RICH ISLAND — Restaurant in Florida

The burger was fantastic & the fries & the sweet potato fries were too. The time before today when I ate in there I had a burger and they put it in a metal basket and the openings of the rings on the basket were around an inch square. A good amount of the burger ended up on the table through the very light parchment paper. So today I decided to ask for my burger on a plate so it wouldn’t end up on the table again. Waitress said I can’t put it on a plate. I said don’t you have any plates and she said yes. I said why can’t you put it on a plate and she just said I can’t. Then I said can I have a plate and she said yes. So I got a plate. Figure that one out! Then I used the basket for just the fries with catchup and the catchup went through the light parchment paper onto the table. Doesn’t make any sense to me either. My wife wanted a thin burger and the waitress said we don’t have any. Waitress said they put 2 burgers in the bun. She said we’d have to charge you the full price for the one burger. I said well can she have the other burger and then she said yes. You got it it came out on a plate. I started laughing to myself. I guess I should’ve ordered that, then I would’ve gotten my plate. When we were getting ready to leave my wife wanted a container for the burger and the waitress brought a large container, which I knew wouldn’t fit in our small cooler (we still had to do food shopping). My wife said can I have a small container and she said we don’t have any. I’m saying here we go again. Then my wife asked for some aluminum foil and she said we don’t have any. This gets better. I then said just a piece of plastic wrap and she said we don't have any either. Then my wife said can I have some of that parchment paper and she said I can’t get that for you it’s in the kitchen. I guess she’s not allowed to ask for stuff in the kitchen if it’s not food. It reminded me of that old saying the checks in the mail! I know it’s not her fault she just works there. I still gave her a 20% tip. I wonder if I go back again if I can bring my own plate? Bottom line the burger & fries...

We’ve always made a point to support local restaurants and we’ve dined at rich island many times. In fact, my parents are regulars, visiting at least once a week most of the time. Unfortunately, our most recent experience was extremely disappointing and has made us reconsider future visits.

This evening (a Saturday night), my husband and I visited with my parents and our one-year-old twins. At the time, there was only one other table seated in the restaurant, and the rest of the dining room was empty. After settling in and ordering drinks, our twins began to get a bit restless, so I stepped out to the car to get them a few small snacks in a snacklebox, something we often do to keep them content and quiet in public settings, especially while waiting for their meals to arrive.

Shortly after, our server approached us to inform us that their snacks were not permitted. We explained that we would be ordering full meals for everyone at the table, including two kids’ meals, but she still returned after checking with the manager and firmly reiterated the policy. Never saw the actual manager and never came to talk to us. At that point, we made the decision to pay for our drinks and leave.

We ended up dining elsewhere tonight, spending over $120. Really felt like a missed opportunity for Rich Island—especially considering the near-empty dining room—and more importantly, it signaled a lack of flexibility or accommodation for families with young children.

While we understand that restaurants have policies, there is also something to be said for reading the room and making reasonable exceptions, especially when the intention is to ensure a peaceful dining experience for everyone. In this case, the refusal to allow a few quiet snacks for toddlers resulted in the loss of a loyal customer base. I really hope they reconsider their approach to family dining...

I decided to try a nearby family owned hamburger restaurant. The waitress raved about how everything was made fresh from scratch including grinding their beef.

They offered Key Lime Pie which was also homemade. It looked delicious and presented well however the first bite had a taste of onion. I ate most of it thinking it may have been too close to onions and told the waitress.

The burger was good. Thick beef patty, tasted good but had an after taste that wasn’t pleasant. Like maybe the grill needs cleaning. Old burnt aftertaste.

Upon checkout I got a piece of Key Lime Pie for my daughter. She took one bite and said it taste like onions.

Well, it wasn’t just me after all. I took the pie back to Rich Island and discreetly asked the waitress to smell of the pie. She refused as if I had asked her to do something harmful. She took the piece to the cook then came back back with an attitude.

I told her I was trying to do them a favor by letting them know that two people smelled and tasted onion.

This was their response, “ if it was bad why did you buy the second piece?”

At no point had I asked for a refund. But I did inform them the way they handled my complaint cost them return visits from me.

If you decide to try them and the pie taste like onion I recommend not paying for it because they clearly do not know the value of a...