Yardbird Table & Bar — Restaurant in Denver

I have never actually left a negative review on a restaurant before, but in this case I feel it is warranted. We have eaten at Yardbird before and had a positive experience in the past. This review does not reflect the quality of food or the business itself and is solely about the service and management that we received on 11/18/23 at the Denver, CO location.

We had a group of 9 so understandably our drink orders would take some time . However, I ordered a soda and after 15 mins of waiting I reminded our server and was told I would have to wait until the cocktails came out for my drink order, which I thought was unnecessary ,but that is not what this complaint is about .

We were celebrating our friend's engagement and had a cake with us . At the end of the meal we took the cake out and began taking photos . A staff member that was not our server stopped at the table and asked if they could cut the cake for us, to which we responded yes ! When we received our bill we were surprised to see a 45$ cake cutting fee . When asking the server what the fee was , he began to explain that in the city of Denver , if a restaurant has a bakery they can charge x amount of dollars for this service . We fully understand this, but why was it not mentioned before taking the cake . Rather than apologizing for any confusion or lack of communication he stated he was just the server and it was actually his manager that took the cake. I asked to speak to the manager .

When the manager stopped at the table,In a condescending tone, she asked "if there was a problem ?" She already appeared on edge and it was clear the serving staff had already told her we were asking about the cake that she took off the table . We explained we understood the rule regarding cutting someone's cake but it should be mentioned the fee would cost almost 50$ before offering to cut the cake . She immediately got defensive and said she told the entire table . That she told us all, and someone (she didn't say who) responded and said okay . We were all incredibly confused because this did not happen . Even if this did happen and we didn't hear her , a manager should apologize for the confusion. Rather than apologizing she went on to tell us we were actually doing a disservice to their business and they were losing money because we brought in a cake when they have desserts on the menu.... This comment is outrageous . To say we took money away from business given our bill was just under a Grand is absolutely absurd.

We weren't looking to be discounted for the cutting service, but just to mention you should let your customers know of the fee. We handed her the credit card , paid the bill, and left.

The managers lack of quality customer service, empathy , and resolution skills, unfortunately left us all feeling uncomfortable and a little upset on a very special day . We will be sharing our experience with others and will not be returning to...

We dined at the Denver Yardbird on 12/23. I'm in the restaurant business and understand how difficult running restaurants is these days. Between staffing and sourcing issues, it sometimes takes a miracle to pull off a night of seamless service. We were excited to try Yardbird after hearing great things about your unit in Las Vegas. I easily made a reservation. We had a disabled person in the party and I wanted see about parking or valet options. I called the restaurant and after a long time was told there was no parking or valet. We got there and saw that there was a valet for a $25 charge. We gladly left the car with valet. The restaurant space is gorgeous. We were surprised that there no one in the bar area save one bartender. We found the hostess stand got to our table. We were seated on the south side banquette. Our table of 4 had 3 guests who were 6’2” or more. With guests on either side of us there was little room for a coat or purse. The restaurant was pretty empty for 6:30 on a Friday so, I was very curious why we were so crowded when there were a lot of other options in the space. The restaurant never filled up while we were there. Our server was Gabby. She was educated and timely. On her recommendation we ordered the cornbread. It came out quickly and hot. Sadly, the cornbread was corn crumbs. We had to get it out with a spoon. It was obviously old and had an off taste. We went on to order. One of our guests ordered the roasted chicken and Gabby said you were out. Other dishes were 2 wedge salads, chicken and waffles, burger and BLT. Gabby came back to let us know the roasted chicken was available. Everything came out at once instead of the salads being appetizers. We requested ketchup and syrups but, those came out well after the entrees. My first bite of the salad had pieces of cold, raw bacon. The BLT had old “green” tomatoes and very cold, raw bacon. The grilled chicken was ok but, the mash potatoes were very dry. We requested some gravy or butter but, that never happened. My husband’s burger had more “raw” pork. Needless to say, our dogs ate well that night. I understand the pull of bacon/smoked pork on menu but, this pork was inedible. Something is way off here. I noticed that plates of the guests on either side of me were not eaten. Products were bring served way beyond their best date. The kitchen seemed really overstaffed. Lots of people on the line doing nothing. We spent $300 on this meal. That is a lot of money to anyone. I wish everyone in this business success and really hope that this was an isolated experience. I tried several times to leave feedback to the restaurant or a corporate office but, only got subscribed to a newsletter. I don't like posting bad reviews but after a month of trying, I felt I had no choice. I continue to hear unfavorable things about the restaurant. Hopefully, things will get...

We had a really disappointing experience at Yardbird in Denver. From the very beginning, our server (a Caucasian male) seemed irritated with us. We weren’t ready to order right away, and instead of being patient or offering helpful suggestions (“is it your first time here?” / “here’s what’s popular”), he just looked annoyed and walked off. It honestly felt like we were being judged based on our appearance, which made the entire interaction uncomfortable. To make things easier, we just ordered for our toddlers first, but that didn’t improve the tension.

When I finally found what I wanted to order, the server told me it wasn’t on the dinner menu. Because of that, I had to go back and reassess what I wanted, which only seemed to aggravate him more. Instead of showing patience or care, he made the whole process feel rushed and unwelcoming.

Later, when my spouse asked for a dessert menu, the server did hand it to him, but walked away mid-question while my spouse was still speaking. That summed up his dismissiveness throughout the night. Strangely enough, after this, the only African-American employee we saw — the bartender — was sent outside specifically to handle our table. He wasn’t serving anyone else outdoors, which felt unusual and only added to how uncomfortable the situation already was. That said, his service was excellent. He was polite, patient, answered questions without issue, and even recommended a beer. The contrast in professionalism and courtesy between him and our original server was like night and day.

Unfortunately, the food itself wasn’t much better. My spouse ordered the lobster mac and cheese, which was a huge disappointment — it came out lukewarm in a skillet, the macaroni tasted like it was made with powdered cheese, and there were maybe three tiny slivers of lobster in the whole dish. The lobster had no meat in the center at all, and for the price, it felt like a complete rip-off.

Throughout the meal we never got drink refills, had to ask for silverware, and never saw our original server again until he came to pick up the check. The kindest person we encountered wasn’t either of our servers but the woman boxing up our leftovers, who kindly brought us and our daughter’s desserts after we’d been waiting with no communication.

To make matters worse, this dinner was supposed to be a birthday celebration for the paying guest. Instead, the combination of rude and dismissive service, what felt like judgment based on our appearance, disappointing food, and lack of basic attentiveness completely ruined what should have been a special night. For a restaurant with Yardbird’s reputation and price point, this was unacceptable, and we will not...