One star is more than this experience deserved…read more
This review is especially disappointing because we've been coming to Highway 5 for years. We have a cabin nearby, and stopping here has always been part of our summers. We wanted to keep coming back.
Our group included six adults, two teenagers, my parents in their 70s, and close friends. We arrived around 7:10. Another table sat down shortly after us, ordered after us, received their food, finished eating, paid, and left while we were still waiting.
Our friends, who ordered with us, received their meals about 30 minutes before we did. Their fries were nearly black, and when this was brought to the owner's attention, we were told, "It's because the grease is dirty."
After waiting well over an hour, my husband asked why we still hadn't received our food. Instead of an apology, we were treated like we were the problem.
When food finally came, mine wasn't what I had ordered. I pointed that out, and the waitress--who we later learned was the owner--told me to leave. There was no apology. She later dropped a discounted bill on the table with a dismissive "There," and walked away.
Afterward, my husband tried to understand what had happened. He was told we had arrived after the kitchen had closed and that they had simply been too busy. Neither explanation matched what we experienced. We arrived around 7:10 (before the kitchen closed at 7:30), watched another table eat and leave before us, and the restaurant never had more than two tables eating.
The conversation became even more disturbing when a man at the bar, who identified himself as a part-owner, told my husband, "We don't need your business," accused him of being rude, and the interaction escalated into what my husband perceived as a physical threat.
My husband admits he was frustrated after waiting so long and after seeing me receive the wrong meal (and then I never got one at all). Anyone would have been. Frustration over poor service should never be met with blame or hostility.
My husband and I have both worked in the service industry for years. We know mistakes happen. What matters is how they're handled.
We expected an apology. Instead, we got excuses, blame, and hostility.
After years of coming here, this experience ended our relationship with Highway 5. We won't be back.
