McMenamins Ironwork Grill — Restaurant in Forest Grove

So my mom, grandma and I came in for lunch in a little celebration for my grandma beating cancer and my new job, the restaurant was very empty and quiet, and at first we went to sit outside but after getting our drinks it got a bit cold so we decided to move inside and let our waitress know as soon as we came in. She brought a milkshake we had ordered to our table, so obviously she was now aware of where we had moved. By this time it had been at least 40 minutes since ordering 1 rueben sandwich that we substituted truffle fries instead of the tater tots. So we had only ordered ONE item off the menu to share between ourselves because their prices are ridiculous to be frank. So we were starting to wonder where our food was but at this point not too concerned, we were just trying to have a good time and distracted with conversation. 40 minutes turned to an hour and then an hour and 20 minutes and our server had not said so much as one word to us, keep in mind that there is still probably only 3 other tables occupied besides us in the restaurant and at this point one of the managers was serving as well so our waitress was not the only one on the floor. My mom had worked there for about 3 years prior and knew the manager who came by a couple times to say hi and so instead of our waitress we asked him if he could check on our sandwich and told him how long it had been. He came back after checking with our waitress and told us that our food had been put on hold and that our waitress possibly thought we were up walking around. We said that we had been here the whole time, he apologized and told us they would get that out to us asap. we were in a fairly obvious spot in the restaurant that our waitress had to walk past to get to the kitchen and she had looked at us and our empty table many times but never checked in. Even after the manager had told us the mistake she did not come by to say anything until about 20 more minutes later when our sandwich finally came. She brought it to us, said sorry and told us that the reason our food took so long was because our food runner did not know where to bring the food, basically putting the blame on us for moving and the food runner. If this were true the food would have been cold which it was not it had obviously just been made and the manager would not have told us a completely different story. At this point my grandma was in pain from sitting so long since she is in recovery from a major surgery, we had considered just leaving without the sandwich because we honestly did not want to have to pay for it still and were unsure if they would comp it. We told the waitress this and she said they would comp the meal but once she brought our bill she tried to back out of comping and tried to just give us 20% off instead which we wholeheartedly refused so she agreed to comp the order. We decided we are never going to eat there again because it’s only a disappointment every time and I wouldn’t recommend any one else go there to eat either unless they want to spend way too much money for shitty service and...

I’ve always liked McMenamins, and have been to a great many different locations over several years. However, between the accelerating shrinkflation and my recent experiences with poor/slow service as a solo diner, I may be holding off on future visits. I get it, staffing and inflation, but it gets to a point where the quality of the experience is not worth the stupid price. $28 for a sandwich, a small handful of fries and minuscule side of tots (seriously tiny servings, particularly based on my past experiences here). The food is usually satisfying, but is becoming less so as the price goes up and the serving size shrinks.

Also, when I asked to sit outside and was told by the hostess the entire outside was reserved for a private function, she failed to inform me there was an outdoor venue with live music and an only slightly reduced menu. Seems like pretty basic information to share with a customer requesting outside seating, and stoked my annoyance after finding it on my way out…

And finally, after sitting for about 20 minutes before I was approached by a server and offered drinks (not particularly busy either) is unacceptable. I have come to understand that as a solo diner my service level is almost always reduced, which I assume is linked to the smaller tip they can expect. But still, letting a customer sit for such a time is poor form. I have left other restaurants in the past because of this, and I was actually looking at the map to see what else was around for dinner. Another 2-3 minutes and I would have walked…

This is all coming from a long time McMenamins customer who likes the business. My post-pandemic experiences have begun to sour my opinion though. And to be fair, it isn’t limited...

It was our fist time. We were absolutely excited and enjoyed the history of the lodge. 100 years old. We choose to sit at the bar. The first person was very friendly. I wish I would have asked him his name. We had questions about the history of the lodge. He was extremely informative. You could tell he had pride and excitement in where he worked. He also made an amazing bloody Mary! He then was gone and a new person was now taking care of us. Not friendly at all. She was upset that she had to work. Not enthusiastic about work at all. I had questions about the menu and before I could even finish my question she stated the she doesn't eat eggs and she is a vegetarian in a very aggressive manner. I was shocked but continued to place my order. We got scrambled eggs, bacon, hashbrowns and toast. I asked if I could have Sourdough toast dry. When the breakfast came I received wheat toast. When the breakfast came I asked for salt and pepper. I received two salt shakers. I'm so glad I check before adding it to my breakfast. I ordered another bloody Mary from her and it was absolutely horrible I couldn't even drink it. She dropped our check before we were even finished. As a paying customer's I felt like we were not even wanted at this establishment. It really turned a great experience into an absolutely terrible one. We were even thinking of come and staying on a Friday to enjoy the experience with all the bars open. Due to the way we were treated we will not be back....