Since someone very close to me works at Yankee Candle itself I thought we should check out their flagship restaurant on site which is Chandlers Tavern. I had ate their previously but literally not for over a decade so I wanted to reserve judgment and base my opinion on only the quality of this decades visit.
It started off nice since we reserved a reservation ahead of time so we’d be able to get right to our table after our shopping trip coinciding with their candle sale. Sorry to say that it was only nice during the walk to our table…..our waitress was beyond rude. To put it into frame, I was about 1 more comment from “MARY” (AND YES THAT IS HER REAL NAME, WELL AT LEAST WHAT IS ON HER NAME TAG.) away from taking our dinner to go and apologizing to my fiancé’s parents, aunt, and nana for even taking them to somewhere with so little class. Chandlers has a reputation for having an expensive menu but quality food.
The service staff seem to be hit or miss because I’ve heard both horror stories along with rave reviews. Unfortunately I can’t say the latter. Since we wanted to take her family out to a nice dinner on us to thank them for all of their support over the past year while we were struggling financially we were prepared to spend a lot more then usual. I went to a website that offers discounts if you plan on spending a certain amount at some of the higher class places in the area, I’m not 100 % positive but I believe it was $100 gift certificate for $50.
It makes sure to say in bold letters that you need to let you server know when you sit down that you will be using this offer. I barley got the words out of my mouth and didn’t even take it out of my pocket before I saw the most rude, scornful, and downright angry expression on her face. To make it even more embarrassing she loudly asked if there were any other of these gimmick online discounts that I would be using? Well, she got her intended response….ALL 5 TABLES WITHOUT EARSHOT TURNED TO LOOK AT THE POOR PEOPLE USING A GIFT CERTIFICATE. I couldn’t believe it.
The below average service continued to decline to the level of unacceptable as the meal went on as the aforementioned MARY continued with her attitude, rude tone, unpleasant demeanor. After I placed my order my aunt couldn’t finish chewing the bite of bread she had taken quickly enough and the waitress angrily mumbled, well I’ll just come back when your ready, and stormed off again. When she returned she said, “so, are you ready to order now?” and not in a cheerful, smiling, pleasant, “I am spending $100 on a dinner and expecting a $30+ tip tone either”
After our meal when her grandmother said she was going to take her leftovers wrapped up to go but decided not to since the waitress had her hands full, until one more rude remark, and FINALLY EVEN NANA couldn’t take it anymore. The 86 year old, incredibly polite, quiet, kind, and intelligent women whom I have never even heard raise her voice spoke up just enough to let Mary know that she would have to make one more agonizing trip back to our table to wrap up her food, AND NANA EVEN APOLOGIZED FOR ASKING!
All in all it was a terribly average meal, with an extremely slim menu to choose from(probably about 15 different items) , the WORST SERVICE I HAVE EVER HAD AT ANY FOOD ESTABLISHMENT IN MY ENTIRE SHORT 28 YEAR LIFE, pricey to the point if not for the gift certificate and employee discount I would have laughed, felt a pain in my stomach, then in my wallet, and excused our dinner party on our way out the door to maybe the GO-TEN Japanese Steak House down 116 about 4 miles.
It’s a shame that a company with such an incredible story that clearly cares about its reputation within the community( they sponsor many local events, give generously when asked etc) can turn a blind eye to such poor behavior by staff. Chandlers will NEVER get my business, or anyone else that I can talk out of it for that matter until they hire some hardworking, honest, genuine employees….I’m sorry, I don’t appreciate feeling looked down upon or unworthy while I’m trying to enjoy a nice night out….AND PAYING A RIDICULOUS SUM FOR IT!
