Station No. 3 - Benton Park — Restaurant in St. Louis

Discrimination Alert! I’m a long time customer and have always had great service. I brought in a friend with me today I ordered a brisket sandwich. Instead of what is pictured on Google I was served what looked like two slices of meat loaf as a sandwich. Unfortunately I did not take a picture because I was not aware of what would follow. Unhappy with what I was given I asked to switch it out for an order of burnt ends. I was told by the manager that unfortunately the resturaunt would not be able to “eat that cost” especially due to the modifications I’d made. The modifications being the request for no tomato (I’m allergic) and to substitute the horseradish sauce for bbq sauce. I was offered 50% off the item and the advice to give to a friend or family member to see if they liked it. My main issue with this resolution is that we’d ordered 3-4 other items on the menu and had a decent sized tab. In addition I wasn’t requesting to not be charged, only to switch the item out for another order of burnt ends. We had already eaten an order of those, an order of potato skins and the tacos and enjoyed all 3. Even tried the margarita and sangria. This policy is not one I’ve ever heard of or experienced and it is not listed anywhere in the restaurant or on the menu. Even after I brought these concerns to the managers attention, expressing how unfairly this situation was being handled my feedback was not taken into consideration. I hardly ever feel victimized but I felt this resolution was the only one offered due to the fact that I am a young black woman assumingely ignorant to how their food is prepared. When it fact online their brisket is not presented in a “loaf” form. It actually looks like a brisket. I am very disappointed in how this was resolved and I will be contacting the manager to follow up on the concerns I’ve expressed because this experience was embarrassing.

Response to Owner: The policy that you are standing behind is not displayed anywhere in the resturaunt or on the menu so it appears to be enforced on a case by case basis. The modification that is being mentioned is the request to not have tomato (preventing waste) and a change in the accompanying sauce. No other modifications were made so I fail to see the point being made. Questioning my allergy is irrelevant and comes off as confrontational. I’m now inclined to believe the poor resolution is due to animosity stemming from the modification. I stand behind my review based on my experience and although you are a minority, the general manager, who I spoke with, was not. I will not contact you directly because you were there the day of the incident, you were notified of the issue and chose not to get involved. After explaining to your manager that I did not want a refund but to EXCHANGE the item for a different option I was given an explanation that due to the financial state of the resturaunt no other resolution would be offered. This policy is a new one as I’ve been a consumer of this resturaunt for years, dating back to when it was known as Utah Station. My issue is not uncommon in the resturaunt industry however the policy you are standing behind is not a regular practice. It should be posted on the menu and/or somewhere in the resturaunt to prevent other patrons from having a disappointing experience. I recommend rectifying that as soon as possible. I recommend any patron experiencing this challenge to refuse to pay due to the lack of communication as it is very misleading. I feel like I was bullied into paying for an item I did not enjoy and then guilt tripped into the resolution because of the alleged financial hardships the resturaunt. Overall a poor experience. I hope the location opening in the fall has this...

First, a little background. I'm a conservative Christian right-wing Republican, straight white American male. I eat a lot of meat. However, it's Lent, and I must fast and abstain. I chose to abstain from meat and all animal products for the duration of the season. So out of curiosity and a ravenous hankering for something of the flesh, I turned to Station 3. They have a plant-based brisket sandwich I really wanted to try, but I felt it sacrilegious, and out of fear of sin, I passed. I ordered the chicken sandwich, pickle fries, pepperoni flatbread pizza, and the house salad with falafel. First impression.... Science food is expensive! Regardless, everyone in the establishment was super friendly and genuinely kind. They did a great job of converting what I believe to be an old filling station into a hip gastropub. It looks great inside and out. You can either order from the QR code at your table or from the bar. Water is provided at a self-serve station via an igloo jug. Thumbs up for this idea because I drink a lot of water. It didn't take long for the food to arrive. It looked really good, and to my surprise, it also tasted really good, almost too good. The chicken was excellent, pickle fries perfectly crisp, ranch sauce spot on, the flatbread pizza deliciously cheesy! My only complaint was the house salad was a true disappointment. For the $10 base price, I was expecting something more both in size and assortment. It was more like a diner small side salad for $3.95 at Denny’s. I left with a full and content belly, albeit a little guilty feeling for maybe cheating a bit on my penance. I'm not sure I would return again, but that's no disrespect to the establishment. I'm just a meat guy. I love animals because they taste amazing! However, I was truly in awe of what these guys and science were able...

Stopped by Station No. 3 for lunch with a vegan coworker. The place is a converted gas station that has a friendly, hip vibe. Staff was genuinely glad to see us and made us feel very welcome. The menu read like any other gastropub...brisket, burnt ends, burgers, chicken sandwiches and even ice cream. I couldn't decide between the burger or chick'n sandwich and the waiter said that he eats the chick'n sandwich all the time. I ordered the chick'n. While waiting for our order, the waiter passed by with a plate full of burnt ends for another table that smelled so amazing that I almost asked the table if I could have a bite!!! The chick'n sandwich was huge! A solid patty, breaded and fried to golden deliciousness. The bun was soft, pillowy, "buttery", and toasted just right. The sandwich had great texture, was seasoned just right and really hit the spot. My coworker ordered the nachos which he practically inhaled. I can't wait to take my vegetarian sister-in-law from rural Illinois (all she gets are salads and "vegan" options from Walmart). I'm going to have fun watching her mind and taste buds explode! But in the meantime, I'll be back for the burnt ends and...