Chicken Chef — Restaurant in Esterhazy

I ordered takeout last time I was in town, October 25th. Food was good, but the service when I went to pick it up...not great. I stood at the bar, awaiting a staff member to speak with me. I got one instance of side eye from a waitress who was clearly busy with her tables, and the bartender who eventually "helped" me finished sharing a video with a customer, came behind the bar, made change out of her tip jar for a larger bill...and then spoke to me. At this point, no eye contact had yet been attempted. She said, paraphrasing, are you here for takeout. I simply said yes, as I was biting my tongue to keep from responding sarcastically about my invisibility cloak or something along that line. She set up the credit card terminal,, plunked it down on the counter in front of me, walked away. I tapped my card, didn't work, so I tapped again closer to the top of the unit due to its shape. it didn't work, but she had come back with my pizza. I asked if there was some step I was missing. For her second sentence (and last one) to me, she said oh, yeah, sometimes it takes another try. So I tapped, it went through, got my receipt, and left. I was glad there had been no option to tip presented on the terminal, so I didn't have to make that decision. The interaction, as a whole, felt very dismissive. Perhaps it was because I clearly am not a regular, I don't know. But when she was speaking with the customer nearby, sharing the video, she was quite friendly and animated. When she dealt with me, I saw none of that. I said nothing rude, but I did ask another server if there was a manager on that night. She was quite polite (dining room) but did tell me that I could speak with one of the ladies in the bar. I said no thanks. Perhaps she was having a bad day. Still a less than pleasant...

The meal was good... but a lack of service needs to be addressed.. walk into the restaurant entrance with no acknowledgment of staff to greet me in. So after reading the daily specials at the door, I sat myself down on the quiet side of the restaurant. I seem like a party atmosphere on the lounge side, I was not interested in that excitement at 1:10 in the afternoon, just a quiet place to eat. Now, 20 minutes later, still nobody knew I was seated and waiting to be greeted. Weird, I thought 🤔 not 1 but 3 surveillance cameras in the room and not been seen? Clever as I am, I called on my cell the restaurant to place an order..😉 asking for an ice tea and a menu🫢. With embarrassment, the waitress rushed over, finally realizing I was not served. The meal was prompt after I ordered. 2 observations.. I'm not sure if the waitress was the only one serving that day during lunch hour? Is so then management need to address a lack of staff at that time of day.. it would be hard to look after the lounge plus the other side of the restaurant by herself at that time of day.. especially with a table of some young rowdy fellow having a good time in the lounge. #2.. If there are 3 surveillance cameras on the to help staff watch the restaurant side, does anybody pay attention to it?? Or is the staff easily distracted with the entertainment in the lounge side?? 🤔 one side note.. the gentleman that was seated in the corner booth never got much attention either... I'm sure one day I'll come back, but please, the owners must address this for a better experience next time. I would have sat in a more noticeable spot, but there was a lack of clean and available tables to be...

The past several times we have visited this restaurant we have had horrendous service bit after today I can't see us coming back any time soon. After waiting ten minutes for menus and for our drinks to be taken we were made to wait another 45 minutes for someone to come and take our order for food while the other tables around us had their orders taken (while also after waiting a considerable amount of time) before us, when we had arrived in the restaurant first. If this was a one off experience it would be one thing, but it seems every time we come the service only gets worse and worse. This was once a favorite place for me and my partner to come, but unfortunately the service here has completely changed and left us both disappointed and hu gry. It seems the staff here has no ability to manage large groups of people coming in and don't seem to care how long someone must wait, The only thing that matters seems to be behind the bar as most the time there is 2 or 3 staff...