Spade & Spatula-Ca. Gastropub — Restaurant in California

Ive ordered a few burgers from here one night and they were honestly decent burger. Not bad but I wasn't gonna get them again. My wife and I decided to try their brunch. We walk in and are seated and waited on by a very performative acting human, acting like a game show host more-so than a human who are face to face with. I can't speak for everybody but its uncomfortable to interact with such an inhuman tv persona face to face. This person acted as if they learned the entirety of their social skills from tv and movies.

My wife ordered a bacon breakfast burrito. I ordered a bacon avocado tomato omelet. I inquired as to what could be made gluten free. The waitress then specified most anything on the brunch menu could be made gluten free. I asked if they had corn tortillas to make a breakfast burrito, turns out they do but they didnt have them out and ready so we couldnt have them at that time. So then I inquired as to whether the french toast could be made gluten free by using the gluten free bread they have for sandwiches. This was also unachievable despite having the bread. I didnt press further and settled for the omelet I mentioned. My wife got her burrito and upon taking her first bite she said she could not taste any bacon. Then another bite and she was convinced there was no bacon. We alerted our waitress. The waitress then proceeded to tell us there is bacon in there it was just chopped up. We then insist that if we could not see or taste any bacon in the burrito, is their bacon in the burrito? The waitress insists she must check with the chef. Now this was rather strange. You can ask the chef or the guy down the street, it matters not. If no bacon is sighted nor felt nor tasted nor eaten nor smelled nor even heard can there be bacon existing in the burrito? We then display to the waitress an unfolded mess of the innards of the burrito to display all the ingredients listed and accounted for with the exception of bacon! The waitress then takes the burrito to the chef to show her the lack of bacon and offers to cook us three "extra" strips of bacon. This was absolutely outrageous to me to not only offer three "extra" strips but to imply there is anything extra about it considering there was no bacon in the first place even make the other three strips extra! At last this was mockery of a dining experience. I feel regret for these mountain community's, they deserve to have much better dining opportunities. Stone Creek Bistro and Puglia are the only ones that are worth the hassle. They always go above and beyond.

Servant - a person who performs duties for others, especially a person employed in a house on domestic duties or as a personal attendant.

Server - a person or thing that provides a service...

Update to our review below:

We went back this past time in the mountains and had a bit of an unfortunate experience.

We ordered our food, and then waited 45 minutes for it to come out!! We had our 2 year old with us, so it got pretty challenging…

And then when it finally came out, the salmon was undercooked, and we had to have them remake it.

I get it… stuff happens. But nothing was done as an apology. And when I asked to speak to the owner/manager, she basically said it was just cuz they were busy - as if a 45 min wait for food is normal at any restaurant. But they weren’t even that busy when we arrived!

I asked what she thought was reasonable and basically said she didn’t think anything they did was warranting an accommodation, but that she would give me a discount just to make me happy.

And she gave me 10% off!!!!

This sort of thing saddens me cuz I want small businesses to do well - but when there isn’t a commitment to the customer experience, it makes me not want to go back.

Adjusting from 5 stars down to 3, mostly cuz the food was and still is quite good.

Original post:

Awesome little spot. We went during COVID, so we sat outside. It can be hard to find good food in The mountains, but our meal was fantastic. The “rooties”...

As locals in Lake Arrowhead, we are deeply disappointed with this restaurant’s behavior. The service was appalling, and the surprise charges on our bill were shocking. We placed a takeout order and were only told after ordering that there was a mandatory 20% “auto service charge”—for takeout! This is unheard of in any city, let alone here.

We were kept on hold for at least 20 minutes, repeatedly transferred, and even hung up on once. When we finally got our order, it was wrong, and we were charged for items we didn’t order. Despite pointing this out, we still paid for the incorrect items out of frustration and the desire to just leave.

This venue prides itself on being LGBTQ-friendly, but the experience was far from welcoming. My husband and I, along with other patrons, were ignored when we arrived. Despite the visible signs of love and equality, we felt unwelcome and uncomfortable from the moment we stepped in.

It’s clear that profits come before ethics here. A 20% “auto service charge” for takeout burgers is completely unacceptable. As locals, we cannot recommend this place. This kind of behavior is not reflective of the Lake Arrowhead community and is a poor example for both visitors and...