The Restaurant at INNESS — Restaurant in Town of Rochester

We were upstate for the weekend and were truly looking forward to our dinner at Inness. The resort was clearly busy with a wedding taking place and upon arrival to the restaurant, we were told that we would need to wait 10 minutes for our table. We agreed and had not problem with the wait so we proceeded to the bar to order a cocktail. While waiting we saw two other parties that arrived after us be seated and after 30 minutes, we checked back in with the host. The host said they "had been dealing with things" and we then waited another 10 minutes for a table to clear before we were seated. Our server didn't know menu items and wasn't able to get clarity or details. And, several of us used the bathroom while there and asked twice to have the towels in the bathroom restocked which never was completed. We ended up taking our napkins to the bathroom to use as towels. At the end of the evening we gave feedback to the host who we learned was also the GM and the response was "the team is new and I knew this would be a tough night as the doors opened, thank you for the feedback, have a good night." It is clear that the restaurant at Inness needs better management to manage seatings (minimize wait as they are able), train staff (don't put staff in situations they are not trained to manage), maintain the restaurant throughout the evening (restock bathroom towels) and handle customer service. As we walked out of the restaurant the host/general manager scurried by us with their bag and waved goodnight. Really disappointing and as a result, I would never recommend going to this restaurant. Read reviews on the hotel where you will find a slew of insights on the restaurant. I wish we would have done that...

Had a business dinner for 12 people in the common restaurant. Was asked to pay ahead of time, $100/person, not including drinks. We did not want to pay $1000 for a private room so we opted to eat in the lounge.

TL;DR: The food was great. The drinks were good as well. The service was extremely underwhelming and the dinner experience felt hacked together for a dinner of this cost. I shared all this feedback with the venue hosts and had a “we’re sorry” but nothing done to reduce cost or make it right.

We were told it would probably be pretty quiet on a Monday but it was actually quite busy. It happens. But there was only one primary server shared between our table and at least 3-4 other tables in the lounge.

We didn’t have drink orders taken for about 15 minutes after we arrived.

The primary waiter was extremely overworked and came by the table about half as often as I’d expect for a dinner of this size.

Food kept getting delivered without serving dishes and then the waiter would disappear. I had to ask 2-3 times for spoons to serve the food.

We happened to have a birthday being celebrated and pre-arranged for the candle to be in the cake of the person celebrating their birthday, but instead it was brought standing in a tiny dish. Even the waiter who brought it out looked embarrassed.

Wouldn’t come back, personally. If I did I would ensure I had a dedicated server.

Oh also, heads up that they charge a 4% processing fee for credit...

Meh. I was really looking forward to dining here as the photos online showcased a beautifully designed space, and in person, it truly is stunning. Unfortunately, the overall experience fell short of expectations. We had a 7:30 dinner reservation for 4 and were surprised upon arrival by how loud the restaurant was. The space was filled with families, screaming children, and a very casual atmosphere, very different from what we had anticipated. We requested to be seated in a quieter area, and thankfully, the staff accommodated us. The room we were moved to was much more peaceful, but nearly empty, and the service in this area was noticeably lacking.

It took about 20 minutes before our server even took our drink order. Dishes arrived at uneven intervals, and there were long stretches where we didn’t see any staff at all. While the food was good, it wasn’t particularly memorable. What stood out most (in a negative way) was the complete lack of attention to clearing our table. Dirty dishes piled up, and even as new plates were brought out, no effort was made to remove the old ones. It was baffling, especially given the price point.

For a dinner costing over $100 per person, we expected a higher standard of service and a more refined experience overall. The setting has great potential, but the execution (both in service and ambiance) needs significant...