The Cleat Restaurant — Restaurant in Town of Liberty Grove

I was so excited to try Cleat, but the experience was disappointing from the moment we walked in.

When we arrived, we stood at the hostess station for a bit before anyone acknowledged us. The hostess finally came, but she seated my party and another party at the exact same time. As someone who works in the restaurant industry, I know the hostess makes the first impression—and seating two parties at once felt awkward and impersonal. There was no greeting, no “Hi, how are you?” or even a simple “Welcome.” Instead, the hostess stopped to talk to people at other tables while seating both groups. Not a great start.

Once we were seated, we sat for 15 minutes without anyone acknowledging us. No waters were brought to the table, no “I’ll be with you shortly,” absolutely nothing. Finally, our server came over—but didn’t even introduce herself or say her name. She didn’t seem welcoming or friendly at all and actually seemed annoyed that we were even there. The first words out of her mouth were simply, “What would you like.”

After ordering, it took another 10 minutes just for our drinks to arrive. The food that came out was also a major letdown—cold, poorly presented, and low quality. It honestly felt like whoever was in the kitchen was just over their day and did a lazy job with both the presentation and preparation.

We didn’t even find out our server’s name until the bill came—it was Vicki. During most of our visit, she was standing at the bar, not checking on tables or interacting with guests. The restaurant wasn’t even busy, which made the lack of attention and care even more frustrating. As a server myself, I know that your attitude and hospitality are everything. Even if the food experience isn’t great, genuine service and a warm, personable attitude can still make guests want to come back and give a place another chance. Unfortunately, none of that happened here.

Here’s the thing — service matters. A great server can make guests overlook a rough kitchen night. A friendly hostess can set the tone for a comeback visit. But when no one cares, it shows.

Overall: The entire experience—from the unwelcoming hostess to the lack of service and disappointing food—was terrible. It felt like no one cared. I will not be...

On one hand, it was similar to the JJs days. (Went to JJs for more than 20 years, fwiw.) JJs had a lot of character and busy decor, and it seemed like a place well-worn and much-loved. The food was pretty good - a step or maybe two above tavern food, and a reasonable facsimile of Mexican food. I thought I might get a similar experience at The Cleat, but no. It's not at all like that. The Cleat feels new and hip - certainly very lively. The food was pretty bad, though - much worse than a tavern. If you want the apex of regret and disappointment, try the "fish & chips"! You'll get a set of deep fried haddock fish sticks and some limp fries. The tartar sauce was the best part of the plate. I can't speak to the rest of the menu, but fish & chips is a test of basic kitchen skills (can you select and cut portions of fish?, can you make a beer batter?, can you fry battered fish?, can you tell when food ought not be served to a customer?) and The Cleat flunks the test hard. My margarita was good, the New Glarus beer was fresh, so maybe it's just a better bar than anything else it's trying to be. I dunno. I DO know that I'd rather head to the AC Tap if given a choice between the two, because the AC Tap isn't trying to be something that it isn't. I won't be back to The Cleat, and I don't recommend it to...

If you’re looking for a masterclass in how not to run a restaurant, congratulations, you’ve found it. I had the pleasure of being completely ignored for a solid 20 minutes before anyone even looked in my direction. The waitresses must’ve been auditioning for the role of “rudest people alive,” because wow, they nailed it.

When the food finally arrived (about the same time I started questioning my life choices), it was cold, soggy, and had the texture of a wet paper bag, which, honestly, might’ve had more flavor. Oh, and the drink, yeah, let’s just say I’ve had better-tasting liquid straight from a garden hose on a hot summer day.

It’s painfully obvious that no one working here has the slightest interest in providing good service, or any service, really. The level of effort from the staff makes “bare minimum” look ambitious.

All that for $70, definitely not worth the experience. I’d rather pay full price to watch paint dry while being insulted by a circus clown,...