Blue Ox Hillsboro — Restaurant in Hillsboro

I have been here in the past and have had a great experience before, so it is with a heavy heart and frustration that I felt the need to write this review.

I came here with a group around 7pm on Friday, June 13th, super excited to have my friends experience the fun environment that I have had in the past. For many of them, it was their first time axe throwing as well, and I knew that Blue Ox was the best place to try it.

Upon walking in, there was a younger lady who was at the register, but she did not appear to be engaged. She did not welcome us as we walked in, nor did she seem interested in engaging us in conversation or even asking us facilitating questions to start our experience.

It was almost like we had to tell and guide her to what we wanted. I asked if we could get a lane or two for our group, to which she responded "Okay, did you order any food or drink?" For me, it made it seem like we had to order food before getting a lane, which I had never experienced in the past. I thought it was a new procedure, so I had my friends and I ordered food. Afterwards, after realizing we do order axe throwing through the bar, I went back up and told her we wanted to axe throw too. She seemed a little surprised, but she had us all sign the waiver and then later on, we got escorted to the back of the building for our lanes. We were never charged for the axe throwing before getting a lane, but so we thought it would happen later.

The other lady who did our throwing demonstration did not seem to be engaged either, looking more exhausted and frustrated as well. I didn't think too much of it, but it did follow with the themes of customer neglect that I felt my group was facing. The boards were okay, one of the projectors were misaligned with a good wood board, but the other had a huge bald spot that you couldn't even get an axe into, even if you tried to get it in with heavy force. I am very grateful my party just made the most of it.

The food came out to us that we ordered earlier, a collaboration BBQ menu that was fair. Some items were cold, others temperate, but still pretty yummy. Later on, I went to go order the add-on package for the throwing knives, to which the taller Dan asked the first lady we talked to if she could grab them. She gave him a bit of sass back, stating she didn't know where they were and seemed also inconvenienced by our request. Dan helped her out, got us the knives and throwing stars, and my group had lots of fun with them. In addition to this moment, my friends had told me it was really hard to get bar service, like no one was acknowledging them or taking initiative to attend to us.

Later on, we got a five minute warning as our session ended, and then were told to leave, which was fine! However, there was no guide or facilitation of what to do next, like if we needed to pay or if we were just good to head out. So, I stayed behind while my friends went outside to see what was going to happen. I waited for a bit, and no one asked or prompted us for anything, so I went and told my friends. Wanting to be honest, we agreed to all go back in, and the tall Dan (tbh this was the only Dan I got to talk to) asked us if we needed to close our tab. I told him that we closed food already, but we needed to pay for axe throwing because we were not even charged in the first place, and that this experience was honestly just not what I've had in the past. He was very chill about it, and made the moment right.

The theme of neglect, and feeling just completely ignored to the point where it seems like we weren't welcome or wanted there was something we all felt. Many of us have been working or worked in food and retail service for so long too. So we all try to have a mindfulness of what could be happening with the team and always try to be patient. Shoutout to the one Dan that gave some effort, but it still was an uncomfortable experience when engaging with staff. I want to come back, but I am on the fence for...

My family visited for the first time to celebrate Father’s Day. Overall, we enjoyed the activities, drink selection, and environment but unfortunately this was all overshadowed by one employee with little to no consideration for patrons and absolutely zero professionalism or customer service. Looking through other reviews, it looks like we weren’t the only ones treated this way as they mention “rude instructor” who “didn’t care about being here.” Danny checked in our party and was condescending and bossy from the moment we walked in the door, which he opened without any greeting. He belittled my sister when he failed to be clear about the deposit covering the fee for one adult, something she already understood, but that he kept correcting her on. From there, he scolded some of our group for wanting to order drinks after he told us we could as he “was only going to explain things once.”

Things got worse when he went to demo the axe throwing. He bluntly told my other sister “you’re in my way” not ‘would you mind standing there’ or providing other clear requests or instructions. He again failed to be clear or informative about instructions, instead saying to my 12 year old nephew “that wasn't a suggestion but sure don’t listen to me” because he felt we weren’t standing in a place we would be able to see him well. There were several other snide and condescending remarks made by Danny, and he overall left our experience very tainted.

I think it’s important to note, I’m in my twenties and not some boomer ranting, this man was older than me and treated my entire family like we were inconveniencing him while spending hundreds of dollars at the establishment. It would have been stupidly simple to say “thanks for coming in, I’m doing a demo here so if everyone can stand there I will begin” and he couldn’t be bothered. All in all, none of us will be returning due to this belittling experience by one awful employee. The other employee (bartending) was perfectly pleasant, so I hope my tip only went to him.

Lastly, they sent me a marketing email which I absolutely did not subscribe to. Just the annoying cherry on top of a bad experience due to a...

1st time I've ever given a restaurant 1 star. Nowhere near enough seating. They have a corn hole game set up where they could put seating for 12. They have limited combination choices when they charge same amount for choices you can't combine. Beans were hard and undercooked. Ordered sliced brisket and received 1 slice regular lean brisket and 1 slice that was half fat and should have been used for chopped. The Mac and cheese was delicious as were the Ribs. Lastly we got stuck sitting at the bar. The bartender was super nice until the end when he looked at my wife and she told me she had never felt so uncomfortable. She felt like the bartender was looking at her as if she was going to leave without paying the bill. Won't be going here ever again.

I appreciate the response supporting the staff. As a business owner myself the customer is always right. Last time i checked all brisket costs the same and in fact you charge the same amount for both your chopped and sliced brisket. So to claim I was making a request for a more expensive meat is silly. I made my review primarily about the food where I shared both bad points and good. The remainder of the review was an attempt to make a suggestion for more seating. Had we waited as you said we could have done we would not have been seated by the time we left as no one else had left before us and the comment about the bartender was a learning experience. You dont tell someone they can pay whenever they're ready, take 2 steps back and then stare at them...