Old Mill Brewpub — Restaurant in Lexington

Update: Owner deleted their response so I’ll post a screenshot for reference.

It seems the owner feels the necessity to point out the COST OF DOING BUSINESS in response to my negative review all the while assuming my faith and intentions in writing such a review. I am well aware of what it takes to run a small business and support them whenever I can. However, I was simply pointing out a flaw in their business practices. At no time have I ever, corporate restaurant or local eatery, encountered an upcharge for putting mustard on a burger. Who wants to eat a dry burger or sandwich? The owner stated in their response that it does not say condiments were included. So I checked the menu again. NONE of the burgers, nor most of the sandwiches, include condiments. If this owner feels it necessary to pass that cost on to the customer, then it should be stated somewhere on the menu; otherwise it’s a hidden fee as other reviewers have mentioned. People generally expect mayo, mustard, and ketchup to be included condiments unless otherwise stated so, yes, I was expecting the mustard to be included as it is in every other restaurant I have been in in this country.

Original post: Never have I ever been charged for mustard to put on a burger… but at this establishment they do!

I ordered the Alpine burger which was essentially a mushroom Swiss burger. When the food was brought out, the burger was just the patty, cheese, mushrooms, and bun. When the waitress stated she’d be back with ketchup for my fries, I asked for some mustard as well for the burger. She brought it out in a 2oz condiment cup full and I used about a tsp worth on my burger. Then the check came and there was a $0.30 charge for “extra sauce”. When I inquired about that with the waitress, she informed me that “anytime we have to get something from the kitchen there’s a charge.” I said I realize this is only 30 cents but I have never in my life been charged for mustard on a burger. She grabbed the manager who was rather defensive about the situation. Below is the conversation:

Me: I’m just trying to understand why there’s an extra charge for a condiment that is VERY TYPICAL for a burger. It’s not like asking for jalapeños or anything. Manager: Well we have to pay for those condiments Me: That’s why you factor those things into your pricing and it’s not noted anywhere on the menu that those things cost extra. Nor did the waitress say there was an extra charge when I asked for it. Manager: Well I didn’t write the menu and not everyone wants mustard for their burger so it’s not fair to include that in the price. Me: not everyone wants ketchup with their fries either but that was brought out at no charge so I fail to see the point. Manager: well I can take it off your bill or I can just give you the 30 cents.

The charge was begrudgingly removed from the bill by the manager after she stormed away. Again, this is not about the cost itself but the audacity to charge for a common condiment. Needless to say, I will never patronize this place again. For $12, I’ll just go to Five Guys where the burger tastes better and all the condiments and toppings...

So, My wife and I went here on a Friday evening about 6 pm. We were seated quickly, they put us as far in the back in the corner in the dark as they could ..... almost in the kitchen. There were plenty of open tables in the front near the windows and not congested with kitchen traffic. Not a good start, then we get our waitress, and I asked her "can you tell me a little bit about the Rueben Bites?" She replied, I am not really sure, I think they are little bites of steak? I was dumbfounded... and rather than saying I am not sure, let me find out, she was OK with her answer. So We made her stop another waitress to find out. OK so they "sounded good" and we ordered them. My wife ordered the deep fried Tilapia and I ordered the Brewpub Burger. I said I would also like the side salad for $2.99. My salad came relatively quick and it was good. After about another 20 minutes we still had not received our appetizer so I stopped the waitress and said, we probably should have gotten it by now, and if you bring it with my meal, I am going to send it back, it is an appetizer and should be served before the meal. She said she would check on it. About 5 minutes later she showed up with the appetizer and the meals. She apologized and said she was very sorry, and said if you would still like them i can leave them and I will just take them off the bill. So rather than argue, i said that would be fine because i really did want to try them. So I did, they were big crispy balls of cold mush inside, not good at all. I think they could have been good if they were a little smaller so they could cook better. Now on to my burger, the Bun was dry as can be, the burger was so over cooked it was actually burnt meat, there just ins't enough ketchup for that, I did not get my fries because the waitress decided my salad was in place of it. My wife said the fish was good but the tarter was terrible which in turn basically ruined her fish. So now if all of that was not enough, we get the bill and the Rueben bites were still on there. Once again rather than cause any fuss, we paid the bill and left, never to return. If I had to leave one important comment for thee management it would be, "Train your staff!" Not every one will ask to speak to a manager and or tell you what went wrong, they will just do like us, pay the bill, leave , never return and share our experience...

Sunday lunch is usually our day for getting seafood. We decided to try Old Mill after hearing good things about their Fish and Chips.

We found out after being seated about 2:15 PM that the full menu is not served until 3 PM! We decided to wait the 45 minutes, and ordered appetizers: fried green tomatoes, and pretzels with crab dip. I expected the pretzels to be salty, and they were - - but the saltiness of the dip was a surprise. I couldn't finish either. We couldn't eat the fried green tomatoes. They were not completely done. Parts of the batter were still uncooked. The waitress was properly apologetic and removed them from the bill. We have a thing about onion rings, so we ordered some onion straws, with the intent on sampling and taking them home. Physically, they looked maybe one step away from the onions you buy in a bag for green bean casserole. They were also too salty, so we left them.

We of course got the fish (tilapia) and chips. Our waitress was understanding, and put the order in early, so it would be ready when 3 PM rolled around. Tartar sauce was creamier (and maybe a bit more bland) than most. Not bad at all, though. Cocktail sauce could have used a bit more horseradish. It was not much different from ketchup. The fries were salty, but that was not unexpected.

But it was the fish where the saltiness really hit. The shrimp were nice and large. Their sheer size compared against the thinness of the salty batter kept the salt from being too much. The tilapia was another story. I ended up just taking the batter off the fish.

If someone wants to ADD salt, there is some on the table. But what can you do when the chef put in too much? You can't un-add it! Too much salt is a serious heart rhythm concern for some of us, besides being unpalatable. By the time we got home, my legs were blown up from fluid retention and I had to take some extra medicine that evening.

The slaw was nice, though. I personally was hoping for a bit more vinegary sweetness, and the cabbage processed finer so it is not so chewy (just my preference). The waitress was nice and polite, and addressed our concerns the best she could.

All in all, I give Old Mill...