Craft Public House — Restaurant in Cary

Adding to prior reviews again since I live in another state but keep finding myself wanting to visit here of all places in the area. I called ahead and spoke with Rafi just to confirm someone could wait on me on the patio as it's raining cats n dogs and I was afraid I'd be a bother, but of course she was friendly and accommodating and walked me back upon arriving. So pleasant and happy, she was. I had my dogs with me which made it a no-brainer to come back here given the full-sized covered patio in back. 5 stars still I must say...they just don't miss a beat--though I did have to shift to a Jack & Soda over a Jack & Coke as they are Pepsi peddlers (only bad mark--heh, heh). Joe was a great server and his suggestion for the Cubano was a winner! He also let me know of their dog menu so my dogs each got a salmon filet with their bowls of water! Joe was on it--no one on the patio but me, but I was checked in on frequently. Just great service! Good food is nice, but I think I keep coming back here for the service. At all ends, they shine like the North star--an example for anyone to follow. Consistent too, if you read my prior reviews below. Adding to an earlier review, I came in yesterday for lunch and had a really good sandwhich w some local dark beer, and then this morning came by again for breakfast, ordering the chicken-fried steak, eggs, and cheese grits. Fabulous! Sorry I had dug in before remembering a pic. The Director of Operations, Amanda, happened to be standing there conversing with the hostess when I came in and was kind enough to let me sit at the bar though this side of the restaurant doesn't open till 11am (sitting by yourself at a table always feels awkward so I wasn't sure what to do and she saw me look at the tables, then the other side and back and intuitively understood w/o my having to awkwardly ask), and she even waited on me herself--what a stand-up move to protect her employees from waiting on someone seated in another--closed--section! I stayed a couple hours and eventually had a couple local IPA's while chatting w the bartender, Becca--very friendly and attentive. It's nice to see a Public House own up to what that means--a cozy neighborhood pub with a larger, cleaner feel that takes a genuine interest in their customers. I'll be back again more now that I've moved to nearby Richmond as my family is here in Cary. 5 stars still! My wife and I came in here looking for a place that allowed dogs (we drove here from Austin to visit my sis) and had the World Cup on TV...we were visiting from Texas. This place fit the bill. I had some great wings, stuffed pepoers, and some local IPA's and Margot was really nice and brought our dogs a water dish and treats. The game was on, and there were heaters in the ceiling with the outside wrapped up for winter--very cozy. I loved my wings...hot is more like medium-mild, but it's tasty and not overly saucy on the bone--perfect combo. We'll be back. The staff was very friendly, accommodating, and just...

My date and I decided to try Craft for the first time this Labor Day, and we walked in with high expectations. The restaurant itself is lovely and has a great atmosphere. Unfortunately, the warm ambiance was the last positive part of our initial experience. ​Let me be clear from the start: the food we eventually received was excellent. This review is in no way a reflection of the kitchen. This is a review of the complete and utter failure of the front-of-house management, which turned what should have been a lovely evening into an embarrassing and frustrating ordeal. ​Upon arrival, we were quoted a 15-20 minute wait. We happily agreed and went to the bar for a drink. Nearly an hour later, with no communication, I returned to the hostess stand to find it empty. The original hostess was nowhere to be found. After flagging down a server.. who was very kind and tried to be helpful.. she also could not locate the hostess. ​At my request, the server checked the digital waitlist. There was my name, highlighted in red, indicating a long wait. More importantly, the system showed that multiple sections we could have been seated in were open. We weren't the only ones; there were other names in red below mine. It was clear the hostess had abandoned her post for over 30 minutes, and nobody had noticed. ​When I was finally able to speak with a manager, I calmly explained the situation and pointed out that this lapse in service was a direct reflection on the restaurant's training and oversight. Her response was a shockingly curt and dismissive "OK" as she turned and walked away. There was no apology, no attempt to understand, and no professionalism. ​For a first time customer, on a date no less, this was an incredibly disappointing and frankly, embarrassing experience. The core functions of hospitality.. greeting guests, managing wait times, and handling issues with grace.. were completely absent. ​To the owner of Craft: You have a lovely establishment and a great kitchen. But you need to know that your front-of-house leadership is failing you. The actions of your hostess were irresponsible, and the dismissive attitude of your manager was unacceptable. This single experience has ensured that I will not be returning, and I will be hesitant to recommend Craft to anyone. I sincerely hope you take this feedback to heart and address these critical training and...

I wanted to throw my fiance's 30th birthday party somewhere very special. We have always loved going to Craft for dinner, drinks, and to watch sports. He absolutely LOVES their food and variety of beers on draft so I knew this would be the place! I gave them a call to see if we could throw a party for about 30 people. Immediately the owner was giving out suggestions for appetizers, dinner or buffet, even dessert! It was awesome. When I called back our guest list had gone up to 40 people. Craft was so accommodating. They reserved tables for us on the patio and allowed us to come early to decorate. Upon our arrival to set up we were greeted by the staff asking if we needed anything to drink or help decorating. As guests started to arrive the staff was taking drink orders and getting everything out so quickly. They were so friendly and helpful. We ordered 3 appetizers; pita and hummus (which was homemade!!), nachos, and buffalo dip (which was a favorite and gone in 5 minutes)... all delicious!! Serving 40 people off the regular menu isn't easy for a restaurant, I'm sure, but our two servers were wonderful. They were constantly checking on us, getting drinks out quickly, always refilling drinks, and they were so nice! I thought that since we were all ordering off of the menu it would come out at different times and take forever, but it DID NOT!! Everyone was eating at the same time. Everyone's food was great! They stored our desserts and brought them out when it was time. The owner even came out to check on us. They also let us stay as long as we wanted! Overall, our experience was nothing...