Peppercorn Grille — Restaurant in Big Bear Lake

You ever had that coworker who acts busy but really isn't just so that the rest of the team has to pick up his slack? If we got Zack as our server it would've been 4 stars, SMH... but we got Tyler.

We wanted patio seating so our friendly hostess asked if we were willing to wait a few for them to clear the table for us, and we happily obliged, asking her for a glass of water for me while waiting in the front entrance area, which she brought. Once seated, I brought my empty glass and Tyler brought a full glass for my bf, but nothing for me. If he even looked at the empty glass he should have either: 1) replaced my glass with a full one and taken the empty one away or 2) fill my empty one. This isn't rocket science. At no point during any part of the meal did he do that, despite us requesting several times. He didn't come by to ask us about our meal. He didn't take our plates - other staff did.

At the start of our visit we ordered drinks first. Bf ordered the mule, which he enjoyed and I asked for more water. Tyler brought out the mule before taking our order... without my water, nor after I asked again.

So yeah, Tyler gets no star, the food gets 3 stars, and Zack--wherever you are--you're the unsung hero of this establishment.

Shout out to the other staff who finally took pity on me and filled my glass before I started hallucinating. The nice Latina lady handling the water pitcher asked me about my meal. Hell, they should give Tyler the water pitcher and her the server position. Tyler was nowhere to be seen until end of the meal to ask if we wanted dessert, got the check and nonchalantly threw in a question in passing on how it went when it really was a moot point by then because the meal was already over.

Tyler didn't tell us the specials (didn't know they had any until we overheard Zack toward the end of our meal tell the next table). Meanwhile, Zack--serving the table next to us--was out here running the server Olympics. He made conversation with them like they were long-lost cousins, dropped off waters with lemon slices, asked next table if they wanted parmesan on their pasta/salad (Tyler didn't--he just seems to think pepper is the only condiment or too lazy to carry more than pepper--who puts pepper on salad or lobster ravioli?) Zack basically turned their whole meal into a delightful experience.

Food? Good. I ordered clam chowder and my honey ordered lobster ravioli and house salad with a balsamic vinaigrette. My clam chowder was on the salty side, and bf agreed, but nothing to the extent of being unpalatable. The lobster ravioli was pretty darn good. Salad was salad. Tyler brought out the salad and clam chowder first, automatically placing the salad in front of me without a word. Word? We swapped plates after he left. He just doesn't do well with communication overall. He's too busy doing who knows what, it certainly wasn't serving other tables. For dessert we ordered the Apple tart, warm out of the oven paired with ice cream with a nicely cut strawberry we enjoyed to finish our meal.

Atmosphere? Nice. We got patio seating on a beautiful Labor Day weekend.

Service? Depends on who you get. If you're lucky enough to land Zack, congratulations--you win. If you get Tyler... pack a water bottle. Next to Zack's performance, Tyler looked like an understudy who forgot his lines. Would I come back? Sure. But next time, I'm asking for...

Have been coming here on and off for over 10 years as I have a house on the lake and as a restaurant owner myself, hate to have to leave a negative review and have never done until now,

Went to the restaurant on 02/07 with family members after a day of skiing and was starving, as our waiter (short hispanic guy) was getting ready to take orders, I asked him in the exact following words: I'm very hungry do you mind taking my order first", he proceeded to loudly announce to the whole table: I take orders from the ladies first",

My Sister who was sitting next to me told him: "it's fine you can take his order first", he then proceeded to ignore Her and go to the opposite side of the table where my other Sister and her children were sitting and start taking orders, I stayed quiet,

Once food had arrived for all of the 7 people at our table, I had to wait another 5 minutes for mine to arrive after again my Sister had to ask our dear Petty little short man syndrome waiter where my food was, and of course it arrived cold, obviously he was still being petty and was holding mine back, (I'm in the business and I fire people who do this regardless of the situation )

I sat there quietly and consumed my cold steak and rubbery lobster tail and did not show any reaction but did not deserve any of what was done to me,

It doesn't take much to ruin someones day, unfortunately you come across sub-humans like mr. petty chivalry that ruin your day and businesses,

In case mr. chivalry or his employer reads this, I wish he had seen me carry a child and holding my sisters mothers-in-laws hand so she doesn't slip or fall on snow as we were coming into the restaurant, then maybe he would have shut his mouth and stuffed his attitude, also where was the respect for women when he ignored my sister telling him to take my order,

I had to leave school at the age of 14 after my father passed to support my family and work my way up in life from being a dishwasher to owning 2 fine dining restaurants (one featured on the Michelin guide) and other businesses in the service and hospitality industry in the USA and UK, I hope mr. chivalry waiter reads this and feel even better about himself,

Judging from that last 2 reviews something is wrong at this...

Dining at this restaurant was the worst experience I’ve had in the US, which is shocking given its high ratings. It’s advertised as a fancy Italian dining experience, but the quality and service fell far below even basic expectations.

From the start, the service was disappointing. Our server made us feel rushed to order and showed visible irritation when we asked for recommendations. After ordering, I assumed we’d be served some bread and butter or balsamic vinegar with olive oil, as is typical at authentic Italian restaurants. However, after a long wait, we had to ask the host for water and bread. The bread was eventually brought out just minutes before our food arrived—and it was ice cold, straight from the fridge.

When I politely asked the server to warm the bread, he raised his voice and said, “It’s only me working here, and as you can see, I’m very busy. You’re going to have to wait for your bread.” His response was unprofessional and loud enough for other tables to stop their conversations and notice. It left us feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable.

To make matters worse, when our food arrived, my partner asked for shredded Parmesan on her Fettuccine Alfredo, something that’s typically offered automatically at similar establishments. Instead of bringing fresh Parmesan, the server slapped a pizza-style cheese shaker on the table. I couldn’t help but notice that the table across from us received fresh Parmesan grated directly onto their plates. It felt inconsistent and dismissive.

By this point, the experience was entirely ruined. We asked for takeout containers to finish our meal elsewhere. The lasagna and pasta we ordered, totaling $75, were overpriced, bland, and uninspired.

I would not recommend this restaurant, especially for a special occasion or if you’re expecting quality Italian food and decent service. The atmosphere and attitude from the staff left much to be desired, making it an overall disappointing and...