Thomas House Restaurant — Restaurant in Dayton

DONT GO TO THIS RESTAURANT IF YOU ARE PEOPLE OF COLOR OR FOLLOW COVID MASK PROTOCOL

Update on 11/24: the restaurant provides no response to the Better Business Bureau.

On 11/6, the Thomas restaurant staff was not wearing any masks. They refused to serve us because of our Asian ethnicity. We waited for 20 minutes and no one served us. When we first entered the restaurant, one of the waitresses told us that we could sit anywhere we wanted. After being seated ourselves, none of the waitresses came. They completely ignored us when they passed by our table. There was no eye contact or verbal interaction. We decided to leave because of the ignorance of waitresses and the unfriendly expression in the White people's eyes. After we told them that they're not friendly, one of the waitresses started yelling at us by saying "we are BUSY!" and threatened to call the police. The waitress told us it was our fault to sit at her service area, because "you could've sat somewhere else with other waitresses." She became extremely mad when I said "I thought when your colleague said we could sit anywhere, that meant anywhere." I believe that this type of action is a violation of federal laws that prohibit discrimination because of national origin, race, color, or religion in places of public accommodation.

On the other hand, none of the staff wore masks. According to what Restaurant.org posted 6 days ago, "Statewide: Mask Requirements and Recommendations. Everyone age 2 and up should wear a mask in indoor public spaces. Virginia communities currently have high levels of COVID-19...

First impressions can make or break. Thomas house has been a staple in the local restaurant scene for the Harrisonburg/ Dayton area for decades. And I personally eat there 3 to 4 times every time I return to the area. Recently though the old familar has undergone a change in ownership and with it a change in personality and quality. Stopping in on a Saturday moring and noticing only 10 or so other diners we thought we got lucky and were there between the rushes. After waiting close to an hour for food to arrive we paid our server for the drinks we had and thanked her for the friendly conversation but we had appointments to keep and had to leave without getting our food. The guy cooking hadnt even picked up our tickets yet as we watched the server take them off the stack and throw them in the bin. Having spent 20+ years in food service all i want to say to the new owner is rely on the people who work for you they were there long before you and know most if not all of your customers by name, and watching the regular cooks serve tables as you try to figure out your new restaurant is not...

It's a different Thomas House. We have been fans of TH for some time now, especially for a Saturday lunch. Our go to was the vegetable plate, specifically a double mac & cheese and stewed tomatoes. Well, we were in for quite a change when we walked through the door. The restaurant is in the middle of a remodeling, which was really needed. The biggest change, though, is the menu. It is much more limited in its offering. There are a few sandwich and wraps that have been added, but it really is a reduced menu. We ordered pork b-b-q platters, which were pretty good. Bottom line is we will give them time to get it to its new identity completely before we try it again. Right now, they really are experiencing an identity crisis. Upon returning, we will approach it as a completely new experience and accept it for what it will be and not compare it for what it was. We really do wish the new owners the best, hope they have well laid out plans, and hope they...