Hug-Hes American Kitchen and Catering — Restaurant in Centerville

I had been to other Hug Hes locations, so I was thrilled when it came to Centerville. My friend had never been to a Hug Hes so for our monthly dinner date I suggested it. When we walked in, I was very impressed with the way it looked and was decorated. I HAVE to mention the lights! as many others have. Whomever did their lightning is fabulous! We loved all the different lights and the way they were hanging, having a different set of lights all over the cafe. BEAUTIFUL! I ordered a "specialty" drink (Flavor Lemonade) My friend got a Dr. P. For some reason the ice they have there melts UBER fast! Usually I don't like a ton of ice, but we felt like they hardly gave us any ice so it wasn't very cold, OR as I mentioned above, the ice melted lightning fast. Our waitress Makenzie was very sweet, and attentive. With that said we unfortunately had a few complaints about her. I ordered the regular pasta salad, and my friend got the chef salad. Mine was yum as always, her's was OK, it had some huge pieces of lettuce that she had to cut, and this huge piece of meat in the corner of the salad (what do you do with that thing?) She didn't like the thousand island dressing. The bread was good as always, the end pieces are a little hard. Our complaints with Makenzie were that, we had not even tasted our salads (we also got an appetizer and we were not even finished with that yet) before she literally brought us the TICKET! but said "No rush, No rush." She didn't ask us if we wanted desert, or anything else. My friend was actually going to get a To Go order after WE were done. So we thought that was weird. We only get together once a month, and we like to chat, but felt like we were very much pushed out! This was a weekday and no one was waiting for a table (We made sure that no one was waiting for a table) and there wasn't so we weren't sure why we felt her pushing us out. she kept saying "is that ready for me? but No Rush No Rush"! I would say "NO!! I haven't taken more than two bites". Finally after like three times, of asking if the ticket was ready, but not to feel rushed... we were like, OK obviously they want us to leave, so we gave her the money, got a to go box and went and sat in our car , ate the rest of our food and talked for another hour! And NO it was not closing time. The one other thing I wanted to mention was that she kept asking me if I wanted another drink, I wasn't even done with my first, but I said "sure, I'll have you make me a fresh cold one" I had no idea she was charging me every time! Now yes I think most places charge refill price for a "specialty drink" but she never mentioned that at all! She really should of told me that every-time she asked if I wanted another one, it was going to be almost 3$ a drink! My friend asked a few times for a COLD Dr. P but was only charged one time. Now I get it! but I think the customer should of been informed or reminded that they have to pay for a new drink every time. I would of been fine to have ice water if I would of known or been reminded of that rule. Actually I would of loved ice water in addition to my specialty drink. We felt like we were being so pushed out of that place that we couldn't really ask for anything! So pros and cons! BUT I gave 4 stars because the pasta salad was yummy, the bread was good, the place...

I was so excited to have a new restaurant here in Centerville that I went the moment I got back into town. I read reviews from others who have been to other locations and wanted to love it. Unfortunately, for me, it didn't live up to the hype. The location itself is convenient--next to Fuji Sushi (behind AFCU) and inside is casual-elegant with plenty of comfortable seating. Since this was my first visit, I ordered the 3-pick appetizer (fried zucchini, fried mushrooms and sweet potato fries) so I could get the most out of the experience. For my lunch entree, I chose the prime rib sandwich and a side salad with balsamic vinaigrette, and an Arnold Palmer to drink. Dani was the server. She greeted me with a "Hi, Hon” and used it throughout the meal. Using a term of endearment with strangers is a pet peeve of mine. I realize this is common in food service industry, but, it is something I don't like. Other than this faux pas, she was pleasant and checked back frequently. The second thing that was off-putting is that the appetizer was brought out at the same time as the entree. I like to pace myself throughout a meal; when an appetizer is ordered, it should be brought out first. Then, after a reasonable amount of time, the entree should appear, giving the diner a relaxed experience and not overwhelm them with everything at once. As for the food…the batter on the mushrooms was so thick that they were "gummy" inside. I ended up just taking the batter off and eating them plain. The zucchini was okay; most of the batter had fallen off, but, still edible. The sweet potato fries tasted burned, and the texture was hard, so I only ate a couple. The sandwich was hard to pick up because the au jus from the prime rib had soaked through and made it fall apart on the bottom. It was tasty, but there was hardly any meat on it at all…maybe one small scoop; not even enough to cover the small bun. I was expecting more meat for the $11+ price point. The side salad was unremarkable. The Arnold Palmer was weak (I didn’t ask if they had sweet tea, and I’m guessing the lemonade was probably Minute Maid—and tasted like the light version, so this was my fault). I also did not get the side mayo that I asked for, but, I didn’t bother to request it again since the sandwich tasted fine without it. Overall, the food was a letdown. I’ll try it again after the “new place” kinks are worked out and see if they adjust their portions to match their prices, which otherwise seemed reasonable for this type of establishment. The menu has a lot of options, so perhaps I chose something that wasn’t one of their...

First off, the food is good and the environment amazing. I love their food variety.

I will say I’ve been extremely put off the last three times I’ve been in. The first was New Year’s Eve and a friend and I went out to celebrate. The server informed us at 8:30 that they were trying to close up for the night. I was a little confused (their posted closing is at 9:00 on weekdays) but understood and got out shortly after.

The second time (early February) I went with another friend and again, the server informed us that they were going to hopefully close up soon. It was again about 8:30. Again, I was confused but left shortly after.

Which brings us to tonight: I went with another friend and we were seated at 7:24 (I have the text on my phone confirming they were ready for us). The server was very rushed and didn’t pay us much attention. They also brought us the check shortly after we got our meals (I maybe had three bites of my meal). They were also cleaning up all around us. We finished our meal and were out by 8:00. As we passed the front desk, we saw them totaling up the cash register and counting tips. So, it was obvious they were closing. Which, again, is super strange because they don’t close until 9:30 on weekends so....

It’s a little disappointing that this appears to be a common occurrence and that Hug Hes is in the practice of closing early and creating an awkward atmosphere for their guests. I went out tonight to celebrate a big accomplishment with my friend, but we felt rushed and really uncomfortable. I have never overstayed after closing and am even understanding that cleanup can happen maybe a half hour before closing, but starting to clean and close out two hours prior to closing seems excessive, no? Really ruins the atmosphere and experience.

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Edited after talking to my friend, who reminded me of some other issues we had tonight: we never got refills on drinks, he had to ask for water twice, we never got bread as an appetizer, friend said that his burger was pretty dry but didn’t get the opportunity to talk to our waiter because our waiter was busy...