Colonial Room Restaurant — Restaurant in Sanford

Let me start off by saying, the food was is exactly as advertised. Although one of my eggs was well over done, the portion size was great for the price of the meal. That said, nearly $4 dollars for a small cup of black coffee is a bit extreme, but I know inflation has gotten out of hand so I'd let that slide. I will say, the coffee included refills (I'm sure it did at least, but I never got a chance to find out). Staff was very friendly upon arrival. I sat in a "clean" table, though I had to wipe food debris off. Waited for a few minutes before a server came around. Not sure the length of time, but long enough to consider going elsewhere. My beverage order was taken, and immediately following another employee ensured my drink order was taken. Got half of my drink order (ordered coffee and water, only got the coffee at first). Advised as to my order, and upon request, advised of my desired condiments (ketchup and hot sauce). Food was delivered (with the water), had to request ketchup again. The check was dropped with off with the food. Typically a signal to say "good bye" to any further service. The food was tasty, albeit not spectacular. It's a diner/greasy spoon, that is exactly what I expected. I would have preferred it to be more seasoned, but who am I to tell a cook how to season especially when mass producing items for a diner? I had pepper on the table, all good there. Not an issue. About a quarter way through the meal, I was out of water. After seeing no hope in more water, I rationed the remainder of my one small cup of coffee. After eating roughly half of the meal, I decided I should save the rest. I moved the plate away from me (I was alone and wanted to save my meal so there was no need to place a napkin over the plate as it was not garbage, but the plate was placed with enough space to indicate I was done eating). During this time, the server took another table's drink order, delivered, took their food order, and delivered there desired condiments before their meal arrived. Three trips to an adjacent table and never once inquired as to my meal (taste, correctness, etc.), or if I desired anything additional. Finally, after another trip to the adjacent table, the server asked ma: "Are you okay, honey?" I could have had a resting "you know what face," I'm not sure, but I wasn't angry or upset in any way, so not sure the rationale for the phrase "are you okay." Regardless, I requested a container to take my left over meal with me. The server delivered one with a bag. Finally, the server asked if I wanted any more coffee or water. I did indeed want more coffee and water, but I wanted 20 minutes prior while I was still enjoying my meal. This place has sooooo much potential, but lackadaisical approach to business operation and inadequate service really put a damper on the experience. I truly hope your experience will be better; alas, I will not...

I paid a heavy price for going to Stonington's last, location Altamonte Springs. Within a short time after I began having stomach pains. Ended up having explosive diarrhea ( yes I know that will sound funny to some readers , just not funny when it's actually happening!) that kept me getting out of bed every 30 minutes to an hour. Was able to finally settle down from about 1 a.m. to 5:30 this morning. Again bad experience on the toilet. Have felt kind of bad today as my stomach is still gurgling. But on the way to recovery. As bad as it was it could certainly have been worse as I didn't actually have nausea. I hate to report this because I really love Seafood! I was very excited when Stonington opened in my neighborhood. I must say that even before the terrible experience with last night I was going to give them a marginal report, because in the past I have found that while I'm eating it seems yummy, but afterwards I always feel a bit unsettled with my stomach. Always feel like it has a bit of a bad aftertaste. Not sure if it's the oil they use to cook their food in or if it's another ingredients. As far as I know this is a local restaurant and as a local small business person I always try to give places like this support. The food is very reasonably priced and the batter for the shrimp is actually light. They also have yummy sides. As I say even before last night I found myself going there less frequently. The staff there are nice enough. I know it takes time to create a following in a new location. Made even worse with covid-19 . But, I can't help notice that it doesn't seem like they're ever very busy. This is unfortunate as you can tell a lot of time, thought and money was put into this location. I'm sad for what's going on as a business person and literally sick at my stomach as a customer. I will try to pay attention to see if there are more positive reports about Stonington in the future, as I would prefer to be a regular customer. But for now my body just can't take extremely unpleasant consequences.

So sorry to Colonial Room restaurant in Sanford Florida. Please note this review somehow was posted on ther review site but was not meant for colonial room restaurant. It was meant for Stonington shrimp place in Altamonte Springs. Will delete this post but I'm trying to change it to the proper area. I always very much enjoyed Colonial...

I regret not writing this review sooner, but soon after moving to the area, we decided to try the Colonial about six months ago in early June of 2024. Unfortunately, the experience was disappointing. The restaurant closes daily at 2:00 PM, which we didn’t realize at the time. We arrived about 10 minutes before closing and were seated without being informed of their hours.

The server, while technically doing her job, was passively aggressive throughout the interaction. Not once were we politely informed that the restaurant was closing soon, which would have allowed us to adjust our plans accordingly. Our party of five placed our orders, and the meals were served promptly. However, shortly after, when we requested drink refills, we were told, “You should get them to go.” This was the first and only time they informed us that the restaurant was closing.

While I fully acknowledge that we made an honest mistake by arriving so close to closing, the lack of clear communication from the staff was inexcusable. A simple heads-up when we walked in would have avoided the entire situation. Instead, it felt like they prioritized taking our money over providing a positive dining experience. This mishandling turned what should have been an enjoyable family meal into an unpleasant encounter.

Professionalism and basic courtesy go a long way in the service industry, and unfortunately, this experience fell far short. We will not...