Bobby Byrne's — Restaurant in Mashpee

We are locals and stopped in to have an early dinner (5 p.m. on a Saturday) before a movie. The bar was busy and the restaurant about half full. We sat at the bar and waited 20 minutes just to place a drink order.

Our bartender approached and my partner ordered a dirty gin martini with house gin. The martini arrived, not at all dirty, and it was made with vodka. When the bartender came back, we told her and she told us "no, I made it with gin". We politely invited her to taste the drink - because then she could see it was made with vodka. She declined and said "I'll make you another". We said, no thank you but she brought it anyway, yup, made with vodka. At that point she didn't ask, we were silent, and my partner did not drink either martini.

I'd like to note that we were very polite and respectful, we know the difference between vodka and gin, and were not in any way rude or mean to the bartender. She was not happy with us.

I'd note that my veggie burger was delicious, slathered with mushrooms and swiss and between a yummy almost focaccia like bun. My partner's reuben was above average but his fries were cold.

As locals, we understand well the shortage of staff at most places on Cape. I would note to the owner that the bar is high margin business and perhaps focus on getting that right first.

Until then, we...

After glancing the menu, I decided on a cup of tuscan kale and chorizo soup and a cattle club. A cattle club is a burger club. I’ve never been to an establishment that had burgers and clubs on the menu but wouldn’t be able to handle such a simple request.

But some places have a hard and fast no substitution rule and I can appreciate that.

What I cannot understand is why the whiny, underslept or hung over bartender would find it such an affront to ask for it, nor what he thought he would gain by answering so disrespectfully to a now former patron.

‘They’ll put it on toasted white, but they won’t cut it for you.’

‘Interesting policy,’ I commented.

‘I don’t care, they’re not making that for you.’ Replete with dismissive hand gestures. I owned and operated a pizza place for 13 years and the idea of one of my staff alienating a customer after saying no to them is so foreign to me I’m flummoxed.

I paid for my beer. Ordered no food. Left no tip. Emerging from a pandemic, I would think restaurant staff would be the opposite.

Done here for good. Phoned the hostess from my car. She was unsurprised by my revelations. Even told me I’m not the first to call on him. If the hostess knows, management obviously knows. Good luck with that...

Spare yourselves the hassle and skip altogether. I called last week asking how to proceed with a party of 10 guests that we wanted to take there after our daughters baptism. The hostess said to call about an hour before we arrive the day we plan to come so they can plan for a large party.

So today I called an hour before we arrived and the hostess (not the same one) thanked me for the advance notice and said they’d have the table ready when we got there. We show up and there are 2 hostesses, one said that they don’t take reservations and that there was no room. We tried to explain the situation when she cut us off to tell us that call ahead and reservations are the same thing and kept repeating that they don’t take reservations. She asked the hostess who took the call if she said they’d be able to accommodate us and she flat out lied and said it never happened….which is wild. Then they told us to go somewhere else. They either need to re-train or re-hire because I’ve never experienced anything like that. It’s a miracle small businesses are able to stay open with employees like that at the front...