Range Cafe Los Lunas — Restaurant in Los Lunas

Let me preface this review by saying that my daughter has been in the restaurant/beverage business for over 25 years and owned an eatery in Nob Hill (ABQ) for several years. So, I am aware that restaurant staff in the kitchen and front of house work hard and deserve appreciation. I like to express my compliments directly when they are deserved. As I told the manager, the veggie omelette and biscuit were very good; and, my server, Amber, very nice (although I had to remind her about the side dish - fruit - she'd forgotten to bring earlier). I also like to express my disappointment when warranted. At the end of the meal I did not expect additional charges that were not explainedthat were never explained before or after the meal; charges I did not see in the final bill because a hard copy was not presented - the total owed ($18+) was mentioned verbally as the waitress held an electronic hand register. It sounded a bit higher than I imagined ($13.95 + tax) but I did not ask why. She placed the device in front of me. It showed the tip options. I added a contribution and a generous tip (30+%). Once at home, when I reviewed the texted receipt, I saw TWO UNEXPECTED charges. I had asked about the types of bread available and biscuit was mentioned. I chose it. The waitress said, "no problem, I can substitute it." I also asked her if I could have a taste of the hollandaise sauce for the eggs Benedict. I gestured with my fingers saying "very little...I am curious." I was served more than a ladlefull in a sauce dish - I only sampled a teaspoonfull. The additional charge for these items is less than $2 each. The $ amount is not the point. What bothers me is the failure to inform the customer. Had I been told about the additional cost, maybe I would have chosen the standard bread that came with the dish; maybe I would have said 'forget it' about tasting the hollandaise sauce. As the customer, I was not allowed that choice. I am also bothered by the fact that the bill - hard copy or electronic - was not shown to the me (although my server did ask if I wanted to see it ... but AFTER I had paid, had selected the text option, and was ready to leave). I know, I could have asked. Next time. Am I too picky? Perhaps. But this review is not about what I could have done; rather, it's about restaurant practices. Don't trick, or make it appear like you are tricking,...

Wow!!! What a beautiful renovation to this space!!! Rustic, fun and Southwestern all at the same time. It was busy but not unreasonable, we waited about 10-15 minutes for dinner on a Saturday night. Menu is not huge but you can't go wrong with anything you choose....everything is delicious. Although it was busy our server was super attentive and our food came fairly quickly. I just had to send back my toast because it wasn't toasted at all...it was just warm bread but it came back perfectly toasted. They serve it with real butter and what looks like a home made jam...the jam is thick and sweet...so yummy!!!!! I got the Chicken Fried Steak with eggs....with green chile gravy...quite frankly that gravy is so good you could drink it!!!! I asked for an extra cup for my potatoes!!! Now by the time you finish your meal you are going to be full but by all means please get a dessert to go, or at least a delicious pasty for the next morning!!!! I got the key lime pie but to my chagrin it looked a little skimpy for their usual serving sizes and it looked like someone just threw a hunk of it in a to go box.....but it was still amazing!!! I also loved that their to go boxes are made of recycled materials!!!! One thing they lacked was toilet seat covers...i don't know why but i just think all public places should have them. But the bathroom is so bright, great choice of materials and fixtures in there. Aside from those 2 minor complaints....toast and mangled pie i would HIGHLY recommend The Range. So glad we got another quality food establishment in...

We arrived and there were several customers waiting, but not nearly as bad as other places in Los Lunas. We were seated in a reasonable amount of time (~10 mins). After we were sat by who I presume was the manager we waited just over 20 mins before someone came to take our drink order. Not good, drinks. This was the bartender and not the gentleman the manager said would be our server. She took our drink order bc she saw me taking a photo of the dining room that was more than 80% empty. After our drinks came it was another 20 mins before the food arrived via another server who didn’t stay around to even ask if we needed anything. Five mins later I finally walked to the register and asked if anyone had time to bring us more drinks. The food was ok, definitely not worth the hassle and poor customer service. I attribute this to the manager on duty since it appears where he sat us was the twilight zone and void of anyone actually taking care of that table. The people seated immediately behind my wife didn’t wait nearly as long, maybe 20 mins from sitting to receiving their food, and the server even brought them a carafe of coffee so they wouldn’t go dry. In all, I might give them another try, but only bc Los Lunas has very few options. I don’t recommend them but I can’t say stay away either bc where else will you go? Maybe Wendy’s next time. At least the service...