The Grand on Main — Restaurant in Columbia

My group of 7 had a reservation for 12:00. We arrived about 5 minutes early and checked in at the hostess stand where we were awkwardly waved off with the only comment being "just wait over there" with an eye roll, like we were inconveniencing them. Those were the only words spoken to us by the hosts. No "hello," no "do you have a reservation", or anything. Whatever, it's not a big deal. After waiting almost 15 minutes in a mostly empty restaurant we were seated and our waitress came over to take drink orders. I dont know if she's new, shy, or just not good at her job, but she seemed really uncomfortable interacting with us and other tables...she definitely needs more training at the least. Our drinks (2 mimosa flights, 2 beers, one bottle of champagne, and waters) took about 20 minutes to come out. Again, the place isn't packed at all. The mimosa flights left a lot to be desired. They're supposed to be flavors like strawberry basil, peach mint, lavender something...and neither of us could really pick out which was which. They weren't labeled and they were heavy on the champagne. I'm not complaining about strong drinks, just the fact that actually tasting the flavors would have been awesome. Our appetizer came out right when our first round of drinks came. We placed food orders and they came out pretty quickly, but not one of the folks in my group actually thought their food was "good." For the price we paid, the quality of food is not reflected at all. My home fries were cold, "over easy" eggs were over hard, and the bacon wasn't very good. The gravy was nothing short of atrocious. It was super, super lumpy with scorched flour chunks like someone let the roux burn and still used it to make gravy. The salt content of the gravy tasted like they used ocean water instead of milk...basically inedible. I ordered a second mimosa flight as our entrees were brought out and then we didn't have a single person come to our table for FORTY MINUTES. we had plates half full of food, empty bottles/glasses on the table, no one one came to offer boxes, see if we wanted refills, or anything. Once we finally flagged down our waitress, I asked about the mimosa flight I'd ordered 40 minutes prior and she said she was "going to go grab it." After waiting another 20 minutes with no one coming back to the table, we flagged her down again and I told her to nix my order because we weren't going to have time. She tried to tell me her manager was making it now, but again, it had been a full hour from ordering it, and we were ready to leave. The manager came over and said "sorry it took so long, I have it ready if you want it" while we were packing our things and I said "I'm good, but thanks" and he said "real sorry about that" and shuffled back to the bar. We were never offered boxes for our food, which I guess was fine because no one wanted to take their leftovers home, but not even an offer for a box was weird.

Our brunch took two hours, with most of that time being spent trying to flag down our waitress to get a drink or refills of water. For a place that's trying to be upscale, they fall extremely short of their goal. You'll get service equal to Denny's, and honestly the food quality isn't far off from Denny's either. This was my third visit and the third time I had an overall poor experience. I have officially written the Grand off and won't return. I strongly advise others to heed the warnings of myself and others. If you want a good meal, with good service, timely service, and kind workers...go somewhere else. You're not getting any...

From the street view, this may look like your average downtown Columbia, SC restaurant, but The GRAND is anything but! We were looking for a great place for lunch on New Years Day and came across this hidden gem via Google reviews.

Location: Prime location downtown and within walking distance from shopping, music, dining, and lounges. Not to mention, street parking is right at the entrance.

Customer Service:  We waited about 4 minutes before being greeted by the hostess and then another 3 mins before she cleaned and prepared a table for us (I think the establishment was understaffed)

Cleanliness: The restaurant was beautifully decorated, draped in gold ascented fixtures, old wooden beams, and stylish barreled upholstered booth. Not only can you enjoy a nice meal but also enjoy a game of bowling and drinks from their well stocked bar.

Food: The food was very good. Our waitress was very accommodating and fast. We ordered the quesadilla and cheddar herb biscuits for starters. The quesadillas were full of flavor (drizzled with a sweet bbq sauce) while the biscuits were nice and crispy on the exterior and moist on the inside.

Our entrées were the chicken and waffles and fried shrimp. The shrimp was medium-sized and lightly breaded. The shrimp were served with a homemade ranch dressing that I couldn't get enough of. The waffle fries were seasoned to perfection and fried for the perfect crisp. I loved the shrimp so much that I ordered a second. I would most certainly recommend the Strawberry Margarita. It was very tasty, lightly sweetened, and paired perfectly with my meal.

Don’t let appearances fool you—the decor may be a little fancy, but food and staff take the prize. This place is perfect for groups or a casual date night. After your meal and drinks, don't forget to check out their bowling section...

The manager was an absolute jerk. The two bartenders behind the bar were laughing about how he had no idea what he was doing. I’d had a rough day and decided to try somewhere new. The hostesses were sweet and honest about the menu, so I gave it a shot. The place was surprisingly big — turns out it’s a bowling alley — but pretty dirty and worn down, especially in daylight.

My waitress and the hostess were both lovely. I ordered the $42 blackened ribeye with loaded mashed potatoes. The sides were phenomenal, but the steak was awful — thin, gristly, overcooked, and barely edible. I quietly told my waitress that everything else was great but the steak was terrible. I specifically said, “Please don’t mention it to your manager because I don’t want him to take it off my bill. I just want you to tell the chef later, quietly. Sometimes things get missed when it’s busy, and I don’t want him getting in trouble — I’ll still eat it or my husband will.”

Instead, she told the manager right away as I’m sure she didn’t want him upset. He didn’t realize I was sitting nearby and said loudly, “All you can do is say sorry and get over it.” When he saw me, he just shrugged. Later, he came over with a fake apology — “I think we overcooked your steak a little” — and I told him I’d already heard his response and that my only issue was how he treated both his staff and his customers.

In short — great waitress, sweet hostess, good sides, awful steak, and a completely unprofessional manager. I apologized the girls as I left the restaurant for their rude ah manager and they said oh we get it. Which told me they’ve dealt with him before. He seemed overwhelmed. Someone needs a demotion and to...