Shin•Dig — Restaurant in Texas

We were invited here for NYE 2022/23. I wasn't sure what kind of place it was, so I went in with an open mind. I gotta tell ya, I'm still not sure what sorta place this is. I feel like they're trying to touch on a lot of themes and, in doing so, not really creating an environment for anyone. Pros: The place was nice. It reminded me of an old, downtown loft that had been repurposed into a restaurant, with that new coat of paint and modern light fixtures. You know what I'm talking about; like an aging, renovated apartment. I don't remember the prices being anything I was concerned about, for the drinks or for the food (RE: the food, while extremely tasty, was smaller-portioned than I thought it would be; presentation was hit or miss with our group's meals). The bartender seemed nice. In fact, pretty much all of the staff was nice, overall, when they weren't hinting at their underlying frustration (see below). Cons: There was hardly anywhere to sit. Despite having an upstairs area and tables surrounding the island bar, everything was reserved, but the bar and the patio. There were football games on the TV, but nothing in that place made me feel like anyone would come here for sports. The music went from rock to country to electonica to hip-hop/mumble rap... and not in some seamless blend, either, but with extreme examples of each genre; 'obvious rock' to 'obvious country' to 'obvious hip-hop/mumble rap', which could have been the jukebox's fault, idk. I was told there wasn't a dress code, and there wasn't, but I still felt really under-dressed for most of the crowd. Speaking of the crowd, this was not what I'd call a young man's bar. It's a bar your recently divorced parents would probably frequent, or that uncle of yours with his stonewashed jeans, white t-shirt and sports jacket that's trying to look like they have money while they awkwardly pick up "young" women. Ok, that felt mean after I typed it, but I'm sticking by it. The staff was dressed in this, idk, pimps-&-bunnies motif, and maybe it was just for the event, but it seemed like they weren't really feeling it - only a few of them seemed on board with the theme; under the surface, the rest of the staff appeared slightly annoyed with the whole ordeal. With the TVs, the music, and the out-of-place lingerie thing, at no point did I feel that there was a constant mood in the place. When my food arrived, a random staff member asked if I had actually ordered that; I told her I did, and she repeated her question, more sternly: "Did. You. Order. That?" I have no idea where it was coming from, but I was pretty sure she was about to snatch my food from me (she didn't). Honestly, I really wanted to say "no" just to see what would have happened. It might take some repeat visits on different days to get a real feel for the place, but considering the location, 25-mins outside of my stomping grounds, I can't imagine going back. It just isn't my scene. I would totally recommend this place for anyone going through a midlife crisis, however. Bring...

Updated review: we no longer will be coming to Shin-Digs

My wife and I have been coming to ShinDigs for years it’s always been our local spot. Chill vibe, good food, and a crowd that felt like “our people” (30s–50s). We even hosted my wife’s birthday party here a few years back because we loved it so much.

But the last three visits have been a huge disappointment. Honestly, if it weren’t for Shelby our favorite bartender/server we probably would have stopped coming long ago. She’s the only one who’s consistently given us great service.

Today was the breaking point. From the moment our server (not Shelby) approached, it felt like we were bothering her by just being there. I ordered an Old Fashioned, my wife wasn’t ready yet. When the drink came, the glass was sticky with syrup all around the outside. I politely asked for a wet napkin, and she just gave me dry cocktail napkins. When I explained again, she said she’d be right back—but instead made drinks for other patrons. Eventually, another server brought me a napkin… also dry. I had to explain the same thing again before finally getting something usable.

Our table was dirty when we sat down. I had to ask for a rag and was literally handed one to clean it myself. That shouldn’t happen. I don’t mind being a team player, but it says a lot when the customer is doing more than the staff.

Meanwhile, servers seemed checked out, and music suddenly blasted way too loud for one patron’s request. It felt more like the staff was hanging out than actually working.

The food is still good but here’s the truth: great food doesn’t make up for bad service. If you don’t like your job, don’t be there. I’ve always been a good tipper, especially as a regular, but today I left a very small tip on purpose.

We brought friends with us, and even they noticed the lack of care. Unfortunately, we’ve all decided this was our last visit.

ShinDigs used to be one of our favorite places. Now, it feels like the service and standards have gone downhill. Management needs to pay closer attention to what’s happening especially with employees drinking on the job.

Sorry Shelby, we’ll miss you. ShinDigs just isn’t what it used to be.

Old review: from a 5 star to a 2. Have to say that Shelby has to be one of the best...

Food was good, the wings were actually VERY good. The 2 stars are given because of what happened when we were about to pay our tab. First of all, NO ONE lets you know there is a “processing fee” when you pay with card. That added more to our tab without us being aware and this was noticed till after they swiped the card we paid with. Second, the most surprising situation overall was the fact that our waitress literally came up to us to somewhat “ask” in a very very strong tone if there was something wrong with the service because we had not left her a tip. When we were going to leave our tip cash and we were not ready to leave yet. It sounded more of a confrontational question rather than a genuine one. After telling her we were going to give her the tip cash, she changed her tone. Don’t get me wrong, she was a good waitress but how did she not think about us leaving it cash instead of on the card?? Also, for her to come up to us was just messy and extremely uncalled for. I understand tips are important and they’re providing a service but to pretty much demand a tip...