Rj's Tavern - Hastings

We still like RJ's, this follow up review is based on customer service. Our dear waitress was clueless about the happy hour prices and selections. She got it wrong twice. So maybe it's her first day on the job and she wasn't aware...only it wasn't her first day on the job. She was pushy--seemed to push dinner on us when all we wanted was a beer and fries after work. When we told her we weren't eating dinner, she grabbed the menus, seemed to be rude about. It's not like it was a full bar either, it was a Thursday night, maybe 6 other tables total... Know your menu. Don't be rude.

Although I would normally give RJ's three stars, I was sourly disappointed on my last visit. I went on Saturday on a night that the Hastings car show was on and it was pretty horrible. The sandwich that I had ordered on a previous trip was far from the same and they take away most of their menu and limit it to only a few items. I didn't get to order what I had gone to RJ's to get. The waitress didn't pay us much attention and didn't seem to be very excited to be at work. Instead of real kitchenware we got cardboard and plastic. I was looking forward to a fun night in the tavern and instead I felt rushed to get out and completely unsatisfied with the trip.

My wife and I met some friends at RJ's tonight for dinner. We had been here before and have had an average dining experience for a tavern. It's more a bar with a large dining area than it is a restaurant. Tonight's experience was just too poor not to share. We all ordered our meals and the wait time was a lot longer than it should have been for a rather empty place. When our food came out, 3 or our 4 orders were wrong. I had ordered the Cesar Salad with chicken, and received the Chicken Salad with Cesar dressing. My wife asked ordered the Chicken Strip basket (comes with one dipping sauce), asked for a side order of nacho cheese sauce. She got what she ordered, but the waitress charged us for 2 sauces instead of just one. Our friend ordered her sandwich with waffle fries with a side of ranch. She received chips with a side of ranch and a side of sour cream. The server did eventually bring the waffle fries after being made aware of the mistake on the chips and sour cream. As for my meal, I decided to just get a cheeseburger since they couldn't get a simple salad right. After everyone else was about done eating, my new order came out WRONG again! Instead the cheese burger I ordered, I ended up with a plain, over cooked, tasteless burger. I left it alone and just ate it and wanted to just get out of there. Our troubles didn't end with the food. Once we got our checks, I had to flag down the waitress to tell her she forgot to take the salad off, and that she charged us for 2 dipping sauces instead of just one. She brought the check back with the salad off, but must have missed the 2nd sauce. I gave her my credit card to pay, and she messed up AGAIN! She charged our friends food to my card which was twice as much as our check. She corrected it before we left, but it never should have happened. We won't go back after EVERY aspect of our dinner experience was screwed up. It's too bad, because their atmosphere and food is usually favorable over some of the other spots in town.

Unless you're looking to be assaulted and then thrown out because you're not a local, stay away from this establishment! My husband and I were excited for a night out with friends last December 22nd (2012) to see 8 Foot 4. Our fun evening quickly turned into a nightmare when I was followed out of the restaurant by two inebriated, obnoxious and rude local Hastings women who had been a part of the local pub crawl that day and assaulted by one who was much larger than me. Shame on you, RJ's staff instead of calling the police or caring about my well being, you forced my husband and I to leave the bar to avoid drawing negative attention. You should consider yourselves extremely lucky that you were not presented with a lawsuit. I will make sure that we are never again customers at your establishment or any other Hastings establishment out of fear for my safety and have made sure everyone I know is aware of this issue.

Saturday Night Car Cruise is what brought us to town (party of 2). RJ 's stripped down their menu to handle the crowd that night. Enough selections to choose from. We got seated in the hallway that lead to the bathrooms (big mistake). Our waitress literally forgot about us. The table next to us got seated AFTER we did (party of 2).......got their food BEFORE we did......and paid their bill before I decided to go find our waitress. Our food order was nearly identical (pulled pork sandwich and hamburger). Your food is coming right out..... was the excuse offered. When I gently referred to the table next to us being seated after us, served before us and paid their bill...... their order was very simple was her excuse. I asked to talk to a manager and she offered to have her come right over . Our food came out.....but it was the wrong items. The manager never made it down the hallway to our table. Our waitress did COMP one of our meals.....but didn 't go nearly far enough to earn our business on our next trip to Hastings. This is the first bad review I have ever left for another business....I hope it is my last.