Proof Gastropub — Restaurant in Kennewick

Came in for happy hour yesterday and we were absolutely disappointed. I have been in the restaurant industry for about 10 years now, I have managed restaurants in the Seattle area and the lackluster response of care from the manager is beyond me. My boyfriend and I asked the server what the “rotating specialty cocktail” on the happy hour was. He said it was the apple cider mule and that there’s another one and went to ask the bartender. He came back saying there was a whiskey Negroni cocktail and we decided to go with that option. As well as ordering the HH wings and HH nachos. At the end we didn’t look at the bill and assumed there would be no issues and handed our server our card. We get our bill back and realize $66 sounded ridiculous. We got 2 $7 cocktails, $9 HH wings and $10 Smokey pork nachos and 1 $5.50 draft beer. So we looked and saw we were charged $30 for our two cocktails. And charged $13 for the wings and $12.50 for the nachos. We were confused because we ordered using the QR code we were given for the happy hour menu. At this point we haven’t noticed the food prices yet just the drinks, so we asked our server to void the payment and make the check right. We were basically told no because he “already swiped the card”, like I’ve said I’ve been in the industry a long time- you can void the payment. So instead he offered us two more cocktails and we said we didn’t want drinks we wanted the bill fixed. He talked with the manager and they voided the payment and did 50% for the drinks (which technically still isn’t correct but we didn’t care about it we were just annoyed at this point). We got the new bill, paid and left. After leaving we realized the food prices we were charged were wrong. Instead of $9 for wings it was $13 and instead of $10 for nachos it was $12.50. Very deceiving when we expected to pay a certain amount because that was on the menu and got charged quite a bit more than expected. So I called to speak with a manager, a lady answered, never gave me her name and her lack of care towards the situation was just ridiculous. We explained what happened and we didn’t want anything but to let her know our experience and all she said was “I’m sorry. Thanks for letting me know, we changed our happy hour prices months ago but I guess they never updated the menu prices. I’ll tell the owners” and that was it! Very blunt and didn’t try to even offer ways of making this right. The price difference is pretty significant and I feel as though the manager could have done more to make the situation right and make us want to come back in. At this point Proof will be off our list of places to recommend and go. Absolutely disappointing. The food was warm not hot not cold so it was “eh”. The server was very nice and we...

WAITRESS OPENLY “BORROWED” MONEY FROM ME AND THE FOOD WAS VERY MISLEADING AND DISAPPOINTING. I’ve dined out at proof many times before, but this last time was very disappointing. As a self proclaimed food critic I’ve come to find a certain expectation of food and the experience that comes along with it. This includes the service, the overall food quality, and the total price for the service and food. My partner and I were seated relatively quickly and the service was there initially. After the first drink was brought out the service abruptly stopped. We were sitting waiting for our server to help us order for about 20 minutes before we were helped by a completely different server. (The place was pretty much empty) we sat there with no service for most of the outing. When the food arrived we were very disappointed. After eating many original Italian dishes in Italy I was disappointed to find that the pesto linguine I had ordered turned out to be just a slew of parsley and basil, topped with a gallon of olive oil. This “pesto” is really just a knockoff flavored oil with loads of parsley all over it. My partner had the Buffalo wings which to her surprise was lacking flavor and moisture. For the price , the plate was lacking and the flavor and look were just very low quality. It’s disappointing thinking just a couple months ago I enjoyed a burger with relatively good service . Honestly the worst part about it all is the fact that the waitress didn’t give me my correct change, KNOWINGLY! When I noticed I said something and the excuse I got was the fact that they didn’t have the change! How hysterical, you mean to tell me a place of business doesn’t have the change? They tried to take a 1.40 from me, and even when I said something they still didn’t give me my full change , only one dollars worth. On a technicality Proof Gastropub tried to steal from me knowingly, and the funny part is they easily pulled the partial change right In front of me. I seen coins too! So if the owner sees this you owe me 44 cents. Also you should change the name of your foods they’re...

We were there on the third day they were open, and had a couple of burgers for lunch. We had a Signature Proof Burger (cooked medium) and a Grilled Chicken Burger (actually a grilled chicken breast.) The Beecher's cheese, bacon and onion marmalade on the beef burger was delicious. On the chicken burger, the green avocado, jalapeno, and cilantro sauce was tasty, with just a bit of spice from the jalapeno.

One lunch came with fries, which seemed hand-cut, and very tasty (if perhaps a bit small in volume), and we got a cup of their Creamy Bacon and Sage Potato Soup with the other. The soup was fantastic - almost like eating super creamy mashed potatoes, with chunks of bacon and potato in it.

Prices are perhaps a bit high for the area, although the quality of the food (and the service - Tony was a wonderful server) were both top notch. We're looking forward to return trips to try other items from the menu.

[2023-04-04]: Just a quick update to say that we've been back here a number of times, and have been very happy each time. The service and the food are always excellent, and it just feels like folks here are really interested in making your visit a pleasant one.

I noticed that if you bring your receipt back, you can get a 50% discount on an appetizer order. There are several Starters I want to try, but with all those extra calories, I'd have to have my main course to go. :⁠-⁠) Next time, I guess I'll have to skip lunch to leave room...

Anyhow, this is a great place for food, a nice view from on high, and you get to support a local business as well. Give it a try if you get the chance, you won't be...