Worst dining experiences..

As I live here a lot of the time I can't put my voice to this (I'd be chased out of the BVI). But it would be good to hear from folks who have had some bad experiences here..food/service etc.
To me there is nothing more disapointing that being in a beautiful place and having a lousy dining experince. Anyone brave enough to step up? This will be a plus for the truly good places we have here...

I have plenty but seem to be in contrast with others frequently. Different strokes I suppose.

To be discussed over a drink; maybe a drink at SugarMill bar this weekend?

We've never really had bad service (like rudeness), but many times it's been slow. No worries, Mon!

We haven’t really experienced terrible service in all the trips we have been lucky to take the last year but one terrible meal stands out - dinner at the Bight. My husband’s Cajun seafood pasta was barely edible and my lobster was mealy. We picked at the food. At least the drinks were good. We won’t go back there - too many wonderful places to visit 🙂

Bad service in the BVI is still better than good service in T.O.

T.O??

Toronto…

I worked as a server at two family owned, super busy bars/restaurants and this makes me the best and worst customer. I can overlook a lot and be happy if you keep my drink filled. We are never in a rush, we are happy to be on vacation. What grinds my gears is lazy service - letting used glasses and dishes pile up so there is no room for the next course, not asking to refresh (alcoholic) drink, etc.

What drives me bats in the BVI is the “service fee” is it a tip or not? When asked, I was told it was a standard fee that all restaurants charge. Why not set your prices to cover the cost of doing business plus your mark up? We had a situation in February where we had four meals and tipped 20% cash on top of the bill plus the 15% fee. The last night, the owner cursed at us, threw a plate at one person in our party and slammed the dishes on the table.

Recent BVI employment practices have pushed some people into service work who have no business being there. Employers aren't given work permits, to force them to hire locals. Not just wait staff, but hired captains. Regrettably and predictably, this can lead to poor service.

The only rationale I can come up with for the double service fee is that, if they increased wages, they would be paid whether busy or not. This way the workers only get paid more when they're busy.

This would make sense but there are unfortunately exceptions. There is a very popular hotel/restaurant on the North shore that take the service fee and grosses up the servers rate/tip payment but to a max of $10/hour and they expect them to turn in any cash tips to be included in that calculation. The rest goes to the house for "costs". My regular server knows to walk me outside when I leave and I have to slip it into her pocket but she says she'll be fired if caught. Now I wait to see her in town usually. It's disgraceful.

Maybe we need to encourage visitors to be good guests as well. I have been a very regular visitor to the BVI since the mid-80s and have seen some pretty rude folks on the guest side of the table- especially after a day of too much sun and rum. I have never seen a server throw a plate at anyone but there have been a few who deserved it. The US and BVI have been through some pretty rough times in the past few years and maybe we need to cut them some slack and not act like we are better than them. Pack your sunscreen and leave your attitude at home. Prices are high and help is hard to find everywhere. Just sayin'.

jmon..I could not agree more..But I have sadly witnessed really snotty service and bad food when guests have been on their best behaviour. I went to one of my favorite places the other day for lunch. Three staff members were sitting playing with their I phones. Finally one got up and gave me a look to say " how dare you disturb me". The food was a average as ever and "my waitress" spent the time I was dining sleeping at the bar. When I awoke her for a second beer I got that same attitude. This is a place that goes back to the 70's..and it breaks my heart to see that and its the last thing we need. Other places we still get smiles etc and those are the ones I recommend when folks ask..If I had been a visitor I would have walked out with a single digit salute it was that bad..Rant over

Our worst was when Nova at Oil Nut had just opened. They were doing tapas style and not only were the portions non-existent it was crazy expensive and just not good. I felt so terrible for the waitresses that had to answer for the food. We saw ones of the girls the next day and she told us she quit. Luckily, ONB realized it was crap and redid their entire approach.
Saba last trip was a close second.

On the other hand, if anyone knows Laverne from Leverick they know you don't get better than her!

We just returned from two weeks and honestly the food was as good as it has ever been for us. We had great meals at Wonky, Leverick, Bitter End, Hendos, Tipsy Shark, Abes, Paradise, and Pirates. After having a terrible experience twice last year at Pirates, we were quite pleased with our meal and experience this year. I also wasn't expecting Paradise to be as good as it was. Overall, Wonky and Hendos are probably our favorites, but two of four our meals at Leverick were simply fantastic. The other two were good, but not a 9 or 10. If you are craving pizza, Bitter End is the place. Their other entrees and setting were also really good. We did not try North Sound Bistro - maybe next year.

Please post the name of the place where this happened. I want to make sure I never spend a dime there!

On our recent trip, most restaurants added the service fee and we saw 15% and 18%. One receipt even said that it was a BVI requirement to add the service fee. However, Hendos did not have the fee and said the requirement language on the mentioned receipt was total BS. We treated the fee (when it was included) as a tip for the entire staff and added extra tip for our server. It's obviously important to pay attention to this, but we seem to forget each year until night two or three!

I get what you're saying - I just hate to see this site go negative like so much else in the world. I mean I remember going to places like Foxie's and Anegada Reefs Hotel where there was a spiral notebook on the bar. You would find a fresh page and write your boat name on the top. Boaters then mixed their own drinks and recorded them in the notebook. At dinnertime, you came back and settled up. Can't complain about that service!!! Back then there was no fighting over mooring balls either - because we didn't have any to fight over. Today our recourse is to not return to bad places or maybe a private word with the owners. You have been around long enough that I imagine you know who the owners are. The crowds, the pandemic, and people's demanding attitudes are certainly taking a toll on paradise.

Generous of you to tip 35%