The Merchant Tap House — Restaurant in Ontario

My family visited for dinner on a Wednesday night in August. The weather was nice so we sat outside. I did go inside to check it out and really liked the ambiance. The building is historic dating to the 1830s. I recognize the decor style as Gothic. There is exposed black on the walls, dark paint and carpet, and Victorian couches and various locations. The bar is absolutely gorgeous. The dining area is split into three different rooms and there are fireplaces for ambiance. The bathrooms are on the right side of the bar and they are spacious and clean. The menu features updated pub food. They have a dedicated kids' menu bite which is nice for families. The outdoor and seating area is quite large. It's quiet since it's at the bottom of princess Street and there's not a lot of foot or auto traffic. Our server was fantastic. He was a young man starting law school at Queen's University. He asked us where we were from and why we were there on vacation. He seemed very interested in what we had to say. At the end of our meal he brought us a vintage Canadian coin someone had given him. It was such a nice thing for him to do. The food was very good. My kids got chicken strips and fries. I got the chicken Caesar wrap and my husband got the Thai lettuce wraps. We all really liked our food. You would definitely go again. They have live music in the evenings which I thought was really cool. The parking can be challenging on busy days since there is no dedicated parking lot. But there's a paid lot a block away that usually has some Open spaces. Okay. There's also some...

Well...where do I start? I came to Kingston cause my dad has a serious medical problem and was admitted to KGH so I ended up staying with my mom at the Confederation hotel. We came back late but I couldn't sleep so I asked the guy at the front desk where I could get a drink. He described how to get to this place walking. Alone, I made my way over and ordered a double shot of Chivas, a beer and some wings. A little overwhelmed by the circumstances life throws at you some times I was looking forward to just loading up a bit and mull over my dads situation. After a second beer I thought, that's enough, I will go back to the hotel and just relax. I asked the waitress for my bill which came to about $42 and something. I gave her $60 and waited for the change figuring I would be generous and give her about a $8 dollar tip. The change she gave me was a five and some coins. A little drunk I immediately figured I owed her at least a five. Taking a couple coins and walking out of the place I realized I just got ripped off. I walked back in and said "I think I didn't get the right change" with which she responded " Oh ya it was almost $13 I owe you" I took five bucks back and walked out leaving her a almost $9 tip. She had a dark mole on the base of her neck and long dark hair. Unfortunately I tipped a girl who skillfully tried to pull a fast one on me. If you try this place....don't drink too much, or at least know how much you owe so you don't get taken by a "friendly face". Disappointed, will never return and will tell all my firefighter...

Very poor experience. Our server was MacKenzie. She was argumentative and visibly angry after two of the group mentioned our coke was flat. She told us there was no way it was flat even though we were the ones drinking it. Telling us what sauces to put in our to go containers when we told her what we wanted to put in them. I guess the customer isn't always right? The food took way to long to come out. And even though the food sat at the pass it was more important for her to chat with the other servers. Having worked as a server in many establishments, fine dining and non, it was very disappointing knowing that it was just a lack of care that dampened our experience. If it had been busy or during a rush or peak time the experience could have been somewhat understandable but the amount of empty tables and standing around chatting amongst servers really showed it was down to the staff. Each server should have the expectation that how they treat their guests can be a make or break experience. Making them feel uncomfortable for pointing out an issue with their drink inexcusable. A guest should be able to communicate with their server and feel like they are welcome no matter what. The whole group felt very uncomfortable after the first 15 minutes. This made for an extremely uncomfortable dining experience and a very bad end to a weekend away.

I hope this is an opportunity for a learning experience and that things will be better in the future to avoid customer experiences like this for us and...