D'Arcy McGee's — Restaurant in Ottawa

EDIT: Nov 21,2020 - Super impressed with this location. Highly recommend. Went back last week for dinner with the family. Front staff clearly explained Covid protocols including sanitizing the plastic menus between each guest, QR code menus are available, tables are physically spaced out , etc. As a courtesy, they provided and explained the take-out drink menu and dessert menu at the beginning.

I’d give them 6 stars if I could. This is an example of a business that responds quickly to customer feedback. All of our previous concerns were addressed. I feel safe eating here despite these crazy times.

EDIT: Oct 24, 2020 - Impressed with the communication effort from this location's general manager - very receptive to hearing feedback. Looking forward to going back here for inside dining when the province re-opens!

ORIGINAL: Their physical distancing protocols can seem more for show than safety. This location needs to rethink how they communicate during Covid-19.

We went here to support local Ottawa business and because of the Prismatica ad that we heard on the radio. This was just before Ottawa closed down indoor dining again. Maybe this location did a better job in the beginning of indoor dining during COVID-19 but this location could definitely do better when we went.

Greeter took down our contact information for contact tracing. Awesome. There’s a sign behind the front entrance that says “scan to view menu” but we were given paper menus and there was no mention of scanning by greeter or wait staff to view the menu. (That’s fine. Lots of places are now offering paper menus - but why advertise it as a safety measure you are taking if you’re not actually offering it?)

Love how this chain has created table closed signs that connect the physical distancing message with their Irish theme. The table closed sign says “this table is practicing physical distancing” and there’s a little bit of Irish trivia. Awesome.

The problem is, when the indoor dining room got busier, the greeter brought in another couple and took away the table closed sign so they could be seated. So in fact, that table wasn’t practicing physical distancing? All of the seating areas were 2m apart so the confusion is because those table placards aren’t actually “table closed” signs (like they are at other places). It looks odd if you’re opening up tables that were once closed for Covid when your place gets busier. If all of the spots are infact open for eating, why put out those signs at all?

Finally, when we were seated, we were given the paper menu and a drink menu. I tried to order a drink from the drink menu and then was told I couldn’t order it - in fact that drink menu was limited just for take out orders. Having a closer look, I realize now it says “drinks to go” but that wasn’t really made clear at all when we were seated. I can completely appreciate you have an exclusive contact to serve one brand of drink and under take-out laws, you’re . able to sell other brands. But that could be made more clear by the greeter.

I do appreciate that this chain has their nutrition information online. Thanks!

Dear owner / manager, I am active on Google reviews. I’m more than happy to come out and reconsider my review once the province allows indoor dining again. Good luck weathering the storm.

UPDATE 2020-10-15: I've filled out the short form at your link and I'm in your Zendesk system. Thanks for the link. Looking forward to...

POSITIVE POINTS: Friendly and attentive staff. Great ambience inside. The food that came correct was very tasty and had decent portions. Great location in the city. Unfortunately not much else to put here.

QUICK NEGATIVE: Hot, stuffy, crampt, not wheelchair accessible. Inaccurate menus with surprise ingredients. Odd restaurant layout.

THE BUILDING: Friendly and attentive staff. Nice ambience but either no or very little air conditioning, so very hot. They sat us in a little room directly in front of the ladies bathroom which was unpleasant at best. They put 2 little round bistro tables together to seat a table of 4 which did not work out well. Ladies bathroom is upstairs tucked away in a corner and the mens is the same but downstairs. Not wheelchair accessible at all as you must go up or down stairs to get to the bar or restaurant with the outside patio being too small to fit one through. No vinegar, salt, pepper, or anything of the sort was given or offered.

THE FOOD/MENU: The menu was incorrect with the descriptions not representing the food properly. Irish nachos came with "braised beef" and "may contain mushrooms" (it doesnt say that mushrooms are included, just that they may be there, indicating some sort of cross contamination.) but our nachos came with crushed up hamburger patties on top and a single whole mushroom. Jalapenos were not mentioned on the menu but came in the nachos. They also come with a unique sauce on top which for some reason cannot be gotten on the side. Our faux-braised-beef nachos costed more than each of our meals. The chicken bacon sandwich came with a single small slice of bacon which was the same case with the maple bacon burger. The chicken bacon sandwich was also buttered which wasn't mentioned and wouldn't have been a problem if it weren't for the fact that it was an allergy. I asked for a caesar salad but they brought me fries instead. The sweet potato fries came with ketchup instead of the traditional spicy mayo. Their appetizers and pub fare absolutely need big improvements as it is a pub. The rest of the food that didn't have any mistakes or surprise toppings were great. Despite the pricey nachos we still spent less than we would for the same meals at different restaurants.

SHORTAGES: This pub has a great location, right near the parliament buildings. They were short on many items which was disappointing and presumably poorly planned as it was a very popular tourist location on a long weekend. Butter chicken, waffle fries, and maybe the braised beef (not sure if we got hamburger because they were out or just poorly described.) were all gone by the time we got there at 6 pm.

I'll put the tinfoil hat on for a moment and say that I'm convinced the chips in the nachos and the chicken breast in the chicken bacon sandwich were storebought from a grocery store rather than something you would find at a restaurant.

I will not be returning...

During a recent trip to Ottawa, an otherwise wonderful city full of friendly faces and great experiences, my family encountered an upsetting situation at a local pub that unfortunately marred our visit.

I was traveling with my young daughter who urgently needed to use the restroom. Despite the urgency of the situation, we were denied access to the facilities on the grounds that they were reserved for customers only. This policy in itself could be understandable under certain circumstances; however, what transpired next was deeply troubling.

Shortly after we were turned away, our tour bus driver (a white male) entered the pub solely to use the restroom and was allowed to do so without question. This inconsistency in policy implementation led us to feel unwelcome, possibly due to our Asian descent. The feeling of discrimination was palpable and deeply disheartening.

Further adding to our discomfort, we had to urgently seek facilities elsewhere, which led us on a 10-minute walk to the nearest available restroom at the Fairmont Hotel. This was particularly stressful as my daughter was on the verge of an accident.

It's worth noting that the pub was not busy at the time of our visit. Several staff members were visibly free and congregating near the entrance, chatting amongst themselves, yet they refused us entry. This made the situation even more frustrating as it was clear our brief presence would not have been disruptive to any patrons inside.

From this experience, it's hard to imagine the level of service one might expect as a customer if this is how urgently in need non-customers are treated. It's not surprising to see other reviews echoing concerns about poor service. Given this experience, this particular establishment not only fails to live up to the warm hospitality Ottawa is known for but also casts a shadow over the city's otherwise stellar reputation.

It is my hope that this review will prompt the pub to reconsider its policies and how they train their staff in customer service and hospitality. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and kindness, regardless of whether they are a paying customer at...