Drake's Burlington — Restaurant in Burlington

I wish Google allowed folks to write separate reviews for different times a person visits the same place. Last night 9/25/22 about 6:30 my son and I went to Drake's in Burlington, NC. It was crowded and loud but that was ok. The waitress was nice but seemed hurried. She asked what we wanted to drink, we both said water and my son had just begun to say that he wanted to go ahead and order an appetizer when the server spun away and left. Some time later she brought our water. We chose then to order our meals. My son ordered the appetizer and a chicken sandwich, I ordered a cheeseburger, a side of slaw and a 6 dollar bowl of chili. Much later my son's appetizer arrived, brought by our server. Later, the same server brought two more glasses of water but did not take away the ice-filled ones. This, along with the bulky menu holder gave us little room for eating. When the second glasses came I asked if I could have my bowl of chili. I figured the chili only needed to be poured into a bowl. Some time later, after I'd seen our server pass by across the way, she shows up with the 6 dollar "bowl" of chili. I've seen bigger 'bowls' that contained condiments. It was no bigger than the salsa bowls in most Mexican restaurants. It was deeper but not by much. The soup spoon was almost as wide as the lip of the 'bowl'. The few bites-worth of chili in there was good. When our meals came, much later, it was a different server that delivered them. She held them over our heads and asked who ordered the burger, I said I did, she brought down the plates in front of us and turned away before I realized there were fries on my plate and no slaw. The server was gone before I could say anything. The top of the bun was hard and the bottom was soggy and it all was luke warm at best. The menu desciption had me thinking of leaves of fresh lettuce and a big slice of tomato. When I looked inside, there were a few sprinkles of bits of shredded lettuce and the rind of a tomato. There were a couple of slices of tough pickles. The meat was a bit over-cooked and dry...and tough. At some point the waitress came by and I explained about the fries and the lack of the slaw. She made a rather flippant remark but that was no big deal. After my son and I had all but finished our meals, our server brought my slaw. It came in the same size 'cup' that my chili had been in. The cup was so crammed full that trying to fork it out caused it to spill out. That didn't matter because it was not very good. Dry, chewy and with very little flavor. I hope others do not have such a poor night and meal as this at Drakes.

My adult son and I had a great time at Drakes last night! The service was amazing, the food was perfect and the mixed drinks were well made. Our waitress was wonderful. She had charm and a real talent for her job. Her name is Erin and she provided service of a quality far above the average that most places...

I really hate to leave such a negative review for a generally good establishment, but I’ve reached my limit with Sheryle J., the bartender. My first encounter with her was a month ago, and her behavior was so unprofessional and rude that I had to file a formal complaint with management. I’ve since learned that she’s been with the restaurant since it opened and is known for her unpleasant attitude, which she seems to get away with due to her seniority.

Today, I walked in after a fast, intending to place a pick-up order. Unfortunately, no one answered the phone on the to-go line, which is why I decided to sit at the bar. Upon entering, I encountered Sheryle again, and it was the same negative experience. She promptly served everyone around me, including two gentlemen who arrived after me. When I asked for extra lemon in my water, she did not respond verbally but instead silently fetched the lemon and placed it on the bar. Throughout my visit, she used non-verbal communication with every request I made, which felt dismissive and unwelcoming. It seems she might still be upset about my formal complaint. In a customer-facing role though, I would have taken that opportunity to make amends, but she chose to do the opposite.

I’m not going to management again; instead, I’m leaving this review for all to see. If you’re a local or a regular you might be fine, but if you’re not, expect a cold and unpleasant experience, which makes the trip hardly worthwhile. My tip for her today was a Bible verse because, frankly, she needs it. She is the only employee with these issues, and according to management, she has received multiple complaints. However, it’s always been her word against the customers’. I provided time stamps so management could review the video footage and see for themselves because the truth needs no support. I specifically asked management not to terminate her, understanding that times are tough, and just to counsel her instead, but it seems that hasn’t worked.

Aside from Sheryl J., everyone else at the restaurant is great. It’s a typical sports bar setting, and I always enjoy the Fantasy Roll, which is a 10/10. Tonight, I also tried the Teriyaki Salmon Roll, but it wasn’t to my taste—I only ate two pieces out of eight, and yet she still charged me. I would have asked her to take it back or requested a refund for that part of my meal, but dealing with her just didn’t seem worth the effort.

Next time, I’ll call ahead to see who’s working. Shoutout to the AM bartender (an older gentleman whose name I can’t recall), Mackenzie, and Reggie. If you get to experience their service, you’re in for a treat. Attached is what I ordered and the receipt. Deal with Sheryle at your own...

Our experience at this restaurant was extremely disappointing. Angel was our server, and the issues started from the very beginning. We waited over 10 minutes just to be greeted. After placing our drink and appetizer orders, the appetizer arrived about 10 minutes later—but still no drinks, silverware, or plates to share it.

Eventually, four out of five drinks arrived, and we asked about the missing one. Angel shouted to someone else to bring it, explaining she couldn’t carry more than four drinks at a time. She took our entrée orders, but when our food arrived, four out of five meals came to the table, and we still had no silverware. We had to retrieve silverware ourselves just to eat.

Angel didn’t check on us once during the meal, and then a second appetizer—identical to the one we had already received—was dropped off. When we told the server we didn’t order another, he said, “It’s for the table.” Shortly after, another server came over, asked about the extra appetizer, and admitted it belonged to another table. They picked it up and handed it to the other guests.

Meanwhile, the fifth entrée never arrived. Everyone else finished their meals, so we flagged down another server to ask Angel to return. When she finally came back, I asked why she hadn’t checked on us. Her response? “I’m too busy and in the weeds.”

We reminded her that we were still missing a meal, and she said she’d check on it. After another 25 minutes, we gave up and asked a different server to bring us the check. Angel eventually returned and explained that there was a mix-up because she didn’t have a handheld device and was forced to write everything down. She said she had written down all five entrées, but there was a kitchen error. Eventually, the manager brought the missing meal, but by then, it was far too late to salvage the experience.

To top it off, we: • Never received drink refills. • Were never given silverware or plates without asking or retrieving them ourselves. • Had to deal with another server delivering our bill because Angel was “too embarrassed” to return to the table herself.

Angel relayed through the other server that she knew she didn’t deserve a tip. While we still left one—because we aren’t the kind of people who leave without tipping—I can confidently say we will never return to this restaurant.

There are far superior restaurants in the area that, at the very least, make sure their guests have basic essentials like silverware and attentive service. Do yourself a favor and...