Black Bear Diner Goodyear — Restaurant in Goodyear

I really didn’t want to be that person that leaves a bad review after one bad experience after a several previous great experiences, but I feel like this needs to be said. I came to black bear this morning, November 30th, around 11am and I have to say I was very disappointed. The food was good and our server Truce was amazing, but what made me upset was the manager. There was a manager at the front in a long sleeve blue shirt that needs to learn to listen to his staff. They were pretty busy this morning. The hostess had come up to greet us and asked us to give her just a moment while she cleaned off a table for us and we stood at the front and waited for her. While we were waiting the manager had began shouting the hostess’s name from across the room while she was cleaning our table and aggressively signaling for her to come over. She had dropped everything to come over to him and he just began shouting at her about how greeting the guests was the most important job and how he was “too busy doing inventory” to be able to help her. What is he even there for them if he’s going to refuse to help his staff?! She tried to explain to him that she had already greeted us but he kept cutting her off and repeating himself. So she gave up and had to come back up to the host stand and pretend to greet us again and put us on the waitlist (even though we were the only people there and it took only 2 minutes to get us sat) so the manager would leave her alone and she could get back to cleaning our table. Then, while she was cleaning our table, the manager took that time to then lecture the other host (who was busy checking people out) about the same thing. While we were checking out I saw that the managers business card was conveniently placed right where we check out and I had asked a staff member for confirmation of the managers name. His name is Eric Grant. But the real kicker? He spent 20 minutes just sitting at a table and talking to a guest. And when I asked our server what was wrong with the guest, he said there was nothing wrong and that the guest at the table was just his son. Too busy to help your staff, but not too busy to sit and talk to your son while your staff runs around like maniacs??? I know the higher up’s probably won’t address this at all, but I hope it shows others to be kind to the hosts because I can tell this is not the first time that man has verbally abused and belittled them while not helping with anything. He did not care who was around or about how humiliating that may be for them and he clearly does not care about his anger and frustration being on display. Do better black bear, your manager is terrible and whatever those girls get paid...

Dear Corporate Team,

I am writing to express my deep disappointment regarding my recent experience at the Black Bear Diner location at 980 N Dysart Rd, Goodyear, AZ 85338. As a loyal customer, I have always held your establishment in high regard for its quality service and delicious food. However, my recent visit has left me thoroughly disappointed and dissatisfied.

On May 5th 2024, I placed an order at your Goodyear location. Regrettably, my order was incorrectly prepared. Despite the inconvenience, I remained understanding and patient, hoping that the situation would be rectified promptly. Unfortunately, upon receiving the corrected order, it was evident that several items were still missing.

This lack of attention to detail is unacceptable, especially considering the trust and loyalty I have placed in Black Bear Diner over the years. It is disheartening to witness such a significant oversight from the management team, as it directly reflects on the quality of customer service provided.

I believe it is imperative for Black Bear Diner to uphold its reputation for excellence by ensuring that each customer receives the attention and service they deserve. In this instance, the second incorrect order has left me feeling undervalued and disenchanted with my overall experience.

I kindly request that the necessary steps be taken to address this matter promptly. It is my hope that through constructive feedback, improvements can be made to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt response and...

Used to be good, now the service is terrible. They no longer care about the customer. They are “bringing the hammer down from above,” according to the manager. After waiting to get in for breakfast, it started with them telling us that we weren’t allowed to bring outside drinks in (coffee). Their manager claimed it had to do with some law about health. Then we went to sit down and eat. I’ve been coming here for years and have always been able to substitute the meat on the Volcano for cottage cheese, but this time, after asking for the substitution to the server who looked very annoyed and rolled their eyes when I explained we had always been able to do that, the manager comes over with an attitude and tells us they’re not going to do that anymore and they’re “bringing the hammer down from above.” This place no longer has decent service. Avoid at all costs.

The reason people go to restaurants is to have good service. When they fail on that, there is really no point in going there.

The hostess seemed friendly and nice. They’d likely do a better job at being a server than the server we got.

EDIT: It looks like the reply I received from Black Bear was an automated reply. I would speak to the owner, but I have no interest in speaking to the manager after my interactions with her. The manager does not appear to care about whether they lose customers or not and I had the impression she enjoyed “laying down the law,” and the dissatisfaction...