Sandra's on the Park — Restaurant in Hales Corners

I hate to write this review but unfortunately I’ve been upset about this visit since Saturday. We made a reservation a week prior to our visit at 7:00pm. I arrived at 6:50pm and the upstairs was packed. The young lady who greeted us was very pleasant and apologized for the wait which was no issue. At 7:16 a table opened up in the downstairs area which we actually preferred. Very nice supper club atmosphere that we enjoyed especially for our 74 old mother celebrating her birthday. Our waitress was “Sunshine” but was anything but. She started the conversation by saying I was waiting so long that she assumed I was a door dasher. Ok.. but when we told her we were here for our mother’s 74th birthday, she said “well you Hispanics don’t age.” My sister informed her that she’s Asian and her replay was “well them too.” Ok… again inappropriate but let’s move on. Finally the main course arrived and everything was good except my brother’s salmon was very overcooked and dry. Again things happen but when our waitress came back to check in on us, we did bring that up. Our waitress then stated “well our kitchen is full of Mexicans and always overcook things.” WOW… After that I was ever caught off guard. Anyways another slick “beaner” comment was made that she apologized for later and it was a fake apology. I’m in my mid 40’s and have very thick skin but even I was totally in shock. It’s unfortunate, I really enjoyed the experience besides the waitress being to comfortable with her bigot remarks. My sister felt the same…

“The very unfortunate part is I would’ve considered going back but not after the “Mexican” and “beaner” comments.

After I addressed what she said she did a fake forced apology which was basically “I’m sorry, it was just a joke” so not a sincere apology at all!

Disgusting of her to feel so free and comfortable to say such things so openly to her customers.”

I really wanted the ownership to be aware of this and it’s unfortunate that one bad employee will lose future business opportunities. It truly ruined a great time with our elderly mother with health issues. Anyone with elderly parents know that the number of birthdays you have left are depleting. We could’ve chose anywhere to have this precious moment but unfortunately this wasn’t a moment I want...

On April 19, 2019, my wife and I visited Sandra’s on the Park restaurant. As we pulled into the parking lot we were impressed with the overall welcoming look of the place. We went in and signed up, then headed to the lower level to wait our turn. The tall chairs at our tall table were very comfortable, making our wait pleasurable. We were seated at a nearby table about 20 minutes later. A waitperson appeared about 5 minutes later (we think her name was Erika?) asking if we wanted something to drink. My wife asked for water and I asked for a diet Coke. A few minutes later ,the Coke arrived dead flat! 10 minutes passed before the waitperson returned to take our order I asked for a Coke with some fizz in it. She immediately removed the flat Coke and dashed off without taking our order. She returned after a few minutes to inform me that they(?) were fixing the carbonation machine. She then took our order; my wife ordered the baked cod and I ordered the fried cod with a baked potato. Off she went returning in 5 minutes with a fresh, completely flat Coke. She put it down and rushed of before I could inform her it was flat. After a bit I got her attention and she took the flat Coke away, returning with another flat Coke 5 or so minutes later. This repeated one more time. The final flat coke was left on our table for the rest of the meal. 45 minutes passed since we were seated and our food arrived, two plates of baked cod. I told our waitperson that I ordered fried cod and she whisked my plate away muttering “they’re idiots”. A correct plate of fried cod appeared in short order, nice and hot. The baked cod was lukewarm and tough, my baked potato was unbaked at one end. We proceeded with our meal, weary of trying to have a great meal at Sandra’s on the Park. We finished our meal without additional drama, until the check came. The check came with the coke taken off but had charges for 2 baked cod dinners which cost more than fried cod. Once again, another delay waiting for the correct bill to arrive. I thought the fried cod was quite good and the coleslaw was the best I have ever had. But since I really enjoy a fizzy diet coke, and a properly prepared potato, with my fried cod meal, I would need quite an incentive to return to...

Review for Sandra’s on the Park

We had a 7:00 PM reservation for four people. Upon arrival, we were met by a very stressed and unprofessional hostess who instructed us to sit and wait, as the bar was too full to stand at. Approximately 20 minutes later, we went back to check on our seating, only to be told — rudely — that we were never properly checked in. There was no apology, only more stress and attitude.

We eventually found space at the bar to wait for our table. At no point did any staff member come to update us on how much longer we would need to wait. After 50 minutes past our reservation time, we were finally seated.

Our waitress was kind but overwhelmed. It took an excessive amount of time to receive our drink order, and during our meal we had to personally go to the bar for additional drinks because the waitress was nowhere to be found. Our food finally arrived at 9:00 PM, two hours after our original reservation.

The food was acceptable. The steak was very good, the ribs were average, and everything else was mediocre at best. After finishing, it took another 15 minutes just to have our payment collected. We did not leave until 10:00 PM — a full three hours for what should have been a straightforward dinner.

Throughout the entire evening, there was no apology, no acknowledgment of the poor service, and no sense that the staff cared about the customer experience.

Sandra’s on the Park is trying to build a loyal customer base, but with service like this, I fear they are setting themselves up for failure. Good food alone isn’t enough; professional, respectful service is critical.

I don’t expect to be coddled, but when I have a 7 PM reservation, I expect to be seated by 7:30, have my meal in a reasonable time, and leave by 8:30. Wasting an extra hour and a half of my evening is completely unacceptable.

I will not return and will be sharing my experience with others. If you’re looking for a truly enjoyable dining experience and great service, I highly recommend you visit one of the more established restaurants in...