Homestead in Bristol

[whalebackpoint'r]

Been going there for many years. Great restaurant! Anybody remember when Joe Boatman of the Ink Spots would be there tickling the ivories at the lounge piano? Yes, drive in to downtown Bristol and check it out. You'll be glad you did.

[coolyourjets]

Originally Posted by whalebackpoint'r

Been going there for many years. Great restaurant! Anybody remember when Joe Boatman of the Ink Spots would be there tickling the ivories at the lounge piano? Yes, drive in to downtown Bristol and check it out. You'll be glad you did.

Went to The Homestead for the first time. The restaurant looked great and the food was good and while the server was very nice, service was ridiculously slow. It first took about 10 minutes once seated for anyone to acknowledge our table and then the waitress had to come back to take drink orders. Drinks came out pretty quickly but that was the only thing that was reasonable in terms of time. Apps and dinner took a long time but the worst was the 30 minutes we waiting to get our leftovers packed and plates cleared once we finished our meals. Ultimately, we asked a busboy for containers. We were going to order after dinner drinks and desserts but we had run out of patience by then. I like a relaxed dining experience but almost two and a half hours from the time we sat down to the time we paid the check is a bit long. Good food though.


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[Hillcountry]

Originally Posted by coolyourjets

Went to The Homestead for the first time. The restaurant looked great and the food was good and while the server was very nice, service was ridiculously slow. It first took about 10 minutes once seated for anyone to acknowledge our table and then the waitress had to come back to take drink orders. Drinks came out pretty quickly but that was the only thing that was reasonable in terms of time. Apps and dinner took a long time but the worst was the 30 minutes we waiting to get our leftovers packed and plates cleared once we finished our meals. Ultimately, we asked a busboy for containers. We were going to order after dinner drinks and desserts but we had run out of patience by then. I like a relaxed dining experience but almost two and a half hours from the time we sat down to the time we paid the check is a bit long. Good food though.


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We too have had a service "burp" (one time being the worst) but we also have had the same thing happen at every restaurant we frequent. I don't complain about people having to wait on me but a reasonable wait is expected on occasion.
Last week we stopped into the Tilt'N Diner and the service was the worst we have ever experienced and my meal (meatloaf dinner) came out COLD with the gravy actually glazed over like it had been sitting awhile. I sent it back and ordered the fish and chips and it was great. The manager, a very nice woman, later came to the table and said she would comp my dinner. I mildly, protested as the fried haddock was perfect but she insisted I get my meal for free. Can't beat that!

[rick35]

I agree that every restaurant can have an issue. It’s how they deal with it that makes us decide if we’ll go back. We had food and service issues at Canoe in Center Harbor a few weeks ago. We had to ask to talk to the manager and when she came to the table she made excuses and threw the server under the bus. She did comp all three of our meals but that didn’t solve the issues. We had only been to Canoe one other time years ago and given the attitude on top of bad service and bad food we won’t be back. What really ticked me off is that we cancelled a reservation at the Bob House to go there because our schedule changed.

[Billy Bob]

Originally Posted by rick35

I agree that every restaurant can have an issue. It’s how they deal with it that makes us decide if we’ll go back. We had food and service issues at Canoe in Center Harbor a few weeks ago. We had to ask to talk to the manager and when she came to the table she made excuses and threw the server under the bus. She did comp all three of our meals but that didn’t solve the issues. We had only been to Canoe one other time years ago and given the attitude on top of bad service and bad food we won’t be back. What really ticked me off is that we cancelled a reservation at the Bob House to go there because our schedule changed.

“didn’t solve the issue“? What did you want them to do in addition to comping all three of you, fire the entire staff and have the building raised?
Get real

[joey2665]

Originally Posted by rick35

I agree that every restaurant can have an issue. It’s how they deal with it that makes us decide if we’ll go back. We had food and service issues at Canoe in Center Harbor a few weeks ago. We had to ask to talk to the manager and when she came to the table she made excuses and threw the server under the bus. She did comp all three of our meals but that didn’t solve the issues. We had only been to Canoe one other time years ago and given the attitude on top of bad service and bad food we won’t be back. What really ticked me off is that we cancelled a reservation at the Bob House to go there because our schedule changed.

Please be more specific about the food issues? I have been there many times and yes sometimes the service can be slow but I have never had a bad meal at Canoe

At that specific moment there really isn’t any more they can do other than apologizing and comping the meal.


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[rick35]

1. Server appeared to be inexperienced and may have had too many tables. Was inattentive.
2. Ordered prime rib and received “prime steak” which I think was a special
3. Ordered medium and received extra well done
4. Ordered mussels and they were undercooked
5. When corrected all food was Luke-warm when received
6. Had to ask to see manager. Anywhere else the manager would have known there were issues and come to the table without having to ask.
7. Manager blamed server for getting prime rib orders wrong

Any one or two of these happens but when you add them all together it was an unpleasant experience. And after all that not paying for mediocre at best doesn’t solve the issues.

[Sue Doe-Nym]

Thanks for the Canoe update. Over the years, we have tried it there, and never thought it was great. One problem was the hostess...I believe related to the owner...who had an attitude problem. She may no longer be there, for their sake! 🤨 When we added it all up, we decided to skip Canoe in favor of one of the other restaurants.

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by rick35

1. Server appeared to be inexperienced and may have had too many tables. Was inattentive.
2. Ordered prime rib and received “prime steak” which I think was a special
3. Ordered medium and received extra well done
4. Ordered mussels and they were undercooked
5. When corrected all food was Luke-warm when received
6. Had to ask to see manager. Anywhere else the manager would have known there were issues and come to the table without having to ask.
7. Manager blamed server for getting prime rib orders wrong

Any one or two of these happens but when you add them all together it was an unpleasant experience. And after all that not paying for mediocre at best doesn’t solve the issues.

Was the server a young(er) young lady? We were there a few weeks ago, and she messed up our orders big time. Manager got involved when we didn't respond favorably and made things (mostly) right. We've always been happy with Canoe but this summer started leaning towards The Bob House with better results.

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[rick35]

8. Had reservation at Bob House and cancelled to go to Canoe because we had an hour to kill

[joey2665]

Originally Posted by rick35

8. Had reservation at Bob House and cancelled to go to Canoe because we had an hour to kill

Thank you for the specifics. Interesting I’ve never had issues there to this extent but we all have different experiences.


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[Biggd]

My wife went to the Homestead with some of her friends back in September and she said the service was so bad that their meals took a long time and when they did come out they were all cold. They complained to the manager, who said they were short on help, and she comped the whole meal.
That's why you see a lot of empty tables and so many people waiting for a seat. They don't have enough staff to wait on all the tables so they just won't seat you until their ready.

[joey2665]

Originally Posted by Biggd

My wife went to the Homestead with some of her friends back in September and she said the service was so bad that a their meals took a long time and when they did come out they were all cold. They complained to the manager, who said they were short on help, and she comped the whole meal.

That's why you see a lot of empty tables and so many people waiting for a seat. They don't have enough staff to wait on all the tables so they just won't seat you until their ready.

Unfortunately a regular occurrence around the lake the past couple of years. Really puts a damper on your dining experience.


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[Mr. V]

Originally Posted by rick35

And after all that not paying for mediocre at best doesn’t solve the issues.

You got three meals for free?

And you're still whining?