The Crown & Anchor — Restaurant in Monterey

I never take time to write reviews on places, but I just couldn't let this one go buy without saying something. I've been going to this place on and off over the years, but I think it is time to say goodbye for good. I had a most disturbing experience with a waiter at this restaurant last night. I came in with a friend around 9:15 and sat down on the patio to have a meal. We were really hungry after a long day, and my friend and I made plans to grab dinner and catch up somewhere good. He chose Crown and Anchor. We waited for a really long time before anyone acknowledged that we were seated. The waiter came up to us around 9:30 (about 15 minutes after we sat down) and took a drink order, which I usually don't drink but thought it sounded fun because it was a pub. When he brought the drinks, he asked if we wanted to order food. I said yes, but we don't have menus. He disappeared for a while and eventually brought us menus and then left again. Suddenly, a big party of 6 people came in around 9:45 from out of town and were seated. From then on, we were pretty much ignored as we spent the rest of our evening trying to flag down the waiter that kept telling us to hold on. He finally walks up to our table at 10 pm to take our order. Right in the middle of me telling him the order, he holds his phone up with the time on it and says, "Oh, we stop serving food at 10 pm" and literally walks away and ignores us again for pretty much the rest of the evening. To add insult to injury, he then goes and brings dish after dish after dish of food to the other larger parties table, which I found annoying because they sat down after us. I really enjoyed watching this other table, eating the dinner my friend and came to enjoy. I was so upset and mad at this point. He walks up to us literally 20 minutes later and asks if we want anything else. I wanted to punch him in the face. "Could you please bring our check?" I asked. And for the first time in quite a few years, I did something that I hadn't done in a long time. I left NO tip. Honestly, the tourists seem to keep this place going because I really don't see what the hype is about beyond some cute decor. This restaurant needs to treat locals better. Try London Bridge down the street. Better wait staff...

Been here several times - Every time before tonight, I have had no complaints. Good food, good portions, usually good service. Tonight, my meal (the BBQ chicken slider special to be served with either soup, salad or fries) was served with fries - not because I chose fries, but because "it's what most people want" (according to the waitress, when I asked her why I wasn't given the option for the salad when I ordered).

When I spoke to her later and suggested she actually offer the patrons the choices posted on the menu when they are ordering (as most restaurants do, just like they ask you what kind of toast you want with your breakfast, etc.), she became visibly irritated and defensive and stated she DID offer me a salad - even though it wasn't until after I had already received the food and asked her about the salad. She continued trying to argue with me. Not once did she apologize or accept accountability for neglecting to correctly take my order in the first place. Her comment about fries being "what most people want" was rude, snarky and insulting. Some of us have dietary restrictions, some of us can't eat fried foods, or perhaps we have medical issues and/or allergies that play a part in what we eat. This is why it is VERY important to make sure you get your customer's order correct - don't just assume they would choose option XYZ because it's what "most people want." Not sure I will be back after this, which is a shame, because I do like their food, and every other staff member that I've encountered has been great. Had she apologized and accepted responsibility, I might feel differently about the situation overall. But her eagerness to argue and prove her point that she did, at one point, offer me a salad, was not only poor customer service, but poor...

Came in during the afternoon to share a beverage with a couple of friends, were greeted with smiling faces and seated promptly by the bartender. We were not asked if we would be dining, but were seated in the dining room since (we assumed) the bar area was very crowded. We ordered our drinks and established that we did not plan to order food (at least not immediately) with our server. About five minutes passed and our server sheepishly approached our table to ask if we would mind moving to a smaller table in the bar area because his manager did not like when they had people only order drinks in the dining area. And the manager was doing her rounds in the dining room just a few feet away. Awkward, since this could’ve been avoided if we were asked ahead of time so we could be seated in a “more appropriate location” in-keeping with the manager’s policy, and we had already placed our drink order. I offered to order some appetizers to meet this requirement, and he said that he’d make it work. After our drinks arrived, we were still moved to a table in the back of the dining area. We love the ambiance in this bar, and the service has been great in the past. Just a recommendation to maybe handle situations like this differently...