El Rancho Viejo — Restaurant in South Bend

August 5, 2024

Location: 123 W Washington St, South Bend

As a local resident of South Bend with a background in the service industry, I wanted to share my recent experiences at El Rancho Viejo. Although the restaurant shows potential, my visits have been disappointing due to issues with service and management.

On July 25th, my sister and I stopped by for drinks after work. My sister's margarita was okay, but not exceptional. I appreciated the variety of vegetarian options on the menu, which made us consider returning for a meal.

The next day, I decided to try the food to-go. The service was quick, and my burrito was large and satisfying. Unfortunately, I found an avocado peel inside, but I chose not to complain at the time.

However, during my visit on August 3rd, things took a turn for the worse. My friend and I were seated promptly, and while our server was attentive initially, problems arose at checkout. I had mentioned my previous issue with the avocado peel and asked for reassurance about the order. Despite this, my bill was charged incorrectly at $17.25 instead of the $11.25 I expected. The manager’s response was dismissive and unprofessional. He was visibly agitated, didn’t introduce himself, and ignored our concerns. Although the issue was partially corrected with a $4 discount, the final bill still wasn’t right.

As someone who values community and respect, I found the lack of genuine concern and care disheartening. While the food has potential, the poor customer service has overshadowed the experience. I hope the management takes this feedback seriously and improves their approach. Until then, I’ll be looking for dining options where respect and professionalism come...

I first went to this restaurant over a year ago with my best friend. The place was empty. We were the only 2 people in there. Neither one of us liked our food. It was the worst Mexican food that I ever had. I said that I would NEVER go back.

Well, I didn't go back (against my better judgement). I didn't feel like driving across town to Chipotle, so I decided to give them another chance. It was like Groundhog Day. No one was in the restaurant. The food was, yet again, horrible! I've learned my lesson. I will never go back to this place. I don't understand how they are still in business. I see why it's always empty in there.

Oh yeah. The lady that came to take my order didn't even acknowledge me. She just looked at me and waited for me to tell here what I wanted. No "hi" or "welcome".

Please do the community a favor and...

Wanted to try something new while my brother was in town and I should have left the moment I opened the door. First of all no one to greet us and the bathrooms are marked in chalk missing door on bathroom stall no toilet in the ones with doors also no paper towels. It was pretty empty in there only one couple seated at the bar which made me think the food ordered would come pretty quickly but one plate order at a time arrived at the table of 6 that we had. The food was mediocre and the silverware was not clean... I had an issue with over cooked food and they refused to comp meal I will not return and do not recommend very...