Columbus Inn — Restaurant in Wilmington

Just visited this place this morning for brunch with my sisters. There were 8 of us including my nieces. The food was amazing the server Katie was amazing. The issue didn't come into play until the bill came. Everyone paid for their own food. After Katie came to pick up the checks. We sat there for about 15 more mins. After that we gathered our things and began to walk out the door. As we are standing infront of this establishment. Katie runs out the door saying your payment didn't go through. The embarrassment that we felt. My sister proceeded to show Katie that it went through on her end. So she walked my sister back into the restaurant to pay again. Now my sister has been double charged for her meal. When my sister raises her concerns about being double charged. They stated for her to just dispute the charges without showing any care or concern for the inconvenience that their system has caused my sister. I go into the establishment to ask to speak with a manager. The manager on duty today between 12-1 was called to the front. As I was voicing my concerns to the embarrassment and how unprofessional that was for Katie to do that outside. He was just standing there unmoved by what I was saying. He stated that it was the servers responsible to make sure that they received their payment before the customer leaves. I said I understand that, be we sat there for a good 15 after she brought back our recipes. Still conversating. He then stated the same thing about the server being reasonable for the bill if it don't get paid. I then asked for the corporate number. He started that they are privately owned. I asked for the General manager number. He gives he a card with the wrong number on it. 🤦🏾‍♀️ when i bring it to his attention. He tells me its a fax number. I told him that it wasn't and he still wanted to tell me that the number on the card was correct. This place was beautiful, the food was amazing, the environment was nice and clean. But the customer service was a horrible experience. Me and my sisters had agreed to make this place our monthly meeting spot. But after what we have just experience. We will not spend our money were people treat us like we...

I love this place. I enjoyed the food and the service. But there are limitations.

First off, the parking lot has plenty of parking. However, there’s only one way in and you won’t know that until you take some sidewalks to nowhere only to find yourself having to turn around and go back from when e you came. If you park on the east side, you gotta walk a long way all the way around the smelly trash bins and the entire building to get in. Not so bad, unless it’s pouring, which it was, and you’re 80yo, which I’m not, just sayin’. That’ll make for a bad hair day just after getting your blue hair done. And then after the delectables you gotta send someone to get the car when it’s time to leave so the octogenarians do t wilt further. That way only one person gets drenched… but is that ok bc it’s only one person?

The selection is the same on the main menu day to day, although they do offer daily specials. Main menu is very good, but I wish they offered more. What I mean is, for example, they offer scallops with a surf and turf but it comes with braised ribs (no bone), they do not offer only scallops… I love a plate full of scallops and since they have them, why not offer a dish of only scallops? And they do not offer baked potatoes, kinda one of my staple foods, a must with a steak dinner, and love with any other dinner

Red wine was served cold, not at room temp. I see that as a major faux pas based on ignorance, naivety, or misunderstanding of their clientele. And they offered no alternative like a new bottle not refrigerated. There is a grandiose display of wines, red wines in particular, where I would expect with something like that would come a sommelier to advise the restaurant and the patron with matching wines to dinner or other rudimentary serving suggestions. Or at least someone who would advise them to take the unfinished red bottles from yesterday out of the Frigidaire at 2p for the 4p opening of the restaurant when the wine might be served.

But here I am whining about wine.

Dinner was good.

But it was a bit bush-league.

And I’ll be back, but not when it’s raining.

Hope this long winded diatribe helps. But if it doesn’t help,...

Don’t even waste your time here like I did. This restaurant was suggested to me from a coworker because I am not from the area. I met with a good friend for dinner at Columbus Inn. We never actually had a chance to eat or drink anything because they REFUSED to serve us. That’s right 2024 modern day racism! We were seated at a table. After a while a waitress came to take a drink order. I ordered a cocktail which I never received! We sat at our table watching every other guest be served dinner and drinks with a smile. Our server never came back to our table at all. We were shocked! All the servers walked by looking at us on their way to and from the kitchen. After 30 minutes we tried to gain the attention of a server to ask about our drinks and putting in an order. We were ignored! My friend had to ask the hostess to see the manager. At 40 minutes of not being served anything and completely ignored like we were invisible and getting ready to leave the waitress comes back and said she forgot we were there. She was busy with a take out order for over 40 minutes! We of course no longer trusted a meal from a restaurant that treated us with blatant disrespect and bias. So no order was placed. I was so embarrassed that I had a friend drive a long distance to meet me at a place that chose discrimination over serving a meal to two professional women sitting in their dining room. I am disgusted by the way we were treated at Columbus Inn. I would never suggest anyone go here based on my experience. The manger did come out right before we left having wasted 45 minutes being completely unacknowledged in this place. He offered the drink I ordered almost an hour prior. He was unapologetic stating they had a large party in the back so they simply forgot we were there! Bullcrap! They stared at us from a distance the whole night while waiting on other customers sitting all around us. Columbus Inn I will never forget the way you made me feel at your restaurant. I will be sharing this story for many years to come with anyone who will listen. I highly do not recommend the Columbus Inn and their blatant discrimination and disrespect!!!!! Still so angry...