Renner's Grill — Restaurant in Portland

I don’t think I have a single bad review on google, but I had a completely inappropriate thing happen to me today with a Renner’s staff member that I thought was worth reviewing for.

Let me preface this with saying, I work in the village and have for a couple of years now. At my work, I often get asked where to eat and I have recommended many places before, including Renner’s (despite never dining here). That’s just what you do when you work in the village, and I expect the same respect from other staff members in the area.

Today, I was walking down the alley between Renner’s and another business to make a shortcut and get back to my work. A staff member from Renner’s came out of the door right next to the alley to presumably run some cardboard out to the recycling bin (he had a stack in his arms). He saw me coming down after I alerted him I was walking down the steps, and he took a single step back to let me through. This was not enough room for me to properly distance from him, we would have brushed shoulders had I walked down those steps.

The recent lift of the mask mandate has everyone thinking that covid is “over”. And while I understand it might not affect everyone, I am high risk and CURRENTLY have a respiratory illness (not covid, but a nasty cold). I am wanting to keep my distance from everyone, including my own co-workers, and ESPECIALLY a maskless stranger that works at a bar and grill.

So I let him know “hey, I’m trying to keep my distance from people”, and when he didn’t move farther back I just turned around and walked back up the stairs. As I’m walking up, he very rudely states “that’s weird”.

Now, I’m pretty used to judgement from people from my teenage years, but I fully expect grown adults to keep rude comments to themselves. This completely caught me off guard. I let him know I was high risk and thanked him for his comment/walked away.

It might not be a big deal to you, Renner’s staff member, but you have no idea who I am and what my story is 🤷‍♀️ period. I’d rather not risk stacking respiratory illnesses, while having a respiratory disease.

This restaurant should really teach their employee’s manners. After what happened today, I don’t feel comfortable ever recommending this place to any of...

It took 15 minutes for the staff to even look at us when we walked in. When I asked for water cups at the self-refill water station, where there presumedly should be a stack of cups for self-serve, I was given a single cup, and when I clarified that I needed two (I said cups, as in plural), the employee said annoyedly, "Oh you need TWO cups. TWO cups," and gave me a second cup after a huff. I understand a long wait time for food as there was a visible, "Seeking line cook" sign in the window, but when my burger arrived, it had a huge grey long hair sandwiched neatly between the burger and the lettuce. When I accepted the employee's offer of a new burger (I didn't ask, they offered), the employee then proceeded to sit down at our table and lean in, kind of guilting me for I-don't-know-what since he was the one who offered me a replacement burger. My boyfriend never received his onion rings, but we were so exasperated that we gave up on asking. Imagine Roland Schitt from Schitt's Creek, that was this guy. No boundaries, rude, and made us super uncomfortable.

The replacement burger was delicious, but came without fries or mayo on the side as the original burger did, but at least there was no extra hair this time. If you can ignore all of the above conditions, by all means, check...

I visited here because they are open late on Sunday nights. It's a quaint venue with a friendly atmosphere. There were lots of people here with a few seats left at the bar with booths and tables available.

The bartender is friendly and loves interacting with the patrons. The patrons are welcoming and feel free to introduce themselves. Many seem to know each other.

The burgers are thick and juicy with several options for toppings. They come with chips but there are other sides available for an upgrade including a cup of clam chowder. On my first visit I ordered a particularly spicy burger. A patron chimed in with "I hope you're hungry." It i a good portion of food but not so much that you'll need to take home the leftovers.

On my second visit I had the clam chowder with my burger. Best decision of the night as it is thick and creamy with large chunks. The burger was great but the clam chowder...