Red Bluff Tap House — Restaurant in Stevenson

TLDR; Disorganized staff, bad service, poor quality control.

[See update at bottom.]

My first clue that something was wrong was the staff still sweeping piles of leaves in front at opening time. I stepped in and took a seat. 5 minutes later some other people stepped in and took a seat. They got service first. About 5 minutes after that I got service. The beer was good, but I was a little surprised to be left waiting for so long. No acknowledgment of the situation from my server.

I ordered some food, which was a bit slow coming but I was having a good day and not in the mood to complain. The meat was tasty and well prepared. The salad was not made according to the menu. I wanted to report this to my server so I stopped eating. I tried to get her attention, but she was too busy. After about 10 minutes of staring in her direction to make eye contact I finally started waving. When she finally came over I was curious why she didn't notice me trying to get her attention, and she said she didn't notice people staring at her...which I find very strange for a professional in the food service industry. She asked me what was wrong and I told her that the salad was not made according to the description on the menu (different lettuce and missing a vegetable).

The server showed zero interest in the fact the food was not made according to the menu, and zero interest in why I was unhappy. Zero interest in the fact that she had been ignoring my attempts to get service for an extended period of time. She told me she did not appreciate my attitude and asked me to leave - first time in my life. I immediately left.

I'm not sure why this server felt it was her due to put her feelings above the interest of the customer - perhaps it's because this pub is a family-run business and she has absolute job security...but that's just speculation on my part.

UPDATE: The restaurant response does not address my criticisms, but rather tries to "shoot the messenger" by mischaracterizing events and misstating my words. I did say everything was okay when the food was set down, but didn't notice a problem until later, which is when I sought the server's attention. I did NOT say "Do your f*ing job" at ANY point. I asked the server if she "didn't notice people looking at her for service". She said "No". My response was "New job?" I think it would be very difficult to mistake the two statements. I think the server has a vested interest in mischaracterizing...

We came in ravished because we have not had breakfast or lunch and my girlfriends were eager for some good burger and tacos - which this place provides, and more!

Normally I avoid tap houses because they tend to have food that is greasy and salty, mostly reheat from pack of freezer’s… at least my experience from Portland, as drunk customers have no sense for flavor.

This place through, my low expectations went out the window. Everything was made with pride and care, freshly made from scratch. Even the flavors were unique and I did not become bored with any of the plates that we have shared.

We all generally cook at home, so have high expectations when it comes to eating out, and none of us had complaints. Only regret we had is that “why didn’t we come here all these years?”

The interior is rustic style made from quality wooden decor and metal which gives it a little bit of a modern touch, and it was very clean and did not have a scent of tobacco or alcohol - just delicious food.

Server was very attentive and friendly, and I’m eager to bring my mother next time, and she enjoyed the left overs (portions were generous :))

PS - Parking is plentiful and fun town to walk and enjoy the breeze by the river

3/6/2022

Stopped by after a soak at Carlson hot springs. I wanted to bring my mother over, as I knew she’d appreciate the natural and fresh flavor. She wanted the Shoulda Woulda Gouda hamburger, and I was craving the Mac n’ Cheese - so we split it between us.

The silence was golden as we were busy taking one bite after another - meat very succulent and savory with wagyu upgrade ($2) - so worth it! The sweet jam added a surprise which worked well with the meat, who’d have known??

As for the pasta, it was little soft for my preference (I should have asked for al dente) but it’s easier for my mom to eat, so it’s fine. Cheese was dripping from each lift of fork to mouth with nice flavor of creamy garlic, and made perfect dip to the sweet potato fries.

Needless to say we were satisfied in portion and quality, and service was superb...

Sunday 5/1 a friend and I went hiking in the gorge unfortunately we hiked a lil longer then expected and it added 6 miles onto our trip. We were starving and wanted a nice place to sit and eat. I hobbled into the restaurant to see if dogs were allowed. The waitress said yes but I would either have to carry her thru the restaurant or park outback and climb the stairs to the deck. I was exhausted and my husky is too heavy. I opted to park out back and climb the stairs. My feet were literally on fire, blisters on the bottom and extremely painful. I parked as close to the stairs as I could. There were no NO PARKING SIGNS anywhere. We hobble up the stairs and were told immediately we couldn't park there and they wouldn't serve us unless I parked somewhere else because that is where the restaurant owner parks. I was absolutely floored. I told her I wasn't moving my truck and my feet were blistered and swollen. She shrugged her shoulders and demanded I moved. I couldn't even argue with her because I was so exhausted so we just left. Driving away I thought how absolutely messed up that was. I have been dining at Red Bluff for years (even thru the pandemic) and this is truly how they treat customers. Every hike in the gorge I venture on, I ALWAYS stop and eat there. I hope they take a long hard, honest look at the fact that WITHOUT their customers there would be NO RESTAURANT. Im not saying the customer is always right by any means. But this was absolutely uncalled for. A lil understanding, a different approach or a work around wasn't even offered. Where the eff did good service go? It's a shame I will NEVER EVER eat there again. Although there food is great, the way you treat YOUR customers will eventually make or break any business. I am soooooo disappointed in this young women who literally has no business being in the "service" restaurant business. If she had a lil more compassion and/or understanding and let me stay there to eat I would have tipped her/them very well. I am very aware of GREAT service and this was really really...