The Waring House Restaurant & Inn — Restaurant in Ontario

I sent this directly to the Waring house in the form of an email more than 72 hours ago, and even though I requested a response, I have yet to receive one.

We had a weekend there with a large group between May 26-28, 2017. We initially reserved the block of rooms back in December 2016, and this is the second year in a row we've come to this venue, so we thought that any wrinkles we experienced last year would be worked out. Well, they weren't. I'll start with the largest issue and then work chronologically after that.

When we had dinner at Amelias Garden on Saturday night, we had 32 people in attendance. When the bill came, the invoice counted 38 dinners served. At $50 per plate, that's an additional $300 our group almost paid. When I asked the head waitress, she simply said "I'm just doing what I'm told, I'll call (coordinator) and see what she can do." She came back with an excuse about people not attending when they had booked a room. The problem with that argument is that we ordered off of the menu, and no food was prepared for anyone but those who were sitting for dinner; there was no buffet portion. We had a feeling that this happened last year, but we didn’t complete a formal headcount so we had no recourse. There is no kinder word for that than fraud. The Waring House attempted to defraud our group of $300, plus taxes and tip, totaling $389 all in.

Now starting chronologically from Friday night:

Friday night we arrived, and while prior arrangements were made to have the complete Heritage block to ourselves so we could have free use of the Brian Cardy Room and fire pit without disturbing any other patrons, our group was split, and there were outside guests in the block we were promised sole occupancy of. I personally spoke to the front desk representative on Friday night and although she assured me that there wouldn’t be any issues with other guests, it still tempered the mood significantly. When you have 35 people all together, even at a conversational tone the atmosphere can be quite loud. I would like to reiterate that the only reason we wanted a complete building blocked off is so that we wouldn’t be a nuisance to other paying customers.

Saturday morning, we booked a conference room so we could put on a presentation. Coffee and refreshments were specifically excluded in our agreement, as we were coming directly from breakfast; but they were supplied anyhow. When cashing out, The Waring House attempted to charge $100 for one carafe of coffee and several jugs of water.

Saturday evening when checking into Amelia’s garden, the menu offered was their standard menu at standard prices. We had previously agreed to a price of $50 + tax and tip per plate. After being asked about that, she said the best the head waitres could do is $55.00 per plate. When the head waitress raised (coordinator) on the phone, they begrudgingly agreed to the $50 per plate, but then mysteriously ran out of rib – eye.

Saturday, after dinner, we decided to retire to the fire pit for some snacks and a few drinks. We were supplied with one small wheel barrow of wood, which lasted us about 2 hours. When we asked if there was any more wood to be had we received a firm NO.

For a venue who prides themselves on being an event destination, The Waring House fell flat on delivering their end of...

We were fortunate to get a room for 2 nights during the long weekend. Location of the Inn is perfect, you could drive in any direction and find something to do! We arrived late (7pm), again, fortunate the restaurant could accommodate us for dinner. The restaurant had lovely courtyard with outdoor seating, umbrellas with live music. If you're a vegan, you know that menu's can be challenging. They had a stir fry (yeah), but sauce is made with sugar (I can't do sugar). So, I asked for it with olive oil only. They accommodated my request (yeah). So I appreciated that.

Covid Rules: They had very strict (too strict) Covid rules for patrons, which made the dining experience a bit unpleasant. Example, even though it's outdoor seating, you need to put a mask on every time a server is at your table. Even though patrons are very distanced, you have to put your mask anytime you get up from your table (remember its outdoors).

Service: The service was okay. Because of the live band combined with us having masks on, it's like the server could only hear 'some" of what we were saying and as a result, only got some of our requests right. For example, we ordered a 9 oz glass of wine, he brought a 6 oz. I asked for decaf tea, he brought regular tea. But, maybe its not the loud music. The next morning I asked for a white omelette with just onions and spinach with no toast (no gluten). My breakfast arrived laced in cheese (I can't do cheese) with a side of toast and a bowl of fruit. I scraped the cheese off and ate the omelette anyway, secretly pleased with the unexpected fruit dish.

Accommodations: The rooms are nice, cozy, with nice patio. With that said, the furniture truly needs a refresh (i.e. coffee tables, dressers,etc). Our room felt spacious and designed for comfort. Great bedding and pillows. Large clean bathrooms. The view was disappointing. (don't expect romantic/nice views from your balcony. There's nothing to see).

Breakfast is included in price, however, because it rained, and food service couldn't be hosted in outdoor courtyard, we were told breakfast was to be delivered to our building. It arrived in a box. It contained 2 less than stellar store bought baked goods, 1 "no name" brand apple juice, 1 apple or orange, 1 yogurt, 1 boiled egg and a spoon. My husband snacked on the eggs, and we promptly went out for a meal.

The next day, we were able to experience breakfast in the courtyard, and it had 5 or 6 menu selections for breakfast. A much nicer experience! From there, we visited many restaurants, vineyards, etc all who had managed successfully with very good Covid Protocols that didn't put a damper on the experience. We are glad we did it. *Make your reservations early. Prince Edward County is a very popular place right now.

In summary, The Waring House location is great, their food was "meh" and accommodations were comfy and clean. For this reason, I'm giving it a...

My husband and I stayed at the Waring House mid-week on August 9-11, 2023. We purchased the “Just For Fun” Package. There were some underlying concerns, in particular, the dinner at Amelia’s Garden. Inconsistent service: first server came to our table and gave us menus and a beverage menu. Second server came over and asked if we would like menus. Clearly no communication with the other server; looked noticeably confused. In all fairness to both servers, they may have been new and not properly trained. Some got bread, others did not. We were seated at a table that was set for 4 even though we were 2. Remaining tableware and table should have been removed giving more room and a less cluttered look. At no point did the server top up our wine glasses. The gentleman who greeted us upon arrival to the restaurant was older, very tall with glasses. We assumed that he was the evening Manager. A little after 8pm he gave some last-minute instructions to the staff and gave our server her hours and said, “I will see you next Thursday.” Who was now in charge? Was anybody? If there was no Manager and our server was not properly trained, customers would not get the proper service. We both ordered the Beef Tenderloin. When bringing our entrees to the table, they were mixed up. That could have been the server or the kitchen’s fault. Visually the entrees looked very uneven and there was no finesse in plating and no “wow” factor. The entrees came with fingerling potatoes, sliced carrots, broccoli, miniature yellow squash, and green and yellow beans. There was very little taste, and the vegetables and potatoes needed more time. Was the top chef even working that night? On our last day of our visit we had a conversation with Heather indicating our concerns and if the Inn Keepers are serious about any concerns. She indicated to write down our concerns and leave your contact information and she would pass our note to the Inn Keepers as they make frequent stops and they take concerns very seriously and that they would contact us, but we never heard back from them. We also followed up with a telephone call with Heather and she indicated that she gave them our note directly to them, but no response whatsoever. We wonder if they take any concerns seriously. We have been coming to the Waring House for almost 10-12 years in the summer and sometimes in the fall. The ambiance in Amelia’s Garden continues to be dated and looks the same for the past several years. We keep seeing the service decline throughout the years. Initially when we booked by phone, we were told one price for the package, then when we checked out, it turned out to be a lot more expensive then originally quoted. No itemization of final price was provided. We love taking a drive to the County but we would not be inclined to book at the Waring House...