Elsa's On the Park — Restaurant in Milwaukee

On April 01, 2022, after being recommended and accompanied by one of the employees of the restaurant, my company and local employees living in the area decided to have dinner here. The food and our server were wonderful but I had an experience with the manager that I will not soon forget causing the entire evening to be ruined and frankly still very upsetting.

The restaurant was very busy and my party of three sat down at roughly 7:05 PM in the center of the restaurant's left side of the bar. We had ordered appetizers, and drinks, and the evening started out rather well.

At or around 8:00 PM our main dish came and I received word two others would be joining us. Having asked our waiter, he said this was fine. I grabbed a chair next to the table we had been sitting at and was stopped by who I later found out to be the manager his name has been removed in accordance with review yelp guidelines. When he stopped me he looked be very angry, I approached him and asked if I did something wrong his response

"You are loud, we are busy, I have other people waiting, and we are only tolerating you because you're with that (N-word) name -who is an employee- (He also went on to insult me and the employee I was with). Most notable, he said to "pay your check and get out"

Rather upset, I asked three other restaurant staff what I was missing, if something had happened. They all apologized on his behalf even offering to comp our meal which we insisted not be done. A customer also noticed what happened and he could not believe what he witnessed and took place.

I have never had a worse experience at a restaurant or encountered someone as rude as this "manager" I will be reaching out to the restaurant personally to see if I can reach the owners. As a restaurant owner myself, I would certainly want to know if my managers acted like this and I hope those who review this think twice about spending money here. Plenty of wonderful places to eat in this town and granted I could tell the employees have been very embarrassed and told me this kinda behavior is normal, they looked like they had been in fear which I may look...

Communication is not apparent among the staff, and guest experience is not a priority to this establishment. I called an hour ahead to ask them when the kitchen closed. They told me 11 pm. We arrived at 9:50 to get a table. We stood there for 5 minutes no one greeted us staff walked by, no explanation eye contact nothing. We decided to leave and get food at Taylors but there oven was broken. So we decided to give Elsa's another shot. We called ...I told the staff I noticed they were too busy for a table and asked if I could order food to go. She said sure and asked for my payment information.... Then put me on hold. She never came back to the phone.... 7 minutes went by so I walked over still on hold to tell the bartender what happened. I told him I had already put in my order so if he could check. He told me .... "I'm just the bartender...." Well with that attitude buddy that's probably all you'll ever be. Then a guy name Brian comes over says hes the manager. I asked a about the food .... He said they suspended the service 30 minutes ago. I was just there not only that but I was just on the phone and showed him I was still on the line. He did not apologize did not offer any other solutions or did not seem to think my business was important. I told him he had lost a great costumer from today's experience because I will not be bringing anymore out of town guests there. I feel terrible I even suggested this place. They can't handle being busy and don't understand communication goes along way. Patrons don't mind being turned away but don't poke around with them and ignore and play mind games. Very disappointed in how I was treated and how non chalant the staff was. You expect things like this from McDonald's... I strongly suggest not going when it's busy. But if you actually want to be treated like a human being I suggest not going at all. The screen shot is a picture of...

I've been coming here for over 30 years (I'm 50 yo) but it's progressively gotten WORSE. It's obvious Karl Kopp no longer runs his signature jewel, Elsa's on the Park. The restaurant, itself, is beautiful but it no longer stands out as a premier burger place, regarding the food and service. The waffle fries are GONE (BIG MISTAKE) as are the silver bowls that many items used to be served in. Now, it's just a place that offers half pound burgers on white cafeteria plates with little silver cups to place the fries in, copying many other restaurants. Pedestrian and unoriginal. So, the day I went, I ordered a burger, MEDIUM, received it BLOOD RED and RARE so I sent it back for a little more fire. The exact burger! Not a new one, which totally fine. Unfortunately, it came back charred and burned, completely inedible so I showed the server. She removed it. Next, I ordered the Golden Gate cake which used to be my favorite. Unfortunately now, their desserts are plated and left in a walk-in refrigerator until they're ready to be served. So, when my dessert finally arrived to the table, it was FREEZING COLD; the plate, the cake and the butterscotch swirls that go over the cake, itself. My server said the cake is supposed to be served "cold," which was not the case in the past. Who's the drunk who thinks COLD sponge cake is appetizing??? The presentation was and IS subpar. I had to scrape the butterscotch off the plate with extra effort in order to even take a bite. So, whoever has been managing the place and making decisions, that person's directives have been a losing combination. Maybe if the newer clientele has nothing to compare it to, they will like what is being served. But, I remember the days when quality and service mattered. Karl had an eye for everything and had his eye ON everything at all times. Obviously, those days are LONG gone. HORRIBLE. I'll...