SANDBAR — Restaurant in Oak Bluffs

I’ve been coming to Sandbar for the past 2-3 summers and the service hasn’t always been the greatest, but I’m pleasantly impressed and happy to say that things have changed a lot! I went in to have lunch about two weeks ago with my family and friends, and my waitress, Stephanie, which I’ll mention sadly, is the only Black server I’ve ever seen in there , was excellent.

I worked as a server for many years during and after my undergrad years. I don’t anymore thankfully, but I’ve done it long enough to recognize and differentiate between a lack luster server and an experienced one.

Now I will say this: Sandbar is a casual young place to grab a drink and a quick bite after the beach, or to enjoy the harbor view before getting on the ferry. So I understand that they hire a lot of college kids that don’t really prioritize a summer job in there. This year, you can tell that management is paying attention to the reviews because Stephanie is clearly an experienced server.

She was extremely attentive and patient with my family, especially my children. She knew to order their food first to keep them calm. When you go out to eat with children it’s always a challenge. And she knew to prioritize getting their food and drinks out first.

She was able to help us navigate the menu ( my sister has some allergies and she made some safe recommendations for her), we loved the drink recommendation she made and when the food was a little delayed she maintained communication with us constantly and just kept us informed on the status of everything. At one point my friend who was with us mentioned that the waitress was more worried about the food then we were. The entire experience was excellent, her service was top notch, she was caring, warm, attentive and friendly. I can not rave enough.

I asked her to speak to the manager to tell him/her how amazing the experience was and she told me that she appreciated it but that she would prefer if I just kept coming to Sandbar and telling my friends and family to come as well. I highly recommended Sandbar if you’re in Martha’s Vineyard and ask for Stephanie if she’s still there. I was able to speak to her and she’s definitely going places. She’s definitely an asset to that place. Thanks for...

I’m not someone who usually complains or leaves bad reviews—I run a small business myself, so I understand how challenging it can be. That said, this experience was disappointing and honestly unacceptable.

My friends and I were excited to try this restaurant for the first time. The food was okay—nothing special—but the real issue came when my friend ordered a burger. She ate a bit and thought it was fine at first, but as she got to the center, she noticed a strange taste. When she checked it under better lighting, it was almost completely raw in the middle—not just pink, but raw. We brought it to the waitress’s attention, and even she agreed it was undercooked. However, she offered to just throw the original burger—bites taken out and all—back on the grill. Honestly, that was gross and totally unacceptable.

She then asked if my friend wanted the burger remade, but by that point the rest of us had nearly finished eating, and my friend had completely lost her appetite. The waitress walked away and didn’t address it again. We asked to speak with the manager, thinking surely they would make it right. Unfortunately, we were met with a rude response and only offered to have the drinks (which were just water) taken off the bill. After a long conversation, they finally gave a small discount on the burger—no apology, no real acknowledgment of how upsetting the situation was.

I truly wish this had gone differently, but I can’t say I’ll...

Went beginning of the season. Staff was nice, the owner….. a rude unprofessional human being. Turns out that he also has a reputation around the island of being the same thing. Here’s the story: We went to sandbar, was a little chill asked to buy a sweatshirt vs a tee shirt. They don’t normally sell the sweatshirt. They sold us one, we even tipped $20 on top of it. As we were leaving and waiting for our uber, some man walks across the street and said “ hey where did you get that sweatshirt from?” We started to tell him and he goes “ yea, I know who did, I’m going to go fire him right now, I’m sick of guys like you coming here with a little money and doing this” WHAT??? Next thing we know the owner dragged the server/manager outside and said “ if you want to keep your job go get the sweatshirt “ the poor manager. We gave him the sweatshirt in complete shock and disgust for how he was being treated over a sweatshirt. Mind you, they sell the tee shirt!! That staff also wears! That’s not how you talk to customers or your employees. Also out the $40 for the sweatshirt and the $20 tip. And no the manager didn’t pocket the $40 it was rung up via...