Mandarin Restaurant — Restaurant in Ontario

A group of us from work will travel 45 minutes to an hour twice a year to this restaurant ..we have always had great service and great food , but on Sat July 26th 2025 we made reservations for 25 3 days prior to going to this restaurant and expected to have our usual fun time at this location. When we arrived there was " No welcome to the restaurant or conversation" when we were seated for a group of 25 but only 15 showed up we were tucked in the back of room D in a corner, our water was already prepoured by staff and people were trickling in as they do with rides and work schedules, when we sat down ( weather outside 35 degrees and humid) it was so hot and everyone was uncomfortable, the serving staff were amazing ( this has nothing to do with the serving staff) they quickly refilled our waters with fresh ice water, we were very hot and asked why it was so hot in there and then we were told the A/C is broken amd they were working on it. At this time some of the group had already started to eat and people were still arriving , I HAD asked for a fan to help with comfort , staff said they would try , usually a manager will come and introduce themselves and ask if everything is ok. NOT one time did a manager come by, staff started handing is cool clothes instead of warm clothes to try and cool down for we were very crowded even though not everyone showed up. I/some of is that came later started with our appetizers and once started to eat were so uncomfortable that just sitting there we were sweating and some became nauseated with the heat staff came around with more ice water and frozen face cloths to cool is down . Several of us tried to bear the heat and move onto our supper only finding relief up at the steam table (were it should have been warmer) I could not eat my meal as others and others could not finish their drinks from the bar because ice had melted so quickly and was not enjoyable. Some of us thought about going outside to get relief but stuck it out as much as we could to get through the meal. It was suggested that we would be discounted for it was sauna hot in there. When it came time for 15 people to pay their tabs on a Sat night we calculated only just meals we had spent 600.00 (.not including drinks) and most of us couldn't eat for the sweat was pouring off of us like we were sitting in a shower ( some were shoving ice down their shirts) the manager came over and said well you didn't complain to ME before so NO discount. I/we have NEVER been treated so badly here . If we were informed prior to hour 45 minute drive that there was NO a/c or informed when we all arrived we probably would have either re booked or went to Red Lobster. If the manager would have discounted our meals even a bit we probably would be going back . It obviously with that manager was NOT about taking care of his customers. Many of is stated to him we will never be back, and we won't. ( Just to back things up a 3 day ahead reservation leaving 2 names and a contact number would have been nice to have a heads up regarding how uncomfortable it would be for I do not believe the A/c went out moments before we arrived. Still no apologies from this...

I haven't been to the Mandarin in Kingston in quite some time, but I'm glad to say it remains as wonderful of an experience as ever! The food selection is large and diverse, with options even the pickiest eaters can enjoy, the restaurant looks beautiful, and it's very relaxing and calm inside. The staff are amazing, they refill the food almost instantly when it runs out, and they clean up any accidental spills that happen quickly and efficiently, but without drawing attention to or embarrassing the customers who did it (we know from experience!) I was actually so enamored during my time there that I didn't even think to take any pictures except for one! I also want to give a special shoutout to the two who served our table today, Alyssa and Alvin. They were polite, friendly and funny, checking on us often and making sure we were having a good experience but without being invasive. They were also respectful of my wishes to not draw attention to me since it was my birthday, but still made sure that I got a free meal, brought me a little cupcake that they decorated very nicely, and took a picture for us to remember the occasion. They really went above and beyond for us, and though I've been a fan of the Mandarin for a while, today was enough to make my boyfriend and his parents decide that we'll be coming back for many more...

On Oct. 1 my partner and I went expecting another great dinner, sadly the experience was not so great. Let me start by emphasizing the wait staff were great, even though it was as busy as I have seen it. The subpar experience started with our soft drinks being flat, the replacement (we asked for new ones) were the same. We always come on weekends to enjoy the roast beef, unfortunately it seemed they had run out and we waited for 15 min for more, which was undercooked and basically raw and mostly fat (small end piece). All of this would have been somewhat acceptable given the large amount of patrons, what was unacceptable, was the treatment of our wait staff by the supervisor. The wait staff were berated and disrespected in front of the patrons and witnessing this was very unnerving and troubling for all present. I have always had, for the most part, a pleasant and enjoyable experience, but on this occasion I was feeling very concerned about the treatment directed at the staff. Update 10/16/23 Went again yesterday and I have to say everything was great!!! Staff, while again being very busy, were very attentive and friendly. Food was very good and roast beef was perfectly done. Also hats off to Aaron, regional Manager, for following up and making things right. 5 stars...