579 Benefit Street Restaurant — Restaurant in Pawtucket

Hi I am writing to give some feedback about my recent dining experience. Tonight I met a couple of friends for drinks and we had a less than enjoyable experience. I arrived at 579 and my friends were already there and had ordered an appetizer and drinks. I waited about 10 minutes for someone to even come over and acknowledge me and take my drink order and the bar was not busy and had about 4 bartenders wandering around. We waited about another 15 minutes to place a food order and again sat with empty drinks for a while. What really got me upset is a couple had come in which I am assuming they are regulars because the manager came over to greet them within 5 minutes of them sitting down and I hadn't seen him all night prior to that. Through out the night he continued checking in with them and never once checked on any other patrons at the bar. After about 2 hours or poor service I was annoyed and ready to leave and wanted to pay our bill. While waiting to pay with credit cards in hand and the register directly in front of us (about 15 minutes) the manager had made his way around the bar to continue his conversation with the couple. Not only was that taking place, but then proceeded to talk about how another employee rang something up wrong and how he wanted to make sure the bartender "bought" the couple drinks which I'm sure he comp'd. After being ignored, because I know they saw us, I finally got the managers attention and alerted him that we wanted to pay. He proceeded to tell the bartender standing directly next to him that we wanted to pay rather then taking the payment and processing it. As she was cashing out our tab, which we decided to split between 3 cards, she told the manager she had made a mistake and typed the wrong amount. The manager clicked a button and told her to process the payment again and the thing that upset me is that this happened to me the last time I came and they never told me so I had a double charge and about $140 on hold all weekend. It was my friends card so I said out loud to her that the same thing happened to me last time and she would see a double charge the manager totally dismissed what I said and could careless that it was something that had happened before and just proceeded to reiterate to my friend that the charge would fall off. The thing that upset me is why they thought it would be okay to double charge and not say anything because had I not said something they would not have addressed it. Furthermore, it was a mistake that was completely avoidable had they not been so wrapped up in their conversation with the couple. I am not sure if there was a change in management over the past 6 months because the service has become progressively worse. I have been to this establishment about 3 times in the past couple months hoping that things would get better and they are not. Unfortunately, this will be my final time dining here. I did want to share my feedback because I have dined at other castiglioni restaurants and have not received unprofessional and poor service like I...

We recently dined at this spot, opting to sit at the bar and enjoy a casual meal. We ordered shrimp cocktail, General Tso Cauliflower, and two wedge salads. While the shrimp cocktail arrived promptly on ice and was fine, the rest of the experience left a lot to be desired.

The wedge salads seemed to be a popular choice, judging by the number we saw leaving the kitchen. We asked for one with dressing on the side, but both arrived fully dressed. They were heavily overdressed for our taste, which overwhelmed what could have been a great salad.

Shortly after the shrimp cocktail, our entrees arrived, but we encountered a mix-up. We had ordered General Tso Cauliflower, but the food runner brought calamari instead. When we pointed this out, our server acknowledged the mistake and promised to adjust the bill. However, the adjustment simply involved changing the name of the dish, not the amount we were charged. When the cauliflower finally arrived, it was mediocre at best—heavily breaded, fried, and clearly food service quality, with too much wing sauce.

The service was another major disappointment. The bartenders never checked in after our food was served, and we had to track them down when we were ready to pay. While they were diligent about keeping the bar spotless, this attention to cleanliness came at the cost of customer service.

Adding to the frustrations, the restaurant passes along a 3% credit card surcharge, which seems to be becoming more common but feels like an unnecessary burden on the customer. Like kitchen fees and other miscellaneous charges, it leaves a bad taste in our mouth. While not unique to this establishment, it further discourages us from wanting to support this restaurant in the future.

Overall, the food was hit-or-miss, and the inattentive service, combined with the additional fees, left us underwhelmed. It’s a place with potential, but improvements are...

Me and my wife have been coming here of and on since management took over the former Checkers Club. We have been visiting Meritage in East Greenwich for years. The food and wait staff has been excellent. I stopped by today, Friday April 6th for drinks and appetizers and asked my wife to meet me there for drinks and later dinner. I had already started with drinks and a pizza. My wife called and was running behind because of traffic. The bar was filling up and I decided to throw my coat onto her chair. People were starting to leave and new patrons coming in. My wife said she was about 5 mins away when the manager came by and asked me about the seat and started to give me a hard time. So feeling embarrassed at this point, and I was ready to pay for her seat, I cashed out. I had just ordered a drink and didn't even finish it. I paid my bill and left. My wife just pulling in I said we're never coming back again and went elsewhere else for dinner. Now most of the patrons probably feel as though you can't save a seat. I've seen it many times. Well, I didn't appreciate how it was handled and now have a choice never to go back again. You lost my business, and some of my family's business and my friends and many other friends. Goodbye 579. My score is directed at management and not the staff or the quality of food...