The Still Whiskey Steaks — Restaurant in Fort Collins

Well, Still Whiskey Steaks, here we are.

I made a reservation, and in that process, you're forced to create a login, give your email AND phone number.

I wasn't thrilled about that, I don't really see why you need both, or really EITHER of those things. But we'll get to that...

Now, I told myself, if I get ONE email, ONE text that I don't need due to this, Still is getting a one-star review. That's it. I'm an old man yelling at clouds, and I don't want texts, I don't want emails. I want to call, make a reservation, eat, and that's the sum total of our relationship.

When you make a reservation with Still, you get:

A text the day before asking you to confirm you're still coming, sending a 1 for Yes and a 2 for No. First of all, everyone knows it's Y for Yes, N, for No. But also, don't send me that text. I'm coming. If I'm not coming, I will let you know. I understand that these systems are built for the dopiest of the dopes, the Lords of the Sewers, but maybe allow me to opt into "Low-Attention-Span Child Mode" if I need those sorts of reminders.

A text maybe 30-60 minutes before your reservation. A second reminder. In case the one the day before was not sufficient.

And then, finally, an email asking me to rate my experience.

Look, the food was fine. The staff was fine. Everything about the eating in the restaurant part was fine.

Still, don't make people give you an email address and phone number, and ESPECIALLY don't make people give that to a 3rd party system (Resy), which is owned by American Express, which is 100% selling user data and profiting from it.

There's a whole industry built around people snapping up reservations on Resy and then reselling them, basically a StubHub for restaurant reservations, which makes it difficult for real, normal people to get real reservations without paying for them. A man profiled by the New York Times made $80,000 in one year selling reservations, and of note to you, Still, also had 2,000 unsold reservations over the year, meaning 2,000 tables held for him that he just "Oops! Oh, well!" didn't show up for. That cost him nothing and cost restaurants quite a bit in opportunity losses.

Resy ALSO has features that make it seem like it's a fair process, getting on the list and working your way up, as it's always been, but since it was purchased by Amex, certain Amex cardholders get significant advantages. If you use the Notify Me feature to get a table at a popular restaurant, you will never succeed unless you're the holder of an Amex that has a $10k initial fee and $5k annual fee.

Look, I'm not here to argue about "eat the rich" or whatever, that's a hard case to make after eating a fairly expensive (not unfairly priced, though) steak dinner. I am here to say that these sorts of apps create illusory fairness, which is worse than just being upfront about the way they operate.

And more than that, I'm here to say that I don't really think any restaurant is worth giving up your data for, I don't think any restaurant should need your email address, and I won't return.

There are plenty of good places to eat, and I encourage everyone to eat at one that doesn't use a 3rd party that is 100% selling your data.

Maybe have a phone, have a person answer that phone, and be done with it. Maybe use the sort of online booking software used by every office that takes appointments. OUTLOOK has this feature. It's pretty do-able, and it prevents your customers from having their...

1st off, remember to call ahead and make a reservation. This is the best way to get a seat and not be rushed. My daughter and I ordered the special, which was a NY strip with some potato and broccoli to split. We added some rolls to the order, and my other daughter ordered the French onion soup and a burger. It ended up costing just over $100. Our server was Josh, and he did excellent. Friendly, knowledgeable, and really did a good job of taking care of us. The only miss he did is he could have cleared the table a bit better, but otherwise, great service. The atmosphere was what I expected, but it might be construed as a bit noisy. So, why did I give the place a 4 star instead of a five. Well, because a 4.25 is not possible. Let's talk about the food. Understanding that I eat out in a lot of places, high end and not. So, I know what a good steak is and how it should be cooked. Our steak was supposed to be med rare, so roughly around 145 degrees in the center is usually perfect. This steak, although good flavor. Had quite a bit of gristle, normal amount of fat, and came out on the rare side. Although not my favorite, but it was edible, there was no point in complaining about it since we had to be out by 615, hence the reservation statement. So, when I pay decent money for a steak, I expect it to be right. Again, the flavor was good, and the edges of the steak were perfect, but the center and outer part of the center was cooked rare. The steak burger my daughter said was bland in flavor. She shared a bite with me, and I don't know that I could disagree with her. It had a lot of stuff on it, including an egg cooked correctly, but the meat itself, well... was bland. Again, I don't mind paying for good food, but depending on how much it costs, I expect more. Will I go back? Absolutely, I will make reservations and ask for Josh and try again. This is my favorite place to eat steak, but usually, the food is better. Thanks...

Excellent restaurant where the food is incredible and service was very friendly. The warm fresh baked dinner rolls should be complimentary and the first thing in the table, but that would be my only quip - and they are delicious. The server was very knowledgeable and pretty candid when discussing whisky recommendations, and didn't try to upsell us. I went with the sliced filet plated dinner and it was done perfectly. The bourbon cream sauce with mashed potatoes was a great combination. While you get a bit less meat served with the plated dinner over ordering the filet a la carte (6oz instead of 8oz) and it's a slightly different cut, it was delicious and the perfect amount so I didn't over eat and could enjoy appetizers and dessert. The Bourbon French Onion soup was probably one of the best I've had, and the brussel sprouts were very good - and I hate brussel sprouts. Also the chocolate cake, drizzled with a cherry sauce and served with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream was incredible and easily shared with 3 or even 4 people. The other half of the table really liked their carrot cake (also a big portion).

Other things to note, if you aren't into steak they have fish (my wife really enjoyed her trout) and chicken options. I didn't take note of vegetarian options, but safe to assume they are limited. There is a very expansive drink selection. Everyone enjoyed their whisky, I had a PB&J Old Fashioned - so if you like Bourbon but have a sweet tooth, I highly recommend, and another in our party got a slow burn tequila which starts out slightly sweet then heats up - it was very good. Not sure if reservations are required but strongly recommend - when we made ours the day before for a Saturday night, there was 5:40 and 8pm left as options, we took 8pm and the place was...