Chautauqua Dining Hall — Restaurant in Boulder

I'll start by saying my family and I love eating at the Dining Hall. The food is good and the location/views/ambiance are wonderful.

But, over the last 6-8 months we've had AWFUL experiences with the host staff and managers and today was the final straw. I was in the park with my kids and called asking if we could make a reservation for lunch. I was told they don't take resos on the weekend (which is different what we've been told on multiple other weekends, so someone is wrong), but that they'd have space to sit us if we came within 10 mins. So I promptly schlepped my kids over (2 mins max). When I got the host stand I was told the wait was 30-45 mins. The host (female) could not have cared less that I was just told something entirely different. She then "went to get the manager" and a guy walked by the stand asking if I needed help (no idea if he was the manager or another host). When I explained what had just happened he was dismissive and rude. Zero attempt by either of them to make things right or apologize. I was so frustrated because this is a continuation of what we've been experiencing every time over the last several months - but the worst case of it. I then tried to eat at the bar and waited for the bartender to acknowledge me (she didn't, neither did the other servers), so we just left. Super irritated with 2 hungry kids in tow.

I realize you guys have the most epic location in Boulder and probably don't have to do much to be full day after day., but the service at the host stand is unacceptable and extremely frustrating. I'm not alone in this. I've heard others complain recently and also saw a chain about this on a local FB Group. Something really needs to be done.

Also, another piece of constructive feedback, the chairs and table height on the patio are very off. Chairs are low or table is high. You feel like a little kid sitting at a tall table. I was told once that the tables were an unusual height, but it's very...

I had never been to the Chautauqua area and I heard it was a great place for a small wedding. So, I was very excited to scope it out after my fiancé's friend invited us to a show there.

Me and my fiancé arrived first and sat at the bar. We were not greeted for awhile and definitely felt like an inconvenience for the two bartenders. There was a wedding going on, so I assumed they we busy helping with the party. It quickly became apparent they were not helping with the party.

Once the rest of our party arrived, the bartenders warmed up a little, so I tried to brush it off. As our food arrived, a gentleman sat next to us, and it was obvious he was involved with the bartender, Angela. This man, Patrick, engaged it polite conversation, and everything was good enough until we left.

My fiancé paid for our whole party's tab on a card, and left a cash tip. We left and enjoyed our show. About half way through, my fiancé and I went to the restroom. On our way back in, Patrick accosted us and told us we were shitty people for paying and leaving NO tip. We explained we left a cash tip, he argued and said we need to rectify the situation.

We said he clearly was mistaken and needed to leave us alone. He continued to follow us and berate us, then finally attempted to trow a trash bin at my fiancé. We got away and security seemed to grab him. I think people should know there's a man trying to scam customers, aggressively, out of money.

Overall, great space, decent food. However, I have no desire to return, much less host as important of an event such as my wedding when in fear of being scammed...

Denied Service Dog Seating: I recently felt well enough to take my service dog and myself to Chautauqua to hike. I’ve never had the chance to dine at the dining hall before so I thought we would check it out. When I got there most of the patio was open and it was a beautiful day so why not sit outside. When the hostess saw my dog Sammy she told us we were not allowed to dine. I then informed her she was a service dog, but she had to get her manager before seating us. I absently forgot the woman manager’s name but she vehemently refused to seat us. She said this was because my dog did not have her vest on (I had a separate harness on for the hope of being well enough to hike for the first time in months) I informed her that the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 does not require any specific vests or ID, I even offered to show her certificates and doctors letters on my phone. (I would usually not do this but I wanted to see how far she would go) Unkindly the woman refused to let my 17 pound, well behaved service dog and myself to be seated. It was one of the first times I was ever denied access to somewhere. I was really upset and disappointed. For someone dealing with a chronic illness, it takes a lot to go on an adventure such as Chautauqua, then to be met with this silly and rude unkindness and restriction (even to patio seating) is...