Wolfeboro Inn?

[KeepItSimple]

Has anyone tried the Big Moose Burger Challenge at Wolfe's Tavern? I've done some competitive eating in the past so I'll probably give it a go when I'm up this summer...just interested in others' opinions.

That's too bad though that other folks have had sub-par service in the past, we've always had relatively decent service, but then we tend to go at off hours or off season (September is a great time to be up at The Lake).

[Fishing]

My husband and I went to the Tavern the other night for dinner. The dinner was excellent. My hubby had the special for the night...a NY steak with handcut fries and asparugus. He ate everything on his plate and declared it was delicious! I had a simple cheeseburger with fries..........and I declared it done to my specification and it was also delicious!!
The service was attentive - got a table without waiting and our wait staff were smiling and helpful and attentive.
I do think, in my humble opinion, that I am glad I didn't listen to the somewhat negative comments and went in with the knowledge that was in this thread of a new manager and chef. Give them a chance..everyone seemed to take pride in their establishment.....and I wish them success.
They have their Sunday Brunch back and I can't wait to go back for that!

[Mr. V]

Fishing, I have reviewed your eight prior posts and you are a true fan of the Wolfeboro Inn.

Nothing wrong with that, I suppose, but you are waaaaaay to tolerant of their failures.

I liked this earlier post of yours: "Although I received the wrong meal, I ate it and was quite happy."

I would have ranted and raved; you ate it like a champ and smiled like the cat that got into the cream.

[George Soderberg]

I respect the Domino’s commercials as well. Interestingly, I too have offered my contact information and outreach opportunities through the Community Advisory Board right from the beginning. So you don’t have to search the previous posts, here it is again: gsoderberg@haycreekhotels.com ; 603-569-3016.

For those of you have contacted me off the “Forum”, I am confident they will attest to the fact that I will discuss any and every issue in great detail - more than happy to do so one on one by phone, in perosn or email.

It pleases me to hear that the general feeling is the food quality is no longer an issue. If you read the threads carefully, when I arrived things were so tenuous that the previous Chef felt compelled to write on the Forum to make sure members knew he was no longer here.

As for service, yes, of course we have been working very hard on improving service. I would have been “stupid” not to do so (Wait where did I read that ……). We are and have been focused like a laser on service. It’s been intense and deservedly so. Do we have more room for improvement? Absolutely, but I am encouraged by the feedback we have been receiving recently and we will stay the course. We can never rest if we intend to deliver a consistent high level of service. And we intend to do so.
At the end of day it’s also about pride. Pride in quality, pride in service, pride in community. There is a new energy and spirit here, a real commitment to service excellence. I remain positive and confident. If you stop please ask for me, I would enjoy meeting with you in person.

George

PS. We are reworking the salad bar. Currently, it is just the basics. Our focus right now is elsewhere. We do not offer soup any longer in part, so that we may better control the quality. There is a lot of waste with the salad bar – perhaps that why no one else does it. If the salad bar is your barometer, better to wait.

[Seeker]

OK. Looks like we'll make the 30 mile trek and try it. I need to get to the Folk Cellar anyway.

As far as salad bars go I used to absolutely love them. Until I saw some individuals pick up food with their fingers to sample it and other things I dare not mention. So build me a garden or ceasar in the kitchen and I'll be happy.

We eat out at least 3x per week and it takes only a one time bad experience to put a place off my list.

[Fishing]

I was surprised (?) that you went back to check what I wrote. I did have good experiences when we have gone. We are NOT locals so we don't have the opportunity to go somewhere every week. The wrong meal was delivered during their "soft opening" right after the renovations and they offered to exchange the meal - and I decided it wasn't necessary.
This trip was my first experience with the new chef and new manager. I was commenting on that experience.
I have had bad experiences at other restaurants - but no threads on those places. I have also had wonderful experiences at others - again, no thread.
I just wish people who make comments are those who have actually gone to the establishments. So, on that note...we visited the restaurant - we had a wonderful experience - and I posted it.

[SIKSUKR]

Hats off to GS for chiming in on the service portion(npi) of this discussion. We all want the same thing and that is for the WI to succeed. Sounds like things have improved. Good luck and good job.

[wolfeguy]

Good luck to George and the entire Wolfeboro Inn Staff!!
They have come along way and from what I am seeing, gaining confidence in the community. I cant wait to come and meet Chef Hoke and see the great improvements at the Inn!! Good Luck and have a great season!! You have my support 100% and look forward to a great dining experience!!
Chef Stephen Harding

[secondcurve]

Has anyone dined at the Wolfeboro Inn this weeked? Busy holiday weekends have been the achiles heel of the Inn in recent years. I am wondering if GS has been able to turn things around during busy periods.

Thanks,

[patman]

We had 7 for lunch there on Saturday around 1:30 for an after-graduation celebration meal.

I'd like to preface this by saying I really *wanted* this to work out. I was hoping. I read the reviews, I have been before with mixed results over the past 10 years, but I rolled the dice. I'm a local, so I am part of the off-season potential business, not just someone in for the weekend.

Short version:
Overall it was OK but not great, still a lot of room for improvement.

Long version:
We were seated quickly, and the waitress came over to take drink orders soon after. She started by announcing that the kitchen was backed up because "everyone showed up at the same time" so we should be prepared to wait for the food to come out. Fair enough, good to know, but...at the time I think there were 4-5 other tables occupied (significantly fewer than half the tables) where we were in the middle area, near the bar. I was left wondering why that was considered heavy traffic. The back dining room was closed, and nobody was in there. To be fair, I came in through the lobby door in the back, so I don't know how many tables were occupied in the front area. I'm pretty sure there was one other table occupied outside also.

Drinks came back promptly, although there was some awkward 'please pass this down' deliveries due to the close proximity of the table next to us. That was not a big deal, but it was a little weird.

Because of the delay warning, we decided to order some appetizers. Nachos, onion soup, and a couple of salads. They arrived a little later than I would have liked, but...we allowed for it due to the warning, so it wasn't a big deal.

By this time the drinks were long empty, and the waitress asked about a second round. One person asked for a glass of water. The refills arrived...without the water, so a second person repeated the water request. The waitress came back a couple of minutes later with a pitcher of water saying we could all fill our own glasses. Only problem was...she didn't bring any glasses. A third request brought one empty glass for the person who had originally asked for the water. Later I asked for a glass of water, and got...a glass of water. That was fine, but I'm not sure what the point of the pitcher was. If the place was hopping, I could understand some crossed signals, but...not for 4-5 tables.

The nachos were good, the salad was good (we passed on the salad bar due to its small size and comments earlier on this thread about still working out the details) and the onion soup was...fair. The broth was weak, the cheese was unidentifiable, and there were no bread/croutons in it.

The main course arrived after the apps were finished (late as we were warned, but...the apps bridged the gap) and again there was some 'please pass this down' deliveries. The main courses were good. People in the party had sweet chili chicken, steak tips, and burgers, all done to their satisfaction.

Around this time the table behind us was being bussed. There were two women doing the work, and one of them kept repeating quite loudly "was the day care seated here or something?" as they cleaned up. Not exactly an ambiance-enhancer.

The bill came to about $145, or about $20/person before tip.

It wasn't a bad meal...it just had an awkward feel to it, not quite on the mark. I know the comparison is probably wearing thin, but...I've had much more memorable experiences at The Restaurant for that same $20/person.

Great:
Seated quickly, drinks order taken quickly

Good:
Nachos, Salad, Mains

So-so:
Onion soup, awkward service, slooow kitchen with light crowd, drink refills

Bad:
Trying to get water, clearing adjacent table

I guess my bottom line on this experience is that the service and food do not live up to the appearance and expectations. It *looks* like it should be something comparable to The Restaurant/Canoe/The Woodshed in those qualities, but it ended up *feeling* more like Longhorn/Applebee's/Chili's.

[RailroadJoe]

PATMAN Great review. I wish others would write reviews as good as yours.

[secondcurve]

Originally Posted by patman

We had 7 for lunch there on Saturday around 1:30 for an after-graduation celebration meal.

I'd like to preface this by saying I really *wanted* this to work out. I was hoping. I read the reviews, I have been before with mixed results over the past 10 years, but I rolled the dice. I'm a local, so I am part of the off-season potential business, not just someone in for the weekend.

Short version:
Overall it was OK but not great, still a lot of room for improvement.

Long version:
We were seated quickly, and the waitress came over to take drink orders soon after. She started by announcing that the kitchen was backed up because "everyone showed up at the same time" so we should be prepared to wait for the food to come out. Fair enough, good to know, but...at the time I think there were 4-5 other tables occupied (significantly fewer than half the tables) where we were in the middle area, near the bar. I was left wondering why that was considered heavy traffic. The back dining room was closed, and nobody was in there. To be fair, I came in through the lobby door in the back, so I don't know how many tables were occupied in the front area. I'm pretty sure there was one other table occupied outside also.

Drinks came back promptly, although there was some awkward 'please pass this down' deliveries due to the close proximity of the table next to us. That was not a big deal, but it was a little weird.

Because of the delay warning, we decided to order some appetizers. Nachos, onion soup, and a couple of salads. They arrived a little later than I would have liked, but...we allowed for it due to the warning, so it wasn't a big deal.

By this time the drinks were long empty, and the waitress asked about a second round. One person asked for a glass of water. The refills arrived...without the water, so a second person repeated the water request. The waitress came back a couple of minutes later with a pitcher of water saying we could all fill our own glasses. Only problem was...she didn't bring any glasses. A third request brought one empty glass for the person who had originally asked for the water. Later I asked for a glass of water, and got...a glass of water. That was fine, but I'm not sure what the point of the pitcher was. If the place was hopping, I could understand some crossed signals, but...not for 4-5 tables.

The nachos were good, the salad was good (we passed on the salad bar due to its small size and comments earlier on this thread about still working out the details) and the onion soup was...fair. The broth was weak, the cheese was unidentifiable, and there were no bread/croutons in it.

The main course arrived after the apps were finished (late as we were warned, but...the apps bridged the gap) and again there was some 'please pass this down' deliveries. The main courses were good. People in the party had sweet chili chicken, steak tips, and burgers, all done to their satisfaction.

Around this time the table behind us was being bussed. There were two women doing the work, and one of them kept repeating quite loudly "was the day care seated here or something?" as they cleaned up. Not exactly an ambiance-enhancer.

The bill came to about $145, or about $20/person before tip.

It wasn't a bad meal...it just had an awkward feel to it, not quite on the mark. I know the comparison is probably wearing thin, but...I've had much more memorable experiences at The Restaurant for that same $20/person.

Great:
Seated quickly, drinks order taken quickly

Good:
Nachos, Salad, Mains

So-so:
Onion soup, awkward service, slooow kitchen with light crowd, drink refills

Bad:
Trying to get water, clearing adjacent table

I guess my bottom line on this experience is that the service and food do not live up to the appearance and expectations. It *looks* like it should be something comparable to The Restaurant/Canoe/The Woodshed in those qualities, but it ended up *feeling* more like Longhorn/Applebee's/Chili's.

Thanks for the update. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like things have changed much despite George's efforts. The irony is that the Inn's local restaurant competition continues to rapidly strengthen while it wallows in mediocrity. Specifically, the food/service/experience at the Bayside, The Restaurant and Garwoods have all followed a sharply upward trend over the past several years. These local establishments appear to understand much better than the Inn's management what it takes to put more guests in the seats during a difficult economic period.

[Barbara]

I was at an event at the INN last evening. The food served was supposed to be hearty appetizers. They were NOT hearty and NOT good!!!!! I would never organize an event to take place there. I was so disappointed. I really had hope that things would be better.

I was also under the impression from both George on this board and from something in the Granite News that the Inn had a new menu as of late April. I'm planning to meet some friends for lunch downtown Wolfeboro next week and stopped at the Inn yesterday to check out the "new" menu. It was the same menu that's been there for a long time. The Inn will NOT be our choice for lunch next week!

Mise En Place is always my first choice for lunch, but unfortunately they are n longer serving lunch. That is so disappointing! I guess lunch will be at The Restaurant.

[RLW]

Originally Posted by Barbara

I was at an event at the INN last evening. The food served was supposed to be hearty appetizers. They were NOT hearty and NOT good!!!!! I would never organize an event to take place there. I was so disappointed. I really had hope that things would be better.

I was also under the impression from both George on this board and from something in the Granite News that the Inn had a new menu as of late April. I'm planning to meet some friends for lunch downtown Wolfeboro next week and stopped at the Inn yesterday to check out the "new" menu. It was the same menu that's been there for a long time. The Inn will NOT be our choice for lunch next week!

Mise En Place is always my first choice for lunch, but unfortunately they are n longer serving lunch. That is so disappointing! I guess lunch will be at The Restaurant.

Looks like another point AGAINST the Inn and George.

[secondcurve]

Originally Posted by Barbara

I was at an event at the INN last evening. The food served was supposed to be hearty appetizers. They were NOT hearty and NOT good!!!!! I would never organize an event to take place there. I was so disappointed. I really had hope that things would be better.

I was also under the impression from both George on this board and from something in the Granite News that the Inn had a new menu as of late April. I'm planning to meet some friends for lunch downtown Wolfeboro next week and stopped at the Inn yesterday to check out the "new" menu. It was the same menu that's been there for a long time. The Inn will NOT be our choice for lunch next week!

Mise En Place is always my first choice for lunch, but unfortunately they are n longer serving lunch. That is so disappointing! I guess lunch will be at The Restaurant.

A quick check of George's forum activity shows he hasn't bothered to sign on since 5/2/11. I, for one, am finally done with the Wolfeboro Inn. There are far too many good choices. As stated in my earlier post, the competition keeps getting better while the Wolfeboro Inn continues to spiral downward. It's a shame but that is what has happened. The Inn has turned into just another tourist trap.

[Jonas Pilot]

I think some of you might enjoy your dining out more if you found yourselves better company to share the experience with. If you were more involved with your host or guests you'd have less time to look for fault in others.

[secondcurve]

Originally Posted by Jonas Pilot

I think some of you might enjoy your dining out more if you found yourselves better company to share the experience with. If you were more involved with your host or guests you'd have less time to look for fault in others.

Thanks for the meaningless post/advice. Now a little bit of advice for you: If in the future you can't add anything meaningful to the topic being discussed you would be better off not to say anything at all.

[Jonas Pilot]

I'm sorry if I struck a nerve. I didn't mean to upset anyone. It is on topic.

[Winnipesaukee Divers]

Originally Posted by Jonas Pilot

I think some of you might enjoy your dining out more if you found yourselves better company to share the experience with. If you were more involved with your host or guests you'd have less time to look for fault in others.

I like this comment, it's right on! Ever notice when the big kid gets knocked down all the little want-to-be bullies run over to kick him. Then notice that they all get hurt in the end, one way or another. Think about that for a while...

I have a gift certificate to the Inn that I really want to cash in, so I'm looking forward to going. You guys have done so much whining about the Inn lately, I can't wait to try the "New Wolf's Tavern".

I figure, growing up on a farm in VT, where we would eat anything, anywhere, anytime; just how bad can the Inn be? Besides, if I can enjoy a meal at the "Low to the Ground" Pops, dinning at the Tavern going to be a real step up for me.

[Heaven]

Originally Posted by Winnipesaukee Divers

I figure, growing up on a farm in VT, where we would eat anything, anywhere, anytime; just how bad can the Inn be? Besides, if I can enjoy a meal at the "Low to the Ground" Pops, dinning at the Tavern going to be a real step up for me.

There is something called perceived value, which is a balance of a whole lot of things, some of which maybe can't even be defined.

[Winnipesaukee Divers]

Hummm, "There is something called perceived value", let's see if I can figure this out. You go to a place with a preconceived notion that the service and food suck; you get this information from a bunch anonymous posters on the internet, but to you this is the gospel truth. It seems to me, your mind is already made up that "You're not going to be satisfied" and therefore you're not. Is that your "perceived value"?

And your last part that statement is "some of which maybe can't even be defined". Are you fooling with me here? You can't even define it, but you know what it is, when you don't get it.

You'll have to forgive me, as I'm just a simple farm boy from VT with real low "perceived values". I will be going there with no preconceived notions, so watch for my reviews. If I have a good time, I'll be sure to tell you and if I don't... well, you won't know, I'm just that way.

BTW: Just so you'll know; the farm I grew up on had no animals, but it's products were shipped worldwide.

[chipj29]

Originally Posted by Jonas Pilot

I think some of you might enjoy your dining out more if you found yourselves better company to share the experience with. If you were more involved with your host or guests you'd have less time to look for fault in others.

Sometimes it is possible that the food and/or service is so bad that you are unable to have a nice dinner with your guests, no matter how good company they may be.

[George Soderberg]

Forum,

So i'm just checked in. I have some things to communciate and to respond to it appears. Barbara, the "hearty" Hors D'oeuvres. I can't speak for whomever told you these would be "hearty" but I can share a few facts on this topic. For a banquet we serve what the customer chooses. Perhpas they considered this hearty or significant. In this case, for 70 people (which was the guarantee) we served 80 pieces, of the following: Mini Quichettes, Sweet & Sour Meatballs, Spinach and Feta (Spanikopita), Spring rolls, Pot Stickers with a peanut sauce, Grilled Chicken tenders tossed with a mango basil salsa, Sundried tomato Bruschetta and a cheese & Cracker display. Thats 640 pieces or about 9 per person and we had some left over. So there was "plenty". We got positive feedback from the organization and comments that they enjoyed everything. I am sorry you apparently did not. Perhaps you can assist me. I would welcome your feedback directly. I believe you have all my contact information.

Menu. Yes, I did say we were changing the menu's starting with dinner and we did. The Spring menu was completed and in use for several weeks. This was done to get a feeling from the community about our selections before tweaking it for our summer menu. That will be adjusted shortly. The current menu we are finalizing is the breakfast menu. That is targeted to be out in about a week. The lunch menu will follow that. Once these are complete we turn our attentions to the banquet menu. If anyone has specific suggestions for the lunch menu i'd be happy to entertain them.

Second Curve, I feel I clearly stated I would do my best and check in from time to time. And I have. There wasn't much in the way of comments until very recently. I have attached a few samples of comment cards that I received from the past couple of days. While I do get some constructive criticism and a few disappointments I get many more comment cards just like these. (I decided to attach the cards so you could see the comments were genuine). I can't explain why we can't seem to get it right for some of you. I'm sorry you have given up, but you're right there are some good restaurants in the area. I have enjoyed a few myself.


We are gearing up for the summer so we have a lot of new seasonal faces. There has and will be a lot of training going on.


Salad Bar. In addition to the mixed lettuce leaf, we have 6 "basic" toppings plus shredded cheese for your salad. To this we are going to add 4 more toppings. So you will have 10 items plus shredded cheeses you can put on your salad. It is our intention to maintain the 6 core items and rotate out the 4 additional with 12-18 more items so that we keep it interesting. There is also bread and soup. I expect the 10 item offering will occur sometime this week.

Italian night. As of last Monday, on the recommendation of the community advisory board and every Monday night until further notice we have added
Italian Night! These will be specials for the evening in addition to the current menu. So far everything we have heard has been all positive. Weekly, there will be 3 appetizers, 5-6 entrees and 2 desserts. If you see the Italian Flag flying in place of the "open" sign - now you know why.

As a further example of how we take your recommendations seriously and to heart we will be adding Salmon to the menu. We have made a number of adjustments because of feedback like this.


Finally, there was a gentleman from UNH that was referred to at some juncture in this thread. The comments about him that I read were quite positive. For your information as of last week he is now our restaurant manager. His name is Dean Pratt (so you don't have to say - Hey UNH guy). If you haven't given up on us please stop in and say hello.

Well, that's all the news for now.

George

[patman]

I didn't say it was bad. Nothing went back to the kitchen or went uneaten, nobody complained to the staff. Overall, in my opinion, it just didn't live up to the fine dining image that is portrayed. I expected better.

I drew the comparison to Applebee's. I've eaten there (and at similar places) a bunch of times...by choice...and had decent meals. I got exactly what I expected at those places. Two of my favorite area places are The Village Kitchen, and The Wolfeborough Diner. Probably not where I'd pick to go for a celebration or a romantic meal, definitely not fine dining environments, but I always enjoyed them on the many occasions I chose to go there.

The Tavern? Good food? Sure. (Skip the onion soup.) Beer? I'm not a beer guy, but judging by the list, probably second to none in the area. Fine dining? Not quite. If I was up from Boston for the weekend, and paying $200/night for a suite in the Inn, and wanted a meal to match, I'd probably be disappointed with Applebee's...and The Tavern.

As for the company...in my case it was my family celebrating a HS graduation. Maybe I'm missing out, but I guess I would have a tough time coming up with better, more involved company than that.