BrickYard Tavern — Restaurant in Grand Rapids

This restaurant has major management problems that prevent quality service. Which is too bad, because the vibe of the space is very cool, and the food is generally very good.

We stopped in for dinner for 5 on a busy Saturday. No host to seat us--surprising for a larger space on a weekend. We hunted for a table--the only available was in the very back, not cleared off. I asked the bartender to have someone clear it, and he did--except for no one wiped down/sanitized it. We sat almost 10 minutes without being acknowledged by a server--I got up to let them know we were there as we were out of sight in a back corner. Another 5-10 min before the server brought waters. We were ready to order from the QR code menu and had to stop the server from walking away to order as she did not ask for drinks or for food.

We waited for over 40 minutes for our food, our appetizer was brought out with our main dish. The food was great except for my sweet potato fries which were room temperature and overcooked. During the wait we were not checked on by a server, we overheard staff members complaining about being out of napkins (how can a restaurant be out of napkins? In any place I have worked if a supply is running critically low the manager or owner literally runs to a nearby store to buy enough to cover until a shipment comes in). When we tried to order we were told they were out of cheese curds and queso for appetizers as well. One staff member was sitting at the bar- I'm not sure if he was on break, or before shift, not scheduled and there as a customer, or had some other reason for not working, but the bartender eventually asked him to help out and he got up and started working.

When our food came we had to ask for dinnerware, and the server told us they didn't have napkins at that time and went and got some- but she only brought back three sets for our five top table. I went up and picked two more sets from the clean dishware, which of course was not rolled and ready for customers is there were no napkins.

When food was delivered I told the server that that I would like a dessert to go and I had a Groupon for the check which she could bring as soon as she can given how busy the restaurant is. She brought them when we were nearly done eating. She was so busy that even though my Groupon value was a dollar and a half short of the total, she said don't worry about it so she doesn't have to run a bill/card. Servers usually have to pay for discrepancies out of pocket--plus this didn't give me a chance for a credit card tip--so she was so busy she took the chance of loosing money by serving our table. (I paid a tip in cash with all I had but it only amounted to 8 percent of the bill). The entire time we sat at the table (over an hour and a half) the large table next to us remained uncleared. We would have asked for the TV channel to be changed on the screen in our view to watch a certain game, but didn't bother because they were so busy.

While I was waiting for the Groupon to process, I asked her if they were always so short-staffed. She said that one person had called in sick and so they were all scrambling- in my estimation, the restaurant would need multiple people to have it function properly- at minimum a greeter, two waitstaff, a table clearer/food runner assist, and an extra hand or two in the kitchen.

Overall the staff seemed competent, though our server was having trouble keeping up with the many tables she had to cover so there were delays and oversights. I don't blame her, but management for allowing the restaurant to allow unreasonable conditions for the staff. It would help tremendously if a host could divvy up tables per seated size for the waiters and if the servers had trays to carry items on so they don't need to make multiple trips to bring food and items to the tables.

At the end of the meal, I got up and found a box for leftovers, and we all had to make a trip to the bathroom since greasy drippy sandwiches and no napkins are not a good combination. At home I discovered the dessert was...

We came here to celebrate a birthday. I made reservations beforehand with Open Table which was very easy to do. However, I did contact the restaurant 3 to 4 weeks before to ask about their musical guest. I did not hear back from them until the day before we were to be at the restaurant. In the reply they suggested that I followed them on Facebook, which I already did, which is how I knew that they hadn't posted who their musical guest was. When we arrived, there was still plenty of seating for a Friday night. It was partly empty for sure. Seems like the majority of tables that they have are high tops. I had asked for a low top, which was reserved for us, however we were smushed into a spot. One of the dishes that claimed rave reviews along with being the only healthy option in terms of a main dish was the Salmon. We were first told that they needed to make sure that they still had it, which was bizarre since the restaurant was not very busy along with the fact that it was one of their most prized dishes. The server came back and let us know they have the salmon, a few of us ordered that. I had requested two vegetables for the side dish instead of the rice, which the server was very happy to do. My youngest son was starving because it was pretty late in the evening and things were taking a little bit of time. But that was not on the restaurant. That was because our party was talking. Point being I had asked the server if they had maybe some crackers or something that he would be able to have while he was waiting because he wasn't interested in our appetizer. She kindly brought him a giant platter of potato chips which he happily devoured. They had a great drink selection, however we ordered many different cocktails to try and they all tasted strange. I ordered a "dark and stormy", It smelled of chlorine, it was not at all pleasurable to drink. One of us ordered a mojito and they were out of mint leaves so they used mint syrup. However, that ended up just tasting like gum. One of the biggest disappointments was we were very much looking forward to trying the crab rangoon appetizer, having this at a couple other places. We had a little bit of an idea of what to expect. We received an incredibly small 4-in dish with a dip that tasted much more like a cheesy pimento dip versus a crab rangoon dip. Absolutely no taste of crab. The chips were delicious because they were of course made out of the wonton wrappers. They did bring a gigantic portion of those. They have the best french fries along with incredible sweet potato fries. However, the rice that was supposed to be a special basmati rice that came with one of the salmon dishes tasted like microwave rice. It was not good. All of our salmon dishes were very dry on top the texture was completely like they had been setting out, and have been warmed up in an oven versus on a stove top. It was dry all around on the inside like a package. The inside was moist but it lacked so much flavor, it needed a citrus possibly and a little bit of sweet, such as honey or a little bit of maple syrup, but it just tasted like plain old salmon. We had Groupons and the server was very kind and accommodating sharing how to use them. The musician was wonderful. He played a variety of music and yet he had his own fun style. All in all I would not go back for the food. However, the service and ambiance was fun. If you like fried foods, this would probably fit the bill. If you're looking for more of a variety of foods, it has a very limited generic menu. Shout out to our server Ally! She was a positive light and just made...

If I could leave 0 stars I would. We called at 1030am prior to opening to ask if we needed a reservation or if we could make one for a birthday party for 11 people. The woman on the phone stated they werent taking any additional reservations, only walk ins. Great. So we can walk in with 11 people? So that is what we did. We were told at 520pm we would need to be out before a 630 reservation if we wanted sat. A member of our party agreed to comply. However we were served food past 6pm and hounded over every minute beyond when our food was made incorrectly (extra wait time) they couldnt check out our bill (extra wait time) we had to ask multiple time for our sides (extra wait time) our server was VERY friendly, kelton d. However we asked to speak with the manager FOUR TIMES , (extra wait time). Another server was then sent to tell us "we need this table to accompany our party" we stated AGAIN we have been wauting for the MANAGER ON SITE to come speak with us so we can leave (EXTRA WAIT TIME). MEANWHILE the 630pm party rolled in almost at 7. My fiance then had to go ASK the manager on site (turns out to be the said OWNER of the est) to come speak eith us. Which she tried to get out by stating we are very busy. (As she stood speaking to waiters). As she reluctantly came over the conversation I attempted to have with her she was immediately defensive as I asked her questions regarding our 1dt time experience and how they manage their guests and the reservations. When she was "fed up" of interrupting (i had to ask to speak multiple times) she walked away. Ignored when we asked for her name, until I stood in the front of house repeatedly asking her name (cowardly she finally answered) I have NEVER had to have a exchange like this and also told bystanders to take their business elsewhere. Our tab alone for 2 people with tip was $82. None of which deserves to go towards Corina Sepsakos business. I WOULD NEVER recommend this establishment to ANYONE in grand rapids with a dollar to spend. Which was quote unfortunate because our food was actually good and we enjoyed our waiter. This is a warning for anyone. No responsibility taken by the leadership staff on our terrible experience or an apology. Just told we should leave because they have...