Earls Kitchen + Bar

I’ve reached out twice in the past month and have gotten no response regarding my family’s awful experience at our 5pm reservation on May 10th. The beginning of our time here started out okay. The server, who told us she was brand new, took our drink orders and asked about any allergies we should be aware of. The drinks came back, and we placed our orders. After over an hour-long wait for food for an 8-person table, we finally received our food. However, two dishes were incorrect, starting with my brother’s dish. He had ordered the Cajun Blackened Chicken from the menu’s Mains section for $34.50, as he had ordered it three weeks ago and loved it. What he received instead was a chicken sandwich with a side of potatoes, which is ironic since the Cajun Blackened Chicken he ordered was gluten-free. My brother brought this up with the server, who proceeded to argue with him, claiming that he was wrong and that this item came only as a sandwich and not what was described in the menu. The server even brought the menu back to confirm that what he received was the Cajun Blackened Chicken; however, at this point, my brother asked where on the menu it stated it was a sandwich, burger, or handheld. The server replied, “It just is.” In response, we pointed out that if it were a sandwich or handheld, it would be located under the sandwich/handheld section of the menu; instead, it was under the mains section, where there was no indication or suggestion that it was a sandwich or came with any bread option. The server continued to insist that it was a sandwich and left my brother with a meal he didn’t order. After checking the menu several times, there was no Cajun Blackened Chicken Sandwich anywhere on it. However, there was a Cajun Blackened Chicken dish under the Mains section of the menu, which states it comes with confit garlic butter, warm potato salad, bacon, coleslaw, and kale oil (nowhere does it state a bun, handheld, or any bread item). The second incorrect dish was the Vegan Hunan Kung Pao dish, which came with peanuts. My sister-in-law ordered it without peanuts (preference). Unfortunately, it arrived with peanuts—thank goodness she wasn’t allergic and could pick them off. Both my brother and sister-in-law chose to eat their meals despite them being incorrect, as we had already waited over an hour for our food and weren’t prepared to wait another hour. Following this already awful service experience, the server at no point checked in on us to ask if anyone's meal was okay or if anyone would like another drink. My mother ordered garlic toast which did not come until she reminded the server about 15 minutes into the meal, and even then, she waited an additional 20 minutes for the garlic toast which we were still charged for despite it arriving 20 minutes after my mother had finished her meal. As someone in the entertainment industry, I understand that new servers are still learning, and I am often sympathetic to this as mistakes happen - we are all human. However, arguing with a customer twice and insisting they are wrong, despite the menu supporting the customer’s point, is unacceptable. After reviewing the bill, the server charged us for a Cajun Blackened Chicken Sandwich (not sure how, as this isn’t a menu item anywhere at this location) for $23 and actually ADDED $4.00 for the potatoes my brother received, even though the item he requested came with potatoes (stated on the menu). It looked as if the server had made a mistake and attempted to cover it by charging us additional items to match the price match the $34.50 for the Cajun Blackened Chicken. We understand that mistakes happen; however, if she rang it in incorrectly or made an error, as I advise my own servers, acknowledge your mistake to the guest; don’t argue or gaslight them into believing they are wrong. My husband and I recently moved into the area and were hoping this place would become a staple in our weekends, as the food tasted great. However, due to the poor service we received after paying almost $400, we will think twice before returning.

Oliver served us tonight and everything was perfect. Amazing service and I’m a big fan of all the gluten-free options here and happy hour until 7pm.