B-Town Restaurant — Restaurant in Bethalto

Ok, here we go... First we'll start with the good and great aspects of this FRESH, new Bethalto spot.

👍 Clean, family atmosphere 👍 Staff was well groomed, hair back, etc. 👍 Booths are a little tight, BUT plenty of them. 🌟 My KC burger was perfectly seasoned and cooked (hand pattied as well!) and the bacon and bbq sauce was paired nicely. Wasn't sure at first about the bechamel cheese sauce instead of slices but it all worked. As a chef of 20+ years I can totally appreciate the decision. The pickles... eh, not so much a fan of McDonald's style, sour pickles but that's just me. 🌟. The onion rings were surprisingly hand battered and crisp. They should stay with that but maybe add a little salt and pepper and a but of baking powder to the flour. Still give them 8/10. ❤️ Great choice on the ready crisp fries because a fry with a great burger is 💯% key. 🥗 Salad bar was clean and had really simple, pleasant offerings. One of the young ladies even came over while we were getting our veggies to make sure the bar was ok and clean. 👍 Portion sizes were amazing compared to the price point on the menu. 👍 The check out was easy and we got seated right away.

With a new business there will be hiccups so here are the cons.

👎 We still don't know our server's name or any of the names of the staff that served us. 🤢 While waiting for our food we witnessed our server holding plates of food, cups and bowls improperly. She held the plates and a bowl with her thumb(s) on the inside of the rim(s), thereby touching the eating surface. 😮 As the server sat the plates down, she sat the plate closest to her down but then reached OVER that patron and sat his lunch partner's down in front of her, putting her arm in front of the man she just served. 😩 Drinks were brought to the table next to us by said server with her palming the tops of the vessels- completely touching the mouth/contact surface. They have straws but.... 🤔 Witnessed a table being bussed but the patrons were still there as the dish bin was sat ON the table in front of them. 🤳 While the busser was wiping down tables he was on his cell phone the whole time.

👎 We were never told about the specials!!! I would've ordered the Corned beef dinner!

🌟 As a side note, we had a young lady (salad bar attendant) come to refill our drinks and I suggested very nicely that when she picks up glasses or brings drinks, to hold them from the bottom. I have a feeling she's gonna do great. 😃

Over all, I'm pretty sure B-Town is going to do a great service to our community by opening it's family and doors to Bethalto. So far, 5.5/10 for our first...

B-Town gets a C minus. Pros: Wasn't super busy for a Sunday at 10:30am, the hostess was smiling and we got sat pretty quick and also got drinks fast. The place appears new and clean. Cons: Booths are lumpy and cheap as you about get knocked out of your booth if the person behind you moves. There was more than enough staff but they all looked like they were doing the bare minimum and not working very efficiently. One girl just kept walking around the restaurant in a circle doing nothing. I finally stopped her telling her we were ready to order as we sat there for awhile with our menus closed watching a bunch of servers just walking around. When someone took our order it was just, what can I get you? We had to ask for our bill and they just gave it to us. Not very personable staff. No greeting at the door, no thanks come again. No hello my name is " blank" I'll be taking care of you today. That was for you to guess. The food was fair. My toast wasn't toasted. The eggs, sausage and hashbrowns seemed cooked properly but had no taste. The coffee was OK. Prices are reasonable but I like friendly service and tasty food. This place...

Food was pretty solid for my first time there which was near the start of dinnertime like 4:30 pm, the service was okay as well could’ve been a little faster on coming back around to get my order made but the food came out as soon as it was cooked which I was pretty happy about. The burger I had was the south of the border which had pepper Jack cheese, bacon, blackened burger, chipotle mayo, and jalapeños with a side of waffle fries which were excellent besides half being a little over cooked. The burger itself was great except one entire slice of bacon was undercooked and the jalapeños could be cut down smaller to save them money and not have them so thick they fall out of the burger as you eat. Loved the 80s/90s diner style atmosphere with even having moon designed hanging lights too. Overall I rate this place 3.5...