Switchback Grille — Restaurant in Springdale

We visited Switchback Grille while on vacation at Zion National Park after having two great experiences next door at their Italian sister restaurant. We were looking forward to ending the evening with a cocktail and dessert, and intentionally chose to sit at the bar to avoid taking up a dining table.

Unfortunately, our experience with the bartender, Stephanie, was disappointing. From the moment we sat down, she appeared visibly frustrated and immediately asked, “You’re not going to be eating food, are you?” before expressing how overwhelmed she was and that she doesn’t normally work in this restaurant. Throughout the evening, she continued to complain loudly about her work situation, the management, and even made questionable comments about serving something the wrong wine because they would not be able to tell.

The atmosphere at the bar felt uncomfortable and unwelcoming, which was surprising given the otherwise wonderful reputation of this establishment.

That said, I genuinely believe Stephanie has the makings of a great bartender—she’s energetic, outgoing, and clearly capable of connecting with people when she wants to. With that in mind, I’d offer the following constructive “tips”:

• When you’re frustrated, take a breath before speaking—your tone sets the entire guest experience. • Avoid venting about management or coworkers in front of customers; professionalism builds credibility and trust. • Your role is to make guests feel seen and comfortable, not to carry the burden of a rough shift out loud. • Honesty, kindness, and composure go a long way in hospitality. People will always remember how you made them feel. • And finally, tipping is often reserved for those who go above and beyond—grace, attentiveness, and warmth make all the difference.

We truly hope this feedback helps, because with the right attitude, Stephanie could easily turn things around and become an asset to the...

So disappointed tonight. We have been going to the Switchback for years and enjoyed it so much that my husband asked to take me for my birthday, since we live in St George we got a hotel for the weekend just to have dinner at Switchback. My steak was just ok had to chew and chew. My husband got the ribs and they were absolutely horable, he said they were dry and they add a lot of sauce to try and cover it up. So I asked to taste a rib, they were cold, dry, part of the rib was so hard I almost broke my tooth and way to saucey. I pick up a piece and could not even smash it in my fingers, I gave it to the waiter he tried to squeeze it, it's like a piece of rock, it comes with onion rings that were so over cooked and hard, we both love onion rings but we couldn't eat these. What a shame, the appetizers were very good, then all down hill after that. I wanted cheese cake for dessert so I ask if it was made fresh, he checked and said it's not, so being Saturday after Thanksgiving I knew that the last delivery date was Wednesday so I passed I did not want 4+ day old cheese cake. What a shame.... We will never go again, we spent $195.00, also the prices went up a lot since we where there in March but the quality of the food doesn't justify the price increase. Save yourself the disappointment and buy yourself a $50 steak and eat at home, our waiter was good but the blonde lady at the counter not classy at all she was complaining to the customers about her sciatic nerve foot leg pain, she could have kept that to herself, not what you want to hear before dinner. How can a restaurant go from 100 to 0 in less then a year. We both had been raving all week about going, now we have to go back to St George and tell them how bad it was. I originally came from Vegas and know what Five star food taste like, and this was one star...

My wife made reservations on OpenTable and specifically requested a booth. When we arrived for our reservation the hostess was very nice and we again stated that we would like a booth. I specifically stated that I did not want a table. She said she had a perfect spot for us. But then some cranky older woman with short blond hair who I assumed was the manager pointed to the seating chart and said, 'Put them here!" The hostess had no choice but to say okay. She took us to a two top table right in the middle of the restaurant specifically where I said I did not want to be. When the server came over I told him I was not happy at that table and requested to change. He left and came back after about 5 minutes and was able to move us to a booth on the wall. We ordered a bottle of wine and wanted to order our appetizers but the waiter would not take the appetizer order until some other person came out with the bottle of wine and poured it. This took about 20 minutes. The burrata which cost about $18, came with six little cherry tomatoes. The thick-cut bacon appetizer was fantastic. My wife and I both ordered the petite filet, cooked medium. When they came out it was very clear that they were completely two different cuts of meat. Mine was definitely a filet and it was undercooked. I had to send it back to be refired. I'm not sure what cut of meat my wife steak was but it was tasty. Overall, our cost came to about $300. It was absolutely not worth it to drive from Saint George for this experience. With so many good local options and new restaurants coming to the Saint George area, we certainly won't waste the time to go out to Switchback again. Instead we will pay half the price and has an excellent meal at Balcony One or Stagecoach...