A restaurant is often rated on its performance during a dining experience. If everything goes perfect, it gets a great review. If one thing goes wrong, it's review is adversely affected. A restaurant should be rated not only on its ability to provide a perfect dining experience, but its ability to handle mishaps in a positive and enjoyable manner. I would like to recap my visit to Gridley's and tell you why it deserves 5 stars, regardless of a dining mishap.\r
\r
My wife and I had never been to Gridley's before, as we are new to the area. We decided to stop by on Saturday evening, right in the middle of Memorial Day weekend. We arrived at Gridley's and were greeted by a cheerful hostess and a young yet cheerful manager. The young man engaged us in a brief and welcoming conversation and proceeded in taking us to a cozy booth. Our server was a very polite girl who provided us with specials and a wine list.\r
\r
The atmosphere was quite pleasant and relaxing, and we did not get the feeling that we were being rushed. I ordered the tournado filets and my wife ordered the nut encrusted whitefish. Unfortunately, I had ordered the tournados medium and they were a bit on the rare side. I let my server know and she politely apologized and promised me she would get them refired for me. Within minutes we were approached by a manager (not the same one from the front desk, but a lady). She handled the situation in an extremely positive way. She apologized, offered me something for the time being, and even took the liberty in taking our drink order. We were engaged in conversation when the filets arrived at the table. This time they were cooked just right. The manager offered us dessert on the house and left us with a smile on our faces.\r
\r
The food was delicious and the dessert was astounding. Gridley's is a place that provides the perfect dining experience. It takes a professional and welcoming staff to provide such an experience, even when a mishap occurs. We'll be back!
Pros: Excellent food, superb service, professional and welcoming
Cons: Difficult entrance
more