Grove Park Grille — Restaurant in Anderson Township

If you make a reservation, don't expect to get what you requested even with a medical condition! Let me start off by saying this is the ONLY negative review I have ever written. I know it is difficult to run a restaurant- especially in Covid19 days- and my husband and I tend to overlook these types of inconveniences in the service world. However this one was actually mind boggling. My husband has a bad back and cannot sit at low tables other than for a short length of time. So I called for a reservation at Grove Park Grille on Saturday afternoon to reserve a HIGH TOP table for four at 6:45pm. I explained my husband's condition and was told " Oh that will be no problem at all. We will make sure to hold a high top for you". We arrived about ten minutes early and were very please to see the empty high top! We patiently waited for the two groups in front of us to be seated. The group directly in front of us did have reservations as well but wanted outside seating (which you are told up front when you make a reservation it is not guaranteed). The outside area was full so after looking through the open tables and pending reservations, the hostesses looked around the restaurant to see where they could seat them. Next thing I knew, they walked them right over to the high top and were seating them there! I quickly said that I assume they have another area with high tops because we had specifically requested a high top when I called for my reservation. One hostess said "I'm sorry. We did see that on your reservation but we needed to sit them because they had a reservation too". Now mind you..... she told us that they DID NOT request anything specific but only wanted outside and when that wasn't available they seated them at the open high top. Now had we arrived past our reservation time, I certainly would not be complaining. But we were early and waiting in line to be seated! We would have even been happy to wait a few minutes for a high top to vacate if that was the case. But the table was empty! The hostess was apologetic and very nice but I thought I would flip my top when she offered to sit us at the "nice booth in the corner" RIGHT NEXT TO THE SWINGING KITCHEN DOOR!!!!

HEY MANAGEMENT- simple solution here......if the hostesses see that they have a specific request in a reservation, just reach out to the patrons standing in front of the hostess stand and ask if the party that made the request is there waiting! and if the table is available to accommodate the requested reservation, leave it open for five minutes- at least until the reserved time. If you can't accommodate special request - THE PERSON TAKING THE RESERVATION SHOULD NOT TELL PEOPLE YOU CAN!

Many small restaurants are struggling during this pandemic and we are trying to help them out by patronizing their restaurants. Unfortunately, we just marked yours off the list and will go back to Pelican's Reef where we have NEVER been asked to sit next to the kitchen door! And even though Pelican's Reef doesn't take reservations, if we call the hostess ahead before arriving they will hold a high top and it's there waiting five minutes later when we arrive. Now that's...

My family attempted to dine here tonight at 5:00 but was turned away because apparently the entire restaurant was reserved, other than outside. I actually called at 2:30 to ask if I could reserve a table. I expressed to the person on the phone that I completely understand if it’s too late for a reservation- she said we cannot reserve anything at this time, it would be walk in only. I said no problem, we’ll see you at 5. My family arrived, asked for a table for 7, and the hostess said “that’s not going to work for us”, you can sit outside though. Unfortunately, with it being 90 degrees outside and a member of the party having a health condition in which she can’t sit in excessive heat, that wasn’t an option. My brother explained that to the hostess, and again, she pretty much shrugged her shoulders and said “it isn’t going to work for us.” At this time, the restaurant was empty. I then called again to try to understand what the issue was, and a very nice hostess (or person who answered the phone) said that the entire restaurant was reserved for the next 2 hours because there was a band tonight. She said that even if we were a party of 2, we would have been turned away. I’m just extremely confused at this business model. I was looking forward to eating here for the first time, but the way this was handled will probably prevent me from coming back. What restaurant doesn’t allot at least some tables for walk ins OR say seating is by reservation ONLY. It’s a one or the other type of thing…. Instead of just turning customers away who drove there and are willing to wait… and turning them away...

The Place: The place itself is very basic but also welcoming. People are spread out and for guests wishing to just come for a dining and no bar experience, you can still be comfortable and sit away from the bar.

The Service: Our favorite server here would be Sophia, she has just started to get into the serving scene but with time, she will be an all star. She is very nice, patient, understanding, and will go out of her way to make your visit perfect

The Food: The food here is quite different and that's what sets it over the edge of other establishments. The menu itself ranges anywhere from flatbread and burgers up to rib-eye steaks, making it a place for any occasion. The meal that I ordered for this experience was the Rib-Eye steak (Rare), Fingerling potatoes, and double steamed broccoli. Everything was hot, the steak was juicy and delicious, the potatoes had a slight crisp with a great flavor, and the broccoli was seasoned perfectly and had a slight crunch which is exactly what I was hoping for.

Overall: We truly love this place and highly recommend anyone to give it a shot. Just like many places, there has been ups and downs but in the end, this place has come through for us and every time we visit, we always share a smile, a laugh, and some great...