The Black Cow — Restaurant in Columbus

I came here from New Orleans just off of Google reviews, and let me tell you I was extremely rewarded with this random choice. My visit started with the Hostess seating me while it was obviously buzzing with customers! I was by myself, so I was sure I'd have to wait. I told the young lady that I'd sit out front until there was a seat! She said, "I got you, I save a 2 party seat for customers dining alone!" I was surprised and happy as the restaurant was packed. Next, a waitress that I swear I thought was Alicia Keys showed up in seconds and was extremely sweet and answered my questions with a very happy attitude! She took my order after making a suggestion and was off to the kitchen. I asked for drawn butter with my steak. After asking me what that was, she was off to the kitchen again. My order came to me super fast, especially as packed as they were. She told me that the kitchen advised her they do not make that...however she took it upon herself to google it and make it for me!!! I was blown away at her, taking it upon herself to go out of her way to make her customer happy. The next thing was the kitchen somehow sent one of my side selections, which was fried greenbeans as grits! I didn't even need to call her over as she saw I was looking her way, and she scuffled through the crowd to see what I needed. When I showed her, she headed back to the kitchen. When she returned, she told me that as expected, she wrote down the greenbeans, but the kitchen accidently made grits! The greenbeans must have been a double order because I couldn't finish them even though I was famished. So....so far, the Hostess was a 10 out of 10 and the speed, sweetness, and care Ms. Pria had was a 20 out of 10, especially the drawn butter extra service! Being amazed at the special care, especially with as busy as it was, I asked to see the manager to express my gratitude!!! The floor manager "Homerun" came to my table and was so gracious as my 3rd employee contact that I was so blown away that I will go out of my way from Pine Mountain GA. Where I'm working to visit this fantastic restaurant again and again! The rating only goes up to 5 on here, but I give it a 10!! This is a MUST stop for anyone who wants Fantastic classic southern food that's high caliber and the best customer service, especially if you ask for Pria to be...

Good food, but several missed opportunities in the service department. Our waiter had one table with eight people and two smaller tables with just two guests each. We visited on the Friday night during restaurant werk and purchased their 3 course selection. After we placed our order there was a significant lull in time before our food arrived, during which we literally had to tap the waiter on the shoulder to get his attention to get drink refills.

I selected the filet option for then main course. I was brought a baked potato with a litany of toppings that I promplty removed (not what was on the menu as the potato option). There was no butter, no salt and pepper on the table. After waiting to get the waiters attention, he returns to the front with thr salt and pepper shakers shoved in his pocket and one pat of butter. (No clue what else had been in his pocket before that.) I asked for a bit more butter, but by the time he returned the potato was not warm enough any longer to melt it. The main course was mediocre at best

The most outstanding item in the 3 courses was the appetizer. It was a bacon pimento cheese ball with jalapeno pepper jelly and ritz crackers. Having noticed that we didn't see it on the regular menu, when the manager walked by we flagged her down. She confirmed that it was not offered on their regular menu except as a burger option. We expressed concern that if I had ordered that, and wanted to come back later it was a real let down that this wasn't a regular menu item. The manager's respnse was we offer it sometimes at Christmas but we just redid our menus. No clue what I was supposed to do with that information.

For the dessert, the peach cobbler and ice cream was delicious, but the peanut butter pie was all whipped cream topping and a soggy spongy pie crust. There was no resemblance of a peanut butter pie filling. In fact I separated the whipped topping from the crust and there was less than 1/2 a teaspoon of anything peanut butter at all between the two. They would have earned more respect if they had just admitted they were out and offered a different option. For the most part, the food was good, but I truly believed they really missed opportunities to showcase and grow their business thru restaurant week. The food was good, but the service was just...

I give two stars because in food service, a pleasant, welcoming and enjoyable visit is part of the whole dining experience, and they fell extremely short here. I ate here tonight with high hopes of a nice experience, however, that started to fall short when I was seated.

This was my first time at Black Cow and when I walked in I was welcomed and greeted, so that part went well, but I didn’t go there for that.

The waitress was very bland upon greeting and I felt she was unaware of what she was saying when I asked her about the cows the steak came from. Seemed she just said what she thought the customer wanted to hear.

Additionally, she never once checked back to ask how everything was, neither with the appetizer or the entrée. My drink was empty for the last half of my meal and she finally asked me if I wanted more drink after I had been done with my meal and after asking me if I was ready the the check. Overall, she definitely needs training in the food service industry.

Upon first impression when I walked in, I’d have thought the servers are trained on how to provide a pleasant, welcoming, and enjoyable experience for all their customers, but it appears they surely aren’t. There may be some better servers there, but for sure, there’s one that needs improvement.

Servers, there are 19 steps in the sequence of service being from the time the guests are greeted to when they leave. And there are times within these steps to follow. There’s suggestive selling, truly knowing the menu and able to describe the flavors and what’s in them, anticipating what your guest will need and even bringing up stuff they could use but didn’t think of. All to make the experience more enjoyable. Be engaging in conversation when going through the menu with he guest. Highlight items, mention usual favorites.

The more the guest enjoys the dining experience, the more you’ll surely sell and the more you will make in tips, and increasing the likelihood they’ll be back again soon.

I know this because I was a server before and was fortunate enough to have worked at a restaurant that gave...