Big Bear Bistro — Restaurant in Vail

What to even say? Both of our take out orders were wrong but by the time we got home it was too late so we ate them. It was frustrating because we were hoping to eat what we'd ordered (but I did call and they did refund half of the order so that was nice). But the main issue here is the EXTREME WASTE of this establishment. You'd think that a place at the base of a mountain struggling to produce snow but would be attuned to sustainability...but nope. First of all, in our bag of food were SIX NAPKINS. We had 2 bagels. Big Bear - do me a favor and perform an experiment. Eat 1 bagel and tell me how many napkins you need to use. Is it more than 1? Do you even need 1? Napkins are not only made from chopped down trees, but the greenhouse emissions and pollution produced from getting those napkins into a restaurant are devastating to the environment. Again - this is a restaurant at the base of a mountain that 1) is "committed to zero emissions by 2030" and 2) talks all the time about climate change and its impact on Vail's ability to survive at all...and yet, its establishments couldn't care less? 10 years from now, our children are going to say "why can't we go skiing anymore?" and we'll have no choice but to say, "well honey, because, despite everything we knew about climate change, people still put 6 napkins in a bag and then when they got home, threw 5 of them away, into landfills. We chopped down trees and transported napkins in planes and trucks and created so much waste and pollution that now there's no more snow, only so that we could take those things we produced and put them back into the ground in plastic trash bags!" Secondly regarding the waste issue (and this really boggles the mind): the bagels come with capers unless you opt out (there's a box that says "no capers"). One of the people on our order said "no capers" but the other wanted capers. Instead of putting the capers ONTO THE BAGEL (i.e., putting the sandwich together like a normal restaurant), when we got home, we had 2 condiment containers (like you'd put ketchup in). One of them had (literally) 5 single capers in them. The other had 8. First of all, WHY are you putting a food item into a plastic container at all!??!? Second of all, WHY are you putting the capers into TWO SEPARATE PLASTIC CONTAINERS? I can't wait for Vail Resorts to close due to a lack of snow and us having to explain to future generations "well, we had all the information a species could have about science and the environment, but we decided that it was more important to put 5 pea-sized food items into a plastic container that ended up getting thrown away. But at least there's more plastic in the ground, right?" I called the bistro to ask about why on earth there were 5 and 8 single capers in 2 plastic containers and a very nice man (manager, I think) said that the owner required this because "she likes it." She likes waste?! Not only will we not be coming back here, but I'll be posting about this on all local environmental blogs. I literally cannot fathom anything that happened this morning and am completely devastated that a place like this, at the literal base of a mountain struggling each year to produce as much snow as it did the year before, contributes so much to the problem. Aren't you supposed to be a part of the solution?...

This has got to be the most overpriced place I've eaten during my entire vacation. The food was fine. My turkey sandwich was average, though the turkey was unseasoned. It came on an average ciabatta style bun. But over $30 for 2 sandwiches that came with nothing and 2 bottles drinks that were over $3 a piece? I get it. Its Vail, and being that it's full of foreign tourists, they don't know any better as to fair pricing of standard goods in the states. But this was ridiculous. For the price, I could of gone to one of the neighboring dine in restaurants with table service and gotten a full plate of food. Not a small sandwich. They couldn't even throw in a pickle slice for free. I know that they have to pay the fees for getting the ingredients up the mountain, and that tax is higher than I am used to here. However, their small sandwhiches are advertised as $10.95 each (which is insane) but I paid more than $12 before tax for both. This place is just opportunistic in this tourist setting. Go next door to the Blu Cow for a huge bratwurst and a beer for...

I’ve always loved this place and made it a tradition to visit every year. Unfortunately, my most recent visit with my wife last Sunday was very disappointing. The staff came across as unprofessional and, at times, downright rude—both toward customers and toward other staff members.

After the lunch rush, we were the only table left in the restaurant. Rather than tidying up, several staff members (about 2–4 of them) spent chatting and loudly yelling across the room in Spanish the whole time, while dirty tables remained untouched more than half an hour. Out of the four employees present, none took the initiative to clean. Eventually, one young woman came in and cleared everything, while the others continued to stand around doing nothing.

It was uncomfortable, noisy, and felt like the staff had no respect for the guests still dining. For a place I used to look forward to visiting, this was a big letdown. Management seriously needs to address how the staff behaves and runs the floor, because the experience did not match the reputation this...