Dutch's — Restaurant in Cincinnati

Dutch's is no longer the warm, friendly, inviting neighborhood spot it once was. It has been infected by a little disease of a man that is turning it into something unrecognizable. Under the new ownership, it has quickly become an uncomfortable place for the staff and loyal guests, alike.

The new owner has singlehandedly alienated so many of the regulars and locals in the neighborhood that they began to show concern for those of us who worked there. Those guests (maybe even yourself) were the backbone of Dutch's and they looked forward to coming in each week to chat with their favorite workers and have a good time. They knew us by name and came in to be taken care of by us and that relationship was the heart of Dutch's. The new owner made them feel very uncomfortable very quickly with the way he just lurked around the restaurant, leering over people like some kind of prison warden, looking like he has never smiled a day in his life. Dutch's was a friendly and inviting place, and his behavior made guests uneasy.

As an employee, I can say that the greatest discomfort of this new regime change was the new owner threatening our jobs anytime he didn't get his way. No less than 3 times did he threaten to close the doors and fire everyone on the spot. Which is why Dutch's has been closed all week, because we grew tired of the mistreatment and disrespect for the work we did. The new owner has no appreciation or respect for the service industry, its workers, or its guests, and has no business running a bar in the first place. Let me reiterate; Dutch's has been closed for an entire week, not because of cleaning or renovating or any improvement of any kind. THE ENTIRE STAFF WALKED OUT AND THE NEW OWNER DOES NOT HAVE ANYONE TO REPLACE US.

Now if you have been to Dutch's, you will know that the staff is very hard working and we loved working together and we cared about each other very much. We extended that energy and hospitality to our guests and we fostered an amazing community because of it. Understanding that, you would know there is no way any of us would have just abandoned that place. We were driven out. Our regulars were driven out.

Dutch's was a staple of the neighborhood for a few reasons, but what made dutch's special were the people who made it what it was. It's a shame to see those people bullied and disrespected out of their jobs and out of their neighborhood bar. I hope you remember it for what it was and not what it...

I was very much looking forward to trying Dutch's but it was one of the more disappointing experiences in recent memory. Starting off with the positives. The apple fennel slaw was amazing and the Alabama BBQ chicken sandwich was really good. The service was decent. The negatives were the food was brought out slowly and not consistently. One of the people in my party finished eating before my daughter got her grilled cheese sandwich. We stood by the front of deli inside while workers walked by and did not tell us that we could just sit down outside to dine and order our food. The ordering system is confusing. It is online and the options for some of sandwiches did not match the sandwich being ordered and looked to be options for sandwiches no longer offered. The Banh Mi was mediocre and not worth the upper teens price tag. My Cuban sandwich was the worst one I have had in my life. Soggy in the middle and hard and chewy on the bottom crust. The tipping is confusing. There is a 20% gratuity and the servers do not take your orders nor refill your drinks if you are not drinking alcohol nor even take your bill. All they do is bring out your food. On top of it, when you pay your bill online, it defaults to an additional 10% tip on top of the 20% gratuity. Lots of potential here, but I will...

Over the last year or so, Dutch's has reopened under new ownership by the folks who own Red Feather Kitchen. This means elevated food in a revamped casual setting. There are more tables than there used to be under the previous ownership that focused more on carryout. My wife and I stopped in for a date night and sampled various dishes on the menu.

We started with a wonderful cheese board ($14 for 3 kinds of cheese and accoutrements). The selection of cheeses was a great mix and we really enjoyed this delicious start to the meal.

My wife spotted others snacking on the truffle popcorn ($6) and had to give it a try. The flavor was definitely unmistakable, and while it's not my favorite thing, it was at least worth a try.

We split the smoke chicken sandwich ($14 with a choice of side dish). This adds pickled jalapeno, white bbq sauce, shredded lettuce, and Dutch's unique "American" cheese crumbles. This was a big sandwich and was very good. The potato salad on the side was a nice mixture of local red potato, mustard seed, and mayo.

My wife also had to try their butternut squash bisque ($6) which she declared the best she's had. Overall we had a nice meal and we should be back...