The culinary bar tends to be set pretty low for sports-themed restaurants and bars, but that’s been slowly changing over the years.
Back in the 1980s, Harry & Steve’s in Mesa helped pioneer the idea southeast Valley sports bars actually could serve good-tasting burgers, sandwiches and even full-blown entrees.
But while there have been others that have followed suit — most recently, Blue 32 in Gilbert — too many sports bars still field rosters of sub-par menu items.
That’s why I had high hopes when Tailgaters Grill opened earlier this year on the northeast corner of Higley and Queen Creek roads. Southeast Gilbert residents could use a good sports bar — actually, a good restaurant of any kind.
Sadly, they won’t find one in Tailgaters.
The building’s warehouse-like interior is pleasant enough — two walls of concrete block and two of windows, including a roll-up that opens the U-shaped bar to the side patio. There are plenty of requisite flat-panel TVs for watching games.
So red flags go up when friends and I walk in on a busy college football Saturday afternoon, expecting a crowd, and find fewer than 10 patrons, all sitting at the bar.
A order of buffalo wings (six for $6, pictured above) quickly sheds light on the problem. At a buck apiece, I’m expecting much better than the mummified specimens — dry and shriveled-up — that arrive.
A plate of strangely coarse hummus ($6.75, pictured at bottom) is equally disappointing. A red version is roasted red pepper; a green is jalapeno and cilantro. I point this out because they taste about the same — bland.
How do you screw up something as bulletproof as pizza? Here’s how: Burn some chorizo — make sure it’s jet black — then crumble it on a frozen sausage-and-pepperoni pizza from the grocery store, and the result will be almost identical to the Meat Lovers ($10, pictured at right) I tried.
During four visits to Tailgaters (no relation to the West Valley sports bar of the same name, I should point out), I try in vain to find something worthy to recommend.
It’s not going to be the tasteless cheese steak (a whopping $11) with cheese like hardened glue, the dried-out, chewy Rueben ($8.25) or the Italian sausage ($8) so small it’s swallowed up by a hot dog bun.
The cheeseburger ($8.75) and barbecue pork sandwich ($8) are average at best, but at least neither offends. Maybe they’re your best bet.
Tailgaters has only been open for a few months, so I hope it eventually can get its culinary act together.
For now, though, its biggest attraction seems to the perky female bartender who frequently jumps up on a beer cooler to bend over and clear glasses off the bar, practically giving male patrons whiplash as their heads swivel.
It probably explains why the few customers I’ve seen at Tailgaters are sitting at the bar.
Tailgaters Grill
Where: 4604 S. Higley Road, Gilbert (northeast corner of Higley and Queen Creek roads)
Open: 11 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday, 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, 7 a.m. to midnight Sunday.
Prices: Appetizers $5-$8, burgers/sandwiches $7.50-$11, entrees $11.25-$20.
Info: (480) 457-8949 or tggrill.com.
Mouth by Southwest 
Had a similar experience, food wasn’t very good and couldn’t believe the price of the wings. Plus we later found out that our credit card was charged an additional $1 tip than we left. Sad. We had high hopes for Tailgaters but won’t be back.
That is a brutal review. I have enjoyed my experiences there. Wow…
I have not been there but had high hopes; too bad. There is a great restaurant in south gilbert on the corner of chandler heights and gilbert roads (it may actually be in chandler), but close enough)–Red, White and Brew.
This is a fair review. Tailgaters is struggling – they recently hosted a “club night” with DJ and dance floor as evidence of this, which is about as far away from a sports restaurant you can get. Gimmicks don’t bring in customers. Quality food and service do. I hope “Club Night” isn’t a sign that they’ve given up on trying to be a good sports restaurant, which should’ve been top priority all along.
I live right nearby and really wanted this place to be good. At least the beer is cold and they have Golden Tee. Unfortunately, just about every time I go in there one of the managers/owners is playing on the machine.
Maybe now he’ll get to work.
One question, Did you honestly go 4 times? I have been to many places, especially Native where they have juicy, meaty wings one time and the next visit they seem like left over wings. I agree that I hate that too but have to admitt that the food has improved greatly since Tailgaters has first opened. I have been there several times, with my family and with my friends. I enjoyed $.40 wings with a $2.00 Ultra while watching my man Favre lead the Vikings to victory this past Monday. There wasn’t one open seat on the patio and I too got to enjoy the bar view (male bartender, yummy!).
Jackie — Yes, I went four times, but I only ordered the wings once because my goal was to try as many different menu items as possible. You may be right that the kitchen is inconsistent. In my opinion, though, when you’re charging $1 per wing there’s no excuse for ever serving an order of “left over wings.”
I have been there with my family several times and have had a great experience. I work in the area and have a punch card I eat off their $6 lunch menu so often. As a mother of 3, I applaud them for trying to bring things to Gilbert like Club NIght, Fight NIght, etc so we don’t have to drive into Scottsdale.
I’m pleased to see that the last paragraph of this article has been amended from the original article in the delivered paper. I was a bit surprised to see something so distasteful printed. Thanks for fixing it here 🙂
Dear Jess,
My name is Donald and I am one of the owners of Tailgaters Grill. First, I would like to express my disappointment and embaressment after reading your article. My partner and I work tirelessly to create the best experience we can for our guests from the food to the service and atmosphere, so it is very disheartening to work as hard as we do and be torn down like this. We have invested our lives in Tailgaters and continue to do so on a day to day basis. You lead to believe our prices are high so I would like to give a short list of our specials. Every Mon. thru Fri. we have a $5.99 lunch menu with 9 items on it. Mondays we have .40 cent wings and $2 drafts Tuesday is cheeseburger and a beer for $7.50, Wednesday is 10 inch pizza with 2 topping and a beer for $7.50 and Thursday is any of our wraps and a beer for $7.50. Also, on Monday, Saturday and Sunday, all day, for football we have a $5 menu that includes Cheese pizza, slider dogs, tacos, cheese quesidilla, chicken tenders, spinach and artichoke dip, nachos and half dozen wings. I’m sure you understand the power of your words and It seems very obvious that you had bad experiences when you were here but i would really appreciate the opportunity for you to give us another try and have a positive article written about us. We take your critisim as constructive and all we want to do is make this right for Tailgaters because we take this very seriously. I know we have room for improvement so all we ask for is another chance. Sincerely, Donald
I have been there with friends servel times and have had great experience , and evry time i go there most of the week end the place its full , WOW!
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October 7, 2009 at 5:04 pm
STOP THE CRAZYNESS,sure they have issues,so does every new bussiness.They are in your neighborhood and you dont have a long way to go for a fun and family enviorment.Give them a chance.If you do or did have a problem STAND UP LIKE A MAN or Woman,AND LET THEM KNOW,how can they fix what may be wrong,to Blind side them like this is Truley Chicken S–T.Give them a chance.Go LINDY
Notallowedtousename — I removed the word “dancer” from this online version because it was being misconstrued by several readers who e-mailed me. The bartender reminded me of a ballerina, since she was lithe and displayed a lot of athleticism by repeatedly leaping up on a waist-high beer cooler. Unfortunately, a number of readers were equating “dancer” with “stripper,” which was not what I meant at all. So I felt it was best to remove it to avoid any confusion.
Jeff, I believe the owners are trying to allow the patrons to decide what they want out of their neighborhood gathering place, and not just cater to one person’s idea of what the restaurant should be. I also believe the owners are trying to create a warm and inviting atmosphere and be very approachable and friendly with their neighbors. Both owners live close by and want to give Gilbert a place to go and feel good and have fun, and I think they are giving their all to accomplish this. I know we always have a fun time when we go, and we appreciate that they do everything they can to make our visit a good one.
Jess, not only do I agree with your review of Tailgater’s, as it was shockingly similar to my experiences (tried them twice), but I enjoy and encourage your honest and un-wavering dedication to reviewing and reporting the truth in evaluating the restaurants you visit.
Tailgater’s has not demonstrated (to me at least) that they provide quality products, or value in any sense of the words. With that being said, Jess, although I agree with your review, and am damn glad you continue to do so honestly, to spite your influential status in the community, I can’t say I agreed with your reviews of Blue 32 either. Frankly I found their service to be good but that’s where the “good” stopped, and the “just ok’ started. I tried them 4 times and never found it to be anything more than acceptable.
I guess I’m one hell of a tough critic myself. But I can’t deny that I know, quite well, tasty and quality food. I expect it from establishments I freely give my hard earned money to, and unfortunately, they are few and far between here in our area. Tailgaters is no exception and nothing worth trying any time soon.
First I am really disappointed to hear a “culinarian” make derogatory comments about the staff. “For now, though, its biggest attraction seems to the perky female bartender who frequently jumps up on a beer cooler to bend over and clear glasses off the bar, practically giving male patrons whiplash as their heads swivel.” ARE YOU SERIOUS? A comment like this degrades a talented bartender to nothing more than an object. To be a food critic and make a comment that degrades a working woman to nothing more than entertainment for your perverted mind. As far as your opinion of the food, You state you have been there 4 times. Did you ever have good food? Were all 4 of your visits and disappointing as the one you described? Or did you simply wait until you did receive under par food to pounce on a new establishment? I come to Tailgaters at least twice a week with my co-workers. I admit I have had an order that I requested be re-made due to an error. We love this place. The staff is friendly, the place is clean and open. There are plenty of tv’s and they even turn my favorites on next to each other so I don’t have to move. As far as the comment by Jeff in regards to “Club Nite”, I talked to the Manager about this on the first night they tried it. They have had so many requests for a place to dance, and they say there just isn’t enough room on the bar. Club nite isn’t a Gimmick it’s what the customers asked for. I wish you had the decency to provide comments about ALL the food you ordered because I fail to believe you would return to an establishment 4 times no matter who you are if it wasn’t good. The Monster burger is a killer! The portions are huge. The ladies i work with rave about the salads and the wraps! I just don’t understand. They’ve been open 5 months and continue to make huge improvements. Hang in there Tailgaters!!!! You’re better than this guy thinks!
I will say that we also live close by and have been to Tailgaters a few times. I haven’t had bad food there but the only real complaint is the kitchen is a little slow.
We went on a football Sunday and had the build your own omelette and really liked it. We really didn’t care if the food was slow coming out that morning, since the game was on.
Hopefully the owners will continue to make improvements to the menu and the pace of service and people will come back and give the place another look if they’ve had bad experiences.
I wonder if the owners would like immediate feedback from customers if they have complaints. I think that many people in Gilbert won’t complain at the time, but instead just keep it to themselves and not come back.
My wife-to-be and I went to Tailgaters for dinner for the first time last Friday. We had mixed feelings about the experience.
When we walked through the door were met by an immense room of openness, bright lights and sparsely arranged tables. Not anything like what we expected. We stood at the door waiting to be seated while at least two employees came to the counter but refused to acknowledge us or tell us “someone will be right with you”. Finally someone seated us on the far wall opposite the bar area.
For starters we ordered two beers which were ice cold and delicious and an order of cheese curds which were equally delicious. For the entree we shared a bacon cheeseburger and fries. We had high hopes for this burger but when it arrived we were disappointed. First due to the lack of lettuce, tomatoes, onions and pickles on the plate. We had to ask the waitress where they were and who said they forgot to bring it out. The bacon was very thin and seemed to be microwaved. The bun and burger patty were nothing out of the ordinary and neither were the thin french fries.
While we sat and ate we couldn’t help but feel lost and completely isolated from everything going on in the place. The room is so big, spread out and very, very well lit that it loses any intimacy.
We understand that places have bad nights so we will probably be back on a weeknight to try something else on the menu and to drink some super, ice cold beer. The place isn’t super terrible however many improvements can and should be made to make this a place for good food, fun and drinks. I hope they can do it!
Honestly Jess, I don’t think you meant that the reason the patrons sit at the bar was to see the ballerina!
I am glad I went to Tailgaters prior to reading your review. If I hadn’t, and listened to you, I would have missed out on a great time and a great meal. I don’t think I’ll be reading any more of your reviews.
I’ve been reading Jess Harter reviews for several years, and he’s always given places a fair shake (I sometimes I believe Jess is too kind and too fair to a lot of joints). So if these are his experiences, the owners of Tailgaters should consider themselves lucky. A stuffy, arrogant reviewer would have REALLY ripped you guys and not let up.
As the owners of Tailgaters, please put yourself in our (customers’) shoes. Sit at a table, order wings, eat them and pay your bill. As a customer, were they delicious, worth the money? Be honest. At no times is a wing worth a buck. (I know that you have a Monday night wing deal)
Do that with each food item and work to improve the taste and cost (for the customer and for your bottom line). Would you feed this to your family or are you just looking at the profit margin? Visit bars like Four Peaks, eat their menu items and figure out what a bar like that is doing right. … And copy them … foodwise and pricewise. There’s a reason why Four Peaks is packed night and day (good beer AND good food).
On the topic of wings, why do you think the Native New Yorkers are always packed (and not just on their discount nights of Tuesdays and Thursdays)? Their wings are dang good. I’d almost pay your prices for them.
I suppose you too own your own business Jess?. I live nearby and have been to Tailgaters many times. Every time it seems that people are enjoying the food and the atmosphere as am I. I believe that with any new business, for a while there will be kinks to be worked out. Fight night. poker night, and dance night are all good ideas that the community can choose to be involved in. I think Tailgaters is trying to create a neighborhood family establishment by offering a variety of food and entertainment. I completely disagree with how you attacked this establishment and degraded a woman with your comments about her behind the bar.
Been many times, nothing special but nothing bad. Good specials, very nice people & owners but its a Sports bar where are the Potato Skins? $10 bucket of beer is great. I only wish sports bars would have 1 BIG Tv for people to hang out at, dont see that much any more.
*****Having been to Tailgaters Grill several times myself with my family, I would have to say that I am a bit disturbed by this review. I happen to order the Hummus every time I go because I love it. My teenage sons order the hamburger, my mother orders the pizza and my daughter orders the wings. We have not had any of the experiences the writer expresses in this review. In addition to the outdoor patio area, we happen to think the food is one of the best parts of Tailgaters Grill. I do understand that with a new business there may be quirks to work out, but this review was brutal. The comments about the bartender were immature and unprofessional. I hope that if you are reading this reply you will agree that you should be your own judge and check out this great new addition to the Gilbert Community. Ruth*****
Come on. Really? Tailgaters is a great place to hang out and have fun. Are some of the items a little on the expensive side? Yes. (A buck for wings is, quite honestly, high, no matter what kind of place you are.) But its an upscale place. Its not your hole-in-the-wall dive.
You treat this place as if its a leper colony when in fact, its just the opposite. Its a great place to hang out and chill.
I’ve been there many times, and I’ll be there many more times. The only thing I’d EVER ask them to change/look at would be to possibly drop some of the prices.
And this review can be written off quite easily just by reading the last part about the bartender. ANY shred of credibility went out the window with that.
Well, where do I start? The fact that your opinion is wrong, or the fact that as a critic your responsibilites are to the consumer. Now what do I mean. If you had these experiences four times as you say, did you ever think of asking for a manager or owner to see how they would respond as a customer service issue? No matter where you go there will be problems with service, food or just about anything. As a customer I want to know if it will be fixed, with a smile and want to made like I was wanted and needed as a customer. My wife and I go all the time, never had any problems as you explain in your aritcle. I don’t call it luck, I call it a great place to go. Sure people have had some problems with orders, I see that as a customer in any establieshment, but you only did half your job, by complaining and not seeing what the company would do to fix the poblem or even let them know.
Go back and do it right.
Every new establishment has to work through a few complaints but your remarks were brutal! We have been there more than 4 times since they opened, and always take friends or family with and the only complaint we have heard was the “Rueben was very good but too small.” Always order different items on the menu so have tried quite a few and we are always satisfied with anything we order. It is sad you had to print those remarks in a newspaper. Why not go to the management and voice them so they can be corrected and not hurt their business. Maybe some people should run into “bad food” once in a while so they can take off a few pounds!! Now that remark was no worse than the remark you made about the female bartender. That was derogatory!!!
Way to go Jess!! An honest and critical review! The pictures are certainly worth a thousand words …. and it’s pretty entertaining to read the comments referring to this place as “upscale” ……it just goes to show that some folks don’t have a clue to what constitutes an acceptable quality/flavor/value level for food …… guess there will always be lemmings standing in line for mediocrity!
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And for those of you who can’t quite comprehend a food critic being truthful — let’s review the definition of critical:
“find and call attention to errors and flaws”
okay first ive been going to tailgaters since they opened almost everyone that works there im close friends with but i’ll admit when i started going there it wasnt a great place. maybe i didnt like it because i always went to uncle bears to hangout with my friends but this place has been getting bigger business alot more people come out there it has a great night life there and when games are on its packed now i dont know when you have gone there but i go two – three times a week its a fun enviorment to be around. plus the kareoke is always fun go on a friday night and you see its packed with people singing and dancing every where and thats whythey have club night so people wouldnt just dance on the bar. but thats just one mans opinion to match anothers. i love this place dont judge on something so quickly just because you been there FOUR TIMEs wow……. when ever i have ordered food its always been the best from the nachos to the club wraps its all been great .
listen ive been to some upscale restaurants and i wouldnt call it upscale its a bar okay but really jess didnt have to belittle people like that to be a critic you have to take notice that this place hasnt been open for long its brand new and still getting kinks out. and its a bar and grill not wolfgang pucks restaurants they serve bar food thats pretty good so i still feel right about the things i said and this mark jones guy stop being dumb you act like you everything aoout culinary expertiese. and ive taken culinary classes so thank you
Jess,
Maybe if you actually did a little research and asked a few questions
and interviewed the ownership of this establishment your article might
have included a more realistic viewpoint of Tailgaters.
For those of you who forgot, Jess, we are in a recession. Since you are
an expert in this industry how about stating how many bars/grills like this one
have closed in the past 12 months. MANY!!!!! What about something like 20% of restaurants actually make it in normal economic times?
I would have wrote an article based on the courageous fact that friends with a vision poured their life savings into creating an environment that is a gathering place for both families and sports fans alike. All of this taking place in arguably the worst economy seen in Arizona in a long time.
Now as for the food. Bad food is correctable. I have had bad chicken wings all over the valley. As the recession deepens, cost cutting is taking place more and more. Managment needs to know. Has your mom or wife ever cooked a bad meal? The answer is yes. I have never visited a place 4 times that i didn’t like. After reading this you began to lose credibility with me.
I then read on to see that you tried 8 menu items in four visits. I would suggest one at a time maybe so you can give an accurrate review on what you are eating instead of just sampling. Again you lost more credibility with me.
Lastly, your comment regarding a “dancer”. Truly tasteless and unprofessional. Your apology was an extremley weak stab at saving face. Nobody believes you. You know what you meant. Be a man and admit it.
Absolutely no credibility left!
I applaud Tailegater’s efforts and also acknowledge their managment for getting on this blog to try to correct what needs to be corrected. I wish them the best and have frequented many times.
It’s pretty funny how some of these comments try and bash Jess because he doesn’t own his own business, or because he didn’t interview the owners or do “research”. Huh? It’s a restaurant review, people. The reviewer goes to the restaurant, orders food, and writes about whether or not he liked his experience. It certainly doesn’t seem like Jess has any axe to grind, so I have no reason not to trust that he gave his honest opinion. In fact, I have reasons to believe him: those pictures. Honestly, that food looks terrible. There’s too many decent options in this market to accept mediocrity.
There is some underlying frustration here on the critic’s part. That frustration is that the critic is trying hard to be a “independent restaurant” believer. If you read his reviews, those that excel, in his opinion, get great reviews. Those that do not, in his opinion, get poor reviews. The critic gives, as it reads, four opportunities to sell their product. Four opportunities! How many chances do we give businesses? Most of don’t give four. I attribute those chances to a guy who wants to believe and give hope to independents. He very rarely reviews chain restaurants. Obviously no one wants anyone to fail in this economic environment, but the environment is no excuse for poor performance. And being “brand new” is no excuse either. When are you no longer “brand new”? One month, two, three, six? There was some sarcasm in the review, but, once again, this is out of frustration. I applaud the critic for giving opportunities to independents. But unfortunately, poor performing independents give a bad name to those independents who do indeed have a good product. Everybody benefits from “tough love” now and then. And for those who rave about this restaurant, keep raving. Tell your family and friends. And keep dining out. Ultimately, the best way to defend you favorite restaurants is to keep going to them. And for the critic, you win credibility in my book by being consistent and honest. If Tailgators performs better tomorrow than it did today, your critique was spot on. Everybody wins then.
I don’t think anybody is trying to bash Jess because he doesn’t own his own business. What people are saying is that times are different now and as a community we need to help support each other more than ever. Yes the pictures show a bad day. But I bet everyone of us could go to a restaurant and take pictures of a bad day. I have had tiny wings, undercooked bread sticks, and dried chicken from many places, and those are from chain restaurants. If he indeed did have four bad experiences, than why not on the third or fourth say something to management, to try and find out how they handle it and see if there was something positive to write about besides the bartender. Fine if critics are to be critical, however he is not consistent. He plugs Blue 32 in this review and if you have read any of his other Blue 32 reviews you will see a large picture of the owners along with the “unbiased” (yeah right) article, not a picture of the food. Looks like he took the time to talk to them, so I don’t think he would qualify as a fair believer in “independent restaurants”. Gilbert is a strong community and we come together when needed. In the visits I’ve had there I have learned that employees have been hired with no experience but had families to support and were given a chance, and that was learned in less than 4 visits. Maybe Jess could learn a little more too. Maybe he needs to change his spin on his writing, restaurants are unfortunately dying out, so he soon will need something else to focus on! Go Tailgaters!!! We will continue to dine out and help you to perform better every day.
Ryan M — thanks for your eloquent response to my comment …. might I recommend an English composition class instead of a culinary class next time? 😉
I consider The Dish the pinnacle for in-depth reviews in the Valley. Your piece on the perky female bartender left me wanting more… MCC is proud of thier alumni.
I was really surprised to read how negative this review was…my husband and I go to Tailgaters frequently and we really like the place! We both love the poker they have on Tuesdays and Sundays, and I’m really looking forward to going there now that the weather is nice and we can enjoy their patio…we’ve always been happy with the food too! I guess everyone has an opinion, but by no means is it as horrible as this review makes it sound!
All I know is the review is true some of the time. Lately the food is losing the quality I first came to know it and enjoy. I have gotten to know a few of the servers and I can tell they have seemed tense. All I know is that if I keep hearing the same concerns from the employees, Tailgaters is going to have more than food or service concerns, they are going to have a bad reputation for high employee turn around. Threats on the staff are no way to run a business. The owners should be more professional and not be seen drinking it up so often. Every evening that I have been inside I have seen one of the owners drinking and playing golden tee. If they are having problems and then they should take care of business first. I find it crazy that they think they can make a business work and keep their employee’s motivated and happy when they can’t set the example themselves.
We go to Tailgaters every week and the service is always awesome, the restaurant is spotlessly clean and it is always crowded. It is a great neighborhood gathering place and a good place to watch sports. The food has always been good and comparable to other sports bars in the area and better than most chain restaurants. If you want fine dining you don’t go to a sports bar! If the restaurant was not to the critic’s liking why did it warrant a full page article with a large picture and negative headline; shouldn’t he save this space for his positive reviews? The EV Tribune is doing a disservice to the community by articles like this. Cities and towns depend on sales tax revenue. Don’t drive businesses out of Gilbert. While I can appreciate a difference in opinion this article seemed very unprofessional. Give Tailgaters a chance and decide for yourself.
I disagree completely with this review i am a customer most regularly and I think the food is great. I have been to tailgaters several times and I think this review gives them a really bad rap and those of you that think native new yorker or red white and brew are better then you are all smoking something.
Just look at the lousy food in the pictures people!!!
Dry overcooked wings and burned frozen pizza!
That in itself is enough evidence to show the review is right on target…
And what’s this nonsense about saving space only for positive reviews? You
just don’t get, do you?
Hi, my name is Kelly and I am a server here at Tailgater’s grill. I recently move to this area in March and had the privledge to come and be a part of the team here at Tailgater’s Grill.. I can honestly say this place is awesome and I take great pride in working here. The owners here have worked so hard to make sure that there is something for every one of their guests here to enjoy…from the huge menu where you will definatley find something that everyone in your family will enjoy( My Favorites….Taco Salad, green chicken chili sandwich,New Yorker, Cajun pasta, jalapeno poppers, baja chicken wrap….thats just to name a few!!), to the Golden Tee…to the great happy hour prices, to the super fun Karaoke nights every Wednesday and friday, to the club night on Saturday’s for everyone who loves to dance, to the great open patio, huge dining room with a TV in every corner that can be changed to the game of your choice, to the best bartenders, to our freindly service staff, our great weekend breakfast menu ( my personal favorite, the wevos rancheros! Yummy!!!!!!), to our awesome bbq we have on Saturday and Sunday from 11am until 4pm..you can have your hamburger cooked right in front of you! My point here is…we have so many awesome things going on here and my hope is that you will come in and try our great resturant for yourslef….Come in and sit in my section!!!! Again my name is Kelly, and I will promise to make your visit amazing! I want to make every guest that comes in feel like this is there home away from home!
I have not been to Tailgaters several times, but have gone in on a few occasions. We actually live closer to Blue 32, but wanted to try something different. I have had a good experience with food and service. What I will say is that if you go into any establishment you often see the owner/manager having a cold one after a long days work-and if you have ever owned a business they deserve it. I applaud all the local businesses for giving it a try in this economic time and I am sure they are doing everything they can to try to improve any areas that have left people feeling dissatisfied. And Mark Jones-get a job!
What I think is happening is that the negative review is in style. Everyone thinks they can be a Simon Cowell. Well it doesn’t fit for everyone, and certainly was very unsuccessful here. Constructive critisism may not be in, however it would have been much more appropriate in this case.
One positive comment could have been about the great ,freshly made, free potato chips that are served to everyone when they are seated. Everyone may not agree about the food, obviously some like it, some don’t, but there can be no doubt about the effort that is put in every day to make people feel comfortable and at home in this restaurant. Also, the fact that the owners contribute and support the community in many ways. Next time you go in, talk to them and find out how they are continually supporting the kids, schools, and local charities.
Critics like Simon Cowell may be in, but this is not Hollywood, this is real life and these are real people.
Come on Tailagter’s Fans…Leave some awesome reviews! Any fans of ours become a freind of ours on facebook so you can be updated with all of our awesome new specials and new things that are going on everyday!!!!!!!!
1/ Food critic visits establishment
2/ Critic tastes food
3/ Critic reports his opinion of the food (and service)
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It’s that simple — there isn’t any obligation or need for the critic to:
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1/ Include pleasant comments where none are deserved
2/ Somehow feel sorry for the poor struggling owner during tough times
3/ Report substandard food to the management in hopes of improvement
4/ Build community esprit de corps
5/ Perform ‘in depth’ research and interview owners to see why their products are inferior
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I would suggest that you read a few local restaurant reviews from “New Times” if you would like to see examples of brutally honest criticism…..
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Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and some (perhaps in an alcohol induced haze) purport to enjoy this cuisine ….. but, you can’t attack the reviewer for simply stating their opinion ……
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Julie – just wondering what my employment status would have to do with the comments here? :-p
Man I love this place! My family and I have had awesome experiences here and the food has always been awesome! Karaoke nights are super fun! I love how the owners are always around to check on their customers experience. They are so freindly and really great people! Its sad how some people have nothing better to do than bash really great people and a really great place… some people just have to be such ***** to feel better about themsleves….You ROCK Tailgaters…Keep it up and only let this bad review make you guys stronger!!!
I’m just curious, Mark Jones, have you ever been to Tailgaters? If you haven’t it might be good for you to go to find out for yourself if this “Review” was accurate,and if the sarcastic statements you have made are justified.
Also, the article is titled “Restaurant Review” not “Restaurant Critique”, so your definition really does not apply.
We just went today for lunch. As soon as we sat down we were served a basket of their feshly homemade potato chips (YUM). I had the BLT with a side salad, (I had the honey mustard dressing which was the best I have ever had). My partner had a dozen of the Teriyaki wings (they were very good size). For dessert we had the chocolate molten cake drizzled with raspberry sauce and vanilla ice cream for dessert (DELICIOUS!!!). The service was great and the food came out quickly and hot. As for being upscale, it is certainly quite a few steps up from Native New Yorker, and I happen to like Native New Yorker)
If you haven’t tried Tailgaters, you are surely missing something.
After viewing the two pictures in the review, I wouldn’t even consider visiting the establishment …. since those two dishes were quite accurately described, I have no reason to doubt the validity of the reporting ….. speaking of definitions, if you look up “review” in Merriam-Webster, you might note that it means ” a critical evaluation ” ……. Jess obviously has a discerning palate ……
Mark, you picked out the definition that suited your perception. The definition I choose to note is: “to evaluate”…to examine and judge carefully. Which is proof there are many ways to look at an issue, and you should not take one person’s opinion. You should always make your own judgements. It will make you a stronger and much more informed person.
Yeeesh! The restaurant owners and friends of said owners really came out of the woodwork on this one. And for the record, yes, as previously said if anything Mr. Harter is a bit too soft in some of his reviews. You got off easy.
I can only agree with the author here, he did nothing more than write what he thought.. Why should he appluad anything when he gave it a chance(more than once, which is far most than other places) and was let down each time. I have personally been to this establishment and was appaled at the behavior of the staff. I waited 20 mintues for my appeitizer before having it delieverd. Burnt with my main course,not mention the whole time waiting i got to listen to the cooks tell dick jokes so my son could probe as to what a “cleveland steamer” was. Our plan was to eat our food and eat promptly and leave but when my sons “fish nuggets” arrived they were conveniently still frozen on the inside. He wasn’t alarmed at first but the look of shock on me and my wifes faces quickly put him over the edge. He started to cry and so me and my wife ask for our check and while we waited we got to over-hear the other waitress tell a busboy about how bratty my son was and how he could use a ‘good beating’ with a sack of oranges because oranges wont leave bruises. We siflty left and stil to this day I think it was a joke they pulled because I cant accept a place being so rude.
it is just ok. that is all i can say. was hoping for more when it moved to our area, but…. frozen grocery store pizza, pricey wings, no good beer specials. a $5 pizza or appetizer at Gordon Biersch is always gourmet good, Tailgaters is out of the freezer section at safeway. $6 for a beer at Tailgaters, same thing for $3 at Gordon Biersh, Red White and Brew, or Kona Grill. At least they should be close, or even, with the local competition, sadly they lag behind. Hope it stays open, and gets better?