BorderTown Bar & Grill — Restaurant in West Fargo

This is my first time Ive ever written a review. Ive never wanted to nor do I read them. But I feel that this is the stuff businesses need to know. Ive been coming to Bordertown 1-2 times a week for almost 5 years now. Its the closest thing I have to a regular bar choice. Ive seen it through ups & downs, bad staff, no manager, etc- 2 years ago I had a horrible experience & vowed to NEVER come back. To top it off I had accidentally left my favorite scarf there & when I called the man that answered said he hadnt seen anything. The next day I had a message on messenger about my scarf saying it was found & could pick it up whenever. The server had gotten my name from my card & looked me up on facebook to let me know- that server was NICOLE. When I picked up my scarf, Nicole apologized for what had happenned the night before (server was new) & explained it in a way that made it not seem so awful. She got my meal re made so I could try it again but what really impressed me was that she remembered my drink (titos cran lemonade splash lime juice w/lemon wedge) & she wasnt even my server. Nicole is the reason I come here & I only come here when shes working. Im 1 of many that will say that. On Wednesday 10/25 a girl ive never seen before (Monica) was working & made a terrible drink. I actually sent it back. I waited 35 to order another drink- I waited for Nicole to get there. Guess what? I wasnt the only one. The couple next to me told Nicole their drinks were terrible & she was the only 1 allowed to make them. I told her I felt the same way. Im going to brag her up for a second here because it needs to be done- the place was a disaster- garbage cans overflowing, dirty glasses all along the bar, dirty dishes on tables, on the rail, wherever they got left; empty liquor bottles everywhere but the garbage- meanwhile the other girl was too busy flirting with one of the guys to lift a finger. I think I wouldve left at that point. I come here enough to know the dirt just from observing. I was here the night Shelby & that other gal literally wouldnt leave Nicole alone. She repeatedly said to change the subject or leave & they both were just unbelievable. It was so bad that somebody left her $100 tip for having to deal with that. Those 2 shouldve been fired immediately. Nicole is the only person Ive seen sweep, wipe the chairs down, replenish paper products in the rest room, etc. Shes quick, makes the best drinks & is hands down the hardest worker Bordertown has. She has been like that since the day I got my scarf. Back to Wednesday- there was a guy that came in apparently the new bar manager & what a joke. He was obnoxiously loud, singing songs he thought he knew, but most importantly NOT attentive. Guy next to me order Budweiser bottle, josh gave him Bud Light. Same with the next 1. Nicole brought him a budweiser & winked at him. I left shortly after that. That is what i was going to write the review on. Until wedneday when I found out she got fired. FIRED. Shes there more than anybody & works harder than anybody but she got FIRED. She comes in on her only day off, she rearranges coolers, pulls the cooler out & mops, sweeps, ice, decorates for holidays, makes jello shots, etc. I actually thought she was the manager for awhile. But she got FIRED. Shame on you Bordertown. Josh was almost bragging that he fired her & that is despicable. I will not be coming back to Bordertown until Nicole is back. And I promise you I will tell everyone I know plus more not to come here either. Nicole has kept this place together for 2 years- & you FIRED her. Nicole- if you can see this honey go where they know youre worth...we will follow you...

Warning Kind of a long winded post

First of all, I have been frequently going to this establishment for many years, and unfortunately may not be returning. The past 6-8 months I have been less then satisfied with the service. My friends and I come in there to throw darts many times in a month. The last time we were in there to throw darts, the fella that was serving us was more interested in laughing it up (rather dramatically i may add) with the people at the bar then making sure we had full drinks. I had to walk to the bar to get another drink, and when I did that I was greeted by a angry looking bartender that really didn't seem to want to help me out. And then the server would see me, and ask if I needed anything.. Unfortunately that has happened to us a lot the past 6-8 months. It seems that if your not part of the "clique" your not important and ignored, or made to feel unwelcome.

Last night (3-30-19) my friends and I went into Bordertown for Karaoke. Once again we sat without a drink for 10 mins. The server told us it was because they were busy and she was "swamped", so we just blew it off and accepted that as the reason for the initial poor service. We then proceeded to have multiple tall beers as well as other beverages. Our server did a good job after the initial service hiccup of keeping our drinks full. It was when I went to use the restroom I saw that they were running a 2-4-1 special on tap beer and well drinks from 10-close. We arrived at the bar at 10:30. I went back to our table and I asked our server if the bar is doing a 2-4-1 special, why are we as patrons not being told about it? She got very defensive and gave me a slew of excuses.. Meanwhile almost everyone in the bar was sucking down their 27oz tall tap full price beers, and not reaping the benefits of the 2-4-1 special. I was aggravated that nobody was telling anyone about the special. I brought it up to the bartender, and was told that you have to ask for it... If I were serving tables, I would push the specials on patrons because it would possibly get me better tips, right? I found it odd that nothing was said to us about this special.

Waiting until we have been there drinking tall beers for 2 hours to find out you could have been getting a better deal, is just going to piss people off. It almost seemed to me that our server was told by management to not say anything about it and keep serving the more expensive 27oz tap beers until it was asked for which in my opinion is wrong. It sucks to leave a negative review on a place that I have loved to go to for years, but unfortunately its not like that anymore.

Bordertown used to be a great place to hang out. The old staff that this bar used to have was top notch every time we were in there and they all made it so much fun and we always had drinks!!! But there has been changes in management and staff and I personally think that these changes have hindered this bar. Which sucks! Because, I have so many really good memories here. But I cannot continue to frequent an establishment where I am continually receiving sub-par service and made to...

After experiencing a year of poor service and dealing with rude servers, we decided to give Boardertown another chance. We were immediately welcomed by Josh, whose personal demeanor and welcoming attitude instantly made us feel comfortable. Josh is undoubtedly the finest bartender and server one could hope for. Having him on your team would be an absolute stroke of luck. He is not only a staple in the industry, but a genuinely wonderful person and an invaluable asset.

The food is wonderful and we are obsessed with the lavosh! We were lucky enough to meet the man who has made our amazing food, Dalouie. He is an incredible cook and everything he has created has been exceptional! Not only is he an amazing human being, but he is also an incredibly talented chef. We cannot express enough gratitude for the outstanding service we have received, especially considering our previous uncomfortable experience. We have happily returned to Boardertown many times and have enjoyed their awesome food and warm hospitality without any hesitation! We highly recommend Boardertown to everyone, it is absolutely worth...