Fiction @ J. Bookwalter — Restaurant in Richland

To be transparent: We had a reservation after hearing good things about their wine and being told, "Oh, and they have a restaurant too! Small menu, but everything is tasty...", but we then cancelled the reservation after reading the menu. We spent over $250 at Anthony's last night for 2 adults and 2 kids, so it is not that we can't afford what I reference below. At the bottom of their menu:

"Our 4% Cost of Living Surcharge" is cited, then provides to explain: "Employee recruitment and retention is the foundation of providing a better dining and service experience. Our 4% COL is invested into our kitchen employees in the form of better wages, healthcare, 401k, and profit sharing. These benefits are unheard of in our industry, and we are proud to offer them to our team members."

Well, novel concept: PAY FOR IT! Incorporate the costs into your menu pricing, or otherwise. Why does it end up being my responsibility, as the customer, to be required to donate to your employees? Just as I would get up and walk out from a restaurant that requires 24% tips on every meal, same thing here. I'll happily tip 24% for excellent service, but only if MY CHOICE.

ANY type of arbitrary, additional, "percentage" style of fee is infuriating, unnecessary, and wreaks of a socialist mindset by ownership. What if I go there, and receive overcooked steak, undercooked pasta, and a generally poor experience while there?

Perhaps ASK if customers would like to support healthcare and retirement for their kitchen, rather than ANOTHER arbitrary, unnecessary required fee where ownership is acting as if they are oh-so-charitable for offering something that THEY EXPECT OTHERS TO PAY FOR.

In what world does that make sense? And then to guilt people into being cool with it by an absurd statement at the bottom, and referencing "UNHEARD OF BENEFITS" like they are to be lauded for tacking on an extra fee to diners? Pffffffffft.

Many other places to go...

My first time here. Came here for a birthday dinner… Drinks were good. service was alright. when we ordered new drinks it took about 10-15min every time to get the drinks. Never had bacon wrapped dates (appetizer) so I had to try it. I highly recommend! Something I never experienced and I really enjoyed it. Entree for me was horrible I ordered the cut of the day 10oz rib eye. I ordered it a medium rare. when it arrived it Was over cooked. I sent it back and it came back again over cooked! At this point I was like they obviously don’t know how to cook a medium rare so I told them to cancel the order. I didn’t want keep wasting steaks. Then the server comes back and tells me that is how they cook a medium rare ? (Should of took pictures) but if u can’t cook a steak they shouldn’t put it on the menu and ask a customer how would u like it cooked if u can’t cook it the way they like just to tell them this is how we cook it ? I could of went back there and showed them myself what a medium rare should look like. So that was a bummer none of the other entrees sounded appetizing so I didn’t eat. I tried some of my GF prawn pasta was really Bland. Definitely would not come here for dinner again was a really bad 1st and last experience for me. Although it’s a really nice set up for...

Very good food. The service was tip notch. However don’t believe anything the hostess says. They will lie to you to make you think they are so busy that because you don’t have a reservation you get to sit in the dungeon. We were told when we came in at 3:45 that we couldn’t sit by the window because all the tables except the one right by the entrance was booked at 5pm and the only table that wasn’t booked until 5:30 was the one by he main entrance and walkway. That was BS. Here’s the photo at 5:45 when we were preparing to leave where all but 2 tables are open. Including 2 different window tables. It is completely unacceptable to LIE to your customers. I don’t know that I will recommend this place because of that. I loved the food, the server was great (Evangeline), cocktails were good… but the whole experience was overshadowed by being lied to and treated like a second class customer because we didn’t have a 3:45 reservation. It’s just very bad business. Especially because I almost left to go to Taverna Tagaris because of the seating situation. I am glad I didn’t because the food was good, but honestly I will likely tell my friends to beware that this place is a little snobby if you don’t make a reservation for happy hour. Just really bad...