The Woodshed?

[twoplustwo]

...and am quite proud of it. There's a large number of people on our staff who've been there for several years, some for many more, and there's a reason for that. I promise you, none of us want anyone to come in and have a bad night from us old timers to any newbies and certainly not the new owners. That's why our suppliers haven't changed, our recipes haven't changed, and our portions haven't changed. I have several points I'd love to make.

There's no cut of prime rib on our menu for $29+ unless you've paired it with a lobster tail, claws, or crab legs.

If you get food you do not like, send it back! We want you to leave happy; when we bring stuff back to the kitchen they are apologetic, they do not like it, we do not like it, we want you to like it. If we leave a plate under a heat lamp for more than a few seconds as food goes onto plates then onto our serving trays, we hear it. Hard. Even if it means someone else is nabbed to take our food out for us. Food is not left under a heat lamp, I promise you. It did not happen when Lyn was there, it does not happen now.

I adore Lyn, and miss working with her very much. Lyn never went to every table in the restaurant. People working the front of the house each get a dining room, each makes the rounds in their area. It was that way when Lyn was there, it is that way now. Tables got missed then, they get missed now. It's unfortunate, they try not to let it happen, it's a rare occurence IMO. It sometimes happened then, it sometimes happens now although they try as hard now as they did before to avoid that situation.

Kitchens get out of synch, timing gets screwed up. It's difficult to staff a restaurant when a large percentage of the people in the dining room didn't have reservations but our owners try very hard to keep staffing above expected levels based on historic data. Sometimes we're overstaffed, sometimes we get surprised and end up understaffed. None of us likes that situation, it is stressful for all involved and the owners try hard to prevent us from having that kind of night, which means they work hard to prevent you from having that kind of a night.

Quality and price are absolutely a concern, if they weren't, we'd still have the NY strip and the lamb chops on the menu. The strips coming in were horrible cuts so they pulled it off the menu. The lamb chop prices got jacked up so high, they couldn't ask customers to pay for them.

If you complained and never got a response, well, I'm really surprised. I see the new owners responding to comments good and bad via email and the phones all the time, it's obviously important to them. Indicating they just don't care? Who the hell would take on a bank note of that size and the hours it takes to run a restaurant if they didn't care? If their intention was to run the place like an overpriced Hart's, those of us who've been there for years would've been out the door by now. All of those options you now have around town for dinner? Those are also options for us from an employment standpoint. I think it's a testament to Kirk and Denise that we're still there, because they are working hard to continue the traditions of quality and service we enjoyed with Lyn and continue to enjoy under their ownership.

Sometimes a restaurant has a bad night. No one ever wants that - not the owners, the managers, the servers, the bartenders, the hosts and hostesses, nor the kitchen staff. But sometimes it happens, and none of us leaves there happy when it does because we fear some of you may have left there unhappy, which we never, ever want. If you come in and have a problem with your food, please let us know. If you have a problem with your server, let another server or a manager know. If things are great from top to bottom, know we've worked to make it that way. We all care or we wouldn't be there.

[JayDV]

Well twoplustwo, that was the tastiest mouthful of crow I have ever eaten, and I wasn't even in the discussion.

It was unfortunate that people have bad experiences with any kind of business that exists on offering a service to a client base (wait a minute, that is just about every business!). And, as you pointed out, as others have in different threads here, communication is key. Quick to communicate to friends, families and fellow forum-ers (?) with both positive and negative comments, but how many make the effort to give the verbal/written attaboy to the business representative (server in this case) or management? A tip is a nice reflection, yes but the "word" is the medal of honor that can be worn in their step, attitude and even reflected by management's praise. These can only help to make the clients' next visits that much better. Ad while making client's visits better, the gentle constructive critique or even the aside comment of dissatisfaction is appreciated by management for the 2 reasons twoplustwo stated; to improve your experience and to improve the impression the business presents to the client.

For all of you who continue to do your best, day in/day out, I offer my thanks. I appreciate the honest effort, the eye contact, and the appropriate business attitude. Good jobs!

[hopscotch]

Originally Posted by twoplustwo

...and am quite proud of it. There's a large number of people on our staff who've been there for several years, some for many more, and there's a reason for that. I promise you, none of us want anyone to come in and have a bad night from us old timers to any newbies and certainly not the new owners. That's why our suppliers haven't changed, our recipes haven't changed, and our portions haven't changed. I have several points I'd love to make.

There's no cut of prime rib on our menu for $29+ unless you've paired it with a lobster tail, claws, or crab legs.

If you get food you do not like, send it back! We want you to leave happy; when we bring stuff back to the kitchen they are apologetic, they do not like it, we do not like it, we want you to like it. If we leave a plate under a heat lamp for more than a few seconds as food goes onto plates then onto our serving trays, we hear it. Hard. Even if it means someone else is nabbed to take our food out for us. Food is not left under a heat lamp, I promise you. It did not happen when Lyn was there, it does not happen now.

I adore Lyn, and miss working with her very much. Lyn never went to every table in the restaurant. People working the front of the house each get a dining room, each makes the rounds in their area. It was that way when Lyn was there, it is that way now. Tables got missed then, they get missed now. It's unfortunate, they try not to let it happen, it's a rare occurence IMO. It sometimes happened then, it sometimes happens now although they try as hard now as they did before to avoid that situation.

Kitchens get out of synch, timing gets screwed up. It's difficult to staff a restaurant when a large percentage of the people in the dining room didn't have reservations but our owners try very hard to keep staffing above expected levels based on historic data. Sometimes we're overstaffed, sometimes we get surprised and end up understaffed. None of us likes that situation, it is stressful for all involved and the owners try hard to prevent us from having that kind of night, which means they work hard to prevent you from having that kind of a night.

Quality and price are absolutely a concern, if they weren't, we'd still have the NY strip and the lamb chops on the menu. The strips coming in were horrible cuts so they pulled it off the menu. The lamb chop prices got jacked up so high, they couldn't ask customers to pay for them.

If you complained and never got a response, well, I'm really surprised. I see the new owners responding to comments good and bad via email and the phones all the time, it's obviously important to them. Indicating they just don't care? Who the hell would take on a bank note of that size and the hours it takes to run a restaurant if they didn't care? If their intention was to run the place like an overpriced Hart's, those of us who've been there for years would've been out the door by now. All of those options you now have around town for dinner? Those are also options for us from an employment standpoint. I think it's a testament to Kirk and Denise that we're still there, because they are working hard to continue the traditions of quality and service we enjoyed with Lyn and continue to enjoy under their ownership.

Sometimes a restaurant has a bad night. No one ever wants that - not the owners, the managers, the servers, the bartenders, the hosts and hostesses, nor the kitchen staff. But sometimes it happens, and none of us leaves there happy when it does because we fear some of you may have left there unhappy, which we never, ever want. If you come in and have a problem with your food, please let us know. If you have a problem with your server, let another server or a manager know. If things are great from top to bottom, know we've worked to make it that way. We all care or we wouldn't be there.

There's no way one can compare the way the Woodshed is run now with how it was run under Lynn and her husband. They cared. All you are doing, TWOPLUSTWO, is making excuses for poor performance by the new owners. Service is still good but that is because of all the holdover staff that was trained and held accountable by Lynn. As far as the strips steaks go..please!! If the Capital Grille, Mortons, and Grille 23 in Boston can get great strip steaks then surely the Woodshed can. You're just giving excuses and I don't like paying the Woodshed's high prices for excuses. The new owners are pretty clueless....

[Old Hubbard Rd]

I was at the Capitol Grill this past Sunday PM and the steak was horrible. For $41 I wish I was at the Woodshed having a nice piece of Prime Rib!!

[twoplustwo]

Everyone has their opinion, and their perception. The head chef and manager are now also the owners. Stands to reason that we'd find little change in that they've been directing us as employees for years with exactly the same policies and procedures in place.

I hope you find a nice and affordable strip steak in your restaurant travels.

[SAMIAM]

Being in involved in the biz,I would never try to critique another restaurant,but I do find it nice to see a loyal employee sticking up for her boss.
Hope I get 2+2 for a server next time I go to the Woodshed.

[upthesaukee]

I have gone into a few restaurants and seen several tables empty (fairly large restaurants) and when I checked in at the hostess station, was told that there may be a 15 minute (or half hour, etc) wait. We're sorry but we had a few people call out sick and we want to make sure that during your dining with us, the service and food will meet with your approval. Unless we were in somewhat of a rush, we usually have waited and have not been disappointed. This was far better than having been seated and then waited for 15 minutes for a server to come get our drink order, or food order. A little explanation goes a long way.

We haven't been to the Woodshed in a couple of years, because it is on the opposite side of the lake from us, but if we ventured over there and hit that type of situation, we certainly would be happy to wait so that service and food would hopefully be up to our expectations.

Also, I agree with Samiam, it's nice to see an employee stand up for their employer. Kudos to you, 2x2!

[twoplustwo]

It would be my honor to serve you. Stop in the lounge on your next trip in, I'll pour you a Skip & Go Naked and we can discuss the quirky passion of internet forum junkies

[Seeker]

I will have to echo Rose in post #4.
After hearing about the Woodshed for years from friends in my area (Wakefield/Effingham) my wife and I took another couple there for our first time. We had early reservations and were seated immediately. The wait was almost an hour between ordering and receiving appetizers. Meanwhile, others who came after us had their apps and were receiving their main courses. I don't mind that if the food is very good - it wasn't. My wife, the prime rib expert said it just had no flavor, onion soup was fair, my filet was good, flowerpot bread when it finally arrived seemed to have been in the pot a bit too long. Creme bruille was disgusting at best although artichokes were good. Salmon dish was good but a casserole (don't remember type, could have been seafood?) was pretty much inedible.
Was I going to send something back and wait another hour or so? No way.
I like employees standing up for thier business but no one, waitress included, ever asked us how our meals were.
Maybe if it were closer I'd try again. Then, maybe not.

[offmycloud]

Seeker - that never would have happened when Lynn Seley ran the place. She was always on the waitstaff like a hawk. I had poor service there recently as well.

Lynn was there most every night and was on top of everything. Now, it's like there is a leadership void or something. There is no one aggressively managing the diningroom anymore. When I went there I saw and experienced that. They may have someone who is supposed to do it but no one who cares deeply and takes it personally. Everyone is sort of just doing their job with their head down.

[Old Hubbard Rd]

Man... cut this place some slack. You folks are tough!! I need a couple skip and go nakeds right about now!!

[hazelnut]

I for one would hate to see this place go downhill. It is such a staple of the Lakes Region. I am sure there are some growing pains associated with taking over such a historical landmark of a restaurant. As 2+2 has stated many of the employees are long term people. I am sure they take pride in their job and their restaurant. The last thing they want to see is bad service and inconsistent food. If you had a bad night give them a second chance to redeem themselves. If it happens again well.... What can I say. I for one plan on going to the Woodshed next time I get the chance. I wish the owners good luck and i hope they take the criticism constructively and use it to strive for perfection.

[upthesaukee]

Three of us went to the Woodshed this evening, and had a very nice meal. The two ladies shared the artichoke heart appetizer, and I had the mushrooms...both were good, I liked the "sauce" with mushrooms, but my wife thought it was too strong on the sherry or marsala for her taste. The hearts were excellent. The ladies each had swordfish, one grilled and the other blackened. I had a little bite and thought it was great. Ladies liked it as well, but they felt it was a little dry, but again, Chef Moi thought it was just right. I had the hanger steak with blue cheese and bacon, which I ordered medium and came out about medium rare, which is how I really like it, but find often when I order it Med Rare it comes out to rare (run on sentence, my bad). Had the decadent chocolate for dessert, and it was great, and the ladies had ice cream thingees, which were huge.

Service was great, attentive, and made the evening a success for us.

Owner came over to make sure all was well. Not particularly busy, but a nice evening, especially after having driven from the other side of the lake to get there.

bottom line, we would definately go back, and enjoyed ourselves. Also, it pointed out how three people can have differing opinions on what is moist, or too strong flavored, etc. Nice job, Woodshed.

[BlackCatIslander]

Last Saturday night my wife and I had a very enjoyable supper at the Woodshed. I am aware that some Forum members have been critical of this restaurant since last year's change in ownership. We have been fortunate in having the opporunity to dine in fine and not so fine restaurants through out North America and beyond and we always enjoy the opportunity to eat at the Woodshed. The atmosphere is always welcoming, There happened to be two tables near us with young children but they were well behaved and caused no problems.

My wife had the jumbo shrimp cocktail and I had the lobster stew for appetizers. For entrees she had a perfectly cooked medium rare rack of lamb and I had the scallops. For desert we split a lemon tart with fresh raspberries. It was especially good! I was looking to see if I could find anything to criticize but we both agreed that we thoroughly enjoyed the swirler sized drinks and the meal.

[KPW]

Had a great dinner at the Woodshed last evening. Service was great. Rack of lamb and prime rib were excellent. I am guessing it was the owner that stopped by the table and asked how everything was. I have never had a bad experience at the Woodshed, and last night was no exception.

[Old Hubbard Rd]

Great to hear positive feedback regarding the Woodshed. This place is just one of my favorite settings. I love telling people that I am going to take them to this place deep in the woods off the beaten path. It always blows guest minds when they see where it is located. The positioning of this restaurant is against all business practices and common sense!! Most places are located on busy well traveled roads.

[froggy]

Originally Posted by Old Hubbard Rd

Great to hear positive feedback regarding the Woodshed. This place is just one of my favorite settings. I love telling people that I am going to take them to this place deep in the woods off the beaten path. It always blows guest minds when they see where it is located. The positioning of this restaurant is against all business practices and common sense!! Most places are located on busy well traveled roads.

Seems when the family who started Woodshed, I recall didn't they live next door or very nearby? Therefore the location was fine at that time!

[JDeere]

"I went a few weeks ago. Lynn Seley sold it this year so it's under new management but it's still ok. "

I thought Lynn and her husband (Kirk) the chef split up and he now runs it. Anyway went the other night and the food and service was mediocre, as it has been for quite a few years now.

[VitaBene]

Originally Posted by JDeere

I thought Lynn and her husband (Kirk) the chef split up and he now runs it.

That is my understanding as well. I believe Kirk's girlfriend is heavily involved in the front of the house.