Pumpernickels — Restaurant in Saugatuck

UPDATE since being RESPONDED to by Owner: THIS review is the ONLY review I have left about the matter. Clearly we were not the only customers upset about the situation and therefore others reflected upon your business accordingly. If you had complaints, those customers (most likely regulars) should have moved to the private area THEMSELVES. To have someone remove a family before their meal is finished and clearly putting effort into soothing their child should never be made the issue when the issue is with the human being that has no understanding. The rude comments from the current owner is just another reflection on WHY several people had an issue with how he handled the situation. Enjoy your retirement sir. I know we will!

Original Review: We had an experience that will absolutely keep us from ever coming back when we visit saugatuck. After ordering and starting our meal we were on the porch area with several other customers and a couple families. One family had a young child and a younger baby with them who had been fussy and crying a bit. Both the parents were doing their best to keep her happy and even got up and walked around with her taking turns between bites of their meal. Soon after, the owner/manager came up to their table and either asked them to move tables or leave. They hadnt finished their meal and the father was (rightfully) visibly upset as was the mother who began to shed some tears of embarrassment. The owner/manager should never have asked them to move/leave and if anyone there had an issue with the fussy child they should have left or moved themselves. It was appalling to experience and clearly ruined that familys meal as well as other families eating in the same area. We didnt finish our own food and left soon after upset with the experience. I wanted to say something to the owner/manager on our way out but he was nowhere to be found. NOT a family friendly place and we refuse to spend money here after witnessing them do that...

My husband and I just had the worst dinner experience we've ever had in Saugatuck - and sadly, it was our last night in town before we head home tomorrow. We arrived at Pumpernickel shortly after 5:00 and asked for outdoor seating - we were given a table on the upstairs patio next to a very loud commercial air conditioning unit. But we decided to roll with it and ordered our drinks and food. While sipping our drinks, a group of several small children came running onto the patio to play a loud game of bags, no parents in sight, virtually turning our dining area into an unsupervised playground. And then, after a 30+ minute wait, our waitress informed us that the kitchen "lost our ticket order" and wanted to know if we wanted to wait for them to cook it or if we wanted to leave. If we stayed, they offered to give us the meal for free... so we stayed assuming it would still be quicker than finding a different restaurant on a busy Saturday night. We also asked to be moved inside away from the air conditioner and playground activities. Once our food was finally delivered, it was awful. The tomato soup was watered down and flavorless. The grilled cheese was barely cooked - definitely not grilled - and did not contain the blend of cheeses and gourmet ingredients as listed on the menu... barely any cheese on softish pumpernickel bread. The server was sweet, clearly no fault of her own, but what a mess! We will never eat here again... in Saugatuck, best to stick with Phil's...

I'm not sure where to start with this review, so here it goes. We had made reservations for a large get together over the weekend and when we got there we were sat and everything seemed fine. They came and took our drink orders, but that is were the good service ended. it took 30 minutes for them to bring drinks, and then the staff left without taking our food orders. after an hour of being there we finally were able to place our orders. while we waited for our food to arrive we watched another large group be sat, orders taken, food given, and left. it ended up taking 2.5 hours from the time of arrival for most of our food. We ended up asking to speak to the manager after this sub par experience, and were told that the only compensation they would be willing to give us was 20% off only if we had it on a single bill. after our visible frustration they said they would split the bill and discount us for our problems. but with all of this, on top of they had live music that was extremely loud, and the food was just okay for the price it was marked at.

if you have 3 hours to waste, sure, try it out; you might have a better time. but if you want fast service and decent food, maybe try somewhere else. on the plus side the tables did have crayons on them to help pass the time, and there is a really neat sweets shop...