State & Main — Restaurant in Pickering

I decided to go to State and Main in pickering with 4 of my friends to enjoy a good night out. As soon as I entered the restaurant to ask for a table I was very rudely told that there is no seating and will be a wait. I said okay no problem I have a group of 5, how long do you think the wait will be approximately. The girl continued to state that there are no tables and she has no clue to when it could be. With that my friends and I decided to patiently wait. After 30 minutes of waiting I went inside and she stated that the table had been available for awhile. I left my phone number for her to text me and she never did. What a waste of time. She then explained to me how we have to sit at separate tables due to covid which was understood, although we saw a group of 6 together at a larger table and were very confused. I asked if we could move to the big table when that party leaves and she said yes. An hour goes on, the big table is clear and clean and she still has not moved us. I then ask if we can move and the manager Sam very rudely rolls her eyes and says go ahead. Our server Mel. Mel decided to slam (no exaggeration) our bills on the table, claps her hands together and says "so we're closed. you need to leave" Again, very politely my friends and I listen and begin to leave the restaurant. On our way out the server Mel decides to make a comment and say "you kids should learn how to tip or do not come back." Mind you, our party did tip and we are all over the age of majority. We all felt very disrespected and I asked to speak to the manager. Then Sam comes out and says that she is the manager which I was not pleased about considering the eye roll and attitude I had received from her. Mel continued to keep making comments and using profanity towards us. Sam the manager claimed that she will always back up her staff, even though a server should NEVER be allowed to make a comment like that or speak to guests that way. Mel mentioned that she worked very hard making the drinks for I and my friends, although, that is her job. She said "I am going to beg for a tip no matter what." Once my friends and I left the restaurant we were in the parking lot and some of the kitchen staff decides to come outside and yell at us. They kept yelling "what the f* are you looking at kids. "I will be speaking to the General Manager of State & Main Pickering about both Mel and Sam. I will also never be coming back to spend my hard earned money at a restaurant with staff like this. This was absolutely disgusting behaviour and State & Main should be ashamed. Too bad I can't...

UPDATE: The manager contacted me immediately and had me follow a couple steps to get on the phone with him even though I was reluctant to do so. He wanted to express his concern and disappointment to me directly and also offered to comp my entire dinner. He requested I come back and allow them to give us the true S&M experience. I have already received gift cards and he is waiting for my call to reserve a table when I’m able to. I have to say the way it was resolved exceeded my expectations and has replaced my disappointment with a lasting impression that is the complete opposite of how I felt leaving the establish. It will not only have me coming back but also have me telling my friends and family about it.

Came in on Friday, January 24th around 7:30pm and felt awful about leaving a really low tip. It was wasn’t busy and we were seated right away. It continued to be less busy as the night went on. Food was all delicious and came out quickly. However the waitress Daniella, although pleasant and helpful with dietary restrictions, was actually terrible at tending to our table. Our dirty appetizer plates and serving platters were still on the table while we were well into eating our entrees. Another lady ended up taking the serving platter as she passed by but our server only moved the rest when we had to politely ask her to. Our waters were never refilled and neither was our water jug. Again we had to ask her to do that after she ignored it several times. It’s just frustrating to see this lack of attention to patrons at a nicer restaurant where you’re paying more for your food and so your tip is subsequently going to be higher. It’s not a Boston pizza where I’m willing to cut the waiter some slack but even there, they at least move your dirty plates off the table before bringing your meal. When it was time to pay, the suggested amounts on the point of sale machine were laughable. 18%? 20%? Regrettably, she barely got 5%, although we considered giving her nothing, we did want to acknowledge the bare minimum service she gave us. State and Main at this location needs to train their servers better. Common sense for the younger generation isn’t as common as it used to be and tips are a recognition of great service which this...

My husband picked us up two orders of Fish & Chips for takeout dinner tonight. It was my first time having State & Main and it was disappointing, to say the least.

Considering one order of Fish & Chips was $19.50 +tax, they sure skimped out on the "chips"... The cheapest part of the dish. My husband also switched out his "chips" for "mixed vegetables" and was blindsided with an extra $3.00 +tax charge. (I get that some items/substitutions cost extra, but at least be upfront about it so that people can make informed decisions.) Also, the portion of his mixed vegetables was absurdly small. It looked like two mushrooms cut into quarters, a thinly sliced quarter of a red pepper, and a thinly sliced quarter of a white onion, at best. I get that this is food is supposed to be giving "a downtown vibe without the commute", but the portion size of the sides were laughable and those were the saddest "mixed vegetables" I have ever seen.

The fish was a good size, but it only tasted okay. I wasn't a fan of the tartar sauce, so I stopped using it almost immediately after I tried it. I don't normally use ketchup, but I felt like I needed it to get through this meal and I used up the two containers that they gave us.

Also, the two small containers of coleslaw that we got had gone off. I love coleslaw, but the ones we got were revolting. They smelled and tasted rancid. I don't know how my husband ate as much of the coleslaw as he did, but I gagged on my first bite of mine and it went straight into the garbage bin.

I wish we took pictures of these meals before we touched/ate them. We thought it was going to be a case of "quality over quantity" and were just going to let the small side portion thing slide... Unfortunately, what it lacked in quantity, it also lacked in quality.

I can't say with confidence that I'll never eat at State & Main again... Things happen, people make mistakes, and whatnot... But I certainly won't be ordering their Fish & Chips ever again. My husband paid such an exorbitant price for something so mediocre and we could probably get something better for...