Chuckwagon Restaurant — Restaurant in Town of Florence

Unless you're a 'regular', prepare to be ignored.

Having just bought a place up here, we are trying a lot of the local restaurants, to see what they all have to offer. Went in on a Wednesday night, 630pm. Not a prime night during prime hours. Couple tables with customers, nowhere near busy. 5 minutes after siting, the waitress finally came around. First time here, took us a bit to figure out what to order. A blue cheese burger, something they call a Messy Jessie, two orders of fries, and a kids chicken tender. Waited around an hour for the food to get to the table. And the food really wasn't worth the wait. The Blue cheese had an odd taste, the Messy Jessie wasn't made right. The beer battered fries were a soggy, tasteless mess. The regular fries were better. Had to go to the bar to get our drinks refilled, and still had to wait, because the waitress disappeared, the bartender disappeared, it was basically a free for all. But, when the locals / regulars showed up, or needed something, they were treated kindly and quick, while the rest of us "outsiders" were basically ignored and left to our devices. I can't really fault the the waitress, she was new, like freshiy hired and first night serving new. Poor thing dropped a tray of food on other customers and the floor. But, the other disappearing "waitress", bartender were short when they did engage with you, or just not around to be seen.

So, if you want good service, buy a place close by, go here a few times a week for months in end, and maybe you'll get good service.

Otherwise, I would just...

Painfully slow service on a Saturday night. Maybe half the tables were full and we all sat around hungrily to watch the orders of food trickle out. Once our food finally arrived, we had to remind them of the appetizer we'd never received and ended up getting it last. "Swiss" cheese on our burgers wasn't Swiss at all - maybe white American cheese? Guys, you're in Wisconsin for goodness sake...take pride in the cheese you serve! Wait staff was super friendly but not around often. Never got refills on our water. But they were certainly around to ask about "another beer?". Two final things: they charge you $1 to process your order on a credit card. Small annoyance considering no one carries cash anymore; and insult to injury after our experience there. But the icing on the cake...I waited to use the ladies room at the end of our visit (small, one-holer). The girl who came out before me was one of our waiters - she did not wash her hands!!!! I can confirm this because the sink was bone-dry and the soap dispenser was empty. YUCK!!! Will not...

I really enjoy coming here for dinner. The food is good, the atmosphere is great (on Fridays is their Fish Fry night, like every other restaurant here in the great UP. It's loud, friendly, everyone seems to know everyone) and it's family-friendly. The customers are wonderful because no one gets angry about the slower service, due to not enough servers. Yes, you'll need to wait a bit longer for your food, but that's everywhere. The servers don't act harried or treat you like "Omg, hurry up, already! I have 20 people waiting!" Nor do they ignore you, if you need a refill on your Coke. The building looks like a log cabin, both inside and out, which lends a cozy feeling to the restaurant. My family and I are transplants here, but the Chuckwagon makes us feel like Yoopers. The fish is excellent and unfortunately is so good, we have not been able to break ourselves away to try anything else. If you DO decide to come on a Friday, be prepared to wait a little while; this is a Yooper favourite...