The Lumberyard Pub — Restaurant in Afton

Yum-beryard Pub!

What's a Yum-beryard? I have no idea, but the man who made the suggestion to stop by and check out a new place he heard about, miss pronounced the actual places name and out came Yum-beryard! I thought, "Well, now we have to check it out, because that's the perfect title to my review if it's delicious." Thankfully, it was!

The Yum-beryard is actually the Lumberyard Pub which is located in the quaint little town of Afton. It's not a huge space, but they have plenty of patio real estate and if it's a beautiful day outside, why not enjoy the weather. We had been outside for most of the afternoon wondering the city and playing with our kiddos, so we were more interested in some air conditioning. If you do sit outside, you'll get a chance to enjoy some great acoustic music while you relax and enjoy the food and town.

Again, not a huge space inside, but the feeling of a cabin in a quaint little town is all your really need and the perfect historical resemblance of the properties former ownership, Interstate Lumber Co. One of the owners, Bill Mauer who is the older brother of Twins First Baseman Joe Mauer happened to be hanging out and I had a chance to meet him and share my experience immediately. That experience included some great food and some ice cold beverages. Time to share the cuisine!

We happened to be with our neighbors (a great weekend with this family), Dave, Jennifer and their twins and there was a bunch of items that grabbed our attention. After settling and ordering some ice cold brews for the adults and juice for the kiddos, we ordered our food.

Jennifer went for the Mandarin Chicken Salad - Tender chicken, baby savoy spinach blend, smoked almonds, mandarin oranges, wonton strips and roasted sesame dressing. She said it was delicious and would recommend it to other patrons.

Dave went for the BBQ Sandwich - Pulled pork, smoked provolone and the house-made lumberslaw. I'll talk a little bit more about the lumberslaw later, but I had a bite of Dave's sandwich and it was pretty darn tasty. The BBQ sauce they used was delicious and a nice smokey flavor as well. The addition of the lumberslaw was an excellent addition.

The kiddos went for the Mac N' Cheese and my little buddy had the Chicken Tenders and Mac. I thought the Mac was actually pretty tasty as simple as it was.

My wife went for the Buffalo Chicken Wrap - Tender chicken, buffalo sauce, lettuce, celery, BBQ blue cheese dressing rolled in a soft tortilla. She wasn't all that impressed and though it could use some more chicken. She also said that she would order it again, if they used the chicken tenders from the kids menu and to ensure there was plenty added to the wrap. It wasn't terrible, just nothing to brag about.

Last and certainly not least, I went for the Philly - Thin sliced sirloin, onions, green peppers, melted provolone cheese, horseradish mayonnaise and served on a warm ciabatta square roll. I asked the server how it was prepped because too many places screw Philly's up, sometimes BADLY! Once I heard how they prepared theirs, I knew I had to try it. And, I'm glad I did. It's a must try and I added it to my Philly top 10 list. Go check out the list to see how they did.

If you have plans to go check out Afton for an afternoon to do a little shopping or to enjoy some Ice Cream at Selma's and in need of some lunch or dinner, check the Lumberyard Pub...

I almost always only do 5 star reviews. But this place… I didn’t love it.

Overpriced, understaffed, and unimpressive food.

We got the cheese curds - the sauce (blueberry sriracha) was very good. The cheese curds themselves weren’t very good. They seemed reheated or undercooked.

Also got the Cobb salad. It was really fresh. It was really good. But, the place was just understaffed. The 3 employees were doing their best. It was a not-crowded-Friday-lunch when we went.

The menu totally discloses before you order that there’s an 18% surcharge (we ate inside… this is not just a patio charge). If 18% is added to my bill (this isn’t a gratuity, you should still tip beyond this) - then the service should be better. But it wasn’t. Because the place was understaffed.

All in all… for an appetizer, a salad, and 2 glasses of water, - we paid $36.

Surcharge, tax, and tip add up.

This just screams that this business model isn’t successful. It is a hard time for businesses right now, and I really wanted to like this place… but the prices are inflated and these inflated prices are not paying for the staff the restaurant needs to succeed. And the food quality isn’t enough to carry it past those facts.

Positives: Staff was as kind and as attentive as they could be. Tables were clean. Parking was easy.

I just don’t recommend this place, even though I almost always literally recommend basically everywhere I go.

updated after owner replied below

Ok, then the prices are too high even without the surcharge. $30 for curds and a...

Terrible service and combative manager. I ordered two drinks, cheeseburger and fries at the order window. 25 minutes have pasted and I went back to the window to ask where my food is. Server stated that the order never got to the kitchen and would be another 15-20 minutes. I immediately responded with cancel my food order and I will cash out. Upon reviewing the bill I addressed the automatic service charge of 18%. I asked that it be removed due to service issues and lack of service. The server said no! I asked for the manager and tried to explain the service issue and he kept interpreting me saying that is a mandatory charge. Once I was able to explain the lack of service issues and that I understand the 18% charge and my request to remove it was due to lack of service of not receiving food; he finally understood the “situation” he immediately removed. He then proceeded to tell me “next time” the charge will stay on the bill regardless”. This statement was unwarranted and unprofessional. The business model here is like ordering Mc Donald’s at a window that is over priced with an automatic service charge of 18%. Gratuity is earned upon service and shouldn’t...