White Stag Inn — Restaurant in Town of Sugar Camp

I've been going up to Eagle River every summer for my entire life since my dad grew up there. At least once every trip, we eat at the White Stag, but we probably won't anymore.

Prices, as other reviewers state, are outrageous, though we've come to expect this since the place is so popular. (However, they've recently gotten far too greedy, in my opinion--something like $15 for en brochette, which is a fancy way of saying "meat on a stick.")

We went this past trip on a weekday during the week of the 4th of July (which, of course, we expected to be busy). We arrived around 6:30 PM and sat at the bar. The place was packed--not unexpectedly. The bartender (who we believe is the owner) was extremely rude. He seemed burdened by the fact that the restaurant was full and that he had to serve drinks to customers with no break in between. While we were sitting at the bar, one of his regulars tried to strike up a conversation and the bartender dismissed him rudely.

The bartender was the only one working the bar--drinks were delayed about 15 minutes after ordering. We overheard that his brother (who evidently is another bartender) was not at work that day.

After about half an hour we got seated at a table (even though there were many empty tables throughout the restaurant). The server offered to get us our (by then) third round of drinks with the disclaimer that the bar was backed up. We accepted and got our drinks around the same time the lettuce and dressing came out, around fifteen minutes after being seated. We ordered our meals at this time.

Unfortunately, this is where any semblance of service ended. About half an hour later, after we needed more drinks, I had to flag down our server to take our drink order because she repeatedly walked by without paying us any attention. We got another round of drinks (again, with the disclaimer that the bar was backed up). We waited another hour or so with no visits from our server.

By this time it was coming up on 9:00 PM and there was no indication that our food was coming any time soon. We tried to find our server to ask her the status but were unable to. Instead we talked to the lady standing at the podium near the entrance. After explaining that they were having some "staffing issues," we told her we were leaving. She made no attempt to apologize, merely stating that she understood and that she'd inform the kitchen so they wouldn't have to prepare our food anymore. We left some cash on the table and left.

All in all, a huge disappointment since we liked the place so much in the past. We probably won't be going back--lots of other places up north that have better food for cheaper, though they do lack...

I have read so many positive and negative reviews. I am originally from the Northwoods and throughout my teens and early 20's during my college years, I waitressed at some of the best supper clubs. Just recently my husband and I ate there and my review is based upon our one time experience and it is also based upon my prior experience working for some of the best owners of supper clubs from the past. If the owners asked me how they could improve, I would suggest the following. The bartender should greet everyone with a "smile" and exude friendliness, not the complete opposite. This goes for the woman who seated us and our waitress. The food was "good" but definitely not worth the price. Have you ever seen 3 waitresses sit in the "back" at a table working on "place servings" folding napkins, etc. while 4 tables are "eating" and just beginning their meals? Not one waitress asked their "table" how everything was or if they needed anything. We sat there after we had our salad and I watched the other tables without any waitress, as we did. Throughout my entire life, I don't think I have ever seen something like that. Totally unacceptable...and I am sure the owners were not there, I can't imagine any owner allowing that to happen. You prepare place settings before anyone arrives, not after people have been seated. Our waitress slid our plates down on to the table as if she was working at "Golden Corral"? You place the plates in front of the customer and also place the salad bowls in front of the customer, not on the opposite side where the people are seated at. The $36.00 filet that my husband had was not grilled correctly. The filet was black and overcooked on the outside. We have eaten at some of the best steak houses and if you are going to pay for a $36.00 piece of meat, then it should be cooked perfectly. The carts that the waitresses use to serve the "meals" are extremely annoying and loud. If you wear a hearing aide, it will be "painful" to say the least. I would suggest to the owners that music should be played in the background, as well. I have a feeling that during the "peak tourist season" they offer the best service. We have driven buy the supper club throughout the summer and it was surprisingly busy on the weekends! Sadly, I was disappointed with a supper club that was one of the best at one time. The days of the amazing supper clubs are long gone. I have to say that the quality of customer service throughout the Northwoods has declined dramatically since the 80's, 90's and early 2000's. What happened? ...

I'll start with the positive: The woman on the telephone was nice. But when we arrived, we were greeted by two surly hostesses. The wait was surprisingly long - 30 minutes or so - given the large number of empty tables, although it was busy. The wait staff seemed woefully unprepared for the busy Saturday night. Here's a sample of the poor service: We sat at the bar while we waited and were greeted by a very rude bartender. (Tall, glasses, moustache.) Him: What can I get you? Me: What kind of craft beer do you have? Him: Draft beer? I have Miller Genuine Draft. Me: No, craft beer. Him: Craft beer? What's that? You're going to have to help me out, buddy. (He also muttered something about not rattling off his beer list again.) I gave up, stunned that a bartender in Wisconsin, a state that has dozens of craft breweries, didn't know what craft beer was. (Tribute Brewing Co. is just a little to the north in Eagle River.) As we sat and waited for our table, I watched as the guy treated other customers rudely, shouted at a waitress and seemed genuinely irritated that he actually had a job. When we were seated, it was more of the same. Not a single staff member hesitated to tell us how busy they were. On to the food. We were served salad that consisted of a wedge of iceberg lettuce. The three homemade dressings were good, though. The rolls were ... unappetizing in appearance, so I didn't bother. Then came the entree - poor quality steaks served in flavorless beef broth. CANNED BEEF BROTH!! At least the chef cooked it to order. I think. We were horribly disappointed in the entire experience. This place is supposedly legendary. But the quality of the food, combined with the rude wait staff AND the VERY HIGH PRICES, had us wishing we'd just stayed home and fired up the grill on that chilly October weekend. Don't bother, folks. This place is a huge waste of time and money, until Robert Irvine comes...