Long Island Restaurant Week: Did Seafood Barge Bend the Rules Too Far?
I’ve never been to Seafood Barge in Southold, NY, but they took part in the first annual Long Island Restaurant Week last week. LENNDEVOURS was a media sponsor of the week-long dining event and most of the feedback I received was good — almost all of it actually.
Then, I got this email late last week from a reader (who also happens to operate a B&B in wine country):
"We’ve been taking advantage of LI Restaurant Week and going to as many restaurants as we can before the week is up. The best so far has been Tierra Mar at the Atlantica in West Hampton. The worst by far was Seafood Barge in Port of Egypt marina. Not only was the food dismal, but they had the nerve to tack on a surcharge to 4 out of every 6 prix fixe menu selections. When we commented on this to the waitress, she made a snide comment about our being "price conscious". I had stopped recommending Seafood Barge to our B&B guests a few months ago when most of those we referred came back disappointed. This is really quite remarkable for a restaurant that had been for many years, one of the very best on the North Fork.
Thought you’d want to know."
I’ve heard mostly great things about Seafood Barge. They seem to support the local wine industry pretty well and the chef is supposed to be great. Of course it’s seafood, so that doesn’t draw me much.
I’m of the opinion that it is far from fair to participate in a three-course, $21.95 prix fixe program only to put surcharges on most of the options. It seems to me that maybe Seafood Barge just took advantage of the LIRW promotion without offering customers what they had bargained for.
But what do you think? Am I being too stringent here?
I don’t like to rant negatively about restaurants…unless they truly deserve it. This one deserves it. My wife and I had a TERRIBLE experience at Seafood Barge in August. The food was so poor, it was ridiculous, honestly. And the service was okay, but only if you can forgive a place for hiring high school kids as servers who get no training in service. This place is a tourist trap, plain and simple. For essentially the same money you can have lunch at the Jedediah Hawkins Inn, for example. Now that is a great LI restaurant, in my book.
I’ve been there twice. First time was when it was “one of the best” but, last year, it was really disappointing. I won’t go back - and this news makes me more confident in that decision. There are too many good new restaurants to try before I’d give one like this a second (or third) chance.
Seafood Barge definitely went too far. Not only is what they did unfair, but it is also pretty stupid.
How much repeat business do you think they’ll get? How many customers were put off enough by the bait & switch that they held back on extras?
A prix fixe menu is just a loss leader and a restaurant can still make a profit on LIRW meals.
We went to Jedediah Hawkins Inn and had a fantastic meal and dining experience. LIRW or not, it still cost me $120 for two $21.95 dinners.
Do you think JHI made a profit on me that night? Yep. But more important than that short term gain, they have a customer who’s going to come back (and who’s writing a very nice review of the experience.)
Short sighted thinking just rubs me the wrong way and I feel a rant coming on so I’m gonna stop right here.
Who should you rant to Bill, if not us? Don’t take it home with you pal, leave it here at “the office.”
Ranting in the office is like preaching to the choir. Feels good, but doesn’t accomplish much. And it’s just so much negative energy.
Hopefully LIRW organizers will hear of SB’s rule breaking and penalize/ban them from future events.
sure doesnt accomplish much