I'd like to share my recent disappointing experience at 10 Barrel Brewery. My wife and I visited this moderately filled brewery on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, looking forward to enjoying some of their beers. Upon entering, we noticed a flier mentioning a happy hour at the restaurant, so we decided to indulge ourselves with items from the happy hour menu.
After waiting for 5 minutes at the host stand, a friendly restaurant host greeted us and escorted us to our table. As we waited for a server to assist us, I couldn't help but notice that we were the only people of color in the entire restaurant. I hoped that we wouldn't face suboptimal customer service solely based on the color of our skin, something we've unfortunately experienced in many other establishments in Idaho.
However, I remained optimistic. After approximately 15 minutes of waiting, a restaurant staff member finally approached our table to inquire if we had been helped. We informed her that we hadn't, and she said she would be our server. But instead of taking our order or assisting us further, she abruptly left our table without explanation.
My wife and I exchanged puzzled glances, wondering how much longer it would take to simply place our order, as it had already been more than 20 minutes since we arrived. After disappearing for about 10 minutes, she returned with a couple of glasses of water and placed them on our table quite forcefully.
Once again, we exchanged glances, uncertain about what was happening. I gave her the benefit of the doubt, thinking she might have been in a rush or that the glasses had slipped. I asked if there was a happy hour menu, and her demeanor immediately changed. Her initial smile turned to a look of disappointment. This was surprising to me because in other restaurants I've visited, I've always been presented with a happy hour menu if I arrived during those hours. She asked for a moment to get the menu, and once more, we found ourselves waiting.
After waiting for about 7-8 minutes, we decided to actively seek her out to request the menu. When she finally approached us, she threw the menus onto our table and walked away without asking any questions. Once again, my wife and I exchanged bewildered glances. We began to wonder if we had done something wrong or if she simply didn't care about serving us. After a significant delay, she returned to take our order.
The drinks arrived surprisingly quickly, but then we waited. Fifteen minutes passed by, and tables seated after us received their food while we continued to wait. After half an hour of waiting, the server informed us that our pizza had just been placed in the oven and would require a few more minutes.
Although we were becoming impatient, we decided to wait a bit longer. After much more than the promised "few minutes," the server returned, squatted next to me and delivered the shocking news: "Let me level with you, buddy. Your pizza hasn't even gone into the oven yet. We had some large orders come in after yours, so we prioritized those. My apologies, but you can either wait for your order or choose to cancel. I can bring your check right away."
We were not only shocked by her attitude but also left questioning the motive behind such abysmal customer service. Frustrated and hungry, we chose to pay our bill and leave the restaurant.
This experience was far from the "happiest place in Idaho" as 10 Barrel Brewery gloriously claims on its website. Their service was a stark contrast to this claim and left us with a bitter taste in our mouths. We sincerely hope this establishment can improve its customer service. Sensitivity training for employees might be a helpful step to ensure that all customers, regardless of their appearance, receive the same level of service. read more