Burntshirt Vineyards Tasting Room and Bistro — Restaurant in Chimney Rock

Burntshirt Vineyards Tasting Room and Bistro - Chimney Rock, NC Visited: September 27, 2024

Burntshirt Vineyards Tasting Room and Bistro is nestled in the charming town of Chimney Rock, North Carolina, offering a picturesque setting with stunning views of the iconic Chimney Rock formation. This quaint establishment, located just off the main strip, provides a combination of wine tasting, dining, and a gift shop, making it an attractive destination for both locals and tourists alike.

As a native of nearby Hendersonville, I was eager to introduce my family to this gem during our recent visit. Our party of eight arrived with high expectations, drawn by the bistro's reputation and scenic location.

Ambiance: 4/5 The bistro boasts a charming atmosphere with its beautiful vistas and cozy interior. It's an ideal spot for those seeking a blend of local flavor and natural beauty.

Service: 1/5 Unfortunately, our dining experience was marred by significant service issues. Our assigned waitress demonstrated a lack of attentiveness and professionalism throughout our visit. We experienced prolonged wait times for drink orders, and there were noticeable discrepancies in the level of service provided to our table compared to others who were seated after us.

A particularly disappointing moment occurred when my sister was handed a mop to clean up a spilled drink, rather than staff addressing the issue themselves. This incident highlighted a concerning lack of customer care and basic service standards.

Food Quality: 5/5 Despite the service challenges, the food quality was commendable. Our appetizers were served promptly and the main courses, when they finally arrived, were well-prepared and enjoyable.

Management Response: 5/5 The saving grace of our experience was the exceptional response from the manager. Upon learning of our situation, he personally intervened, demonstrating remarkable dedication by simultaneously cooking, serving, and addressing our concerns. His efforts to rectify the situation, including comping our meals, were greatly appreciated and showcased true hospitality leadership.

Overall: 3/5 Burntshirt Vineyards Tasting Room and Bistro has immense potential, boasting a prime location, quality cuisine, and dedicated management. However, significant improvements in staff training and service consistency are necessary to elevate the overall dining experience to match the establishment's charming setting and culinary offerings.

Recommendations for Improvement:

Implement comprehensive staff training programs focusing on customer service and attentiveness. Consider increasing staffing levels during peak hours to ensure prompt and efficient service. Establish clear protocols for handling customer issues and spills. Regular performance evaluations and feedback sessions...

Most rude, unwelcome, inhospitable service my family and I have experienced from any business for a very long time. The food was excellent, the views of Chimney Rock were superb, but the service was shockingly some of the worst we've experienced. We had a large group in our family and the place was half empty at lunch time. We sat at a table outside and more of our family joined us so we were told by our friendly server we could move to a larger table. We ended up having a handful other family members show up and there were a number of empty tables out in the beating hot sun that no one was sitting at, so we extended our table and grabbed a few more chairs from one of the empty tables so our large family could all sit together. Well the hostess came out and rudely scolded us in front of the other patrons telling us if anymore show up, we need to tell them before grabbing random chairs. The woman was extremely discourteous and continued to shoot dirty looks over toward our group as she grabbed extra chairs to replace the ones we moved from one of the many empty tables out in the sun. Well then our food came out and the man passing out our food made some rude, snide comment about how large our group was almost like it was an imposition to be serving us. It was not in a friendly welcoming tone. It was very much like we were imposing on him and the rest of the staff. The only friendly face was our server. She smiled and never complained about how large our group was although she wasn't terribly attentive and we only saw her when she took our orders and came for the checks. Some of the family that joined us later were never waited on. So they went inside to order at the bar and they had another horribly rude encounter with the bartenders who flat out ignored them for 10 -15 minutes. They stood patiently by the bar and tried to wave the bartenders over so they could order food and wine and the two bartenders walked right by them, not giving them a glance and served a man who walked up to the bar AFTER them! They had to wait until the man ordered and paid, and FINALLY one of the bartenders walked over. The place wasn't even busy. They were just treated as if they weren't even there. We enjoyed our time with our family and again the food tasted wonderful. We were a LARGE group that bought a TON of food and wine. Spent A LOT of money at this establishment, but were treated so rudely by so much of the staff that we can honestly say, we're never coming back. If this is how they treat customers, the experience, wine and food...

Oh my goodness. First of all, it's a nightmare trying to eat at a restaurant in Chimney Rock. Our last trip in May, Old Rock watched us get rained on heavily by splatter from the pavement as we waited outside for them to open, with 5 minutes left before they opened, like they stood there and looked at us, waiting to open their doors, so we left and vowed never to darken the door. And no one opens before 11am except Genny's, as far as we know. There isn't a breakfast spot anymore and no affordable spots were even open this visit during Labor Day weekend, and we were pretty surprised by that considering we thought Labor Day to be a heavy tourist time. So it surprised us when we got out of Chimney Rock Park Monday afternoon and EVERYONE was closed. We already had to drive to Hendersonville and spend an arm and a leg to have just breakfast that morning, and it ran us late on our whole day, caused us to miss when folks would be still open, and we didn't even get to see our campsite again until 9pm that night because of it. We didn't want Bojangles on vacation. We wanted Genny's, the only spot open at a decent time for breakfast, but they were closed for remodel. So we couldn't believe we were going to have to drive to Hendersonville again just to eat. We don't have a cooking setup yet to camp with, and the car we had to travel in was low on cargo space, so we were relying heavily on the local restaurants and man did they let us down.Well then we saw the tasting room was open. The ONLY ones open. We hung our heads and prepared for another over priced meal with no flavor (Riverwatch - how do the burgers have no flavor?) and walked in. We were greeted beautifully, and waited on by Tatiana, beautifully. And for the VERY first time that vacation, our food was worth the cost, and by that I mean it was fantastic, and they should have been slammed had it not been for other folks figuring the place would be a ghost town just like any regular Monday. Man do we appreciate them being open. Next time we are coming prepared to cook, since Chimney Rock is short on restaurants and those are short on hours, but we'll save our one eat out treat for the Tasting Room next time. Well and Genny's, if...