Sea Watch On the Ocean — Restaurant in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea

The manager made me cry

I have never in my life written a negative review of anything and am mortified by the circumstances leading me to do so.

To preface, our waitress was LOVELY, attentive, and accommodating. The atmosphere was nice. The food was bland and mid with a hefty price tag. But what’s prompting this review is the treatment I received from the restaurant manager.

The cooks on my boyfriend and I’s steaks were overdone. I’ve never complained at a restaurant before, but this was our big splurge dinner for our trip. We’d been saving and picking up extra shifts to afford it. When the waitress first asked how everything was, we said good. We’d only had a bite or two and thought maybe the middle would be cooked correctly. As we continued, it was clear the steaks were completely overcooked. I wasn’t planning to send them back; I just wanted to see if there might be anything to compensate for the incorrect cook. Literally even a free beer. I was fine and prepared for the answer to be no.

We didn’t see the waitress again until near the end of our meal. I iterated ABUNDANTLY, I totally understand if nothing can be done, but the steaks were overdone and I was wondering if there’s anything we can do. She was kind and said she’d ask the manager.

For context, I’ve worked as a waitress for 5 years and in the food industry for 7. I understand that refiring food mid-rush is a hassle, which is why I asked at the end and didn’t request the meals be comped. I just wanted something minor. What I was suggesting or opening the conversation to would literally cost the restaurant less than remaking the food.

The manager comes over, no greeting, not even a simple “hello,” scoffs at us, and says in a snarky, aggressive tone, “Um yeah, I’m not comping anything at all.” Before we could respond, she launched into how we “ate it all” (not that this REALLY matters but our plates were not empty) and waved her hands at us, raising her voice saying “At our restaurant you can’t eat your meal and then say you don’t like it. You take one bite, you don’t like it, you tell the waiter. She came over to you didn’t she?”

I was stunned by her voice, scoffing, and belittling tone. I wouldn’t let friends speak to me that way, let alone a manager I’d never met. I barely got to say the waitress had stopped by but we hadn’t gotten far into our steaks, that we never asked for free meals, didn’t want to send them back, and were fine if nothing could be done. If she’d just greeted us and calmly explained there’s nothing they could do, I would’ve accepted it.

Instead, I left crying. My boyfriend left irritated and disgusted. It was humiliating to be aggressively talked down to in front of diners and staff when we were only hoping for maybe a beer after our $54-per-person meal was wrong.

As someone in the industry who has dealt with truly difficult guests, I could never imagine speaking to anyone with such aggressiveness, snappiness, and unprofessionalism.

Beyond the way we were treated, the food was bland. The scallops were meh, vegetables seasonless, and the steaks overcooked, dry, and flavorless. Also the steaks had a weird metallic taste. I’ve never had a steak taste just off like that. I just think it was poorly prepared but it was unsettling. A review posted an hour ago said the same thing saying the steak was “sour.” I agree and it was disappointing.

I hope this message is addressed, either directly or internally. No one should ever be left humiliated and crying for gently inquiring about their incorrect,...

Sea Watch – Feb 15, 2025

Had dinner here with three friends. The place is beautiful, kinda fancy, and has a great view. We even took a walk by the beach out back. With how nice it looked, I had high expectations.

Service started off fine, the waiter was friendly, though I don’t recall him recommending anything. No big deal.

We ordered octopus to share (amazing, by the way, honestly could be a main dish), plus two salads. Two friends got the grouper, I went with the swordfish, and another friend ordered the filet mignon, medium. We planned to share ours so, in our mind, it’s like surf-and-turf combo. I also asked for a Moscato but wanted it brought out after my entrée came.

Now, here’s where things went downhill. The fish dishes were great, but the filet mignon? Definitely not medium, more like well-done. Mistakes happen, but the real issue? Our waiter never checked on us. As someone who’s worked in restaurants, I know a good server checks the steak temp either right away or after a few bites. We waited and waited…nothing. I finally had to get up and ask another staff member to find our waiter. That staff member took the steak back and apologized, but our waiter didn’t even stop by to acknowledge it. Disappointing, because he seemed like a nice guy.

Luckily, since we were sharing, my friend still had half of my swordfish to eat.

A woman who seemed like a manager came by to check in. My friends said everything was fine, but I mentioned the steak issue since she asked. She apologized and said, “Maybe I won’t charge you for the cake.” (One of my friends had brought a birthday cake, and they normally charge $1.50 per person to serve it—not a big deal.)

The replacement filet showed up about 10 minutes after everyone was done eating, at that point, the meal was already over. We still ate it, but it wasn’t anything special. The side potatoes, though? Really good.

I told my friends that at most decent restaurants, they’d at least discount the fillet mignon if not void it entirely, getting your food after everyone else is finished is a huge bummer. I also wanted to check if they had put my Moscato on the bill since I never got it.

When the check came: ✔️ No charge for the cake service. ✔️ No Moscato listed. ❌ Full charge for the filet.

I appreciated the cake gesture, but charging full price for a steak that arrived after the meal was over definitely took away from the experience. Wouldn’t come back for the filet mignon, but the seafood and...

We've eaten at Sea Watch for years and usually had a very good experience. This time was very disappointing, both in the food and especially the service. We were given a very nice table outside as we requested. However our waitress was completely dismissive. It took nearly 30 minutes to just get waters at our table. We had to rely on other wait staff to answer questions and provide drinks. When she finally did show up, she took our order whereby I told her no less than 4 times that I had a gluten allergy. She even responded that she'd be sure to make a note of it. When the food came, it was not gluten free. Again I had to rely on another server to help correct the situation. Our server never once checked on us, brought us bread (that we asked for), or brought is drink refills. When I finally got my dinner (after everyone else at the table was finished, it was cold and the steak over cooked. Being that it was nearly 1 1/2 hours since being seated, I just gave up and ate some of it. Next, when I asked for a dessert menu, the server couldn't find one and rudely walked away. Now here's the best part, our server came to deliver the bill which was over $200. I would normally tip 20-25%. However in this case I tipped her about 5% (which was a gift, in my opinion). She even went so far as to blame me for not telling her of my gluten allergy. When when the table behind us (also very upset by the terrible service) vouched for me, she then blamed the other servers that were clearly trying to help her. As we were leaving, she was then standing at the upstairs bar chatting with a co-worker (which she did nearly all of the time she should have been waiting on us) at very loudly explained to co-workers and other customers of how insulted she was by the tip. I asked for a manager and after waiting 10 (after the place had closed), I was told he wasn't available. We've always enjoyed this place, but this experience has soured us. The host desk was completely disorganized with 3 ladies arguing with each other. I think management needs to see what's really going on with the experiences at this place. Our entire section became a community with our mutual contempt for the terrible service. Sea Watch....you're better than this. There is no excuse for so many families to have such a...