, like magic, the hostess came to seat us and proceeded to walk us through the restaurant to a table that had not been cleaned yet. Embarrassed, she asked us to go to the front of the restaurant while the table was being cleaned.
Just when we arrived at the front of the restaurant, she asked us whether we would prefer another table (a booth). We said that would be fine and she proceeded to seat us.
Wow. We were finally going to have my birthday dinner.
The waitress arrived. Unfortunately she had the personality of a dead rock and obviously did not want to be working that evening. That's ok ... we all have our bad days.
We ordered (I guess they did not have any specials because the waitress didn't tell us of any) and very shortly after a salad, delivered by a vibrant young man, was delivered to the table. I don't think we ever saw the waitress again at the table -- maybe just once for a checkup.
The salad was good and the dressing was excellent. Personally I would have liked the salad better if it were cut a little finer. Oh yeah, the bread (3 small rolls in all) was hot but tasteless.
The main course arrived and for a moment all was forgotten. The lobsters were really great (I hadn't had one in a few years and my wife hadn't ordered one at a restaurant since 1995 -- yes, we really do have lives). When we were finished, the vibrant young man showed up again, took our oder for tea and cappuccino and then delivered it a short time later.
We then paid the bill and proceeded to leave the restaurant.
At the front door was a hostess who asked if the wait was worth while. Kind of a slap in the face. I told her that the food was excellent. She then apologized for the mix up on the phone and told me the person who I spoke with was new and should not have instructed me to show up early. Graciously we thanked her and went on our way to eat carrot cake at home.
In summary, there are hundreds of restaurants located in South Florida. It is my opinion that the majority of the staff members who we dealt with (excepting the bartender and vibrant waiter) were poorly trained. Their poor training tainted the evening. Unless they clearly change their training program (if they have one), I will not go back to this restaurant and try out their competition.
Food (Overall): A-
Staff: C- (Bartender and Vibrant Waiter saved the grade from a D or F)
