Seasons 52 — Restaurant in Sarasota

My husband made reservations to celebrate my birthday with friends and family last night and our experience was a little less than pleasant. First of all we made a reservation for 8 people and ended up having 9. The person that I spoke to over the phone made it seem like it wouldn't be an issue to just add an extra chair to accommodate. When we got to the restaurant it turned out to be a huge issue. It was explained that DUE TO COVID they can seat 8 people but not 9. Makes no sense. The only options that they gave us was to seat us at two different tables, which defeats the purpose of having a birthday dinner with my loved ones. When we got to the tables we asked if we could push them a little closer together to be near each other and the waitress said that we could so that's what we did. A minute after that the manager came to our table and made it very clear that she was upset that we were seated and that we had a square table and a circle table pushed together. It was the only option we had. It was brought up in such a way that showed that she was visibly disturbed by these two shapes being brought together as one, it was kind of ridiculous. It was explained to us that if weren't already seated then we would have had to leave without having dinner, making us feel that we were not welcome. That is something that we could move past because after all, we were there to celebrate. However, our service was less than par. It took 40 minutes to get any drinks at all and it took so long that we had to place our other drink orders as soon as we had drinks delivered because we knew that we would be waiting a very long time to get them. 5-6 of the 9 drinks we ordered they did not have. One particular drink was the reason for the reservations in the first place so that was disappointing. I do understand shortages and running out of things but it seemed like most of the menu was not available, which left little options. Our server was extremely inattentive, he would take orders from half the table and ignore the other half, he would serve drinks to guests from the opposite side of the table leaning over whoever is sitting on that side. These are things that I would expect at an Applebees type of restaurant and not a restaurant like this. Everyones bills were very messed up and it took quite a while for them to be corrected, which we can work with. I got a "birthday card" when we got there with a free appetizer on my meal and then was charged for it at the end of the night. I do think this would get by other people that didn't pay so much attention to their bills, but I am not that person. While we sat there waiting to pay we felt like they were all trying to push us out so they could hurry up and go home when the restaurant wasn't even closing for another hour and the reason for the delay was not our fault. Vacuuming around our table specifically and no one elses, giving side eye to our guests at our table, and hearing rude remarks by staff that didn't think we could hear them were uncalled for. Our party spent well over a thousand dollars on this dinner and I feel like we could have received way better service than we did. We originally made two different reservations for the evening while deciding where to go, one here at Seasons and one at another local restaurant but chose this one because of the drink that I loved so much (that they did not have). The other restaurant was more than accommodating for our ONE extra person and I really wish that we would have gone there instead. I will say that most of our meals were very good, aside from my friends shrimp stuffed mushrooms that were delivered with quite a few of them WITHOUT MUSHROOMS underneath the shrimp, which I think is crazy. I have only previously attended this restaurant during a week day on my actual birthday to have a drink and an appetizer at the bar and I would say this place is good for that but I would strongly reconsider going here for dinner again. Thankfully, I had a great time with my friends and family but it was only because of them that...

As loyal patrons of Seasons 52 and having enjoyed numerous visits to the Palm Beach Gardens location on the east coast, my partner and I were excited to celebrate our anniversary at the Sarasota branch. However, it is with regret that I must express my disappointment with the overall dining experience at this particular establishment.

While our server was undoubtedly courteous and accommodating, the same cannot be said about the food. Regrettably, the dishes we ordered failed to meet the high standards we had come to expect from Seasons 52.

The risotto, which we were looking forward to, turned out to be a major letdown. It arrived cold, with a texture so hard that it felt undercooked, and the promised flavors were virtually absent.

The scallops, another dish we anticipated with excitement, were a disappointment as well. Slightly underdone and lacking the desirable sear, they failed to live up to our previous experiences at other Seasons 52 restaurants.

The crabcakes, a dish we usually adore, were unfortunately mushy and lacked the perfectly crisp sear that makes them so enjoyable. It was a far cry from the delightful crabcakes we have had in the past.

The filet was one of the few saving graces of the meal, cooked well and flavorful. However, it is worth noting that this dish alone was not enough to redeem the overall dining experience.

Moreover, the lobster tail was disappointingly small, failing to meet the expectations one might have for a special occasion like an anniversary celebration.

Amidst these disappointments, the standout of the evening was the watermelon margarita. Refreshing and well-crafted, it was a delightful treat that provided some solace amidst the culinary letdown.

It is disheartening to leave a negative review for a restaurant we have cherished in the past, but it is essential to provide honest feedback. The Sarasota branch of Seasons 52 fell short of the excellence we have experienced at other locations, and it did not live up to the standard we had hoped for on our special occasion.

While we appreciate our server's efforts and hospitality, we left the restaurant feeling underwhelmed and let down by the overall experience. As much as we have enjoyed Seasons 52 in the past, this visit to the Sarasota branch left us questioning whether we would return for future celebrations. We sincerely hope that the management takes this feedback constructively and endeavors to improve the quality of their offerings...

For how expensive this place is, we expected a lot more in terms of quality. The restaraunt was empty other than a couple people at the bar so it wasnt like the kitchen staff was overwhelmed. Honestly, our 8 year old son cooks up better dishes than what we recieved here.

The only reason I'm giving 2 stars is because our server was nice and very accommodating. Having worked in the service industry in my younger years, I understand the frustration when things like this happen... So we still gave him a 20% tip because we saw how hard he was trying to make our experience enjoyable. (And it wasnt his fault the cook didnt know how to... cook.)

First off, our appetizers: two flatbreads, crabcake (notice that's singular - not plural), and stuffed mushrooms. The first time around our flatbread was soggy, doughy, and completely undercooked. In between waiting for the flatbread to be replaced, our entrees arrived. Steak (which was ordered rare) came out closer to well done, so of course it was sent back. By this time, our flatbread finally arrived which was literally burnt black, but since we were so incredibly hungry and had no entrees, we ended up forcing ourselves to eat it. The stuffed mushrooms were so burnt inside the container they were cooked in I could hardly get them out in one piece, (it was more like an unidentifiable black mush with spinach and some type of burnt fish or shrimp on top) but I didn't want to make it seem like we're were just complainers, so I kept that one to myself. Second time around with the entree, it was almost even more well done, as well as the lobster that came with it which was scorched black as well. The server profusely apologized and offered to comp things which was nice, but we went out to have a delicious meal with the intention to pay for it, not expecting a free, burnt one. At this point we cashed out and left. The manager caught us on the way out and asked us how things were, -we clearly weren't happy and mentioned that but the manager did nothing and said nothing about it. Not even an apology, which I felt was odd.

So bottom line, the server was awesome and kept up with all of our needs... however, the food and the manager were rather sub-par. We definitely left...