Four Seasons by The Lake — Restaurant in Stafford

Visited 6/19 around 6 pm.

My friend and I joked that this place is BYOE. Bring your own everything. Just kidding- there were positives. First being that the server was a very kind human and second the margarita was strong. Also, the setting/ambiance of being on the water with a soft breeze is truly what kept us there.

I’ve worked in the restaurant industry for over 14 years. This was one of the most appalling experiences I’ve ever had.

Server fails to tell us that they only have 2 of their 8 apps available. We tried to order all the apps that were out.

I asked for oranges in my drink (I’ll be honest, only about 50% of servers remember) and I emphasized that I really need the oranges and I’m sorry for being high maintenance. She brought the drink no oranges. I thought maybe she was busy or new (also very young), so I thought I’d help by going up tot he bar myself and getting oranges. I was told they were out. Crazy that a full bar doesn’t have oranges. I think she didn’t want to take the time to cut them.

Burgers were less than par (dry, lacking flavor) and cost $18!!! That’s what I would have paid for an artisanal burger at a gastropub. Both my friend and I did not finish ours.

Fries are so skinny and small (we ordered truffle fries as an app since they were out of almost everyone else) that they are not very filling or satisfying.

Thankfully my friend and I have great banter, because we didn’t notice how long it took for our waitress to pick up our checks- about 25 minutes after she had dropped them. When we finally noticed the time, we also noticed her at the table next to ours, along with the bartender (which was odd because we were on the patio). She was there for a good 5 minutes and then spun on her heel right back inside the building without even a glance our way. We decided to take the checks with our payment inside. We stood inside the empty restaurant/bar for a few minutes. There were three total people at the bar and two people on the patio at that point. There was not a SINGLE employee in sight. I decided to use the restroom while we waited for someone to come help us. When I got out, my friend was still waiting!!! Finally, the bartender comes in from the patio table and acts like a deer in the headlights when I tell her that we have been waiting to pay for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, we could see our server and some other young kid fooling around in the kitchen in the back.

Needless to say, we will never be back. If you’re a foodie and review junkie like myself, proceed with caution or better yet, just...

Wanted to leave a review since it was our first time trying this restaurant and first impressions matter some. We were looking for a local place to go out for dinner in Stafford and found this restaurant on Google, the website looked inviting and the menu seemed promising so we decided to try it out.

Overall I have to give this restaurant a 2-3 star rating for several reasons. First, when you enter the restaurant we stood at the door which is poorly lit next to a stage with a sign saying “Please Wait to be Seated”. After waiting a bit we were about to leave when a server had yelled over to us we could just pick a place to sit anywhere. That’s where second issue came.

We walked around a wide open restaurant with lots of tables and booths but none were clean at all. Dirty dishes, sticky spills on them and overall not inviting. We finally sat at one of the booths that was the least dirty, the server came over to place down menus with silverware and we had to ask the server to wash it before she did.

The server was very friendly and did a great job taking care of us, she was great!

We ordered two Long Island ice teas and wow, by far the worst we have ever had. They were definitely not made right at all, very bitter and it was very noticeable it was incorrectly made. We then just ordered their special drinks on the table tent (Shark Bite and Green Iguana) and those were really good.

After looking at the menu we ordered an appetizer (Chicken Cordon Blue Balls) and they were fantastic. Highly recommend these.

Next, the dinner. We ordered the Chicken Broccoli Alfredo entrees. They came with a salad which came out with browned lettuce. The entrees themselves were definitely not worth the $20 price tag for each. It was a large portion of pasta, barely any chicken and broccoli in it at all. The cheese was more like a Mac & Cheese than an Alfredo sauce. The dish was still good, but not what was expected and absolutely not worth the price. I would recommend if you are looking for this same dish there is another local restaurant Basil’s in Stafford that makes it fantastic and definitely worth the price.

Overall not the experience I had hoped for and not the best first impression. It was not the worst, but definitely needs some improvements. Please support local family owned businesses though, even if it isn’t the best it is great to look out for our communities instead of big corporate enterprises.

Thanks...

The Waiter was very pushy & made us feel hurried!! There restaurant inside & outside was EMPTY!! After we were there about 20 minutes?? 2 more people came!! Soups were NOT HOT enough( New England Clam Chowder) I had ordered a serving of Wings too go( Mixed = BBQ & Buffalo mild) AND??? Was $17.95 for 3 & 3??? ) I questioned the waiter and said that was the correct price and had already taken the menu away!! Very unhappy at this place 1ST visit and??? Don't think I'll return!! Too bad the SETTING is beautiful & I have shared my experience with many friends who've been wanting too visit!! Doubt they will be going!! FYI?? The Waiter informed us that he went too EASTERN COLLEGE The Day was Tuesday approx 2pm?? He didn't introduce...