[jtdraig]

Cane Garden continues to get more and more ridiculous. Two weeks ago, a 74 year old lady went to Cane Garden to get dinner. She was told that she had to eat or the bar or not eat there at all. So, she went up to Mallory where she had dinner but cried at her treatment at Cane Garden.

Cane Garden...where "unless you whole party is here, you can't be seated..and, no i don't care if they are in the restroom..you can wait".....

Nice people...they must have gotten too empowered when Mallory had it's travails.

[REDCART]

Funny how restaurant experiences evolve. CG had been a great experience for the last two years, whereas, Mallory was unbearably loud and at times disorganized--of course that was pre Feb 2nd and we haven't been back since.

[Duffer]

I've been eating at CG since they opened, off and on, and have never had anything but great service and good food. Since it has been several weeks since I've been there I hope my opinion of them will not change. However keeping in mind the season I ussually don't eat there in the evening. I guess that we all have our own ideas of good and bad concerning restruants and the like, I mean some folks consider Big City Grill as fine dining. :joke:

[golfnut]

I have dined at CG several times and always had great food and service, I'll be back.

[villager99]

was the cane garden incident related to the woman's age(why mention?) or were they not seating any solo diners at tables?
i've yet to try to eat there solo but do find the waits vary greatly depending on time of day. as they do anywhere.
i eat there fairly often with small groups and enjoy going back. nice outdoor seating and pleasant back indoor area overlooking golf course.

[jtdraig]

Solo seating at any time in Cane Garden is at the bar only. The point is that there are some people regardless of their age who prefer to eat dinner at a table. Most restaurants make provision for single diners regardless of the hour . There are lots of single folk in the Villages (our friend is a widow). Cane Garden could have done better.

[MMC24]

We have had nothing but good food and good service at CG. Generally, we only have lunch there. They have a very good salad selection. We have never been disappointed.

[gingersmom]

The food is always good there. Service is hit or miss. Especially when there are more than 4 people in the party.

[GERALDINE]

What a TERRIBLE way to treat an elderly (or any) patron. They are Terribly insensitive...especially on their not seating you till all members of party are there. How ridiculous can you get?? If we're meeting another couple there, and we're going to be setting at a small booth or a 4-top table....we're taking up the same amount of space with 2 of us as we will be with 4 of us...RIGHT? ??? DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Besides...if we're there say 10 minutes before our dinner partners arrive, we can get in at least one extra drink while we wait and peruse the menu...RIGHT?

Cane Garden: Wake up and smell the roses. You are NOT the only pebble on the beach and we can just move on down the line to another restaurant that will treat us like we're paying their bills!!!!

[barbjim]

Maybe Cane Garden should do what some hotel restaurants do and ask if singles want to sit with other singles instead of dining alone or at a bar. I have met a number of folks in my travels by being able to chat during dinner instead of burying my head in a book because I have to eat alone.
Maybe they should give it some thought, or someone from the villages may want to suggest.

[bimmertl]

For starters, if you are so insistent on sitting by yourself, yet won't sit at the bar, get take out and eat at home or go during off hours when the establishment isn't going to be busy trying to seat parties of more than one.

Nothing is more frustrating than walking into a restaurant with 2 or 4 people and not getting a table or booth because they are filled with single patrons who seem to take hours to finish and leave their tables. Imagine running a restaurant and turning foursomes away because you have 5 tables with a total of 5 people sitting at them drinking free refills of iced tea and ordering a salad as twenty people leave due to the excessive wait to get a table. I recently walked into one place and saw somebody sitting alone in a booth reading a book with an empty plate in front of them and a glass of water on the table as we waited for a table.

If you get to a restaurant and they won't seat you until all your party arrives and their four of you, tell them you are only a couple and get the booth or table and when the others arrive, they can join you. How hard is that to figure out?

Bottom line, if this is so troubling, eat at home!

[jtdraig]

:joke:Very nice attitude. Did you just get off an 18 hour drive from somewhere or are you just normally like that?

Jeeeeez

[jime]

Sorry - if everyone in your party is not there and ready to go to the table, you shouldn't be seated. If someone else was seated without everyone being there and you folks who think that was terrible had to wait a little longer as a result, you'd be complaining about the long wait. :

[rhall1644]

Cane Garden while they have good food, does lack in customer service. Having full parties before seating makes no good business sense that I'm aware of. The people there can start ordering drinks and apps (spending money) until the others show, which is usually just a few short mintues when you are all golfing in a group. Gators, Whiskey Creek, Mallory all go out of their way to accomadate large groups. Cane Garden should learn from them as they are not the only game in town.

[zcaveman]

Originally Posted by jtdraig

:joke:Very nice attitude. Did you just get off an 18 hour drive from somewhere or are you just normally like that?

Jeeeeez

ROFLMAO - but seriously, I was scheduled to meet two other couples for breakfast at Glenview. When I got there, I asked for seating for 6 so they put us at a table for 8. When the second couple showed up, they said that the third couple decided not to come. I was a little embarrassed because I now had this big table. When I mentioned it to the waitress she happily moved us to a table for four. This caused extra work in cleaning up the place where we had sat with our drinks.

I kind of have to agree that you wait until the entire group arrives.

I also don't mind the post about having singles sit together - as long as both parties are agreeable and at the same stage of dining. I did that in the service and at one of the places I worked and I always met new friends.

I also think that when you are done and you see couples or groups waiting, you should not sit and dally. Give the others a chance to enjoy a meal. There are times when I think the waiter should see this and offer the table their bill. That would be a hint to pay and move to the bar if they want to continue the conversation. Or order something else.