1 /5 Brian Brower: t’s been years since we last came to Tommy’s because of a bad experience, but I thought maybe things had changed and it was worth another try. My son was in town with his new girlfriend, so we made reservations for 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. We arrived at 5:50, were promptly seated—and immediately told they were out of menus. The restaurant was only about a quarter full, which made it odd that they didn’t even have enough menus available.
They sat us in the back section, which was noticeably hotter than the front dining room (which was only about half full). We were tucked into a corner by the windows where the heat was radiating in. Not ideal, but I thought once we got drinks it would be fine. After finally getting two menus to share between four of us, we decided what we wanted to order.
Then we waited. And waited. For 20 minutes, no server came by—no water, no drink order, nothing. Meanwhile, the waitress covering the back did check on the table right next to us, glanced our way, and then went back to the front of the restaurant without saying a word. At that point, it was clear we weren’t going to get any service.
This would have easily been a $250–$300 dinner with drinks, but I expect much better service for that kind of spend. Instead, we walked out, told the hostess we were leaving due to lack of service, and went to Bravo Farms down the street—where we had an excellent dinner.
It’s a shame, because Tommy’s has a decent reputation in town and I was looking forward to some of the entrées. But after this experience, this may be the last time we try Tommy’s. There are other restaurants in Visalia that not only serve good food but also treat their guests much better.
