Ale Mary's at the Bittenbender — Restaurant in Scranton

Tonight, I was meeting a few friends for dinner, and one suggested we try Ale Mary's on Franklin St in Scranton, PA. I usually dine out at higher-end restaurants, but I agreed to try this restaurant. To begin, the waitress, Haley, took our drink order. I told her three times," I would have a southern comfort and 7up. When I received my drink, it was a plain Sprite. (that's okay, maybe she is a new waitress.) I ordered the Pub Pretzels, Everything-seasoned soft pretzels. Malt liquor mustard and a house gouda cheddar cheese sauce dippers as my appetizer. (Very good.) As my entree I ordered the Salmon Burger, described as Two salmon patties, arugula, feta cheese, balsamic glaze, toasted brioche bun. What I received was a dry piece of salmon on a brioche bun. (It wasn't what I ordered, but I thought to myself, just eat it.) I could only eat half of this sandwich due to the taste, texture, and dryness. I still did not complain. Now for the topper! We receive our bill, and they are charging a fee for using a charge or debit card. I ask for the manager. I explained to the manager that I should have been informed that a fee would be applied to my bill for using my debit card, and I was not aware of this until I read this information on my check. The manager told me this information could be found on their door and refused to adjust my check. (Who would think to look on the door for a fee that may be charged to my bill?) I paid my bill in full and was told never to step foot on their property again. Wow! I then told her I would tell everyone I knew about this...

Ale Mary’s used to be the best food in the area but not anymore. I knew they were sold so I went in with very low expectations and yet somehow still managed to be disappointed. The food was completely flavorless minus the fries. Worst burger I have ever tasted . And so greasy . Chicken cheesestek also had no flavor . And the fries were the same quality as the freezer fries the dollar store sells and to hide that they poured a gallon of salt on them. I love salt but those fries were 9 parts salt to 1 part fry. I’ve never seen my boyfriend use ketchup on fries until tonight. Our cholesterol levels definitely went up after that . The staff used to seem to actually like working there but from what I overheard that is no longer the case . I get that they are trying to make it more of an upscale restaurant but it dosent feel like that . The soda was a knock off generic type that didn’t taste good , the cocktails were disappointing, food was bland other than the overly salted fries . Cutting quality and raising prices isn’t making something more classy . The people at the table next to us said they wouldn’t go there again… and I have to agree . The only good thing they’ve done is add outdoor seating. Although considering how dead it was inside I don’t think they’ll be needing the...

Ale Mary’s has been my favorite restaurant of all time for nearly 10 years. I haven’t been in a while because I’ve moved out of town so to say I was disappointed when I went tonight is an understatement. One look at the menu and we were ready to get up and leave. The only reason we stayed is because we felt bad for the waitstaff.

If something works, don’t mess with it. To remove staples like the house fries, flatbreads, variety of unique sandwiches, tacos, beers, etc for a cookie cutter menu that looks like any other cocktail bar feels like they’re purposely trying to make it fail. Ale Mary’s worked because it was unique and casual while still being a great night out. On a thursday night you couldn't dream of getting a table and tonight there were maybe 10 people in there.

The food we did order tasted great, don’t get me wrong, but to go from an extensive menu with tons and tons of options you couldn’t find anywhere else, to this, is actually insane. I hope the new management takes everyone’s feedback seriously and starts listening to their long time workers because they’re going to lose all their customers. Normally I can’t wait for my next visit and now I definitely have no desire to return...