Bristol Bar & Grille Downtown — Restaurant in Louisville

My husband and I have been regular patrons of The Bristol for over 20 years. Going all the way back to the (now gone) Jeff waterfront location, and before that frequently going to the Bardstown Rd location.

First, I need to share a good experience to establish a point. A few months ago we ordered carry out from downtown Bristol and it was one of the most wonderful experiences I've had at any restaurant. When I came in to pick up, I was waited on by the manager on duty. I requested no disposable silverware with the carry out food. We exchanged a nice conversation about some city regulations (that never came to pass) that would've required restaurants to ask patrons if they needed disposable silverware or the restaurant would get fined. He expressed how problematic such a rule would be for restaurants to have to abide by, but that at the Bristol, they wanted to cut down on the amount of disposables they sent out anyway - so he was happy to make sure I didn't get any disposable items in the carry out. I really appreciated the conversation, and it re-committed my endearment to supporting them as a local establishment. However.... Last Friday, December 22, we placed a $78 carryout order (which included a $10 tip) at 7:22pm (Check #106). We picked it up at 8pm. The Bristol didn't close until 8:30. It's relevant to mention that because when I came in to pick up the order - the male employee working the bar - who was the person in charge of handling carry outs - was so rude that I may never go back. I approached the bar and asked him if he had the order, and if we could please have it with NO disposable utensils - the SAME request I had made with the manager before. He said, "Well it's already been bagged and it's probably in there." He handed me the bag. It was wide open. I looked inside and saw 4 bundles of disposable utensils right on the top. I asked, "Can I just give these back to you, we really don't need them." He said, "No, I don't have a trash can up here to throw them away." His tone was curt. I pulled them out of the bag and said, "I really don't want to throw them away, I simply want to return them. There's nothing wrong with them and they haven't been used." He literally snatched them from my hand and said "Sure, whatever." and walked away back into the kitchen area. As he walked away, I apologized for having inconvenienced him. I was literally dumbfounded at the unnecessary and disrespectful attitude I encountered. It was still 30 minutes before closing, so he had plenty of time to get his other duties finished. The bar was completely empty. There was not one person at the bar. The kitchen was just a few steps away. My request LITERALLY couldn't have taken him more than 60 seconds to oblige. On top of that - I had given a $10 TIP on a carryout! Which I immediately wanted to rescind but did not. Nonetheless, it was an insulting reaction on his part - and happening on a night when we were having our own trying time as a family and needed a break. And unfortunately for this bartender - his behavior hurts him most in the end. When we have a good experience, we are repeat customers and good tippers. We are extremely loyal patrons and enjoy supporting the staff at places we frequent. And there are plenty of options. We love Jeff Ruby's, Mortons and plenty of other local establishments - and I have NEVER once had that kind of experience with their staff. Nothing even close. It's not that hard to remain cordial with customers who are reasonable and kind. I definitely don't go out to be treated in that way. And I didn't say anything to him that was rude or disrespectful. My request was so easy to fulfill - and from my previous visit and understanding with the management - was in line with the restaurant's own unofficial policies - to cut down on unnecessary waste. At this time, we will not be returning to the Bristol out of principal. Clearly there is a problem there that needs addressed in terms of what's acceptable treatment for...

I feel like if I write how bad this experience was, it may seem so bad that no one will believe me.

Salad course 45 min after ordering, server told us they were out of blue cheese dressing. A minute later, we got our salads, but we were missing silverware. Had to find someone to get it. Salad tasted good.

Entree course Food came out 10 minutes after salads, and I know that my food had been sitting under a warmer for a while. Plate was hot, but food looked old and chicken was lukewarm. Luckily, Teresa's sweet chilli linguini would be good if you found it on the side walk in front of the Bristol so I still enjoyed it.

Appetizer course Never got our appetizer. After telling the person who brought our food (not our server), the server comes out and says, "Well do you still want it?" We say yes and wontons comes out in 4 minutes.

Bonus points Not one single water refill even after asking. Had to go to bar to get our own waters. I constantly saw the server running back and forth but doing nothing productive. I'm pretty sure his other three tables were mad or upset with him. He never checked on the table, not after the salad course or entree.

He only asked about the appetizer and that's it. That's why we couldn't get waters or silverware or even a goodbye from him after we paid the check. He literally didn't even say have a nice day despite the fact that we STILL tipped him 20% because my sister and I both used to be servers and we can't help it. There wasn't a possibility of taking to a manager either because we were almost late to our show at the Kentucky Center which started at 8pm despite having reservations at 6pm.

Seriously the worst experience I've had at a restaurant in ages, and we had the pleasure of paying $30+ each for it.

Side note: a week later, my parents went and had a fabulous time. So, maybe it's just this server. I have his name and the receipt if a manager...

One of the worst experiences at a restaurant that I've had recently, unfortunately. Sat down in a group of 3 for a quick bite and drink. The single bartender was clearly overwhelmed. Still took our order and got our drinks reasonably quickly. When the food started coming out is when things went downhill. The waiter put a burger in front of me, but right when I was about to grab it, pulled it away from me. He then proceeded to give it to another person. Then, a little later, he brought out more food and proceeded to give it to the wrong person. The guy that got the food even picked up the burger and was about to take a bite when the waiter said wait. He took it back and put another burger and an appetizer in front of him. This time, the guy told the waiter this second set of food wasn't his. He eventually brought it over to us. The burger was pretty good, though small. The artichoke fritters, according to my buddy however, were inedible. We were also charged for an extra beer, but by the time we noticed, we didn't want to wait for the overwhelmed bartender to try and fix it. Tl;dr: overwhelmed bartender, disorganized staff, solid burger (though small), and other food can be (maybe?) a hit, but also...