Lyric Kitchen · Bar — Restaurant in Duluth

May 22, 2025

Dear Management,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing as someone with 28 years of experience in restaurant, bar, and hotel management, as well as a Level 1 Sommelier, to share some observations and suggestions that may be helpful for your establishment.

First, I want to acknowledge that your venue is truly beautiful – the ambiance and aesthetic are genuinely impressive and create a wonderful foundation for what could be an exceptional dining experience.

Having worked in hospitality for nearly three decades, I understand the challenges that come with managing a restaurant operation. The industry demands constant attention to detail, from kitchen operations to front-of-house service, and even experienced teams can face difficulties during busy periods or staffing transitions.

I've noticed from recent guest feedback that there may be opportunities to enhance the consistency of your kitchen operations and overall guest experience. In my experience, when guests choose to leave before completing their meal or when food returns become frequent, it often indicates systemic issues that can be addressed with focused attention.

Some areas that might benefit from review include: Kitchen workflow and quality control processes Staff training and communication protocols Guest service recovery procedures Regular operational assessments Management Retraining is a must The hospitality industry thrives on continuous improvement, and every challenge presents an opportunity to elevate the guest experience. Your beautiful venue has tremendous potential, and with some operational refinements, I believe it could truly shine.

I offer these thoughts in the spirit of professional collegiality, hoping they may be useful as you work to enhance your operations. The foundation is clearly there – it's simply a matter of fine-tuning the execution.

Wishing you continued success and positive growth.

Best regards,

Joshua Ronding Restaurant, Bar & Hotel Management...

This beautiful and elegant looking restaurant is located in the beautiful heart of downtown, Duluth, Minnesota. You can’t miss the hustle and bustle of Superior street but on a big wall out front of the Holiday Center you can read in big letter “The Lyric.” My wife and I were stopping here to eat because it was just so conveniently close to our daughters dance studio “Just for Kix.” Now if you are at all familiar with the Duluth location you know this was once another grand restaurant called “Porters” before it was closed in May of 2017 and soon went under a complete overhaul, gutted, brand new light, kitchen, and bar put into its place and I can tell you the new look is so grand you won’t forget it. You absolutely feel welcomed by the wonderful staff who work here, we were at a high top table near the bar, as we sat here we got the feeling we were probably under dressed for this amazing restaurant. The menu was vast selection classic Italian dishes from shrimp scampi to chicken Marsala. My wife went with the Honey Sriracha Salmon, and I went with the chicken Caesar Salad. Both items on the menu were wonderful and came out relatively quick which was great because not soon after we had to leave to go pick up are little girl from Dance Class. Our server was very kind, made recommendations for both appetizers and and drinks, and even though we didn’t get anything other then our main meal we were very delighted and are thinking of coming here sometime for breakfast when we are in town next. My wife and I both agree that are experience was great and know when you visit here you will not be disappointed. Take my word for it, it’s a place you can really take in, relax, and enjoy the view. That’s all for now, talk to you guys later and Lyric…..well….let’s just say, we will be back. #schroyerfamilydaily #family #arrenschroyer #sxhroyerfamily #duluthmn #cassieschroyer #lyrickitchen #ceasarsalad #salmon #food #foodie...

If this is the first time I had eaten here, I would give it a 1 star and only because that's the lowest option Google gives. But since the manager, Cole, noticed that I was sitting without a drink and food and stopped at my table, I would have given it a two. And ONLY because I've had good service and good food at lunch time and haven't had a chance to review, I'm going to give it a three. But beware, the night time service and food was awful and deserves a "0" rating!! I arrived and my drink order was taken right away and I could hear my martini being shaken within a couple minutes. I then sat there for 11 minutes with my menu closed and my drink chilling at the bar station waiting for my server Amara to come to my table. It was not busy and she only had 4 tables. I could tell another table ordered dessert and instead grabbing my drink and putting my order in, she disappeared for another 5 minutes to make their dessert. Luckily the manager, Cole, saw me waiting and came to me table. He grabbed my drink and took my order. While I waited for my food, all I wanted was a water and the waitress Amara never came to my table to see how my drink was or to see if I needed anything else. Cole, the manager, brought my meal out. I ordered a chopped salad. The definition of a chopped salad is everything is chopped extra fine...especially the lettuce...almost like a salsa. Mine arrived in huge lettuce sections and the chicken that I had subbed for salami was cold and bland without any seasoning. When Amara FINALLY came to check on me (the first time all night since taking my drink order), I told her about the salad and the manager, Cole, did try to rectify the situation but at that point I just wanted to leave and grab something on the way home. I eat out 4 times a week and this was one of the worst dining...