FlipSide Hudson — Restaurant in Hudson

Update: Owner Tiffany never followed through with her promise to make things right. At least she could have refunded me for the food I never got. I have not been back since.

Update: long story short...got my take out order horribly wrong. Owner Tiffany called me the next day to make it right. I commend her for her kindness and professionalism...thank you! That, my folks is how you do it in the hospitality industry. I will continue to support the FlipSide and other local businesses; together we will weather the storm.

The FlipSide is the place to get a good-tasting burger made with premium beef. My husband, the burger enthusiast, says they serve the best gourmet burger, "hands-down", in town. Even better than "Oak and Embers...no comparison. Btw, he gets the Shawn burger with an egg on top.

I always order the mac&cheese with barbque beef brisket...yum! However, they changed the type of pasta normally used from the curly macaroni-type(cavatappi?) to a small-ringed(calamarata?). Not a good change at all. I am not sure if this a permanent change, but it really took away from the flavors and textures of the dish, and it did not help that the pasta was over-cooked. The small ringed pasta does not hold up to the cheese and brisket. I was suspicious of the dish the moment it arrived...not sure it even contained it's usual cheeses. In retrospect @$13 plus, I should have just returned it and ordered something else. They also have some of the best sweet potato fries around...crispy and served hot. The dipping sauce is slightly spicy, and I only wish there was more! Oh...they have good milkshakes...order the peanut butter one!

The FlipSide is a moderately clean establishment with bar-side, low and hi-tops, and a few banquet seating. No real waiting area and you are often not greeted upon arrival. They do allow you to wait in their adjoining restaurant, the One Red Door, but unless someone greets you, you are none the wiser. Prices are a little high on their beers and spirits, but the food is moderately priced, and their ingredients are fresh and on the high-end. Plan ahead because there is often a wait to be seated; and as I noted, no real place to wait...the bar is...

My coworkers and I have tried to frequent this place for lunch regularly over the last 2.5 years and every time it is a hot mess. There is always a line 5-10 minutes past their 11:30 open time which isn't super ideal for lunch time anyway and incredibly inconsiderate considering people are on their lunch hour. The one day we watched 3 different groups walk somewhere else. We were the first ones there and we watched as everyone around us received their food first. We only ordered a salad and a burger. Listen, this place is notoriously slow, but this was a mess. We ended up having to just get our food to go and they acted like they couldn't even be bothered to apologize. This was over the summer. I have also taken my family here in a weekend and it's not better, ever. Fast forward to today, we pull up, no lights are on, it was 11:29 on 3 different clocks and I called and asked if they were opening today, as I called it turned 11:30, she said, "Yes, we open at 11:30, I said, "Great, it IS 11:30." She said, "Yes, we open at 11:30." So we got out and it was freezing, 23 degrees and we walk up to the door and it's locked. And we hear someone walk to the front door and begin vacuuming. So we knocked, by now it is 11:35 and she says from the other side of the locked door, we have 10 more minutes." Wait, what? I just called you, 10 more minutes is 11:45. So we just got in our car and went to Hudson's. This place would be a great place to start a really bomb restaurant, but this ain't it. Honestly it seems like they struggle to get good and ample help, that says more about the ownership and leadership than anything else. I worked for many years in restaurants in Chicago during my 20s, I've watched a whole lot of them cave for less. Get it together, there are way too many options in Hudson for this level of arrogance and be kind to the people who eat here, you aren't cheap for basic burgers...

I have dined at flipside many times. I don't often go on a Sunday evening for dinner, but I thought I'd take my children out for a special treat and enjoy some good burgers and food. Unfortunately, they seemed unable to handle the volume for the evening. I didn't mind waiting 10 minutes to be seated. That's to be expected. However, after a table became ready, the hostess didn't warmly escort us over to our table. Then about 10 minutes later she literally passed by and dropped the menus on our table without so much as a "welcome! Your server will be with you in a minute." It felt a little rude. Then it took another 10 minutes for our server to come to take drink orders. Then it took another 10 minutes to get those drink orders with what seems like a sincere apology. I was willing to move on, but it didn't stop there. Getting refills of water, and our drinks took forever. At the very least, they should refill our waters. But when you go to a restaurant such as flip side, you expect to be waited on with some efficiency. That just didn't happen. The food came out slowly, so our server comped us 50% off on those appetizers. That was a nice acknowledgment. But it didn't really make up for the fact that she struggled to wait on our table, particularly with the drinks. I certainly won't go back on a weekend. I do enjoy the food, so maybe don't try to visit when it's so busy. You might be...