Tilly Jane's Sports Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Hood River

“Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction, but most of the time it is quite simply boring.”

The owner of the restaurant, Laurel, reacted to what she thought was a scam in a most understandable way. I am happy that she has received international support and good press from the story, and that her business is in fact doing so well. She has overcome so many hardships the industry faced in recent years.

There is, however, a boring truth behind the headlines, and I am grateful for the opportunity to share it with you here.

When I first started adding reviews to google, it felt like I was chatting with my friends. I just wanted to help fellow customers know what to expect. As my review history shows, I make no claim to “influencer”, and have shared my personal impressions honestly. I have never reached out directly to a business owner before, concerning a review, and as you will read it was quite an adventure.

In late July 2022, Google sent me a notification about my photo of Tilly Jane’s. I was astonished that my humble review had influenced thousands of people, possibly negatively, about a local restaurant. Then and there I decided I wanted to make things right. I wanted to reach out and correct what might have simply been a bad night for a new restaurant. As I was typing, I realized I might be able to help even more. My studies on business optimization for my recently completed MBA had my mind primed, and I was eager to share what I could - to see her restaurant succeed. A standard practice for such business consultations, complete with document write-ups and custom strategies, over several days, is a fee. It was my unfortunate typo that led to Laurel’s shock, and the internet backlash.

I wholeheartedly agree that scammers must be held accountable to some measure, and that the pressures that small business owners face are seldom understood by self proclaimed “critics.”

What was not posted, however, is the remainder of my message, which might have clarified how the typo “review” for $500 was later described as a “consultation”. But this double-wording probably only added to the confusion.

For upsetting Laurel, making her feel targeted, I sincerely apologize. I caused this mishap with my eagerness to give the food another try, as well as offer my services as a legitimate consultant. The part of the message Laurel chose to share was both hastily and poorly worded, and it reflects on my professionalism in such an embarrassing manner, I still feel somewhat overwhelmed.

Her defensiveness is justified. In the months following my initial review, her restaurant has managed to make a lasting, positive mark in our community. I failed to research or acknowledge her progress when I made the jump from google-notification to a quick message over facebook. I merely mentioned the details I thought were relevant, and included my personal phone number (because we all know how easily things become misunderstood over text).

I regret obviously a number of things about this incident. But I am impressed by Laurel’s strength and acumen in turning around a scene she truly believed came straight from a movie plot. The original review was petty, but she didn’t go out of her way to vilify me - a testament to her good humor.

The following review better reflects my experience. May my future words empower others to be their best selves, graciously and generously.

“This place has great service. I am very impressed with Julian! What a nice and attentive person.

The chicken sandwich has potential, but it was dry as a bone and there was very little sauce on the sandwich.

The mini corn dogs that my daughter had were not tasty…according to her.

The potato salad was smothered in mayonnaise with a hint of dill seasoning. The flavor is good, but it’s not something I would order again.

The onion rings are INCREDIBLE. The French fries are like shoe-string fries…soooooo good.

At the end of the day, it's a sports bar. Simple character and open space for lots of people to...

I have passed by this place many times since it was a Sharis and wanted to try it out. The reviews I have heard in the intervening years have been decidedly mixed. Some folks seem to really like it and some really dont. I came there today with, what I think, was an open mind.

The place has that sports bar feel. There was music playing and about a dozen tvs with a variety of sports games on. Neither a plus or a minus for me, since Im not much of a sports guy. I also did use the restroom and it was spotlessly clean.

I ordered fried cheese curds and boneless wings with Jamaican jerk seasoning. My wife also got one of their cocktails, a spicy version of a margarita. We shared the curds and wings. I had a little sip of her cocktail since I was driving. Im not crazy about spicy cocktails but I could tell it was good and she said it was excellent. I'll give that one a 5/5. The fried curds were our appetizer and we actually received them after our entree. A little mix up and no big deal. They were just ok. Cooked right. Good pull on the cheese and had just the right chew that you expect from this dish. Flavor-wise, kind of bland. They had obviously been salted but they were a long way from impressive. My taste buds were definitely not slapped around by them. (Edit-I did try the dipping sauces that the cheese curds and wings came with and they were fine but If the food is good you shouldn’t need any sauce to save them) I give them a 3/5. The Jamaican jerk chicken wings were a disappointment. I spent a year in Jamaica in my teens as an exchange student. I LOVE me some Jamaican jerk. I completely understand that I am unlikely to get the amazing flavors you get with authentic jerk meats from the Caribbean in a small town in Oregon like Hood River, but I did expect to get something that at-least vaguely reminded me of it. Not so. Blandcity. Almost zero detectable jerk flavor. In fairness the chicken, like the curds, was fried up just right. Tender and juicy chicken...but tender, juicy, and bland chicken nonetheless. 2/5

I must add that our waitress was excellent. My wife and I have not received service on this level in literally years. Friendly, funny, helpful, and personable. Even if I wasnt impressed with the food I definitely was by the service. My overall rating would have been lower if it had not been for her.

Still, I give the place 3 stars for outstanding service but pared with boring and bland food. I will not avoid coming back but definitely do not plan on becoming a regular here.

Edit-stopped by again thinking I wanted to give them a second chance and was disappointed again. I stopped in on a Sunday (11-12-23, my first visit was summer of 2022) at a little before eleven in the morning. I was given a breakfast menu which stated that it was served until 11. I was in the mood for lunch and decided to wait until then. It worked out that my waitress approached me a few minutes after the turn of the hour. I asked if I could get the lunch menu since I wasn’t too keen on breakfast and was told they wouldn’t be able to take lunch orders for about twenty to thirty minutes. I did a quick calculation and realized if I ordered my food around 11:30 I might be getting it an hour after I sat down which seemed excessive at a casual sit down restaurant that was about half full. It also seemed odd that, apparently, there is a window of about a half hour when people cannot order either breakfast or lunch. Seemed a bit sloppy to have this kind of window in service. In fairness, everyone working there was friendly and seemed to genuinely regret that they couldn’t help me. Still, I have to say, that was strike two,...

Recently visited Tilly Jane's under new management and I have to say, it's quickly become one of my favorite sports bars to visit in Hood River.

To start with, service. Service is a HUGE part of any dining experience and this place has some amazing staff. I'll start off by saying that I called ahead of time to check the times on dinner, happy hour, etc... I then asked if a particular ball game was on and if they had fresh squeezed Arnold Palmers. All of my questions where answered enthusiastically and I told the person over the phone that I'd be there in 10 minutes. Once I arrived with my lady and announced my presence to the kind server up front, she had us seated immediately and had even brought over an ice cold freshly squeezed Arnold Palmer! Wow! Talk about being on top of your game! We then sat down and as I'm taking a sip out of this fantastic drink, I look up and the game I had inquired about, (which was not a in a primetime spot by the way, she actually had to find it), was playing right by our table! An amazing way to start and set the tone for the evening when it comes to dining!

I came to find out that our server was Kayla and she was fantastic. We had questions about the menu and she knew all of the answers and gave us her recommendations. My lady got the crispy chicken sandwich and I had the BBQ burger. Both these entrees where perfectly cooked and HUGE! We had sides of regular fries and onion rings. I gotta say, the chicken sandwich my lady got was GIANTIC! There was even a really good garlic aioli sauce on it that just brought it up one more level as well! She even attest that it was probably the second best chicken sandwich she's ever hand and that is a top honor coming from her! We definitely had our fill because we ended up taking half of each of our meals home with us. For me, anytime I can leave an establishment full or with a little extra, it's a good time! We also had some wings and mozzarella sticks as appetizers beforehand as well that were solid. I will say however, the wings had a different texture then what I'm used to and I inquired about this to Kayla and she informed me that they are double fried or have a different way of cooking them but regardless, were very tasty and had every sauce you could think of on standby. The buffalo sauce was just the right temperature both in taste and smell, (if that makes sense? Buffalo sauce can sometimes be too vinegary or not have that distinct smell to it but Tilly Jane's has theirs locked in right!)

Our price for our dining experience this evening was very reasonable. Around the neighborhood of $40 bucks for two full entrees, appetizers and two refillable drinks.

We had quick and attentive service all night, I was able to watch the game I was looking for and we even left with a little extra food for later. Overall, I highly recommend coming to Tilly Jane's and sharing the experience for yourself. Although Kayla was our main server, the other server that was working with Kayla was very kind as well and welcomed us while we where in the restaurant. Overall a positive experience, positive environment and we definitely will be back! Thank you...