Dad's Kitchen Fair Oaks — Restaurant in California

My wife & I used to live right by the Dad's location on Freeport and went to that location once a month. We bought a house last year in the Citrus Heights/Fair Oaks area & we both realized there is a Dad's location close to our new house!

They carried over some staff from Freeport after that location's closure (RIP) and decor so it seemed very familiar the first time at the Fair Oaks location.

The first time we went in? It was a Sunday around Noon. The place had a good crowd & we waited about 15 minutes for a server to come over after we were seated. We ordered and the entrees we ordered were almost bare bones. My Wife's BLT had one slice of bacon and my French Dip wasn't as packed as it used to be at Freeport. It also took about 30 minutes to get our order which was understandable due to the crowd. "It happens...." we thought.

The Second time we went in on a Sunday, it was pretty dead around 11:30 AM. We got seated fast as well as our orders taken quick. We had friends with us from out of town with us and they got French Dips & BLTs due to our recommendations. I got the Breakfast Sandwich, and my wife the same.

Sadly.....they were the recipients of how our order came last time & my breakfast sandwich came with one egg & one piece of bacon. My wife's sandwich had no bacon or cheese. She got hers fixed. I turn to look at the table next to us & their food comes out plates full & portions huge. Seemed like they were regulars due to how they were talking to the server/other staff. Ok.

So we give another go today with my in-laws who had been to the Freeport location before. We got seated fast and we ordered. IT TOOK 45 MINUTES TO GET OUR FOOD.

Our Sandwiches were bad. I had cheese missing from my sandwich, my wife's BLT had little Bacon again, and my in-laws sandwiches were missing items. Meanwhile....people from what I can tell were regulars had huge portion plates and had their order taken after us and served to them before our order was.

No apologies, nothing.

Sadly we will not be going back after this last shot. It seems like this location treats their regulars above everyone else & that is not cool. It was a...

Love this place. Awesome beer selection and great food. Friendly service as well. Edit Used to be one of my go to spots when on that side of town but after today, it'll be a while before I go back after today. Started with drinks, keep in mind it's not busy at all, and I ordered a New England IPA. While our drinks sat at the server station directly behind us for a good 10 minutes, I had occasion to observe that the beer that was headed my way was in no way what I had ordered. I said as much when the server brought it over only to be told that it was indeed what I ordered. Said it doesn't look like a NE IPA, was told it absolutely is. Tasted it, Mango Kölsch, tasty but not what I ordered. Spent the next ten minutes trying to get servers attention only to have server pop out of no where and say actually that's not you ordered, that's a Mango Kölsch. Yeah, I'm aware. While settling our tab, I overheard her at another table being asked if it was Happy Hour, she replied that it was so all drinks were discounted $1.50. Checked the menu, it had been Happy Hour the whole time we were there, checked the bill, full price drinks. Calculated a 20% tip, subtracted the Happy Hour discount from the tip and left after appetizers. Service matters to me more than food, and while the food was great, the whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth. Hazy Session...

Normally the food and service here is pretty good. Unfortunately this last time my family and I went, our waitress neglected us. It was a slow day. Maybe 8 customers seated, and most were at the bar. We came in at 3. We didn't receive our food until 430. Both burgers and fries were cold and our appetizer was the only thing warm. We asked for it to be heated back up but our waitress said her shift was ending and she was leaving... it was already so late so we just asked for the check from the waiter she switched us to. The owner noticed the situation and comped the few beers we had and didn't charge us for our cold food. I don't think we'll be back. It wasn't busy at all. We noticed the waitress was really distracted, talking and laughing with coworkers... Obviously because her shift was almost up. I probably won't be back because of her, specifically. Our family would rather go to the original Sacramento location. I'm a cocktail waitress on the side, and I know how the industry works. I understand that she neglected us because she'd have to split our tab with another waiter, but that's not good business or customer service. That attitude doesn't belong in the service industry. We hadn't been there in a few months so she must be new. Maybe some training would help...