Benjamin's Restaurant — Restaurant in Seekonk

Perhaps the most shocking dining experience I have ever had. A group of my family members and I attended an Easter Brunch put on by Benjamin’s. We arrived at 1pm, at the time of our reservation. At that time, there were so many people in the hotel and restaurant that we could barely fit ourselves inside the building. The lobby of the hotel was, for lack of a better word, chaos. There was absolutely no order whatsoever, and it took nearly 30 minutes for anyone in the 1pm seating to be communicated with. We then lined up with a group of about 175 people, and were slowly lead into two dining rooms. We then put down our stuff, and got back in line to go the buffet. This line was so long that it stretched all the way from the back of the restaurant, down one of the hallways of the hotel where guests were staying. Whoever designed the function brilliantly had decided to have both lines intersect with each other, right in front of the buffet, such that a large number of confused patrons inadvertently cut the line.

After making us wait in various lines for an hour and ten minutes after our reservation to get up to the buffet – and note that many of the patrons were elderly and walking with canes – we were met with a smorgasbord of various half-empty dishes being slowly and conservatively doled out by an inadequate number of staff. Several dishes that were promised – the turkey, the salad, among others – were entirely missing. Others were cold or burned beyond recognition. At one point, a member of our party witnessed a staff member haphazardly scooping Tiramisu out of a BJs box with a gloved hand.

After finally being served “brunch”, we sat down at our table only to realize that it was missing multiple placesetings. It was announced that there was a hard cut off at 2:30 – about 20 minutes after we finally were able to sit down. About halfway through our table eating what we had been provided, a server with an aggressive attitude came by to take our drink orders. The drinks did not show up for the entirety of the meal, and we canceled them after everyone had finished desert.

This event was an unmitigated disaster, and I highly recommend that anyone who intends to use this restaurant or hotel to cater, or worse, host an event look elsewhere. At $35.00 per head it would be a rip-off, given the quality of the food, entirely notwithstanding the missing items and the absurd hour plus lines that everyone waited in. Ultimately, after significant complaints, the staff offered to comp about 25% of our order, yet still put a mandatory 20% autogratuity on our bill. This was especially surprising, since we were informed by several members of the staff that they didn’t actually work there and were friends of staff members, so it is unclear who will be getting this gratuity.

I certainly understand that you sometimes bite off more than you can chew and that mistakes happen, but it is incredibly disturbing that a hotel and conference center and its own restaurant is apparently incapable of hosting a basic luncheon without it devolving into disordered chaos. We should have been offered at least an apology – we were not – and should not have had to fight to get any...

As a party of 5 with 2 elderly people, we went to Benjamin's on Easter Sunday for 1PM lunch. The hostess greeted us but wasn't very welcoming or enthusiastic. She seated us very close to the door as we waited for the rest of our party. Brad, our waiter for the day, promptly came over, introduced himself, and offered to bring us a beverage or appertizer while we waited. He quickly returned with our drinks (non-alc) & we ordered an appertizer. Our app arrived quickly, before our dining partners. My husband dug right in! He was happy with the stuffed mushrooms. Luckily, there were some left when the others arrived. Brad quickly returned to our table to get drinks for the others and suggested a popular appertizer, Mussels Chamblee. We ordered that and our meals. I don't care for mussels myself, but the table said they were very good. My SIL, who also doesn't care for mussels, said they were very good. Our food arrived next. We weren't quite done with the mussels, so we quickly made room for the plates. Everything looked delicious and plentiful. For the most part, our table preferred seafood for Easter. The elderly had fish & hubby & I had Seafood Nantucket (haddock,shrimp & scallops with a little cheese and breadcrumbs top). These dishes came with 2 sides. A plate of eggplant parm was also served to our table. Very large portion of eggplant with gnocchi or any pasta you asked for. There were no complaints from our table about the food! Even the older ladies who tend to nibble at their food and take home most of it cleaned their plates. Prices were about average for the economy at this time. Entrees ranged from $18 for the Parmagna's to about $30 for surf & turf (steak tips & stuffed shrimp). I'm finding appertizers at ALL restaurants to be too expensive, but Benjamin's does offer soups or salads (for additional fees) if you're looking for a starter. We even had dessert even though our bellies were stuffed from dinner.

Our waiter, BRAD, was excellent throughout our visit..if you forget his name, he says, just ask him to take off his glasses and you'll remember..he looks like "Brad Pitt".. I'll leave that up to discussion! He was a great waiter considering a very busy day and having tables far apart.

I do have other comments: it was a holiday, and it seemed like maybe the manager didn't anticipate the popularity of items. Our reservation was for 1PM, and it was NOT really busy. By the time we got to dessert, the creme brulee had already sold out. Same with unsweetened ice tea? Really, ice tea is sold out at 2PM?? Restaurant manager was late in releasing the Easter menu. I had made reservations weeks before I knew what would be offered The Grist Mill was sold out for brunch and only had late reservations left 2 weeks before you got around to...

Just the facts here: 11:00 am was the first seating. Told there was a strict 1.5 hr time limit. At 11:10 am doors opened.... for seating of 180 people. Took a very long time so seat people. At seating, told buffet would open in 20 mins. 12 in our party, we ordered beverages, of which only those ordering alcohol received their drink. Later overheard staff say there was no milk and no apple juice for the children (2). 11:40 am finally called our table to go up to get food at buffet, grateful to be the first table called. Carving station not open (manager berated staff member publicly for not being ready, no tongs for pastries & people were touching food with their fingers, no syrup, no butter, told by servers that we could only have limited amounts (one scoop of eggs, two slices of bacon, etc.) UPON BITING INTO A DANISH MY SON BIT DOWN ON A SHARD OF PORCELAIN. HE TORE THE DANISH OPEN AND THERE WERE SEVERAL SMALL PIECES AND A 1/2" SIZED VERY SHARP SHARD. MANAGER WAS CALLED TO OUR TABLE. HE OFFERED TO COMP 4 MEALS; NICE GESTURE. MY DAUGHTER-IN-LAW SPOKE UP AND SAID SHE DIDN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE EATING ANYTHING ELSE. HE BEGAN SHOUTING AT HER THAT SHE WAS BEING DIFFICULT AND RUDE. HE STORMED OFF WHEN MY HUSBAND TOLD HIM SHE WAS JUSTIFIED IN HER FEELINGS AND IT WAS FORTUNATE THAT THE 5 & 8 YR OLD WE HAD WITH US DIDN'T INGEST IT. While we were not interested in getting seconds, it was not an option. At 12:40 pm the 11 am seating was still being called up to get their 1st chance at the buffet. Upon getting our bill it was noted that they are charging a "Service Fee" of several dollars for using a credit card. THIS IS ILLEGAL IN THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS. One of the bar servers said, "we can do it if we say the processor charges it". INCORRECT. Massachusetts General Laws chapter 140D, section 28A(2) provides: (2) No seller in any sales transaction may impose a surcharge on a cardholder who elects to use a credit card in lieu of payment by cash, check or similar means.

In addition, the advertisement stated the fee was $30.00/pp and they were charging $35.00/pp at the brunch. The flyer from Facebook promoting the event is attached and I got it from their Facebook page at the time of writing this review. In addition, they advertised turkey carving and a garden salad. Neither of these items were provided.

Conclusion: Our Easter was ruined by this experience. I paid a reduced rate and appreciate the kind staff member who came to assist us after the altercation with the manager to act as a go-between with the owners and the professionalism of the waitstaff in the face of such adversity; however, given the excessive delays, lack of food offered, and the quality issues, I can no longer support...