South Riding Inn — Restaurant in Virginia

Went here yesterday for lunch. Walking up to the door I see a sign “help wanted bartenders, cooks, waiters, bar backs” thought to my self this place must be good if they need all this help. We go in,(very nice sports bar atmosphere) seat our selfs, admiring the decor. Next thing I know 15 min has past and we haven’t even been greeted. (To the waiters defense he was the only one working). He finally checks on us and takes are drink order (2 sweet teas). 10 min later we get are drinks (poor waiter is bartender, bar back, and waiter) 1sweet and 1 unsweetened. No big deal he’s working hard and there’s sugar on the table. 10 min later he takes our order. 16 wings, and burger with fries. 15 min later our food comes out. Burger was good, fries were delicious, but the chicken wings..... well they were not good. The carrots and celery were turning brown around the edges. Again no big deal didnt get the wings for the veggies. The bbq wings were covered in sauce (Dripping). The garlic wings well I was a little skeptical. I ate it anyways it had a funny taste along with being extremely dry, (I’ve cooked wings before and sometimes you get that one just cooks a little faster) i tried another one and it tasted like old pot roast. I spit it back out onto the plate. The whole time this going on the owner/cook is asking some guy if he knows how to cook, and telling him to take a application and start on Wednesday. (Wasn’t eaves dropping they were right beside my table). After the interview we waited another 10 min after we finished the burger. The waiter ask how everything was. I told him the wings were not very good but everything was good. He said I will take them off your check. “Thank you”. He takes my plates to the back and 2 min later here comes the cook licking his fingers. He looks at me and says I think they taste fine. (I had the second piece of chicken in my mouth and spit it back out onto the plate). I told him they just aren’t for my taste they were dry and tasted a little funny. He responded with “I just made them yesterday”. What??? ( I can make leftovers at home for free.) after all that we waited another 10 min to our check (which they did remove the wings). I get an hour for lunch and was 45min late. Crazy. Bottom line owner is a pompous jerk and for the poor waiter I apologize, I didn’t even leave you a tip. So here’s one employers are supposed to help you make money...

I have been going to the “SRI” for a few months now, and till tonight I have always had a reason to return, tonight I was in the designated smoking area, when I was approached by another patron and essentially was told that I was a disrespectful person for smoking in the smoking area while they had a TODDLER at the bar at approx 10PM. When the patron began to stir up a fuss with more than just myself but 4 other patrons who were telling her to leave me alone. Things had even escalated to the point of which I had to get the staff to get her to leave me and the other patrons alone. The bartender (I have only had good interactions with) suffered the brunt of the incident as I felt that tipping was unnecessary as I had been harassed by that same patron 2 more times. With nothing done about the situation. I find no compelling reason to return after the way I was spoken to and I truly apologize to Devin (bartender) for the lack of tip. But I feel as if it was appropriate to reciprocate my experience via my tip. I will make it a point to steer others away from this establishment until these issues are corrected. The individual the bartender let slide is a regular I see drinking far more than she should almost every time I am there. Mark, you should really do better. I was far from impressed tonight. EDIT: Since posting my review I returned due to my friends request to join them for a drink. I was told that they would not serve me because I left a review they did not like and did not tip. What scummy business practices! The people with me were in SHOCK! I was right in my original decision to stay away from this place after their first abysmal experience! The staff member that told me as well, even laughed about the situation, and then turned to my friend said “I’ll serve you”, but turned then said “not you” to me. Keep in mind this is the same staff member I did not tip last time I came in due to being harassed and having an all around poor experience.

TLDR: Shady business practices, food is nothing to write home about, most of the time it tasted better because I was drinking, the service isn’t anything to write home about either, it frequently gets busy, and some of the longstanding as they call themselves “regulars” who drink too much and start speaking in place for the business. Far better options...

This is a nice little neighborhood bar and eatery. From the looks it has all the elements of a quaint little hangout spot.

The food is marginal at best, which was surprising since it received great reviews from what I read- which is what guided me to this spot.

Now for my biggest disappointment, SERVICE. The sign at the front door read “We ask for your patience due to staff shortage”. Okay and understandable considering the times we are in. However, I was not fully prepared for the lack of caring by the ampule staff on hand. There was no lack of staff (6) for such a small establishment. The staff appeared to actually ignore its customers, some sitting waiting 15+ minutes just to get a menu or for a server to take their orders. The staff spent a good portion of our stay BS with patrons at the bar. They looked like they were having a good time at their customers expense.

Would I return to give the establishment another shot…….probably not. Don’t let this review stop you from trying the restaurant. Everyone should make up their own mind.

For me my mind is pretty much made up. Based on my customer experience I don’t think I would torture myself with another return. I work too hard for my money and I don’t think it’s asking too much for good service and a...