Bridge Tender The

Popular with the locals and out of towners alike, this is the best place for a drink and some yummy pub grub in Tahoe City. Enjoy lunch on the patio right alongside the Truckee River in the summer.

My wife had many fond memories of eating at Bridge Tender Restaurant, so on Sept 12, 2015 we stopped in for lunch on our way back from SLT. We sat outside, and despite two wait-staff working there, we were not greeted or seated. In fact, the other wait staff would not even make eye contact with us. We sat ourselves, and after 5 minutes of being ignored by both wait-staff, I went inside and asked for menus and requested drinks.



Finally, after we asked to order, our waitress came out and took our order for food and drinks. My iced tea was brought without sugar or sweetener. After several more minutes of not seeing the waitress, I went inside again to get the fixings for the iced tea.



Our food was eventually brought by another waiter, and we never saw our waitress again until we were done with our meal and she dropped off the check.



During our meal, I wanted a refill on my iced tea, but since our waitress never even peaked out the door at us, I asked the VERY young busboy about beverage refills, and he cheerfully said he would get it. I appreciated his enthusiasm and dedication, but since he has not been trained on food/beverage service, the ICED tea arrived without ice. Nice and warm on a hot summer day.



Our waitress appeared after we were done with our meal to drop off the check. She did not ask any of the traditional questions a waitress usually asks of her customers. (How was your meal; do you need another beverage; can I get you anything else; dessert, and so on). Just: “Here’s your check” and walked away.



While the food was good and what we expected from a burger joint, our less-than-perfect experience and negative review is based mostly on the untrained or unmotivated wait-staff. In this regard, I am looking at the owner or manager of this establishment as the root cause of this problem. Management should be aware of these ongoing personnel problems, and take corrective measures. If they are unaware of the problem, I would ask, “WHY?” It is your duty as manager of this establishment to ensure that your staff are properly trained, motivated and serving your customers.