Chuck's Roadhouse Bar & Grill — Restaurant in St. Catharines

We have been to Chucks many times and have usually had a decent meal and great service. We went for my hubbies birthday tonight (5:30pm on a Saturday) and our dinner was just ok. We were there for approximately 2.5 hours. It was a fairly steady flow of customers, so expected some slower service. However what prompts me to write this is our lack luster service. We were super nice to our server, always say thankyou, etc. I ordered tea while we decided dinner, It took her three trips to get sugar for my tea. And it was the last beverage we were offered. And we sure got the vibe that young lady did not want to be there.

I had the filet minion and lobster, my daughter had the serloin and lobster, hubby had a burger and fries, plus appetizers and a round of birthday shots. So not a cheap night. The young lady who brought our meals ( not our server) was lovely, smiled noted hot plates and yes she was quite busy and frazzled but friendly. We didn’t see our server for 20 minutes. When she finally breezed by to ask how the meal was going I noted the steaks were perfect but lobsters was terrible- her reply was oh that’s too bad and kept going past us. She never came back to see if we wanted more beverages or how the rest of the meal was. Which I would have liked to note that the fries were cold, my potato was dry, the burger bun was stale. Not the good meals we usually have. By now the place is quite busy and noisy. So just wanted to eat and go. When we seated I mentioned it was a celebration night. As she cleared My hubby’s plate, I had pushed my 3/4 full plate aside (as the lobster was rubber) and politely waited for her to finish what she was saying, she commented he could have a small scoop of ice cream if he really wanted it or just the bill. He declined the ice cream and she quickly left. My daughters plate was then cleared and still mine sat, we were asked “so do you want anything or what? “ - I pointed to my plate and got oh you want a box and she bolted. The box, which she breezed by and dropped off while staying out of my line of site. Now the place is so noisy I can’t even hear my family much less anything else. We then waited another 15 minutes for the bill- I am trying to stay happy for my hubby’s sake and not ruin his night. Finally I was getting up and she came with the debit. I paid-edited the tip amount as she didn’t earn the suggested 18, 20 or 25% that show up on the pad! I am a firm believer that a tip is a reflection on service- not a right. And yes she did still get a tip- I am not heartless, she promptly left and I didn’t get a receipt. Yes it was busy, no they were not understaffed, there were lots of waitstaff in the place. I am not looking for compensation, but I will certainly...

If you go after 9pm and get half priced appetizers, expect the level of service for the half cost you're paying. We ordered two sets of 16 wings and were told extra sauces after 9pm are extra cost (that in itself is not a big deal IF the one sauce cup they give is enough for 16 wings, but it's not, even when you're being conservative with your sauce usage because they don't even fill the sauce up up, it was slightly more than half full). For context, they also sell the wings in a 8 wing portion (and they'd at least have to give you 1 sauce for 8 wings so it's a little unreasonable for them to expect you to use 1 sauce for 16).

The server did not bring napkins or cutlery and just seemed mentally done with the night the moment she came to take the order. We asked for napkins from another server because ours wasn't in sight nor did she check on the table until we were at the end of the meal ready for a box. The server that did bring the napkins seemed frustrated and just tossed down a wad of napkins about an inch thick - not complaining about having extra napkins, but for the fact that we were clearly bothering them by asking and they just wanted to be left alone. We were only 2 people and definitely did not need that many. The blue cheese sauce that was given was also half full and without cutlery, we had to dunk pieces of chicken into the sauce and fish it out with our fingers. After being as stingy as possible with the sauce, there were still four wings left and when we asked for sauce for those wings, of course it was put on the bill. Not sure why we have to be charged when all 16 wings should just come with enough sauce to begin with, it would be reasonable to charge us extra if we asked for even more sauce then. We asked for a box and the server decided to bring us the bill and get the box later, seems kind of funny they're in a rush to get you to pay but were not once in a rush to provide bare necessities.

Lastly, they charge a 3% "honest to goodness fee" that is "mentioned in the menu". The fee is apparently for ensuring high quality food for low prices but if the service you deserve is based on how much you're paying, then that fee just seems unjustified. The wings did not come with carrots or celery, and they tasted slightly burnt. Not enough to send back because that's a waste of food, but enough for this honest to goodness fee to feel like a scam when paired with the subpar service.

Tldr- don't expect proper service if you're buying half priced apps after 9pm. Even if you want to be understanding for the nighttime dinner rush to some degree because you know what it's like to work with the public in high volume situations, the experience will probably be on another level...

I selected Chuck's for a dinner with out of town friends as it was easy access to the highway. I haven't been for a while and thought it would be a good option.

I called ahead to request a table that could accommodate a child in a wheelchair, i was told thatvwas fine.

I was the first in our party to arrive and I stood in the entrance way for over 7 minutes before anyone greeted me. There were also other parties arriving after me, also waiting to be acknowledged. Several staff members walked in both directions of the front door, and the one bar is close to the door, which did have a Bartender working it, but not one said or did anything about the growing line at the door.

Once I was finally acknowledged (without an apology or acknowledgement of the wait), I reminded the Hostess that I had requested a special table, she took me to the very back of the restaurant, and sat me at a long group of tables by the back door. The group of tables had not been set up, but were like extra tables that would be used in very busy times, chairs were on the table behind us, etc. I had to separate some tables to try to make it seem more like a typical seating arrangement for a group of 6 that we were. This area turned out to be the walkway to the back door exit to the parking lot, so we had many people brushing by behind us to exit that way. I'm not sure why this area was used for our dinner, we were the only party seated in this area, our whole time there.

While I'm pleased that our young child guest who has special needs could be "accommodated", I suggest your location think of more professional ways to accommodate. There were several tables on the right of the front door that do not have stairs involved in accessing them, and they were all empty when I arrived. When you place someone or a group alone in an area separate from others, it makes one feel excluded. Accommodation should not be isolating, it's about inclusion, creating an environment that is enjoyable for all. I hope your location takes my words to heart and you institute some changes to your approach about inclusive dining experiences for ALL guests.

Despite these highly negative experiences in the first 15 minutes of our arrival, our Server was attentive, was apologetic about being at the busy back door, and did her best to keep us happy. The food was great (I had a Steak Sizzler) and all 6 of us enjoyed our food. The music was quite loud, and i think it's because of where we were seated. I'd expect much better from a large chain restaurant. We spent over $250 before tax and tip, which is fine, but I'd certainly expect a much better experience. This visit was an absolute...