Lone Star Texas Grill — Restaurant in Ontario

I wish I could write two separate reviews, for the two recent times I have been to Lonestar, but I'm only allowed one. I want the owner to see the review, I don't think they'll have any doubt who the server is (or was, as this was a month ago now, and she may already be gone!), but please know that the food is amazing! This year I have had two experiences, one which would have received a 5 star review, and one which I wish I could give a 0 star review - and it all has to do with the wait-staff.

My first trip started off well. A reservation was made prior to the event, with a total number given that was lower than the number of people that RSVP'd, as I knew some would be early, some would be later and potentially just for drinks, but odds are they would not overlap. It was a Thursday, so not a crazy busy night. We had a small wait for the reserved table but the bartender was hilarious and provided excellent and prompt service. Our server, however, was 100% indifferent and constantly slightly rude. Initially we thought she was frazzled at having a group, but her lack of attention to detail and her indifference became apparent quite quickly. Everything from wrong drink orders, to missed food requests (no bacon on the ceasar salad for my vegetarian friend, for example), to only bringing cutlery for half the table... I was trying to be patient throughout the whole thing, knowing it must be uncomfortable to have some people leaving and new people coming in, but I know every single guest with me that night was not impressed. The cherry on the cake was when she bussed the table beside us and got it all prim and proper for her boyfriend, instead of bringing the other half of the table their cutlery. When he did show up, she spent a few minutes bent over talking to him, so every time those who had their food looked over to see if she was coming back with utensils for them, all they got was a view of her behind. Eventually her boyfriend caught on, and when she walked away he actually handed us his cutlery, so at least one person that was waiting could start eating! Her math was off on the bills (to her detriment, she almost parted with an additional $10 that had not actually been paid to her), and she seemed obviously pleased to be rid of us, which was not a nice feeling to have. We would have stayed for more drinks if we had felt welcome. I'm too old to say 'she ruined my birthday' - and she didn't. We all now have an amazing service horror-story for our future grandkids - we should almost thank her.

My second trip was my 5-year-old nephew's first ever restaurant experience, roughly a week later. My nephew's mom was there that first night - we had discussed Lonestar before this ordeal for my birthday. We decided to stick with our choice despite the service, as we had both always had great service prior to that night and the food is really good! She had also snuck away (far far away!) from our server and asked the super-helpful bartender some questions on the menu, as her son has an egg allergy. He not only answered her questions but offered up additional information, with confidence! That definitely helps put worrying parents at ease. That night we simply walked in with the mindframe of 'if we get the same server as before we'll speak up and ask to be seated elsewhere'. However we had an amazingly sweet server who did a great job of providing friendly, prompt service, asking all the right questions without triggering demands from the kinder (ie dessert), and knowledgeably and confidently answering a few more allergy questions about the menu. It was a much-needed recovery experience for us adults, and an amazing first experience for...

Yesterday June 16th 2021 my fiance and I attended the Lonestar in Kingston while visiting the are. We usually go to the Whitby location because we live in the area.

1st issue.

We were truly disappointed with our experience at the Kingston location. I called for a reservation and the staff member I spoke to over the phone said I did not need one. Upon arrival the hostess said it would be a 40 minute wait and I should have made a reservation. I explained that I had phoned earlier and was told I did not need one.

2nd issue

40 minutes rolls by and we were told our table was ready. We were escorted to our table which was a 2 person small table in the dark corner of the patio. I looked under the table and there was food and garbage on the ground. This area was disgusting so I requested another table that was clean and situated in a lit area only to be told that I would have to wait another 15 to 20 minutes. We asked to speak to the manager and the staff member said she would go get them. We waited 10 minutes and the staff member came out and said the manager was not available and we would have to wait to get a another table.

3rd issue

Another 10 minutes rolls by which takes us to almost 1 hour and we are finally escorted to our new table directly in the middle of the patio which also had food on both the chairs and the table. The staff did clean it at my request.

4th issue

We ordered the Queso did which we always get and when it came out there was hardly any. We explained to the waiter that we get this all the time at the Whitby location and the portions are way larger. The waiter replied " Our head chef made it and I am sure it was made according to spec"

5th issue

We both ordered the steak Quesadias and when they came out they were filled with mostly cheese and with hardly any steak.

It almost seemed like the restaurant was trying to save money on portions.

We understand that COVID-19 has had a huge impact on the restaurant industry but the Lonestar quality and large Texas style tasty portions is the main reason people go there.

This experience was unacceptable to say the least.

We will never re-attend the Kingston location do to the poor service, food and...

Lone Star Texas Grill in Kingston, Ontario, during what was supposed to be a special celebration for our daughter’s graduation.

We had a reservation, but when we arrived, our table had been given away to accommodate a larger group. This forced us to wait 20 minutes in the sun - not ideal when we had a schedule to keep, needing to get our daughter to her graduation cruise shortly afterward.

Our server, Tulsa, told us that ordering fajitas would be the quickest option, so my wife and daughter chose those. I ordered a burger and fries. We placed our drink and meal orders all at once - but none of our food arrived for over an hour.

Because of the delay, my wife had to leave before we finished eating to get our daughter to the event on time. During the 30 minutes she was gone, our server never once returned to check on us. We had asked for water earlier - it never came. When my wife returned, we waited another 15 minutes for the server just so we could pay. No apology - just the full bill and an expectation of a tip.

When the food finally arrived, it was barely warm. My burger was lukewarm at best, and the fries were cold. I mentioned this to the server, and she offered to “warm up the fries” - not a helpful or acceptable response after waiting an hour for mediocre food.

To top it off, this location doesn’t carry a single local beer - disappointing, given the number of excellent craft breweries in the Kingston area. It gives the impression that they don’t care to support the local community.

I’m not writing this to get compensated - I just want to share how frustrating this experience was. The food was average, the service was terrible, and the overall experience was stressful when it should have been a celebration. If I could leave zero stars, I would. We will not be returning, and I can’t recommend this...