The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro Review



I have been a blogger now for over a year. I have been lucky to have gotten some incredible items to review and giveaway and more recently began getting opportunities to go to locations, restaurants and attractions and review. I contacted Lonesome Dove two weeks ago when we were going to be riding the Grapevine Vintage Railroad to see if we could come and have lunch while there and I'd write a review. As a blogger, we are not to purchase anything. So I spoke with the hostess twice and the manager once in the last two weeks and repeated myself repeatedly that this was the case. The day I called and asked, the manager was more than eagerly willing to have us come in. I repeated in that conversation about no purchase, and she was completely fine. We spoke about this being my first restaurant review and it was going to be great.

We drove out to Ft. Worth (about a 20 minute ride for us), paid $5 for parking and walked half the block and got to the restaurant. Going in, the place was very dark and cool, and had a western feel. The hostess saw our reservation, got a high chair for Olivia (FYI for those with younger kids, no booster seats). and sat us down and took our drink orders. I asked for the manager so I could find out if they wanted us to just order two entrees, if they wanted us to do the appetizer, entrees, and dessert, how they wanted it to go. This place is a bit pricey so last thing I wanted was to put a bad taste in their mouths by ordering a bunch of food on their dime. I'm not here for a free meal, I am here to get to review. This for me is about getting the opportunity to review and have experiences, not to get free stuff over and over.

After requesting the manager three times, getting our two teas (and a watered down shirley temple for Olivia because they couldn't find the apple juice anywhere) and waiting almost fifteen minutes, the manager came to us. I don't believe she was the same one I spoke with on the phone, her name was also Elizabeth and she informs me that for blogs and reviews the will give a couple of appetizers but they will not comp the whole meal. I immediately got confused, and a bit shocked and explained that the hostess and manager I spoke with wanted us to try from the lunch and dinner menu, and especially their garlic beef tenderloin. She then says that they don't do that, and then suddenly it's ONE appetizer. So we go to order their scallops with duck confit and she THEN changed it to "Well that comes with two scallops and the duck confit. I'll just have the chef make a scallop each for you." and that's it.

Seriously? We drove all this way, for a scallop each and nothing else? We ended up just getting up and walking out. I walked down to another place to pick up an item for review, and by the time I got to the car I was in tears. I was sitting there weeping not at the disappointment of not getting to eat the food, nor even the loss of money that I really don't have for gas and parking. No it was how we were treated like homeless people trying to beg for scraps off the street. First I get told by phone the meal would be complimentary so that I could write a proper review, then it's a "couple" of appetizers, then suddenly it's one appetizer, then it's partial? That's how you treat bloggers? Or is it just the plus sized bloggers in jeans with a three year old that come in and don't look like they have money to burn?

I do NOT recommend this place to ANYONE. Whether you have children, are financially comfortable to afford it, nothing. I have never in my entire life been treated like this and to right in front of me not only change your words up from "Couple" to "one" to "half" but to essentially allow us to sit down, order drinks and then make us wait 15 minutes just to tell us after we look over the menus this is how it is is uncalled for. Don't go here everyone, you can find a much better place that treats people a lot better.


Out of five stars, I give Lonesome Dove Bistro ZERO.


Comments

  1. I am completely appalled at how they treated you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You know what's really sad (for them)? I called another restaurant I will be going to on Tuesday when I got home and spoke with the gentleman I'd been e-mailing with. I told him I wanted to make sure he understood we would not be paying for our meal, it was an exchange and he was just as angry that they treated us this way. He said he knew from the start that he would be "buying us dinner" and we'd write the review. He said I have never in any way hid that fact and he was appreciative of it. So why is this place acting like this? I don't know.

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