Mash House Brewing Company — Restaurant in Fayetteville

The Mash House is in an area outside of Fort Bragg surrounded by numerous other restaurants and hotels. The fact that the restaurant was fairly empty on a Friday night should have been my first sign of what was to come, but I never turn down the chance to try a new brewery, and I needed a sit-down meal after a day of driving. The positives, for sure, are location and ease of booking via OpenTable, as well as atmosphere and appearance. This seems to be a stand-alone operation, but the look and feel is that of a chain brewpub like BJ’s, Rock Bottom or Yard House. It is impressive, clean and modern inside and out. The outdoor seating area, which we didn’t use due to it being quite hot and humid, looked very nice, especially for use during the cooler months. Unfortunately, this is where the real positives stopped. The beer menu, which admittedly I had checked in advance, was fairly basic. There was nothing inventive or creative; rather, there were just their versions of standard varieties (porter, stout, NEIPA, etc.). This isn’t necessarily a bad thing if executed well. Here, the beer was just okay. It was passable, neither notable nor offensive. It was absolutely down-the-middle and average. This was not a place that would inspire me to take home cans or growlers. The service was a major issue. Our server did not seem engaged, friendly, or to have much working knowledge of the food or beverage menus. As we placed our orders, she kept asking us to repeat ourselves and searched for items on the handhelds they use for ordering and payment. I got a flight of four beers (there was a flight of nine, but I held off out of the gate) and my wife got a cocktail. Our drinks came quickly. Hers was decent, but all of my beers were mediocre, as I stated. Also, there was no rhyme or reason to how the beers were placed on the flight, and the runner didn’t know which was which when it was delivered (there also wasn’t a tag or label sent with it). Luckily, between knowing my beers and having ordered a variety of styles, I could identify them, but if one were to order all IPAs for example, it would be hard or impossible to tell which each one was. Our appetizer also came quickly, followed shortly by our entrees. All of the drinks and food were delivered by runners. We did not see our server again for a long while (until after our entrees were finished). I was considering ordering another drink out of thirst if nothing else, but no one ever checked to see if I wanted one. This seems poor form for anywhere, let alone a “brewery.” By the time the server returned to ask if we wanted anything else, all we wanted was the check. We noticed that tables around us had a similar situation with the server only appearing at the start and end of the meal, and the table next to us had one person’s food delivered while the other person waited almost ten minutes. As for the food, again, it was mediocre, but also very overpriced. My wife got a steak for over $35 that was decent, but certainly not worth the price or close to the quality of anything we could have gotten for less across the street at Texas Roadhouse. My burger was on a mealy bun that disintegrated as I ate it, and came with bacon jam that was more like taffy ( uch that the scoop was unspreadable), and a fried green tomato that was laughably small (the size of a fried pickle chip), rendering it was insignificant on the burger. The total bill for our two drinks, appetizer and two entrees was almost $90 before tip. I don’t mind paying this much for a meal that is worth it, but again, I could have gotten far more food and drinks of much higher quality at one of the many chain restaurants in the area. I had been excited to check this place out at the end of our trip. Sadly, it was a huge disappointment, and I won’t repeat or recommend it to anyone. It’s a shame, because it’s a great location and beautiful space, and so much more could be done with it. An overhaul of the menu and management...

I will start by saying I’ve never written a review in my life. I have been in management for 30 years, and I have never felt so strongly about an experience. I booked the private patio for a party of 45 for my son’s rehearsal dinner. I wasn’t told the patio was not air conditioned and it would be almost as hot inside as out (98 degrees). Guests were sweating and it was so hot that when we could get drinks, the ice was melting quickly. The first time I went to speak to the manager almost half of my party was out of drinks and the buffet was out of food. She was more concerned with me being so upset I was using my hands as I talked than my guests not having drinks. I took her to the door of the patio to show her the poor service and my guests had no drinks. She assured me it would be corrected. I sat down and about 5 minutes later my daughter informed me the kids meals still hadn’t come. We had been eating almost an hour at this point. The meals had been ordered when we first got there. One of the waitresses had come told me 30 minutes into the meal there had been a mix up in the kitchen and asked me if I still wanted them. They still weren’t here. So I went back in to find the manager to see about the meals and why only 1 server was filling drinks for 45 people. The answer was quickly evident when I passed 1 of the 2 servers they had serving my party of 45 was also waiting on tables in the dining room. The manager was very rude and it wasn’t until the manager running the food window got involved that I finally got the kids meals and servers out there filling drinks. One of the servers did tell me there were 3 servers originally scheduled but 1 called in and they had her serving our party and waiting on tables inside. There was never any apologies offered. As a matter of fact both servers told me they understood it was hot and I was stressed due to the wedding like I was over reacting and all of this was on me. I paid a mandatory $204 tip to run out of food and drinks. When one of the guests asked for a drink with a lid for there 4 year old she was told by server she was doing the best she could. What should have been a special evening for our families was very memorable but in a bad way. The food was great but don’t spoil your special event by planning it here. Management is rude and you will get poor service. You will be...

LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF REVIEWS THE LEADERSHIP HERE RESPONDS TOO. THEY DON'T CARE, THIS IS A SERVICE INDUSTRY AND WITHOUT PEOPLE AND STOMACHS TO FILL WHAT DO THEY HAVE?! The food was fair after being sent back 3 times. And in the end, the bottom portion was so soggy I couldn't eat it by time I made it half way thru my dish. The GM Steve is at the least, and for lack of a better term a prick. My family spent $200 here and have no intentions on coming back because it starts from the top. Steve is the type of guy that cringes when there is a problem and you say his name after he begins to walk away because he just hopes he does not have to do anything besides stand on the line and carry out a few dishes. He is the type of manager that will deliver food to a table and not ask if you need anything else. He is the type of person that will send a dirty rimmed plate to your table without taking the time to wipe the dish before its presented, so the customer has to stick his hand in sour cream. Its a complete lack of respect, discipline, and the ability to lead his team to success. It starts from the top. If he does his job half way, the crew will too. Rather than being delighted to make something right for you, the front line chef is in the kitchen crying because he has to make a dish again. There was about 8 of us at the table whos review will follow mine, and it will express the same issues. The food was fair but the experience was horrible. Our issues gave this GM "Steve" a chance to show his true leadership. But its apparent its not what is most important to him. I had plans of purchasing a $30 porterhouse but after having to send back $10 nachos twice, and the third batch being soggy..... whats really the point ? It was a birthday for my brother-in-law which led to a crappy experience. Jamie, our server, did his best to take care of us. But he cant prepare, cook, make drinks, and serve all at the same time.

If the coach doesn't care, why would the players? This is one of those places that will never be great, because the leadership is content with...