Fuel Bistro & Wine — Restaurant in Ridgefield

I am extremely disappointed in my experience at Fuel. Although the food is okay (average), the atmosphere and interactions witnessed between the manager and waitress was extremely upsetting. On multiple occasions the manager was heard by the entire restaurant scolding the waitress. Even at a table he proceeded to talk down to the waitress, while including the couple in the conversation, belittling her knowledge of wine. The waitress was visibly upset (understandably) but continued working. She was nothing but appropriate and helpful. The manager, Brandon, continued to hassle her over little details. His actions were very unprofessional and upsetting. It was difficult to even enjoy my meal with my family due to the awkwardly inappropriate and distasteful manor in which the staff were treated. If we had not already ordered, with two hungry young children, we would have left. Toward the end of our meal, Brandon was disrespectfully correcting her actions regarding dishes for the retire restaurant to hear…she very politely and calmly asked him to “please stop talking to her that way” and he proceeded to hit the counter and tell her she was done and could leave. It was apparent the whole restaurant was aware of the situation since another table stopped us on the way out to discuss the lack of good leadership. Although I did like this little local lunch spot, my family and I will not be returning. I hope the owners addresses this issue and sincerely apologize to...

The staff were SO rude!!! We will never come back and do NOT recommend to anyone. I very politely asked if I got chicken with my salad because it was so bad and chewy. The server Marissa (who asked that I use her name) said yes, and I let her know I did not want my salad because I couldn’t chew the chicken. She offered to bring more chicken out and I explained that I was fine with just my side of soup. We got the bill and she charged us for the salad, which I asked to be taken off since I did not eat any of it. The manager had to approve it and he then came back to my table and asked me if I worked around the bad parts and tried the good pieces of chicken!!!!! I said absolutely not and that I did not want to be charged for something I have to “work around.” He took it off and then Marissa got really fiesty after that-raising her voice, hand gestures. Terrible. We will never be back!

There was another very nice server who was on her lunch and stepped in and admitted that Marissa was being ridiculous and she couldn’t believe what she was seeing either. I feel bad for the nice staff who work in this hostile environment.

*I should add that I did indeed try a few bites of the “good” pieces of chicken before I said anything to our waitress, but it was so rough and chewy! It tasted like chicken that was cooked the day before and...

I, absolutely love this place! Fuel is a great for a the small town of Ridgefield, the wine selection is phenomenal and the food is brilliantly crafted. They bring classic entries with a modern twist. But where Fuel falls short is, overall management. The restaurant is understaffed and the staff have little understanding of proper restaurant service. The staff really do try their best to manage the various stages of dining but lack the support needed to properly run this establishment. As I currently, sit and wait for my food, I've seen three patrons walk up to the only server, greeter and cashier to ask for their check and/or a to go box. The only other employee is the cook. The cook unfortunately works at painfully slow pace. There are 14 tables all full with two employees. My suggestion to fully enjoy Fuel is set aside a couple of hours for dining. Expect your food awaken your taste buds but test your patience. Allow ample time to enjoy each bite because there is plenty of time for reflection before one will...