The broken spoke bar and grill — Restaurant in Des Moines

I visited the Broken Spoke Bar and Grill in Des Moines, Iowa, tonight (June 28, 2025) around 10:30 PM and, unfortunately, left pretty disappointed. I always want to see small businesses thrive, especially knowing the time, money, and heart that owners put into making them successful. That’s why it’s so frustrating to see an employee’s actions potentially hurt the reputation of a place that someone worked hard to build.

Tonight, the bartender spent more time texting on his phone than serving customers. I waited several minutes at the bar while he stayed glued to his screen. I actually had to wait until the music stopped (the music was coming from the bar’s sound system, not his phone) just so he could hear me trying to order. It wasn’t just me — other customers were clearly waiting and overlooked as well.

For what it’s worth, the beer was ice cold, which was great. But great beer isn’t enough if customers don’t feel welcomed or prioritized.

As an official Google reviewer with more than 14 million readers, I don’t enjoy leaving poor reviews — I genuinely prefer to support and celebrate local businesses. But when something like this happens, I believe in being honest, especially in the hopes that feedback like this helps an owner identify a problem that can be fixed before more customers are lost.

I hope this was just an off night, because the place itself...

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