Sunset Grill — Restaurant in Ajax

I've been a regular here for quite some time. I come here 2-4 times a week. I'm sitting at my table at this very moment writing this review during what will be my last visit here for awhile. It's just become too uncomfortable.

I've been a customer here through several staff changes and one ownership change. Since the ownership change, the environment has shifted drastically. Many of the more senior staff have left and the only two veterans are Tana and Nichelle (who are outstanding but don't seem to get the recognition that they really hold this place together). I really miss Tara, Amanda, Miranda and Morsel . A couple of the more recent additions are good but generally, the service standards have really slipped

Everything seems great when the restaurant is slow but the current staff seem unable to manage things when the restaurant gets busy.

One recent addition seems unable to even wipe tables without having to be be "quality controlled" on a regular basis

The food is still good (standard sunset grill fare) but the atmosphere is incredibly uncomfortable.

It's been mentioned in other reviews but the "constantly hovering" owner who perches in various areas of the restaurant to "survey his domain" is terribly disconcerting to customers. This feedback seems to have been ignored by the owner as his "supervision" of everything staff do and everything customers do, continues. I'm often on my laptop writing emails and whatnot at breakfast and I frankly, don't appreciate him lurking over my right shoulder while I'm typing.

I recall a gentleman from corporate office being here some time ago. I'm not sure if he was here to address complaints look for areas of improvement or what but, clearly he missed the mark or his suggestions were not heeded. My sense is that the owner fancies himself some sort of super manager. It doesn't seem that this is the case

Things that might make me come back

1. Start addressing some of the negative comments made here and on other review sites. They're areas for improvement for you and, while you either ignore them here or give lip service to them, nothing changes. You need to indicate that you will act on items here and actually demonstrate action.

2. stop the constant supervision of staff and customers by the owner. It's super creepy and intrusive

3. hire some actual qualified wait staff and trust your good staff to do a good job instead of micromanaging them. It seems that the good ones are willing to help change for the better but that they are being shut down by daring to be proactive (ie owner knows best, in his mind, and no one should be telling him otherwise)

4. get rid of one table per section. This place has always been overcrowded and people get jammed together when it's busy to the point that they are uncomfortably jammed against their tables

5. To the owner. Tuck in your shirt. Shave and start looking like an owner who has your customers' considerations in mind instead of lording over staff

Again, I'm sad that I won't be back for the foreseeable future but I really just can't be feeling like I'm being supervised while I eat any longer and, while the food lives up to expectation, the change of atmosphere under the most recent ownership is the basis for my...

Update on Sept 22, after management response: On Sept 9, the day of our reviewed experience, dear management you only had TWO waitresses in the restaurant: One was middle aged, maybe forties, very slim, and whose hair was a brownish-blonde (very light brown, which I see as dirt-blonde). with a tiny ponytail. I wanted to genuinely HELP you make this a better place, like it used to be, yet you get on the defensive, despite my good intentions. You know perfectly whom I was referring to when I said "slim blonde", despite she might not be an actual blonde. The other waitress was short-haired, brown , and not slim, your regular waitress we've seen there all this summer and the one who took our order on Sept 9. The staff must also recall who was the slim waitress who bumped into the other one and made her drop the food on the floor. The cooks will also recall who which one of the two waitresses was entertaining them loudly, and that we left unhappy because our order was missed. All you need to do is ASK your staff if anything went out of the ordinary on Sept 9. I do not believe such things happen every day, but I am maybe wrong?!... Management, you do not seem willing to investigate, unfortunately. That is disappointing for you to refuse to improve restaurant operations only because your definition of "blonde" does not correspond to mine. Too bad it did not cross my mind to record on video what happened that day. However I can identify that waitress in person, to help you finally proceed with your internal investigation .

Quality of service has gone way down since before Covid.... We used to eat here regularly and at that time, food was excellent and staff attentive. This summer, we went back again 2-3 times, food was still good.

On Sep 9, 2021 it was probably the last time we went there. The restaurant's atmosphere is in decline, due to the current staff's behaviour. The blond, slim, middle-aged waitress was too loud and cozy with the cooks, with whom she shared endless stories and loud laughter, as we were waiting, famished and frustrated, for our food. She also bumped abruptly into the other waitress who was carrying food to a table, and the food ended up on the floor. We felt like in an below-average fast food joint. After 32 mins of waiting for the food we inquired, and found out our order was missed somehow. Yet nobody bothered to check with the cooks, which at the time of our inquiry were on idle... That is poor care to the customer, on behalf of everybody. Yet we always tip generously. Well, lesson learned... Good food can be find in many places, along with nice atmosphere and pleasant and caring attitude from staff. So we'll check out...

Not the best experience I've had with this company as the one in Sage Hill Calgary was much better at quality in food and service.

They don't have a turkey club on menu but in Calgary I was able to order it and they would provide a better quality meat. I came to this location and I received a processed slice meat that I couldn't tell if it was actually turkey. And the menu said it came with fries but I was given roasted potatoes. To top it off the "veggies on the side" is a sad excuse. 1 carrot and a sad looking zucchini doesn't constitute as veggies on the side.

The service was not that great as the entire 20+ minutes we were there my husband's coffee was not refilled and we weren't asked if we needed anything or how was our food. Yet the server kept going to serve other customers coming in. The roasted potatoes was barely cooked too. Not even the slightest bit crunchy.

I wish I had a picture to show of my dish but as soon as my husband and I received our food we wanted to leave. My husband's omelet was undercooked and when he asked for ham never received it. Sad to say I won't be coming to this location or any others while...