Twisted Vine Restaurant — Restaurant in Derby

Went here for the Golden Gays brunch on 4/14. It was my first time here. Cute little place (minus the construction in the front) and they were PACKED for this event. My girlfriend and I ran late, and didn't have a table to sit at.. Mike managed to get a table and set us up by the vault (which was pretty cool, and much appreciated!)

Once seated, I noticed about 4-5 servers running like CRAZY. It took us a while to get menus, but once we did, we met our waitress Elaine. Food and drinks also took a while, I ordered the chicken francese and a sex on the beach.. however once I got my food, it was cold. I told Elaine and she was very quick to rectify it. Once remade, it was delicious, definitely recommend. My girlfriend got the ravioli with meatballs- the meatballs were HUGE and she said they were very flavorful.

Getting the check after the show was a whole big to-do as not only did one of their computers go down on probably one of the busiest days they've had, but a group of NINE wanted NINE DIFFERENT CHECKS from Elaine (Ms. Sherry who posted her 1 star review was one of them- and many of them in that party complained about everything from the start. I was seated right across from them). Needless to say, they caused more congestion. But- BUT, one of the long time workers, Marissa ( I will never forget her) cleared out the 9 drunken old ladies, myself and 3 other people behind me in about 10 mins! I have never seen someone move so swiftly and efficiently at a cash register!

I stayed around after Marissa cashed me out (she is an absolute sweetheart and i could see the day had gotten to her) just to learn more about them and the place. I found out that 2 workers called out on the day of this event, it was only Elaine's THIRD shift, and they had other people to come in to help them. They were overwhelmed and it showed but they did the best they could and I went from being frustrated to understanding.

This one event does NOT represent the people who work here and the food they serve. Elaine, Mike, Marissa and Dave (who I spoke to tonight to make my reservation for NEXT month) are people who love what they do and serve really good food! They know they have kinks to work out which is why I am willing and excited to go back next month for the 2nd Golden...

Reply: lol and Touche' Admittedly the review was a bit harsh, but your response as a business owner should have been more diplomatic than me. Constructively, I don't think not offering individual checks is a good idea. They do make the hand held units that allow the server to process each persons order separately. Could be a good investment if you are planning on having more events. Also I don't think one missing server should have cause such a disruption. I think the issue was more in the kitchen (entrees before apps?). And managers need to jump in and assist servers when short handed. I do hope you can get your ducks in a row. I know people are short handed, but you have to be able to handle situations better. Best of luck

Original: Went here for an event. Took over 20 minutes for a server to even take our drink order. The 2 guys that were "working" were useless: an older gentleman who barely moved and a slightly younger guy who looked totally confused. Servers were carrying one plate or drink at a time. Only on server had a clue and was going on and seemed to be doing everything for everybody. (You know who you are....and should get a job at a better place). Our food did not come out until about 10 minutes before the event was over. It was not the appetizer or the salad. It was the entrée which was overcooked pasta with way too much vodka sauce and chicken cutlet that was so over cooked, hard and dry. There was gritiness in the sauce (I'm afraid to even think about what that was). Our salad was ready though. Lol. I had asked for it and the app to be removed from the bill. I ended up just taking the salad to go, which I regret. Really am I supposed to eat aeal in 10 minutes when I've been there for 2 1/2 hours? Oh, but they made sure to add that 18% gratuity since it was an event! And only took cash...heaven forbid you wanted change, youd be there another hour waiting. NEVER AGAIN! Actually went someplace else to...

We went out with friend who we haven’t seen in months, Twisted Vines had great ratings and pictures look good. We made reservations and went there last night (21oct-Saturday night). What a mistake that was, disaster. We arrived on time for our 6:30 reservation, upon entrance the older gentleman at the door informed us that there was a birthday party downstairs and instead of cancelling the band they will be in the dining room. He further stated they were shorted staffed. We were seated at a table upstairs overlooking the dining room. We were sat at two tables pushed together of different heights. No table cloth. A waitress came to the table 45 mins later- 7:15 at this point- with 4 different glasses and told us they were way behind. She set the glasses down and walked away- empty glasses- no water. We had another waitress come up and asked if anyone was waiting on us, we said yes, we think so but we could observe her running around in the dining area. When the band started playing you couldn’t hear anything but them. We couldn’t talk amongst the table and the music was extremely loud. Not even close to what we were looking for that night. The band should have been cancelled instead of being place in the dining room. The two waitresses were running around doing everything, busing tables, making their own drinks at the bar and trying to take care of the customers. It shouldn’t be their fault they were put into a failing situation. They both deserve a huge raise and recognition. The atmosphere was horrible, the bar area was a pig sty- trash on counter, bottles everywhere. Customers should come first ALWAYS!! The band in the dining room ruined the entire night. I am glad you have had great reviews in the past, however our first impression is a lasting one and we will not go back. All four of us woke up this morning with pounding headaches and horse voices from trying to have conversation...