Brickyard Pub & BBQ — Restaurant in Town of Lewiston

Brickyard has always been one of my favorite restaurants. They do have good food, but something has changed. The service staff on the restaurant side definitely does not believe in the motto of keeping the customer happy. I have panic attacks when I'm in busy locations, so I normally know what restaurants to go to and where to sit to avoid this. Three of four visits we were not allowed to sit in a booth upon request because they said they do not allow two people during certain times. One night there were over six tables available on the floor with multi seating and they still would not let us. I'm not paying $50 for our dinner to sit there with my heart pounding and in discomfort, so I asked to speak to the manager. She was just as rude and at this point we left and went to a restaurant 45 minutes away. Tonight I apprehensively ordered thinking curbside would be okay. I ordered a platter with the pulled pork sandwich substituted with pulled chicken. The phone server told me it was nearly $23 for the total. I said, "Wow, when did the prices go up so high for a sandwich?" She said a new menu had recently been printed. I said okay and gave her my payment information including a small tip for the wait staff to bring my order out. I picked up my order and checked to see if extra BBQ sauce had been added. There was none in the box and no sandwich bun. It was a pile of plain chicken and my two sides. A bun was missing and no BBQ sauce. I called to let them know my order was wrong. The first to respond was calm and said the order taker had input my order as a different item that did not include a bun. The waitress that took my order grabbed the phone from her and started yelling immediately. She told me she took the order and I ordered this item. I said I did not. She told me I could come in and get a bun for free. I said what about being over charged for a sandwich. She got snippy and said all she could do was give me the managers name. I asked her what her name was and she hung up the phone on me. 🤷‍♀️ At this point I went in. Two of the staff members who have been there for many years behind the bar were pleasant and helped me. I asked what has happened recently. The service has gone downhill the past three months. My money was refunded and I was given the bun. This was not my intention. I would have paid for my dinner, but the correct one I ordered. I appreciate they did assist me, though. They did listen to what happened, as well. The last time I didn't put a negative review because I have always enjoyed Brickyard for many years. I thought it was just a fluke. Three times now, it's not a fluke. The restaurant wait staff has changed and not for the better. Also, when your prices go so high, please don't scrape the bottom of the rice pan. Half of the rice was too hard to eat. Sadly, I'll have to find a new BBQ restaurant. Maybe I'll try again in a year. Maybe not. There are wonderful staff still there, but the service is too hit it or miss now...

Poor service, subpar BBQ, and arrogant owner. My friend and I decided to try the “Choose 3” whereas our wives ordered a Turkey sandwiches. I selected pulled pork, ribs, and brisket while my friend selected ribs, chicken, and brisket. Both meals lacked good flavor and were very dry requiring us to drench them in the side BBQ sauce that’s in like a squeeze bottle on the table. I am a big fan of BBQ and equate having to alter it via some cheap sauce the same as having to drown a steak in A1 sauce….disappointing! Truth be told the pulled pork was so bad I didn’t even bother eating it beyond 2 bites. Our server was quite short with us when we mentioned the quality of the BBQ and basically decided our table wasn’t worth serving the rest of our meal as our drinks remained empty and we had to wave her down multiple times for the bill. Now it gets better - being two couples we always request separate checks. Upon receiving our check there was a 20% gratuity already added on to the bill. When the waitress came to take payment we inquired as to this charge and were told that there policy for parties of 6 or bills over $100. I politely stated that my bill, for my wife and I, was like $85 to which the waitress snipped “when added to your other party (similarly priced bill) is over $100”. It was too separate bills! Rather than make a scene we decided to pay the bill and I called the restaurant to speak with the manager about this whole experience. I was spoken to with additional attitude and then told talk to the owner who proceeded to get on the phone and belittle me while also informing me that “split checks” are a courtesy that many restaurants don’t offer and I should be grateful they did it for us. My wife and I, along with this other couple, have gone to dinner almost every Saturday for years and have never had a place take issue with a split check. We have prob dined in hundreds of WNY establishments (some multiple times) and never had an issue. For those that are tech savvy plz feel free to search me for any other reviews. This is not something I do but this experience was that unpleasant. Beyond the food and service being meh you then want to force a 20% gratuity…..that’s not a gratuity, that’s a fee. What is the incentive for good service if you are forcing patrons to pay a fee that you deem acceptable? Now I get why our server was rude and dismissive…..the bad attitude doesn’t impact what goes on her pocket. For the record I do think 20% is fair for very good service but that’s not what was delivered. The kicker is I always tip. Even with very very bad service I will leave 10% over no tip. 10% poor service, 15% average service, 20% above average service. Don’t hide a mandatory fee behind the term “gratuity”. People, there are better venues to spend your time and money with. Be open to driving past this establishment to visit a place that will welcome you, provide great food and service, and appreciate your hard...

My previous review of the Brickyard Pub and BBQ dates back to 6 years ago. Things looked much better then, before COVID, fire and everything. I left a very positive, 5-star review, which this establishment fully deserved. But again it was 6 years ago. I used to enjoy draft beer - they had excellent selection including beers from Sloop Brewery, West Coast, some excellent stuff from their pals in Buffalo etc. Not any longer; these days, their beer list is largely constrained by what Brickyard Brewery produces which is a very unwelcome change since the quality of their own beers while not terrible is usually below my expectations. But the worst part is the food and the service, especially the service. Typically, they sit you at the table and forget about your existence for 20-30min. One can't help but notice that they start serving other customers who arrived after you meanwhile. Maybe just my bad luck - got seated at the wrong table. However, this happened more than once lately which makes one think ... Once they start serving you, things start rolling very fast, maybe too fast for the food they bring in approximately 10 min to be properly cooked. The last visit around a month ago was the last drop. Everything went according to the scenario I just described except that the chicken wings I ordered were not just pinkish inside but bore traces of blood. The young lady who apparently saw that my wife and I finished eating (actually barely touched since the undercooked food may be hazardous for one's health) brought the bill without having approached us to find out if there is something she can do for us. We left without tipping the server, and that was the least we could do. Probably, we should have returned the food. Sorry, but can't recommend this place any longer. Not sure if my wife and I will ever give it a try once again. Will have to find some other place to eat while at Lewiston - thankfully there are...