Milestones — Restaurant in Ottawa

We were staying at the Chateau Laurier this weekend for our 20th wedding anniversary and decided to dine in at the Milestones on Sussex Drive for brunch today around 12pm as we couldn't make our evening reservation with them the night before (we had called and cancelled prior too and placed a take out order with them instead which we actually enjoyed) So the decision was to have brunch there, close to the hotel and relax & eat before heading home. My husband was placing some suitcases in the car and my son and I went ahead to get a table. When we approached the desk with our masks on- notably within a foot of the desk edge- the hostess looked up and saw me & my son and knew we were there but waited for a good bit re- arranging menus to even say "hello" or "one momment" or "Hi" or anything at all for that matter. It was very awkward as there were no other people behind us, no other staff there talking to her, the front entry was empty other than us. After her late greeting I mentioned it was our 20th anniversary (no congrats given or comment) that we were meaning to come yesterday evening but couldn't as I was indisposed and we were coming for brunch instead, that my husband was at the parking area and would be along shortly and we asked to have a table for three indoors. The restaurant inside was very quiet, a medium amount of people were on the patio as their brunch menu was not available due to covid, our table was adequate, food was just ok as the steak sandwich and fries my son and I split was only slightly warmish, my drink stood empty for half our meal as our server was partly attentive. What was truly upsetting to me was the server asking if we wanted separate bills on our 20th anniversary! I got really choked up and was taken aback. It was upsetting. Obviously the hostess never mentioned it to him as he never said "welcome or congrats on your special day" when he first arrived at our table. We were very obviously there with our son as a family as both me and my husband discussed the menu with him in front of our server. We are a multi racial couple and the three of us have 3 different skin tones and we were weirdly asked if we wanted separate bills! So I made a point at the end to say to our server it was our 20th anniversary when he brought the debit machine to my husband to pay the bill. He then said congrats but didn't say anything in regards to his " separate bills" request. (I would like to strongly suggest a few things- it was quiet there and "we were busy" cannot be used as an excuse.) * Firstly greet someone who enters with a "hi, one second" if you are busy- don't leave them hanging to the point they think maybe they should leave then, also a host/hostess should inform the server of a special occasion, and please consider the table before the first thing out of your mouth is "is it's separate bills?" as this was very much a multi racial family with 2 adults OBVIOUSLY with their child at a FAMILY LUNCH on a Sunday afternoon not a bunch of adults meeting for drinks on a friday night. I found the initial hostess's greeting, the lack of communication about our occasion, the "straight up weird" asking for separate bills all very upsetting and very insensitive.

This is an edited portion I'm adding after the "form letter" response from the owner I am not spending any of my time filling out a survey to help you get to the bottom of the lack of customer service and manners that your employees showed me and my family yesterday on our 20th anniversary. You have all the information you need in my above review, the date- yesterday, Sun Aug 23rd. You have the time- noon. You have those involved - the hostess and our server (only saw a few employees serving) note*we ordered a steak sandwich split in two. You are welcome to fill in your own survey and can "look into it" yourself at any time, you have my complete narrative and experience. What you should have done is treat your customer well and offered a real discussion not " fill out a survey" This again shows a response that is very...

I recently organized a celebration lunch at Milestones on Sussex for 11 people. When I made the reservation I was asked if it was for a certain occasion and told them it was to celebrate two birthdays.

We arrived on time for our 12:00 reservation and were seated quickly. We had originally booked for 10 people and had an unexpected eleventh guest. The table was only set for 10 and no one offered to find another table to extend our setting so we awkwardly sat the extra guest on the end of a 2 person table. "Fair enough" I thought, after all, we had booked for 10. But that was only the beginning of the poor service. Our server asked what we were there for and we told her we were celebrating two birthdays.

Our drink orders were taken pretty promptly and then it was about 15 minutes before any drinks came, and when they did we had to ask again for some of the things we ordered which weren't brought, and then another service was bringing duplicates of other items. One guest asked twice for a drink I don't think she ever ended up getting. It was about a half hour until anyone even came back to take our order.

We sat at our table with our drinks until 1:25 without food. That's approximately an hour after our orders were taken, and actually what we had expected the entire meal to take. At 1:15 we had to ask a server to bring the bills to our table with our food as we explained we were now running much later than we had anticipated and running out of time for our meal. No apology was offered or explanation of what was taking so long. Embarrassingly our cheques made it to the table before our food had even arrived, and when they arrived many were incorrect and had to be re-issued. Some of our food finally came at 1:25, though a handful of us still had to wait for the food to be served in three different rounds. We asked for water re-fills and waited another 15 minutes, eventually just passing one full cup around the table. One colleague's chicken was tough and her pasta had crispy burn marks on it. She wasn't happy with her food but at that point we were hungry and late. We finally paid and left by 2 pm.

At no time did anyone apologize for the delay or the poor service. Furthermore, even though we had told the staff twice it was a birthday for 2 of the guests, at no time was anything special done for them, which just added to our disappointment. What should have been an enjoyable afternoon away from the office was dampened by our growling stomachs and the forgetful servers looking after us. I was embarrassed that I'd chosen such a disappointing venue to celebrate a special occasion.

Furthermore I sent this feedback online via the milestones website and got no response. I then received a survey asking how I felt my issue had been dealt with and responded that no one had contacted me. That was nearly a month ago and still no one has contacted me.

UPDATE: I finally got a response from the Manager of Milestones, Chris. He invited me back for lunch and I found that the service was great and our meal was much better. While that doesn't undo our unhappy birthday celebration, at least they put some effort into making the situation right, and definitely made a better impression the second time around. I think I will return to Milestones, though I'd probably skip it for...

Milestones on Sussex: Almost a Home Run!

I ventured into Milestones on Sussex, right here in Ottawa. First impressions? The ambiance and decor get a definite thumbs up. It’s clean, modern, and inviting. It’s the kind of place where you can comfortably chat with friends or simply enjoy a nice meal out. The lighting was good, and the overall vibe was sophisticated yet relaxed.

Now, let's talk about the service. Our servers at Milestones were fantastic – friendly, helpful, and attentive without being intrusive. They anticipated our needs and ensured a smooth flow throughout the evening. No complaints there; they definitely made the experience pleasant!

Then came the main event: the food. The presentation was top-notch. Each plate was artfully arranged, looking aesthetically pleasing and promising good things. However, this is where we encountered a few minor hiccups.

While the visual appeal was high, the overall taste was a bit lackluster. It wasn’t bad, by any means, but it didn't quite have the wow factor I was anticipating. I opted for a burger, and while it was good, it could have been warmer. It was close to being great, but not quite hitting all the marks.

The biggest letdown, however, was the portion size, specifically the fries. The plate felt a little sparse. It left me wanting more. The main course, while tasty, didn't quite deliver that satisfying feeling of being completely full. I definitely felt like I could have eaten another meal to feel completely satisfied.

So, the final verdict? I would recommend Milestones on Sussex, especially if you're looking for a place with a great atmosphere and excellent service. It’s a solid choice for a casual lunch or a relaxed dinner. However, be prepared that you might leave feeling like you need a little something extra. Perhaps consider an appetizer or save room...