Locals Restaurant — Restaurant in Courtenay

Seated us 6 on my dads 75th birthday golf trip tourney wind up dinner and refused to serve us afterward because my brother accidentally bumped a plastic chair as he walked off the patio to answer his phone to talk to his wife. Waitress immediately follows up, comes and says you have to all leave. We were there on a Sunday night willing to spend north of a lot. Disgraceful place I hope the owner knows what his mgmt is up to. And his lost profits. Word travels fast. That’s my dad and our happy smile upon entry. Spread love not hate.

Update:

It was apparent, was it? Why didn’t the waitress clearly communicate that rather than giving me some long-winded story about someone who bumped a chair. I literally had no clue why she is telling me this and refusing to serve us. I was sober and looking at her shocked and dumbfounded. I obviously have to assume it’s that we don’t fit the mold as we were somewhat dressed down as we are on a golf trip from out of town, or perhaps bringing your own expensive bottles of wine for corkage is frowned upon, or perhaps laughing and being jolly and having fun isn't allowed.

Needless to say, she lacked the ability to communicate. She didn’t communicate that it was due to her suspicion that some one had too much to drink. She didn’t say “look we want to send out some fresh bread and waters to get you guys started before serving alcohol. PROBLEM SOLVED. I would have had no problem with that. Its called couth. All I ordered was a sleeve of lager or pilsner. I could have surely waited if that was CLEARLY the concern.

Regardless, we’re not teenagers that trip and stumble around after a drink. Perhaps you should advertise as quiet formal dining, even though your patio is casual atmosphere. That way you don't have to humiliate your patrons based on a judgement passed by your staff. And perhaps invest in some proper chairs, not cheap plastic flimsy chairs.

And of course, we got up and left. We were not going to spend a dime never mind hundreds if not thousands in your restaurant after being HUMILIATED like that.

And if anyone escalated the situation it was your manager’s demeanor upon our departure. The whole job of a manager is to de-escalate and accommodate. He was confrontational and rude as many others have mentioned in their reviews. There were no threats made and no shouting. In fact, I was glad to be leaving and having found out before spending any money. It was my decision to leave, and I would do it over again.

We are from out of town and have dined at many fine establishments. I don't need a lesson on decorum from your waitress and manager.

Judging by some of the other reviews, good service perhaps isn't your...

Dropped in for lunch on a Friday, wrapping up a vacation in the region. We had been given the recommendation by a friend, or we'd never have thought to try this place (as a rule, if it's attached to a hotel, I'm skeptical!). Very glad we did try Locals.

First, it's beside/behind a hotel, but I'm pretty sure the restaurant predates the hotel, and it is no hotel restaurant. The building is a historic and quaint little spot beside the river, offering lots of interior and patio seating. (Like any place on VI, if it's mid-to late- August, you'll want to ask about the wasps before you opt to sit outside in the daytime.)

We sat inside, which is a bit dark, but mighty interesting due to the age of the building (wood beams! stone! window ledges a mile deep!). Service was attentive but not overly so. We admired the wine list but opted for beer (one local beer, one non-alcoholic), both of which were great. From the menu, a vast array of choices briefly overwhelmed us. One cornucopia salad and one lamb burger later, we realized we could easily return. Food was prepared to perfection. No bland food-service-truck-freezer-packed meals here. From salad to burger bun to fresh ground lamb patty, it was all hand-made and quite delicious. Yes, my burger was a little more rare than I'd be comfortable with in most settings, but I assumed it was deliberate and that the kitchen wouldn't serve me unsafe food (I was right). And it was all the more juicy and delicious for being on the rare side of cooked.

All in all, a great option for a classy meal in Courtenay (almost Comox). Pricing, like most places in 2023, seems a bit high (an extra $12 to add one scallop and two prawns to the salad seems off!) but for what you're getting, the value is actually there. Service could be a little less, um, efficient, and maybe a touch more friendly, but these servers have been working in the profession for a while, so maybe they've learned not to bother with too much extra.

We'll be back. And hey -- you should...

Sunday Brunch Arrived and waited in the entrance. And waited. And waited. And waited. Servers walking past us like we weren't even there. Out of about 10 passes by various staff we were spoken to only twice. The hostess (not sure who she was) asked us if we'd been helped. We said no. She looked at us and said "okay" and WALKED AWAY. No more information. And we never saw her again for the next 10 minutes. Meanwhile other staff (the manager it looked like) is literally leaning against the bar having a conversation.

We were finally sat out on the patio. The server seemed confused about where she wanted to put us. Like, very confused. And finally we were seated. Our drink order was taken. And over 10 minutes later our water and beer arrived. Then 10-15 min after that we were finally asked what we wanted to order. Our food took over 30min. We had 1 drink each and 1 lunch item and we were there for over an HOUR and a HALF! We didn't want to be there for that long. Even for our bill we had to get up and stand up at the counter until someone noticed us.

So here's the funny part. They weren't busy. At all. There were 3 tables on the covered patio and including us, 2 people on the outside patio. There were 3 tables inside. (We looked when we went to the bathroom.) We counted at least 4 servers and a hostess and a bartender and the manager. Still at the bar talking.

Wow. Just wow.

The food was fine. The patio was nice. But 1 star for some of the worst service I have ever...