Hard Rock Cafe — Restaurant in Ledyard

Decided to do a last minute night out after the holiday madness with my partner. We decided on hard rock as we had both never eaten there before, only previously stopping in for drinks. We were both equally disappointed with the small size of the menu but didn’t judge too harshly as sometimes it’s a great business strategy. However, this was far for the worst of what we experienced. To start, while it was steady it wasn’t packed. Yet we still had a 30 minute wait. Once our table was called a very kind hostess with a bright smile showed us to our table and pointed out the restrooms for us. Then the trouble began. We were sat at a booth which typically isn’t an issue however I am currently 8 months pregnant and was unable to fit comfortably without my belly pushing up against the table. Seeing as they were busy enough for a wait and we were both pretty hungry I chose to make the best of it and not make a huge deal. Then came the food. Took a little longer than expected to receive our food and a huge part of me now wishes we never got it in the first place. I had order the loaded tots and a side of Mac and cheese while my partner ordered the pulled pork sandwich with cheesy bacon fries. Immediately, I noticed how dry the pulled pork looked so before digging in to save everyone the hassle I asked for a side of bbq sauce which came very quickly. The puzzling part was the fact the pulled pork in both my tots and my partners sandwich was ice cold in most spots and room temp at best in others. However, the bbq sauce I ordered on the side was piping hot?! Very confusing and slightly concerning. My Mac and cheese was also room temp at best. Flavor wise I personally won’t complain because everyone enjoys different things and I could chalk it up to just not being my cup of tea. We chose not to speak up due to the fear it would take another 40 minutes for the food and we didn’t want to have the waitress pay for a possible comped meal out of her own pocket as most places do. The service was very friendly and outgoing but also a little slow. The real problem started after we began eating. Aside from flavors not being quite right, we both noticed a very interesting and lingering taste left behind from the pork. Unfortunately, here we are a few hours later and we are both very sick. Because I’m 8 months pregnant, depending on how the symptoms progress in the next hour or so I will most likely end up needing to go to the hospital just to monitor the baby while my body works out whatever bacteria was in the pork. I understand staffing issues have hit every business pretty hard, but that can not excuse the sheer lack of care in the kitchen. This place is actively putting its patrons in harms way by not practicing proper food safety/ handling. Truly hoping this is the worst of it and everyone, including my partner and I can walk away with nothing more than a bad experience. I pray that this is taken seriously so others don’t have to go through...

I normally try not to write negative reviews but this one needs it so you all are aware before you spend your hard earned money on a dinner or lunch. I recently had an incredibly disappointing experience (Super Bowl Sunday) at this restaurant that needs to be shared. When we arrived, the hostess was visibly frazzled. We told her we had a party of five and needed a bigger table because we were expecting an additional four to five people for drinks after our meal. You would have thought we asked her to cater a party of thirty with the way she reacted. She looked at us, stormed away for about eight minutes, and then returned to say she needed to get a table ready for us, despite the restaurant being nearly empty with only about ten patrons.

After being seated, we waited at least 15 minutes for our waiter to come to our table. He finally took our drink orders, but it took an absurd 25 minutes—or more—to receive the first round. When it was time to order food, my sister-in-law simply asked for a burger with Swiss cheese cooked medium rare and no lettuce. The waiter appeared confused and had to go back and forth with her for several minutes before he finally understood her order.

When our food finally arrived—after a frustrating 35 to 40 minutes—we were nearing 4 PM, despite being seated at 2:30. We attempted to order a second round of drinks, which took yet another 20 to 25 minutes, all while the restaurant remained mostly empty. Meanwhile, the manager was walking around changing the TV to set up for the Super Bowl, seemingly more focused on that than on the customers and her staff.

The service was absolutely horrendous—without a doubt, the worst I've ever experienced. I can’t even remember the waiter’s name; he looked like a rockstar with tattoos and had a deep voice.

As for the food, it was equally appalling. My chicken sandwich was overcooked, the cheese was burnt, and the bread was stale. I substituted fries for a Caesar salad, which had more croutons than lettuce. For $6.50, I was lucky to get seven pieces of cut-up romaine. My husband ordered his burger without onions, yet it arrived piled high with them. My sister-in-law received a Swiss burger cooked well with onions and mushrooms, which was not what she wanted. We all ate our meals, terrified to send anything back for fear of how long it would take to get replacements.

This restaurant should be ashamed of the quality of their food and the level of service they provide, especially considering the prices they charge. I will...

I am writing to address the lunch my family and I had on 10-27-19! To say that this visit was unsatisfactory would be a complete understatement. From start to finish. My family (seven in total) approach the hostess bench to a woman employed by you named Ashana. Her attitude and hatred for her job were shining through on her absolutely disgusted wait when I simply asked how long the wait was. She extremely rudely and sharply state TWENTY MINS! As other people approached the line her face became more and more irate. We decide we are STARVING and despite her rudeness assumed the rest of the lunch would go fine as she obviously wouldn't be our server. Our text comes through at 1:45pm that our table was ready. We walk down the stairs and then wait while Ashana extremely slowly and miserably clears the table and sets it up. All the while slamming dishes into a dish bin. She then motions for us to sit. Again, miserably giving us menus and then walking away. We were relieved. Our waitress comes over after about 15 mins of us sitting there. She was very sweet. Asked us our drinks. My brother in law and I both order the Mango Tango (a 7 dollar drink no free refills) He takes two sips of his and its gone and I go to tease him and then I see that there was barely any room for an actual drink because its filled to the brim with ice. I asked the waitress about it and she says "they are made like a cocktail" I show her the difference between our cups and she says "I dont know why guess you got a good one" I have attached the photo of the vast difference in our drinks.

Now we order two apps. They came out pretty quickly. She sets them down and says now I will put your lunch in and walks away. We had expressed to her when she asked how we were that we were starving so we all ponder why would wait to put our order in until AFTER the apps come out. Another 45 mins go by and we FINALLY get our food. Disappointing to say the least. ZERO flavor on the burgers. Sauce on chicken sandwich that said no sauce.

This entire experience was awful start to finish. Also, the ketchup on the table that was left over from the peachy hostess cleaning that stained my mothers white sweater when we first sat down set a nice...