Switchback — Restaurant in Durango

Food good. Services appalling . My friend who lives in Durango suggested we go to this restaurant. We sat at the bar, big mistake. There was a bartender and a gentleman with a beard and a server . They all were having a conversation. No drinks being made. We waited about 4 minutes for the bartender to acknowledge us. We asked for water and chips and salsa. The bartender-went back to her conversation with other staff. I asked the man could we get some water. He told me the bartender just got a drink order so we should just hang on and wait. About another 5 minutes went by the man gave us our waters. I said why could she get our waters first. He got upset and said what did you say? Unbelievable. !!!!. The service or lack there of went downhill from there. I have been in the restaurant business for forty years and owned a Bistro in Lake Tahoe ,also a tourist town. My friend that recommended this restaurant has been in the business about the same time as me. My friend was a bartender and server for years. The bartenders name was Cindy. Cindy did a fine job of prepping her fruit for the bar with her back to the customers . Cindy should really consider getting a job in the back of the house. Zero customer service skills and what a terrible attitude . Cindy would not last 10 minutes at my Bistro. Perhaps Cindy does not understand that customer service is key. My friend was so, so embarrassed by the way we were treated. I understand good help is hard to find. That being said the manger/ owner needs to get someone that understands what customer service is. Good luck you’ll need it with staff like Cindy and the man...

I had dinner at Switchback Taco Bar last week and encountered fraud while paying for the bill. I asked to pay with a credit card and they tapped it four (!) times. Luckily, I get notifications for any transaction on my card so I could see that on the spot. The restaurant manager admitted they have tapped my card four times by mistake (how is that even possible?) as for some reason they weren’t sure if the transactions went through. I was told that the remaining three transactions were still on hold and would be cancelled overnight. They were not. All four transactions for the same amount went through overnight and I got deducted nearly $100 instead of $25. I’m not local and was traveling through Durango so I could not even go to the restaurant next day to sort this out. I had to report this to my bank who then managed to cancel the transactions via MasterCard. I honestly think they only did that because I’m a private banking client because all four transactions were already completed by that time. The restaurant staff were unhelpful and the whole situation looks like a fraud / scam. I won’t be back and certainly don’t recommend this place to anyone. Ridiculous to see this...

I just had the worst experience at this restaurant tonight, which is really unfortunate consider how much I love switchback and all the employees (so I still have to give it 5 stars). I get a group of 11 college students is daunting as a server and can be really REALLY annoying. However, we all were very respectful, polite (please, and thank you's), and quiet. As soon as we walked into the door, we were being judged by two specific employees. Our server was very short with us, only came over for water twice and to get our order, and did not take anytime offer a "hello" or "how is your day." Furthermore, we overheard rude comments shared between our server and other employees, and we were constantly receiving glares from our server and the other employee. We all had cash to give a good sized tip, despite the rude behavior, but the ticket already included an 18% tip which was fine.

We never did anything to deserve such an unfair experience on a friend's birthday. This is also just disappointing since I love switchback so much.

EDIT: 3 years later, the service is still disturbingly awful. We still love the food, which has been consistent over the years, and outdoor seating is...