John Brewer's Tavern — Restaurant in Waltham

I've only had beers at this place and tonight, being tired of left over holiday foods at home, I ordered for pick-up for the first time and knew I was going to be late and asked to please keep the food warm and arrived late (35 minutes after the order was placed) as expected which was my fault-I'll admit that. I paid for the order checked it and asked if it could be warmed and was told the kitchen is closed (it was about 10:35 Pm- i went there because it was advertised that they close at 11)

They had me speak to a manager and I tried to return the cold burger and they simply would not take it back!! That was very frustrating. I get to my car and bite into the sad, cold burger and it was bright red. I had asked for Well-done so this made matters worse. I couldnt eat it so i call the beloved John's tavern. I can't belive they refused to take back the order and gave me so much push back and the female manager, whose name I can't recall, talked to me in a very condescending tone telling me she's been talking to her co workers about the burger sitting there as they waited for me to pick it up so they can "leave for the night" (30 minutes prior to the advertised closing time) and finishes with, "do you understand" after she denied to take the food back that I'm refusing to eat because it's cold and even if it was right off the grill, it was not made how i had requested. It was still a very rare piece of meat and being Caribbean I CANT eat that! I dont like beef thats not cooked thoroughly. Thats not something youll ever see served in our culture which is why i stressed Well done at inception of the order. There was no need for the tonality that bordered disrespect and push back like i was being scolded for making, what i belived, a viable request. I understand how tiresome it can be working in a restaurant during the holidays so i remained kind though my eyes twitched in silent rage! They could have been a lot more accommodating but for whatever reason (i believe its because I'm BLACK and i wonder if there have been any other situations that made any other person feel as small and dejected) they decided not to be accommodating. I hate to bring race into it but the way she spoke to me was laced with prejudice and adding "we would have said no to "ANYONE else" with that type of tonality and saying, "do you understand" in that condescending tone made me feel so small and spat on. Being made feel so insignificant and worthless left my thoughts racing and It made think that if it were to be a person of Anglo-Saxon origin, she would have been a LOT more acquiescent. I'm so livid writing this and know very well nothing will come of it. No business should EVER HAVE A PAYING CUSTOMER FEEL THIS ANGRY ABOUT A BAD PURCHASE AND REFUSE TO RECTIFY IT. My feelings are sincerely hurt. I feel as though my mouth was forcefully pried open and they took turns spitting down my throat. I wish I got the female managers name. I don't want to EVER STEP FOOT INSIDE THIS PLACE EVER AGAIN though it's probably the preferable choice for the s probably ideal for them. I guarantee you if there were a back entrance to the building, they would have advised me to enter through there. if you're a person of Color with standards and self respect, go eat somewhere else in the area. Fry up eggs on hot concrete, chew gravel if you must, you'll probably be better off.

If the manager was speaking to me and making me feel so terrible, there is clearly something wrong with training and they should have them take a hostess/restaurant decorum training course to make sure people are not walking away on the brink of tears over something that could have EASILY BEEN FIXED had some effort been put in by the night manager.

I thought I'd find solace in sharing my experience but as I type this, it makes me more angry...I still...

This place is fine for dine in, we have been many times, and for the most part things have been good. But EVERY time we order delivery or take out there is an issue. In the past it has been wrong sides, missing salads, incorrectly prepared meat…. There is ALWAYS something. Usually we just deal, I have put under-cooked steak tips in a pan (which I had to do again today), have made my own salad, or ignored the side I didn’t request, but today we ordered three entrees and received two. Hard to fix that.

When we called they immediately knew about the situation, “I’m looking at your turkey tips”, and my options given were, come in and pick it up, or reorder, after they credited me the missing item. “We can’t deliver, it’s third party”. If they knew the situation why didn’t they act to fix it!!!

Sometimes I wonder if restaurants think about what’s going on on the other end. Ok, two of us have food, that took half an hour to get to us (as expected). I ordered delivery for a reason so I’m not going to go get it, and my options of (a) having the food I have get worse and wait, or (b) have 2 of us eat as the third stares on and eats 30-40 minutes later. Plus I am then essentially obligated to tip on the reorder or good luck getting a driver to pick it up.

I should know better, my fault for going back when I know something is going to go wrong.

So if you’re looking to roll the dice, maybe get what you ordered, or maybe have to do a little cooking when your food arrives, or both, this is the place to order from.

Aside from this, their steak tips are really good, {although often...

John Brewer's Tavern has always been right around the corner from where I grew up and call me old fashioned, but I have always appreciated the fact that they have kept the same building exterior and interior, complete with the taxidermied bison head on the wall right next to the host stand. They have good American comfort food that always hits the spot and is never too hard on the wallet. It can get a little loud when the dining room is crowded but along with the sports TVs mounted in the corners of the room, it adds to its charm. My favorite menu item is their buffalo chicken wrap with sweet potato fries instead of regular fries. It has the perfect ratio of hot sauce to blue cheese dressing and the chicken is grilled and smokey. It's a great bite every time! They expanded the patio with both chairs and tables and picnic tables so it's accommodating for everyone. And don't be shy about sitting in the bar room for a meal, even though it's a little louder it's still super cozy. Eating here feels like eating at home and I'll never complain to...