Trapper's Smokehouse — Restaurant in Virginia

Decided to make Trapper's Smokehouse the final meal for the night at Busch Gardens however it has to be the worst part of my day!! We arrived around 7:20 to find a man barracading the entrance and refusing service to other customers (even a lady that simply wanted ice water in her refillable cup). I asked the worker what time they closed due to the website stating 10 pm which is not accurate and he stated 6:30. During my exit I noticed a sign clearly displaying that that the closing time was 7:30pm. I approached the man again and told him that they were supposed to still be open and he was adamant that they stopped serving food at 6:30. After explaining the concern and misunderstanding for over 10 minutes, we were finally allowed entry.

When I entered the establishment to notice some workers were preparing personal meals and taking the plates to the kitchen area while other workers were standing behind shelves in the serving area consuming food. While waiting in line a woman (which I assume is the manager due to her attire) came from the kitchen stating they were out of ribs and out of chicken. While waiting to order my meal another customer in front of me had no choice but to choose mozzarella sticks as an entree due to the lack of variety, and 2 different workers attempted to give her mozzarella sticks that were covered in flies. I informed the customer that she may want to ask for mozzarella sticks from the completely full tray of fresh mozzarella sticks that were not covered in flies instead of the self serve option that both workers attempted to provide twice. Hesitantly, the servers prepared a fresher mozarella portion which seemed to inconvenience the workers!

After me and my family were told for the third time that they were out of ribs and chicken, which we were obviously aware of, we settled for the remnants of the brisket and the few ribs that were available (so we thought) instead of the complete Trapper's Smokehouse Sampler that we hoped for. During the checkout process, I looked back and noticed the remaining individuals in line behind us were served the ENTIRE Trapper's Smokehouse sampler! The customers informed me that the workers began bringing out more chicken and ribs while we were getting our drinks!

Not only was the service HORRIBLE, the mere feeling of being a nuance or inconvenience to ALL of the workers at this establishment due to a misunderstanding of service time has been nerve wrecking. Not only was the unwillingness to serve us completely comprehended from every worker! It was an emabrassment to me due to the treatment displayed in front of my children. After the service offered my children did not want their meals they were ready to leave the entire park!!

*The time needs to be corrected online to reflect the correct closing time!!

*ALL of the workers, including the assumed manager at this location, could use CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING AND EDUCATION ON HOW CUSTOMERS SHOULD BE TREATED OR REBUTTALS THAT WOULD BE MORE CUSTOMER APPROPIATE FOR THESE TYPES OF SITUATIONS

**The brisket was dry

**The food storage could be improved considering the outdoor location and...

Waited over 40 minutes to get food. Once you actually get into the area to grab your food the environment is really dirty. The heat lamps are absolutely disgusting and have caked on grease and dust. Looked above and the air vents have thick layers of dust and dirt caked on. It’s a very open concept and there isn’t any way to keep the inside sealed which is understandable of all the debris all over the walls and lights. But for 2 meals and two bottles of water and a side of fries it was about $100 bucks. Which for that kind of money I would like to not guess if there is going to be something gross lingering on my food. And the concept of having the drink machine at the end of the service area is slowing down the service line. People are taking several minutes just to get drinks and all the people behind them have their food in their hands waiting patiently to leave. After nearly an hour of that mess I get to the table to eat and half of the meat on the sampler was cold. The food that was warm was really good. The brisket and ribs were very delicious and smoky. Would have been even better if it was hot. I wish this was a smaller concept or have multiple locations in the park so quality and time can be improved. I would have gladly paid that kind of money for a fresh hot plate and a cleaner atmosphere. Will not wait in line for...

We were saving this meal for last, having snacked around the park all day with the dining plan. When I saw the menu prices, I was SHOCKED. What we paid for the all day dining plan was nearly the cost of the sampler platter! I feel terrible for parents trying to feed their families here, it would cost well over $100 and not be worth it. Watching food be served while in line, I decided to choose a simple BBQ sandwich. To my dismay, the meat was not high quality and surprisingly had very little flavor. The serving stations were a mess, with food on the outside of the small cups (see photos) and the area behind the line was a kitchen nightmare. But we were hungry, thirsty and on our way out. None of the drink machines had any ice, and it took me a long time to get an employee's attention. It took me three tries to communicate "You are out of ice!" and after getting my message across, all I got was a shrug and "we called". If we go back to this park, we might forego the all-day dining, but will def. skip this restaurant even if we purchase it. Sorry for the negativity, but people need to know before spending crazy amounts of money...