Stella's on Pembina — Restaurant in Winnipeg

I’ve been a long-time customer at Stella’s in Winnipeg easily eaten there 50 times over the years. I would eat here a lot when I travel from British Columbia But after everything that’s happened recently, my mom and I are both saying the same thing: we’re never going back.

Over the past while, we noticed service and food quality going downhill. I only ever complained three times in all those visits — so I don’t feel bad for speaking up when something’s wrong. Each time I did, I was told someone would call me back that same evening. Nobody ever followed through.

This Monday night, we gave them another chance. Big mistake. My mother ordered what they now call a “French Dip,” but it showed up ice cold. Not lukewarm straight-up cold, like it had just come out of the fridge. Her potatoes Also cold. She’s diabetic and just needed to eat something, so she said, “Never mind, I don’t want to complain.” She just wanted to get some food in her body.

I ordered pasta, and mine was cold too. I told my mom not to ask for them Where was my soup since they were gonna bring it with the meal at the same time because I knew exactly what would happen — they’d let the food sit while preparing the soup, and the whole meal would be ruined. But she asked anyway, trying to be polite. Sure enough, that’s what happened. They brought the soup out, and our meals were left sitting to get cold.

We didn’t want to complain during the meal because we’re visibly First Nations and didn’t want to be judged or assumed to be trying to get a free meal that’s a stigma we shouldn’t have to carry, but we do. So I paid for everything. Then, as I was buying a cinnamon bun on the way out, I mentioned the issue not to get anything free, just to express what happened. They offered the cinnamon bun on the house, which I appreciated, but it doesn’t make up for the way we were treated. I got in the car and started laughing because the cinnamon bun was rock hard when I called the next day the lady was acting like I was a liar she said we baked them fresh every day.

This is part of a larger pattern. My mom has had several bad experiences at Stella’s on her own. This latest visit was the last straw for her. She said: “I’m never going back there again.” And honestly, I feel the same.

After seven phone calls over five days I finally received a phone call back on the 7th phone call I got upset and I swore at the gentleman he got all offended and said Don't you dare swear at me this and not the general manager called me the following day and said I was barred from Stellas not allowed back. We had a party of six showing up for breakfast so I went into the restaurant and got the most amazing service from the gentleman and the greatest breakfast I've had in a long time I went and asked can I speak with the manager and I had shared with the manager who I was and the experience that I just had we left the guy at $25 tip.

So then the manager said let's put this behind us and forget about it I said what about the meal for Monday and then she started getting a offended she was even shaking and I thought we had just left it at that.

I show up this evening I called for an order for pickup and the woman that was there for Monday night brings me my food starts getting aggressive with me tells me I'm never allowed back in the store I shared with her that I had spoke with the manager earlier this morning and I was even in having breakfast and she continued to shake and be very aggressive towards me she said she was going to phone the police if I didn't leave I started to speak up for myself and as when she went to phone the police I told her to * * this is no way that they should be treating their customers I hope from this post that they're going to end up losing business or at least I get a phone call from their head office to have an apology.

As customers we should be allowed to complain when our food is unsatisfactory?I was lied to repeatedly

If this restaurant wants to retain longtime customers, they need to listen, follow through...

This restaurant is a very nice place physically. (I've always liked the vibe in all the locations.) Service staff here are very pleasant, try hard when they're around but insufficiently attentive after the plates are served (it wasn't busy but perhaps resto was understaffed?). When 2 people order a large Caesar Salad to share and 2 hot main entrées:

1. Bring the salad first; hold the hot entrées until the first course is nearly done UNLESS directed otherwise. We waited about 20 minutes - we could've been eating the salad course - unfortunately, everything was served simultaneously.
2. Bring 2 salad plates along, NOT just 1 large bowl of salad.
3. Have salt & pepper on the table. I hate having to get up to get stuff - no staff in sight when I realized no salt / pepper present.

Caesar Salad ($15.99) was quite underdressed; had to ask for more dressing. The dressing is just okay ... could use more garlic, more zing. Romaine was fresh and crisp. My companion's Fettuccini Alfredo ($20.95) was sooo bland. My Tortiére ($20.95) would have been more enjoyable with way less nutmeg etc. - I'll chalk that up to personal preference based on a tortiére baking Franco-Manitoban extended family - pastry was fine. It is served with baked beans & roasted potato wedges. WORST tasting baked beans EVER EVER EVER with mushy texture. SO AWFUL I had to scrape them and anything their sauce touched off my plate and use a napkin to wipe it off the plate. AWFUL !!! Potatoes untainted by baked beans were okay.

Stella's has been around for years. Historically breakfasty-egg dishes or the bison burger have been satisfying. Stella's prices, for me, covered a physically pleasant, nice ambience place with friendly service staff, unspectacular but consistently adequate food.

The food this evening was an overall fail. Our bill for 2 people was approximately $64 ; with tax ~ $71; with tip $80. There are enough other aesthetically pleasing restaurants with some ambience, friendly staff and consistently GOOD food for less cost. I'm probably not coming back...

I'm no stranger to Stella's, I've been frequenting them since they opened their first location in Osborne Village decades ago. However over the years I've become increasingly disillusioned by the business for a variety of reasons. I had a frustrating experience the other day that really will keep me from ever coming back.

I was out for breakfast with a friend, and it was about as busy as it normally would be on a weekend. We were sat promptly, orders were taken and coffee found its way to us quickly. We didn't notice at first, as we'd be preoccupied with conversation, then realized we had been there an hour and hadn't received our food yet. We spoke with our server, and she noted it should be right out. She was apologetic, and clearly the order didn't go through their system - human error or technical, who knows - these things happen. This wasn't the issue.

The manager or supervisor came out to apologize. They immediately began to blame the technology, and say repeatedly they didn't want to pick a fight, while talking over us and making a scene in front over other customers. We weren't angry (or even hangry) we just wanted our food and only received over-the-top excuses that weren't necessary. A simple apology and percentage off our bill would have been very welcome. In the end, we eventually received our food, and received our bills. The only concession they made was to comp our coffee - an effectively meaningless gesture.

In the end, the way the manager handled a simple mistake, and failed to make a meaningful gesture towards reducing our bill really speaks to the downward turn this company has taken over the last 5-10 years. I...