The Road Toad — Restaurant in Ligonier Township

I had the displeasure of dinning this evening at the Road Toad in Ligonier Pa. Let me preface this by saying that I have had many wonderful meals at this establishment and have spent thousands of dollars at this restaurant. The waitstaff was wonderful as is also always the case. However, I was absolutely APPALLED at the way the owner of this establishment treated us this evening. My husband and I made the mistake of brining our twelve-year old and two- year old with us for a nice family dinner. My children have always been well behaved and let me say I would be the first to correct them and insist on manners if they were out of line. My two-year old got up out of his seat, while we were waiting an extremely long time for our entrees. He ventured behind the hanging blinds that are attached to the patio door. He did this one time. The door was right next to his seat. He wasn’t pulling on the blinds or breaking them. I began to turn around to scold him and place him back in his chair when the owner came over and berated my husband and I multiple times and repeatedly demanded in a harsh tone that we “control our children”. On my honor this was the first and only time my child even got out of his seat and he was not running around screaming. Toddlers can certainly be temperamental, but this evening He wasn’t acting out in the least. All our toddler did was silently walk behind the blinds to look out at the creek. It all took place in a matter of seconds. The lack of empathy and respect that this man has for his paying customers is outrageous. The lack of humanity that this indigent person displayed was honestly frightening. I realize not everyone likes munchkins, but the establishment has a 12 and under menu. If children aren’t welcome, then I wish he would say as much. The lack of compassion was possibly attributable to the number of shots that I saw him down at his bar although I cannot say for sure what was in them, but I’m sure you can venture a guess. In any rate anyone who has ever had children, has children or ever plans on having children should NOT give this man a penny of their hard-earned money for he doesn’t deserve your patronage. I can only guess that he does not have children of his own or he would not have been so horrible to two parents trying their best and doing a darn good job at raising respectable children. Shame on him. PARENTS BEWARE. I am not overexaggerating this review or the lack of respect that this man showed to my family. His tone and actions truly were outrageous. I have NEVER left a negative review about anyone or anything before, but people, parents in particular, need to be aware of this monster. If you want your couple of hundred-dollar meal ruined make sure to bring your children to this establishment and the owner will be sure to oblige. A man like this should not be in the hospitality business. His behavior as a human being was DISGUSTING. It really is a shame that such a beautiful restaurant that we have adored over the years is owned by a man who is so hideous on the inside. I also am aware that sometimes people just have a bad day and sometimes act out of character, I assure you this was not the case with this individual. First, his terrible reputation proceeds him I just had never witnessed his ridiculous behavior personally. Second, within a minute or two he was kind and compassionate to the table who was sitting directly behind us without children. He may have even realized the error he made, especially when both of my children finished their meals without a peep, because he made his way back to us and tried to make small talk. It was too late to try to put on a front his true ugly character had already shown through. I hope this review aids in your decision when picking from the numerous lovely restaurants in our beautiful Ligonier. I would not venture into this “Toad” of a person’s establishment if I were you and especially if I...

I had a horrific experience here. However they get 4 stars for their ability to deal with it. I have no complaints about food or seating arrangements. We were sat even though we didn't have reservations. We chose this place for the fun looking exterior and it was located near the horse show I was attending with my son. We were not dressed to the 9's as we had to take care of the horse and it was a hot day. We did change clothes and noticed from google photos that the atmosphere was relaxed so we didn't think it an issue. We were asked of we had a reservation, we did not, and they still were able to accommodate the 4 of us. 2 children and 2 adults. We were seated near the bar/lounge area. It was lively and the bartender brought over crayons for my 2 year old and chatted with her a bit. They had a great childrens menu and we selected what we wanted and sat talking. My little girl sat very nicely in her highchair talking with her brother. Horses are her favorite 2 year old topic. She talks and gets excited, not yelling. Laughing and asking for her brother to respond. This horrible man at the table next to us got up , came over to me and told me she needed to "pipe down " as she was ruining his conversation. Then told me it wasnt her fault but mine. She was smiling and happy , laughing not screaming. I explained that she is a happy 2 year old. He didnt respond. The owner/manager came of and apologized for the man's behavior. It was not his fault but I appreciated the gesture. I told the manager that I would pay for their drinks and he said that wasn't necessary. I told him that it was because I wanted that man to know that I am better than him. His awful behavior did not reflect the circumstances and I wanted him to know that. The owner told me I was a classy women and I appreciated that. The guy must come there often as it seemed as if the knew him? Maybe speculation but something was off. However the myriad of things I wanted to convey to this man for , was vast. He is lucky he caught me on a good day. I'm an emergency health care worker and decided his rudeness can't take away from the happiness I was feeling about having a healthy family and healthy children. I hope that unhappy man choked on the glass of cabernet 😉 Bravo to the establishment for trying to make us...

Our son's family came in from Texas for my husband's birthday and we decided to try the Road Toad because of the 4 star reviews. We called ahead for reservations and asked if we could have a table with a nice view and was told all their tables were in nice rooms. We arrived and were escorted to our table. The temperature outside today was in the 90's with high humidity and I have to say the area we were seated wasn't much cooler even with the a/c. They don't allow tank tops or shorts, so if that is the case, you need to turn the a/c up a little higher so people can enjoy their meal without sweating! My son and husband ordered the New York Strip and it had a very bland taste considering the price was almost $30. They had to add salt to it just to give it some flavor. The crab cakes and shrimp tasted like it was frozen, I've had the real thing, I can tell the difference. My son ordered a Yuengling and he said it tasted watered down. The service was ok although I had to ask for a refill on my drink. Overall, our family felt the food was way over priced for the taste. Very disappointed considering we spent close to $200 for 4 adults and 1 child. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone who was looking for great...