Oblivion Pour House — Restaurant in Bend

Have been to Pour House twice. Once to watch FB on a Sunday & once just to grab a quick bite with a friend, late on a Thursday afternoon. Food was excellent on both visits, service was inconsistent in spite of it being the same server. On my Sunday experience I found an empty seat at the bar and then was not noticed or greeted for a good 10 minutes or more (no exaggeration... having been in the industry myself for 20+ years, I am extremely tolerant & patient, knowing that things are often going on behind the scene that guests are unaware of, while still believing in the standard that it should never take a server more than 2 minutes to notice & acknowledge a new table/seat.) When I was finally noticed the server seemed unconcerned about how long I may have been sitting there. I ordered a beer and was never offered a size. I was brought a standard Pounder (16 oz) while noticing that I was surrounded by patrons with 24 ounce steins (which are usually a better deal), at this point I honestly switched to "test mode" out of curiosity, The server would have walked away without asking me if I was ready to order, in spite of the menu sitting in front of me, so I asserted myself (because I was hungry) and told him I would like to order. My tacos came within a reasonable time frame and were quite good, though he never returned to check on me. I eventually caught his attention, when he was hailed by the couple sitting next to me, and requested another beer ... Once more he served me a 16 ounce, without ever offering me the larger size, nor did he ask if I wanted anything else, when he cleared my plate. Not a "bad" experience per se... but definitely no focus on providing exceptional customer service. And no seeming knowledge or interest in educating the customer, or trying to increase the sale to the customers satisfaction & benefit. The second visit was better when it came to promptness, and I was asked if I wanted the 16, or 24 ounce brew. As previously stated the food was excellent both times... to date I have tasted the Mac and Cheese, their deconstructed Pork Nachos, and their Pork Belly Tacos. Points of Service could...

You saw my other family member's review. The more I think back on Sunday night's $140 meal at this place, the more mystified I am. And the more I think our waitress failed not only us, but the owner of this place.

As written, we ordered for 8 of us. 30 minutes later (we were patient), 5 of the meals came out. No one "raved" about anything. 40 minutes later, the last 3 meals came out.

At first, the waitress claimed the "computer system" failed. Then we asked to speak to the manager or owner, and she would not tell us he/she was even there, and then she was panicky that SHE would get in trouble. After reassuring her that (from what she told us) she did nothing wrong, we just felt the owner would want to know if there was ANY issue (not looking to blame, looking to solve). Nope, she would not bring anyone above her to our table.

Waitress training falls on management. Lackluster food, poor server training, 1 server for all the tables, all falls on the owners. We eat out in Bend 3 - 4 nights a week, and really have no reason whatsoever to come back. No one cared.

When we walked in, the restaurant is split in 2. One side was closed off, chairs still on the tables. The other (bar) half, mostly full, and just had a vibe of "every customer looking miserable", like they all too were waiting (a long time) for food.

Our drinks were NEVER refilled unless we asked (basic restaurant skill 101!), slow to offer take home cartons, slow to clear plates - just poor all around.

Bend has a lot (I mean a lot) of great restaurants that cover the basics well, and most go above and beyond. This place needs to start with the...

SE Bend is somewhat of a food desert. We've tried many of the local spots, only to be disappointed by either the quality of food, the quality of wait service or the attitude of the chef. (OK, I admit it... I cook so I'm picky... there. I said it.)

Tonight's meal at the Pour House has renewed my faith in restaurant humanity by providing a delicious meal, at a fair price with exceptional service.

From the appetizer - pulled pork egg rolls - that were crispy on the outside and filled with piggy goodness and accompanied by a pleasantly tart slaw to the I'm-glad-we-shared-it BBQ platter - an exceptionally tender and tasty combination of ribs and some pretty good tri-tip, with a side of potato salad and tater tots, I actually was reminded that Bend really can serve great food when it wants to. And in the case of the platter, way more food than you expect. We needed a doggie box. For us.

Add to that the attentive and professional wait service by Daynen - who was helpful, good-spirited and actually understood how to be a professional, plus he managed to upsell us with both an appetizer and the desert. I find myself looking forward to returning and trying more menu items.

Do yourself a favor. Go on a Tuesday when Daynen is working. Sit on the bar side (he's a bartender). Listen to his recommendations on the best items for your group. Even if you've had a bad time before, give it another try. We deserve to be out of the food desert and I think Pour House...