The Tipper Restaurant — Restaurant in Vancouver

If you're keen on frozen dinners, Tipper is your place.

Out with a friend to celebrate her move to a new place we directed our hungry stomachs to this eatery we had heard many good things about.

Inside, the decor aimed to have that chummy dive appeal. The menu had ample vegetarian choices. (Though I'm not a vegetarian it's nice to see more offerings than most other places.)

My quibble with the Tipper is this:

The restaurant has a bright red poster on the wall next to the kitchen that states they focus on "product and people before profit." Here's the trouble - my friend, rightly famished, ordered the steak sandwich. She asked for it to be prepared medium rare.

When it arrived, and she sliced into it, it was most certainly pink inside, as it should when medium rare. But with a more acute inspection it looked entirely uncooked. It was evident by its appearance that this was not a fresh piece of meat, although the menu insinuated that the beef they offered was from a grass-fed, antibiotics-free cow. This hunk of meat had to be frozen. My friend took a bite. Yup, it was cold.

Displeased she pointed out her dissatisfaction to our server, who did not apologize, nor did he offer to get a new one prepared, scooped up her plate and said, "Oh, we'll heat that right up for ya." Her reheated meat-slab returned a few minutes later. At this time my friend had no appetite for it.

Our server said he would take it off the bill, and he did, but, again no apology was made. After we paid our bill, he also brought my friend a $10 coupon, but she never did get anything that sounded like "sorry."

For a restaurant that supposedly prides itself on food quality and service, they need to eat their words. Or take the...

Disappointing experience at one of my “go to” breakfast places. I had been in training all morning and was starving . Waited 15 minutes before a hostess/sever finally showed up. There was a family of 4, a couple of two and myself . When she asked in my direction if we were 3 I said “no I’m alone” . That was met with no response. Later she asked the family of 4 if they were next in line. I interjected and said “no, I was the first one here (which I was, I patiently waited!). She then spins her head and says “I’m sorry we don’t have a table for single ppl”. At this point after being snubbed twice it was clear I was “unwelcome” so i slowly walked out the door . By the time i was outside, the waiter surely trying to save face yells at me “we have a seat at the bar”. What’s ironic about this whole scenario is I am sure I would have “out spent “ all of these other ppl around me since I was starving and in desperate need of protein and starch. One order never does it for me. Trust me there would have been no space at the bar. Incase you guys don’t remember me , I’m the guy who orders two breakfasts with extra potatoes on the side. The only reason I’m not 1 staring this place is I use to love it and I don’t want the owner who probably works hard to suffer because of someone else’s lack of social...

My first name is Travel. In fact maybe Mr. Travel is best. My second name is Sir Beer, but shhhhh on that. So I am on the road day and night. That is hard but time to time rewarding. Our visit to your restaurant was as perfect as can be hoped for, getting Buffalo (Bison) anything anywhere is a treat and a double hands up 5 stars. Add to this staff and owners who take time to treat a visitor like family and I abandon all desires but to remain and enjoy till Amtrak takes me south again. At this rate it will be a hard choice to go or stay. All the food was great and from scratch. Everyone took time to want to help, I really appreciate that.

On the road is a puzzle of difficulty. Spending the time to relax and enjoy is something not too often found and is the missing piece in that puzzle. This was the exact piece of the puzzle we needed to complete our visit.

Please stop here to complete or add to your ongoing jigsaw puzzle.

Oh yeah, playing now Aretha Franklin Chain of Fools in the audio, a constant reminder that some things are real and can stop you dead in your tracks. You can enjoy a moment of uncanned and non plastic, a perfect flash of reality here. Do it before you return to drive throughs and the. squawking box of...