Coach Lamp Restaurant and Pub

Coach Lamp ruined my first Valentine's Day with my wife.



They couldn't get more things wrong. Little things from having no music playing, big things like having a waitress they said has never served before and was given no training, and serving a steak that the kitchen manager said he knew was "bad".



The waitress knew nothing of the menu whatsoever (didn't tell us about the prize fix menu, couldn't describe any items on the menu), nor even the basics of service, which is a big deal for a place that will cost you $50/person. We waited over 20 minutes for drinks and over 45 minutes for our appetizer, which came after the salad course.. I had to literally track her down elsewhere in the restaurant. She confessed to us that she forgot to ring it in for over 45 minutes (when the table that was seated after us finished eating got their check). She didn't think it would be appropriate to send the manager over, or at least come to us and explain. She somehow thought my scavenger hunt was more appropriate.



The overpriced food was mediocre, except for the steak that had more than 4 square inches of fat on it, without exaggeration. This came right on top of that appetizer that took over 45. I put it on a separate plate to show the server. She didn't ask, so I volunteered why I did that. It was a huge. She said she would check with the kitchen and returned to say the manager said the cook had received a bad shipment and there was nothing they could do! Apparently, trimming meat is a skill they haven't learned. (I was a butcher in college and a steakhouse manager for my first job after college. Trimming large chunks of fat like this is easy.)



When she delivered the check without asking about desserts, or refilling our drinks even once, I politely retrieved my credit card. The owner/manager, who had not yet been visible the entire evening finally decided to appear. We were the first table in the restaurant and there were no more than 4 seated tables the entire time, so there is no excuse for this.



I explained to him what happened. He apologized and told me not to blame her, blame him. She is not actually even a waitress. He had his entire staff walk out on him and was desperate, so he had friends filling in. Could he possibly have a worse excuse? 1. Don't do whatever someone does to have their entire staff walk off. 2. Always have a stack of replacement applications. 3. Train anyone you put in the floor. 4. Check in on everyone, especially someone who you admit doesn't know what she is doing and hasn't done it before.



His explanation for the steak was that this was a ribeye and that is how they come, because that was the tail. First of all, this wasn't the tail, it was the cap end. Second, it wasn't a square inch (the maximum you should expect). This was four times that. Third, even if I didn't know what I was talking about, don't argue with me because the customer is always right. Fourth, with all the other issues, most notably waiting over 45 minutes for my appetizer, you try and make things right.



The manager said that he was sorry for the whole experience and feels bad we had a waitresses who has never served before and has never received any training, but we shouldn't blame her. We should blame him. (Glad to do so.) He then offered to buy us a dessert (yeah right), or give us a coupon for a future appetizer. He did not offer to take the app or the steak off the check, or to comp the whole meal (which he should have done), but to give me a discount on a future app or dessertl. What? Do I really want to come back and spend a ton of money for bad food and bad service?



He can make excuses for the server, but not for the rest. Thanks for running my first Valentine's Day with my wife. I wanted to take her someplace nice, not someplace expensive that is less impressive in food and service than Applebee's (and I am no fan of Applebee's).