[Beechie]

Originally Posted by Jim 9922

In one week we had a very satisfying and a very negative experience at the Tierra del Sol Restaurant. Their radio ads claim them to be "off the beaten path" and maybe that's a good thing. Apparently they lack good management overview or the owners don't care from night to night.
On Monday of last week we attended a fish fry dinner sponsored by one of the Wisconsin clubs. Cost was $17 including tip. The dining room was sold out at full capacity. We received 3 large pieces of fish, fries a nice salad, with fresh vegies mixed in, a basket of warm corn muffins and a cream-filled pastry for dessert; all served quickly and on time. A wonderful experience.
Based on that we made reservations for their 6:30-seating dinner on Friday for their "singing waiters" dinner. We had out of town guests and wanted to impress with TV lifestyle. We arrived and were seated on time. The dining area was only about 60% filled. Drinks and salad/soup arrived in due time, but the salads were of lettuce only, the bread basket was served with 4 pieces of very thinly sliced dried out, maybe French bread that maybe came from the Walmart bargain bin. Then a wait for the dinner which was finally served at 8:10, even though our server kept promising "everything would be out in 10 more minutes". What was finally served: the fish dinners consisted of one very small fillet, my steak would have better served as a truck tire patch, the rice was watery, baked potatoes were all burned on skin and vegies of the day was a big lump of canned green beans for everyone. Price $22 - $24 per meal. (for the show nights they offer only a limited dinner menu, so I assume they could serve things efficiently and have adequate quantities). At 8:30 the singing stopped , the house lights were turned on, we got a bill and plates were collected, eating finished or not. No dessert offered, bill presented and "don't let the door hit you in the fanny as you leave." And, all tables were being stripped and set up for the next morning.
My complaint; very poor value, very poor food, poor service, could not even determine if anyone was in charge, or even to comment to on the way out. There were another 10 or so tables of diners who appeared to experience what we did.
One saving grace about the evening, the singers were great! Too bad they have to be associated with that restaurant.
And yes, I am writing the owners about our disappointment. We have so few "independent" non-franchise restaurants around TV, its a shame when one screws up!

Wow! They seem to be two diametrically opposed experiences in a matter of days which means there had to be something askew on your subsequent visit.

One thing that hit me in your post was "We had out of town guests and wanted to impress with TV lifestyle". We all have that feeling when we take our uninitiated friends or family to a restaurant in any of the Town Squares. Although your poor experience that evening would upset any one of us, it just seems to make it that much more disappointing.