The Lancaster Dispensing Company — Restaurant in Lancaster

Came to Lancaster for a one night stay on our way home from NYC only to find that a lot of places are closed on Mondays. Someone suggested this as a dinner option that was open and oh my goodness was it the best suggestion!

We started with the wings- the sweet heat dry rub and Nashville hot sauce on the side. The plan was to eat a few and take the rest with us. There were none left to take home. They were cooked perfectly and both the rub and the Nashville sauce were full of flavor and excellent.

For our meals, my husband got the tenderloin sandwich- he thought it was delicious, but wasn't expecting the gravy like sauce on it (although he did say he may just have not read that on the menu). My teenage son and I got the beef brisket sandwich on the pretzel bun. I'm not sure if it was an Amish pretzel bun or what but it was like no other! The sandwich as a whole was incredible. The brisket literally melted in your mouth, it was so tender and full of flavor. I got a side of waffle fries, too and they were seasoned perfectly.

When we first walked into the restaurant there weren't a lot tables but by the time we left there were people waiting at the door. It filled up quick! The drink selection was nice. The taproom was very cozy and holiday feeling without being too much. It was a really nice environment. Our original server seemed to get a little overwhelmed at the dinner rush and there was a second server that started taking care of us the second half of the meal. Again, it filled up quick so trying to give some grace that that's why the original server never came back to check in. Both servers were very friendly and the food suggestions were on point.

Pricing was very reasonable. We would 100% come back here without hesitation if we are...

Only after ordering our meal did my eyes wander to discover two of the employees that prepare foods were NOT wearing gloves or hairnets! The means by which they cleaned their hands seemed to simply be wiping them on their aprons. It’s particularly concerning to me because I have a shellfish allergy and could potentially end up in a life threatening situation. (I’m a vegetarian and typically only dine in restaurants that cater to my diet but this place seemed to have multiple options and I didn’t think about that prior to the visit).

I immediately lost my appetite and raised my concerns to one of the servers. She was quite dismissive and stated there’s a wash bucket for the kitchen staff to clean their hands and gloves are not required (this only raises more questions- what are the components and their concentrations of this alleged wash solution and how often is it refreshed? ) This server complained to the bartender, who later had the gall to confront me about leaving a poor review.

To the bartender, I understand you may have been irritated when you accosted me for leaving a negative review but I was in no way rude or aggressive in expressing my concerns to you. It doesn’t matter whether or not gloves are a health code requirement or if the foods are prepared at different stations in the kitchen. The fact that I do not feel comfortable consuming food that was not prepared; to what I believe is a basic hygienic standard, should not be scrutinized when I politely ask twice to return the meal.

To her credit she did, albeit grudgingly, remove the meal from my bill but that doesn’t make up for poor service even before the food arrived. Needless to say, I will certainly not be returning to this establishment or recommending anyone else...

A friend and I stopped in for a few drinks after dinner elsewhere last Friday night. When we entered, the place was packed but there were two open seats at the bar which had clearly just been vacated, based upon the empty glasses still on the bar and signed receipt.

We sat down to secure the seats, knowing the bartender would have to clean up and we were certainly understanding of this. We just wanted to be sure we had a seat.

He saw us sit down and literally did not acknowledge us at all. No 'hey folks, be right with you", nothing. He was 4 - 5 ft away. He immediately looked annoyed. After a minute or two, he approaches us with rag in hand and the first thing he says to address us as your customer is "Everything Up!" in a demanding tone. We understood this to mean to pick up our things, which consisted of a pair of gloves and my leftovers from dinner, which I had temporarily set down off to my side while we waited to be acknowledged.

He then proceeds to pick up my purse, which was further off to my side and over a foot away from the glassware in front of us, wipe under it and slaps it back down on the bar. There was no reason to touch my purse at all. Overall, it was the rudest experience I have had at a bar/restaurant.

We ordered a drink but immediately decided we would go elsewhere after we were done with that one because there are most certainly other, more hospitable, options in the City. Won't be back and wont recommend that our guests go there either....