Lobster Pound Disaster

mike ray · 08-12-2010, 10:54 PM

The Weirs Beach Lobster Pound will no longer be participating in this forum.
If you wish to contact us, please do so by phone (603)366-2255, our website (wb-lp.com) or the way we would prefer most, come in and say hello. Please keep supporting local businesses, and thank you to those who have supported us.

Mr. V · 08-12-2010, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike ray

The Weirs Beach Lobster Pound will no longer be participating in this forum.

"If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."

--- Harry S. Truman

VitaBene · 08-13-2010, 06:41 AM

I can't say I blame you, Mike. Best of luck and we will see you a few more times this summer.

riverat · 08-13-2010, 08:27 AM

I remember the time when it was a good thing to walk in to a restaurant(ei: Waldo Peppers) and mention you were a Forum member.

Loonatic · 08-13-2010, 09:11 AM

OK, it took me a little while to become an active member on the forum, but now that I can post and not just read, I want to finally say what happened to us that same night in question. We came with out of town friends to the LP about 8:30 and also sat up on the deck. When we tried to order, we were immediately shot down on just about everything that we tried to have. No more steamers, no chowder, and no more specials of the night, etc. Waitress couldn't answer any of our questions such as what the vegetable was without going to ask someone. We had to redo our whole order since we all had wanted most of those items not available. Service went drastically down hill from there. Drinks were very slow to come to the table and then a while after, our friends received their meals. Ours came a bit later and mine was cold, but my husbands scrod was actually raw. Not cooked at all. Waitress apologized and took meals back. FORTY minutes later, still no return. Waitress said that manager was coming and would bring meals himself. I was so upset, as this also happened to be our anniversary and I had wanted a nice night out, that I went to the car, and did not return. The food finally came out 45 min late via the manager and he was surprised that we didn't want to eat it now. He offered my husband a bottle of wine to apologize. I am sorry, but almost an hour after I had to watch my friends eat their meals, we were not going to sit and have them watch us eat. My husband demanded that they take back our plates, and that the whole bill be nullified. We did pay for the drinks that we had, but the night was ruined. It was a horrible experience, and my husband and I ended up having to stop at Wendy's on the way home to eat.

VtSteve · 08-13-2010, 09:20 AM

All the best Mike. Keep up the good work.

Lakesrider · 08-13-2010, 09:22 AM

Took me a while to read all these replys. After working in the restauraunt industry for over 25 years you learn that if you have so many tables in your place tha you can't serve dinners in under an hour you have toooooooooo many tables. Tooooooooooo many tables are bound to get you a few complaints over wait times. I will not sit and wait for food for over an hour. If you remember my canoe post about the same issue that will verify my disdain for having to spend a good deal of money to wait. Broadhopper brings a very good point to the table. People just don't have the money anymore. I think some restaurant owners forget that fact. They just see the money coming in and not where it is actually coming from. Not everyone eating up here are Summer people with the cash to spend on vacation. Some of us work up here and don't make the big bucks. So when I go out to eat it is usually a special occasion. Like when I was at the Canoe for a Birthday. Mine. So when I go out to eat, I'd like to spend my money eating, not waiting. I have to say that if that waitress had disappeared on me for over half an hour without checking on us there is no way I would have given one red dime for a tip. I am also one of the seemingly few that had a not so good experience at the Lobster Pound. Our wait was extremely long, and it certainly was not busy. Technically no one really cares how many plates were served. They only care about their plate. I know I do. If you can't keep up with your dinners...you have toooooooo many chairs. Concentrate on the ones you can serve and you will have way better reviews, and eventually make better money.

Shreddy · 08-13-2010, 09:31 AM

Lakesrider is spot on. Kind of a cowardly move by the LP saying goodbye to the forum. I don't think Mike realizes, and clearly it's showing, how beneficial (or hurtful) this forum can be to area businesses. He's tarnishing his own reputation when all he had to do was clarify the situation, admit the LP was bad/wrong, settle up with the complaining customer, and move on and show you can fix mistakes. I said it before, if you can brag about serving 400 meals a night, I'm positive you can sacrifice a meal or two to make a situation right.

Great point by Lakesrider as well...I don't care that you served 400 meals a night, you better get mine right because that's the only one I care about. However, you will not have this opportunity in the future as I can't justify heading to the LP now based on the reviews and how this situation was handled.

ironhorsetim · 08-13-2010, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shreddy

Kind of a cowardly move

Kind of harsh in my opinion but you know what they say about opinions

What I want to know is why Mr.sox hasn't been back on...Ya think he's been checking on this thread or what.
I've been to the LP many times since they opened and have never had a bad night...must be one of the lucky one's

Shreddy · 08-13-2010, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironhorsetim

Kind of harsh in my opinion but you know what they say about opinions

What I want to know is why Mr.sox hasn't been back on...Ya think he's been checking on this thread or what.
I've been to the LP many times since they opened and have never had a bad night...must be one of the lucky one's

I couldn't think of another word, and I felt that it fit. Mike was extremely defensive and now won't clear up the dilemma. I'll agree, I'm curious about Mr. Sox, but there has been enough bad reviews coupled with how Mike has handled the situation to make me stray away from the LP for a while.

Bigstan · 08-13-2010, 11:08 AM

It is absolutely 100% the right move for Mike to bow out on this. He was smart enough to see that defending your every action ends up being a lose-lose situation in the long run.

Newbiesaukee · 08-13-2010, 11:55 AM

I absolutely agree that it was prudent for Mike Ray to stop defending his every move. However, he could have accomplished this simply by not defending every negative comment about the LP. It was not necessary to "resign" from the Forum which seems conterproductive to me.

jetskier · 08-13-2010, 12:03 PM

This comes across as "I am going to take my ball and go home." It is one thing to not participate officially on the forum and it is another to publicly declare that you are leaving. IMHO, this has all been handled poorly by LP and as has been previously stated all that had to happen is that they indicate that they had a problem (no one is perfect), make it right with the customer, and move on. The true mettle is tested when things go wrong...Mike, you are not here to read this, but you just failed. Good luck to LP, my money will continue to go elsewhere.

Jetskier

Woodsy · 08-13-2010, 01:13 PM

WOW!! Its kind of amazing to me how some people are....

Let me first state... I am a local, and I personally LOVE the LP.... I go there all the time! I am sure I will be there tonight at some point. The staff has been nothing but GREAT and the food EXCELLENT! These guys step up for charities (Brenda's Ride this weekend) and all in all try to be good members of the community!

SkiSox had a bad meal... it happens! No doubt with the time constraints they became a little sour when it wasnt as prompt as they would have liked. I am kinda with a few others on this... showing up and expecting a full meal at 6:55 for an 8:00 concert thats a 8-10 minute drive away plus parking time is kinda silly! If you just wanted some beers & apps I would understand. Essentially skisox had 40 minutes or so to get drinks, apps and dinner. Talk about dinner impossible!

The reality is you CANNOT please 100% of your customers... its statistically impossible. The LP must be doing something right because there are cars in the lot all the time! I have watched the place grow... I live up the street!

Instead of trying to tear down a place of business, why not just be constructive? These guys (and all of the other local folks) are in business to make a few $$$.... its def not in thier best intrests if you leave unhappy. You have bad meal, bring it up to them, they cant fix it or make it right if they dont know its broken....

Woodsy

Resident 2B · 08-13-2010, 01:26 PM

I hope that Mike Ray does not go away from posting on this forum. Mike runs a very good restaurant, The Lobster Pound. I enjoy this place for dinner and for drinks, or for both.

Mike, you have built a solid business and as a result, some will take a poke or two at you and the restaurant. Listen a bit, but do not stop what you are doing. Some of the comments may help you in your efforts towards continuous improvement, while other comments are pure crap. I know you can tell the two apart.

Keep up the good work and thank you for taking The Lobster Pound to where it is today.

R2B

ishoot308 · 08-13-2010, 01:34 PM

I must say, I have seen a lot more damage done in a few of these restaurant threads than I have seen in the entire boating forum! Unfortunately the damage done here can really hurt a local business whereas the boating forum banter is simply bickering...

Go figure..

Dan

Irish mist · 08-13-2010, 03:44 PM

You can't prove it, but from what I have read over the years it looks like the LP was targeted by some individuals for whatever reason......I'll leave that for you to figure out why. It does not help that Mike has thin-skin IMO, but the guy has sunk millions of dollars down the Weirs. It's a no win situation for him.

NoBozo · 08-13-2010, 07:32 PM

LP Posts: I didn't bring this up in my earlier post where Mike addressed MY posts directly. I didn't think the LP needed to RE-Live the 2008 thread again so I didn't bring it up. The OP in this thread had only TWO posts out of 143 in that old thread. Yet he is attacked incessantly in THIS thread.

THIS thread is up to 91 posts. There seems to be some supporters here who are LOCAL... I think: So they support their own. That's understandable.

Maybe the unhappy customers posting here are those loathsome FLAT Landers who bring money.....and expect something for it. Just wondering.

Where there's smoke there's fire......NO...??

skisox24 · 08-13-2010, 09:53 PM

I am sorry for not having responded to the many posts since mine of July 31. I have not logged onto Winnepesaukee.com since August 1st.

NonVotingTaxpayer noted that I had a previous post criticizing the Lobster Pound. That is probably true and, if my memory serves me correctly, I complained about the outrageous cost of one pound of steamers compared with the same quantity of steamers at two other lakes region restaurants in the area at that time. I also appreciate his acknowledgment of my positive post for another seafood restaurant in the area. I do not enjoy slamming a restaurant in public and would much prefer promoting a good experience. And, I have had several complimentary posts on Winnepesaukee.com. But my party's experience that night of July 30 was exactly as I had described.

With respect to Mike Ray's August 3rd reply to my post, I did not see his statement until tonight. As for Mike Ray's assertions, I am shocked at the misrepresentations that he presents. The very first thing that I stated to our waitress when seated was that we had time constraints because of our Meadowbrook tickets. I will grant the possibility that she was so busy that evening that she may have forgotten that we told her of our schedule. I will not, however, allow Mike Ray or the waitress to escape a total lie. I ate one peel-and-eat shrimp and my son had two. I don't recall how many shrimp are contained in a one pound serving, but will guess at somewhere between eight and fourteen. We conumed no more than three and the rest were left untouched. For the waitress to report that all were eaten tells me a great deal either about her credibility or Mike Ray's inability to accept accountability.

Mike Ray is correct in that we chose not to complain to the waitress about the shrimp, nor did we complain about my fish entree, or my son's ahi tuna. We chose to make our statement with a 10% gratuity (and we always leave 20% of the gross amount of a restaurant tab). And, I will acknowledge that following the inedible shrimp which was delivered unacceptably late, that our level of disappointment was transitioning into anxiety. How can a restaurant acknowledge as acceptable a practice whereby the waitress never stops by the table a short period after the delivery of food to check on the level of customer satisfaction? That is waitressing 101. Not only did she not stop by, but we had to seek her out by asking two other employees to please have her sent over to our table. This was after a lengthy period of our failed visible search for her presence anywhere near our table.

I am always willing to excuse a restaurant from good service when they are excessively busy. However, the total lack of attention to our specific request for attentive service because of our concert arrangements, and the waitress's failure to check back in with us at least once is inexcusable.

Several posters stated that our time sensitive goal at the Lobster Pound on a Friday night in mid-season was unrealistic. On that point, I will accept responsibility for a bad decision on our part. Actually our first choice was Patrick's Pub, and when we arrived in their parking lot we discovered that there was more than an hour wait. We then drove to the Lobster Pound where we were sat at a table immediately....no waiting at all. Does that support the contention that the restaurant was unusually busy and, therefore, unable to deliver routine restaurant services?

Look, my post was inspired by the fact that my experience that night represented the worst dining experience that I can ever recall in my adult life. I am sure that we were victims of a perfect storm of events that caused us to be treated with inferior attention. My goal was to share our experience with others for whatever benefit that might serve future customers of this restaurant. At the same time I will acknowledge having dined at the Lobster Pound three or four other times in recent years where service was totally fine and the food, while not exceptional, was quite acceptable. And, the Lobster Pound's outdoor seating venue is one of the best in the lakes region. It was a bad night for sure, but to me the most disturbing aspect of this entire controversy is the unfounded defense of Mike Ray with his inaccurate contentions that totally fly in the face of the truth. I am sorry that he feels that it is necessary to resort to that level of self-advocacy.

The internet and forums like Winnepesaukee.com can be an excellent medium for sharing information with members of the public. At the same time, I recognize the anonymity of internet postings and the potential for malicious abuse of the internet medium for unethical purposes. I assure everyone on the forum that our representations are totally accurate and I truly felt that my posting was warranted due to our treatment that evening. I have no intentions of hiding behind my anonymous "user name." I would be more than willing to meet with Mike Ray to discuss our experience directly with him, face to face. I am not looking for any special treatment, favors, or gifts from the Lobster Pound, and, in fact, I would refuse to accept any if offered. However, I am uncomfortable continuing this discussion with only one side of this dispute having a real identity. So, if Mike Ray would like me to stop by his business to discuss our complaint, I would be totally agreeable to doing so at a time convenient to us both.

VitaBene · 08-13-2010, 10:28 PM

Thank you for posting and your willingness to meet with the LP.

Winnipesaukee · 08-15-2010, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike ray

The Weirs Beach Lobster Pound will no longer be participating in this forum.
If you wish to contact us, please do so by phone (603)366-2255, our website (wb-lp.com) or the way we would prefer most, come in and say hello. Please keep supporting local businesses, and thank you to those who have supported us.

Edit: OP, let me see if I can say this in a non-ad hominum manner: "your posts" are absolutely neurotic.

People are far too liberal with their public rants on restaurants. I've been to hundreds in my short life, and have had plenty of bad experiences, with only one worth mentioning: Carbo's in Mashpee. Even that wasn't a huge deal; it fell all on the waitress we had. The food was good...

Try working in a restaurant, folks, and see how you like it. You're not buying a bespoke suit, you're being served dinner. Accept that people make honest, harmless mistakes. Something wrong? Speak up. Go to the hostess, tell someone, or just walk out.

I usually don't eat out too much in NH (grilling is more the norm up there), but after seeing you go through this crap, I'd love to stop by and chow down some wicked pissah lobsta. I'm sure the service will be just fine. You've been there what, 30 years? I'll be the one ordering that inedible shrimp for an app, followed by that yellowfin. See ya soon.

jmen24 · 08-16-2010, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winnipesaukee

Edit: OP, let me see if I can say this in a non-ad hominum manner: "your posts" are absolutely neurotic.

People are far too liberal with their public rants on restaurants. I've been to hundreds in my short life, and have had plenty of bad experiences, with only one worth mentioning: Carbo's in Mashpee. Even that wasn't a huge deal; it fell all on the waitress we had. The food was good...

Try working in a restaurant, folks, and see how you like it. You're not buying a bespoke suit, you're being served dinner. Accept that people make honest, harmless mistakes. Something wrong? Speak up. Go to the hostess, tell someone, or just walk out.

I usually don't eat out too much in NH (grilling is more the norm up there), but after seeing you go through this crap, I'd love to stop by and chow down some wicked pissah lobsta. I'm sure the service will be just fine. You've been there what, 30 years? I'll be the one ordering that inedible shrimp for an app, followed by that yellowfin. See ya soon.

The name The Lobster Pound has been there for like 30 years (the current owners about 3), but you can bet your bottom dollar that the Loster Pound that Lou and Harvey ran is a far cry from the current owners.

There are some folks on this forum that will understand where my comments are coming from, but having a personal relationship with quite a few resturants in the Lakes Region for the last 29 years, is where my following feelings come from. Many really good people have walked away from the industry in this area for one reason or another and they will never return. That to me is a shame, the likes of Crabby Dave, Pepper and Lou and Harvey are only the tip of the ice berg with a few more on the step of that door now.

My post is to only illistrate that the owners of these newer resturants have some extremely big shoes to fill and most of what has been said in this thread by Mike Ray is appaulling and is proof that while one can have a very successful business, it is the small things that count and how this customer was treated (wrong or not) in a public forum was a very eye opening experience. The names listed above held themselves in a much higher manner and the following that they enjoyed was the reward for caring about your customer beyond what their credit card number was.

VtSteve · 08-16-2010, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmen24

The name The Lobster Pound has been there for like 30 years (the current owners about 3), but you can bet your bottom dollar that the Loster Pound that Lou and Harvey ran is a far cry from the current owners.

Beyond personalities, long term history, and things just being Like they Used to Be. There were some horrible reviews of the LP before the new owners took over. So Jmen, perhaps not everybody shares the positive views of the past. Heck, you can usually get ten different reviews of a restaurant from five different people

I had some friends meet me one night at Harts TF. To this day they can't fathom why I almost always go there when in the area. (hint, traditions, history, etc.) I try to judge any business for what it is, not what I perceived it was.

MR's time is much better spent 7 days a week at the LP IMO. Forums like this are not good for business unless you've known everyone for decades, or have the silk tongue of an natural salesman. Mike's obviously a hard worker, and has a passion for his business. If he continues to make the LP better and better, I'll forgive his lack of BS when addressing bad reviews. I never BS when giving a review, good or bad, so perhaps I can relate to MR better than many.

jmen24 · 08-16-2010, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VtSteve

Beyond personalities, long term history, and things just being Like they Used to Be. There were some horrible reviews of the LP before the new owners took over. So Jmen, perhaps not everybody shares the positive views of the past. Heck, you can usually get ten different reviews of a restaurant from five different people

I had some friends meet me one night at Harts TF. To this day they can't fathom why I almost always go there when in the area. (hint, traditions, history, etc.) I try to judge any business for what it is, not what I perceived it was.

MR's time is much better spent 7 days a week at the LP IMO. Forums like this are not good for business unless you've known everyone for decades, or have the silk tongue of an natural salesman. Mike's obviously a hard worker, and has a passion for his business. If he continues to make the LP better and better, I'll forgive his lack of BS when addressing bad reviews. I never BS when giving a review, good or bad, so perhaps I can relate to MR better than many.

My post had nothing to do with food reviews. It was to point out the lack of character in how the current owner handles such reviews. Plain and simple. If customer service is not his strong point, perhaps he needs to hire a PR person for that.

Personally I have not eaten at the new lobster pound, so I would not and have not, had anything to say regarding the food.

momof3 · 08-16-2010, 02:17 PM

My husband and I love the LP.
We went there Saturday night and had dinner, very happy with our service and the food. A small problem arose that was neither the waitress or the owners fault but we addressed the issue with the waitress to make her aware of the issue.She had the owner (I beleive it was Mike, but have never met him ) come over and talk to us about our concern. He was very attentive and then took one meal off the bill and gave us a free dessert...to us this was above and beyond what he needed to do. We will continue to go there!

Winnipesaukee · 08-18-2010, 02:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmen24

My post had nothing to do with food reviews. It was to point out the lack of character in how the current owner handles such reviews. Plain and simple. If customer service is not his strong point, perhaps he needs to hire a PR person for that.

Personally I have not eaten at the new lobster pound, so I would not and have not, had anything to say regarding the food.

He directly addressed the unnecessarily crass public "review" in a way which explained the issue and then defended his restaurant from unfair criticism. I wouldn't have changed a word if I were in his position. The word "malice" is accurate, almost defamous.

Lt. Dunleavy of the NHMP saidto me in an email, to paraphrase: "The truth can be found somewhere in the middle." In which case, I still side with the LP on this.

You can't prep and cook a filet of tuna in less than 20 minutes, much less be served a complete meal on a Saturday night in time to make a concert. And surely the OP did not actually tell his waitress that they needed to make the concert, or none of this would have happened.

sa meredith · 08-18-2010, 06:37 PM

Christ...this just gets better and better.
Just came back from 10 days in Meredith. Made two trips to LP (drinks/ apps only)...both experiences were perfect. Good fun, live music, nice buzz.
Tonight, logged on to computer for first time since getting home, and had to laugh out loud when I saw this thread still going strong.
I believe the OP...and believe that Mike Ray's posts are sincere as well...
But mostly I believe...and no one can tell me differently...that LP loves all this publicity, and it is indeed good for business. How can it not be????

Skip · 08-18-2010, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sa meredith

Christ...this just gets better and better.
Just came back from 10 days in Meredith. Made two trips to LP (drinks/ apps only)...both experiences were perfect. Good fun, live music, nice buzz.
Tonight, logged on to computer for first time since getting home, and had to laugh out loud when I saw this thread still going strong.
I believe the OP...and believe that Mike Ray's posts are sincere as well...
But mostly I believe...and no one can tell me differently...that LP loves all this publicity, and it is indeed good for business. How can it not be????

You make an excellent point sa....

The buzz about this place is amazing. I have never been there, but my wife is doing some extensive travelling in the next month or two, and I'll have plenty of bachelor time on my hands. The LP is one place I definitely will now try to make a roadtrip too.

Of course I'll check in here after I do....

VtSteve · 08-18-2010, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skip

You make an excellent point sa....

The buzz about this place is amazing. I have never been there, but my wife is doing some extensive travelling in the next month or two, and I'll have plenty of bachelor time on my hands. The LP is one place I definitely will now try to make a roadtrip too.

Of course I'll check in here after I do....

I personally liked the ribs the best, but I am a rib freak

It's a fun place Skip. Say hi to Mike.

jmen24 · 08-19-2010, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skip

You make an excellent point sa....

The buzz about this place is amazing. I have never been there, but my wife is doing some extensive travelling in the next month or two, and I'll have plenty of bachelor time on my hands. The LP is one place I definitely will now try to make a roadtrip too.

Of course I'll check in here after I do....

I agree, about stopping in. I have wanted to try the new LP since it opened. It will happen eventually. I will probably not add a review of my food as I do not believe my taste is refined enough. But, good food is good food.

I really hope that my prior post is not being taken out of context. Mike has every right to defend his blood, sweat and tears. I just do not believe that the open forum is the venue for that conversation. You just do not see very many restuarant owners barking up that tree when it lands in front of them.

Remember, it is very important not to take Professional criticism, Personally.

RLW · 08-19-2010, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skip

You make an excellent point sa....

The buzz about this place is amazing. I have never been there, but my wife is doing some extensive travelling in the next month or two, and I'll have plenty of bachelor time on my hands. The LP is one place I definitely will now try to make a roadtrip too.
Of course I'll check in here after I do....

Oh, that is bad Skip if you have to wait for the bride to go away before you can have bachelor time and eat out.

gtagrip · 08-16-2010, 10:12 AM

SKISOX24, thanks for coming back onto this thread to backup your first post. I take back all I said previously.

08-12-2010, 10:54 PM	#1
mike ray Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 40 Thanks: 3 Thanked 31 Times in 9 Posts	Farewell The Weirs Beach Lobster Pound will no longer be participating in this forum. If you wish to contact us, please do so by phone (603)366-2255, our website (wb-lp.com) or the way we would prefer most, come in and say hello. Please keep supporting local businesses, and thank you to those who have supported us.

08-13-2010, 08:27 AM	#4
riverat Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Alton, NH Posts: 722 Thanks: 337 Thanked 280 Times in 123 Posts	I remember the time when it was a good thing to walk in to a restaurant(ei: Waldo Peppers) and mention you were a Forum member. __________________ Waking up in the morning is the greatest, everything after that is a bonus

08-13-2010, 11:08 AM	#11
Bigstan Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Gilford NH Posts: 385 Thanks: 9 Thanked 165 Times in 93 Posts	Right move. It is absolutely 100% the right move for Mike to bow out on this. He was smart enough to see that defending your every action ends up being a lose-lose situation in the long run.

08-13-2010, 12:03 PM	#13
jetskier Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: North Reading, MA and South Down Shores Posts: 858 Thanks: 58 Thanked 183 Times in 114 Posts	Poor form! This comes across as "I am going to take my ball and go home." It is one thing to not participate officially on the forum and it is another to publicly declare that you are leaving. IMHO, this has all been handled poorly by LP and as has been previously stated all that had to happen is that they indicate that they had a problem (no one is perfect), make it right with the customer, and move on. The true mettle is tested when things go wrong...Mike, you are not here to read this, but you just failed. Good luck to LP, my money will continue to go elsewhere. Jetskier

08-13-2010, 01:13 PM	#14
Woodsy Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Weirs Beach Posts: 1,974 Thanks: 80 Thanked 984 Times in 443 Posts	WOW!! Its kind of amazing to me how some people are.... Let me first state... I am a local, and I personally LOVE the LP.... I go there all the time! I am sure I will be there tonight at some point. The staff has been nothing but GREAT and the food EXCELLENT! These guys step up for charities (Brenda's Ride this weekend) and all in all try to be good members of the community! SkiSox had a bad meal... it happens! No doubt with the time constraints they became a little sour when it wasnt as prompt as they would have liked. I am kinda with a few others on this... showing up and expecting a full meal at 6:55 for an 8:00 concert thats a 8-10 minute drive away plus parking time is kinda silly! If you just wanted some beers & apps I would understand. Essentially skisox had 40 minutes or so to get drinks, apps and dinner. Talk about dinner impossible! The reality is you CANNOT please 100% of your customers... its statistically impossible. The LP must be doing something right because there are cars in the lot all the time! I have watched the place grow... I live up the street! Instead of trying to tear down a place of business, why not just be constructive? These guys (and all of the other local folks) are in business to make a few $$$.... its def not in thier best intrests if you leave unhappy. You have bad meal, bring it up to them, they cant fix it or make it right if they dont know its broken.... Woodsy __________________ The only way to eliminate ignorant behavior is through education. You can't fix stupid.

The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to mike ray For This Useful Post:
phoenix (08-13-2010), VitaBene (08-13-2010), VtSteve (08-13-2010)

08-13-2010, 06:41 AM	#3
VitaBene Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Moultonborough Posts: 3,644 Thanks: 1,718 Thanked 1,662 Times in 861 Posts	I can't say I blame you, Mike. Best of luck and we will see you a few more times this summer.

08-13-2010, 09:11 AM	#5
Loonatic Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	OK, it took me a little while to become an active member on the forum, but now that I can post and not just read, I want to finally say what happened to us that same night in question. We came with out of town friends to the LP about 8:30 and also sat up on the deck. When we tried to order, we were immediately shot down on just about everything that we tried to have. No more steamers, no chowder, and no more specials of the night, etc. Waitress couldn't answer any of our questions such as what the vegetable was without going to ask someone. We had to redo our whole order since we all had wanted most of those items not available. Service went drastically down hill from there. Drinks were very slow to come to the table and then a while after, our friends received their meals. Ours came a bit later and mine was cold, but my husbands scrod was actually raw. Not cooked at all. Waitress apologized and took meals back. FORTY minutes later, still no return. Waitress said that manager was coming and would bring meals himself. I was so upset, as this also happened to be our anniversary and I had wanted a nice night out, that I went to the car, and did not return. The food finally came out 45 min late via the manager and he was surprised that we didn't want to eat it now. He offered my husband a bottle of wine to apologize. I am sorry, but almost an hour after I had to watch my friends eat their meals, we were not going to sit and have them watch us eat. My husband demanded that they take back our plates, and that the whole bill be nullified. We did pay for the drinks that we had, but the night was ruined. It was a horrible experience, and my husband and I ended up having to stop at Wendy's on the way home to eat.

08-13-2010, 09:20 AM	#6
VtSteve Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 1,320 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 230 Thanked 361 Times in 169 Posts	All the best Mike. Keep up the good work.

08-13-2010, 09:22 AM	#7
Lakesrider Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,129 Thanks: 380 Thanked 1,016 Times in 345 Posts	Took me a while to read all these replys. After working in the restauraunt industry for over 25 years you learn that if you have so many tables in your place tha you can't serve dinners in under an hour you have toooooooooo many tables. Tooooooooooo many tables are bound to get you a few complaints over wait times. I will not sit and wait for food for over an hour. If you remember my canoe post about the same issue that will verify my disdain for having to spend a good deal of money to wait. Broadhopper brings a very good point to the table. People just don't have the money anymore. I think some restaurant owners forget that fact. They just see the money coming in and not where it is actually coming from. Not everyone eating up here are Summer people with the cash to spend on vacation. Some of us work up here and don't make the big bucks. So when I go out to eat it is usually a special occasion. Like when I was at the Canoe for a Birthday. Mine. So when I go out to eat, I'd like to spend my money eating, not waiting. I have to say that if that waitress had disappeared on me for over half an hour without checking on us there is no way I would have given one red dime for a tip. I am also one of the seemingly few that had a not so good experience at the Lobster Pound. Our wait was extremely long, and it certainly was not busy. Technically no one really cares how many plates were served. They only care about their plate. I know I do. If you can't keep up with your dinners...you have toooooooo many chairs. Concentrate on the ones you can serve and you will have way better reviews, and eventually make better money.

The Following User Says Thank You to Lakesrider For This Useful Post:
Shreddy (08-13-2010)

08-13-2010, 09:31 AM	#8
Shreddy Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Moultonboro Posts: 519 Thanks: 185 Thanked 229 Times in 120 Posts	Lakesrider is spot on. Kind of a cowardly move by the LP saying goodbye to the forum. I don't think Mike realizes, and clearly it's showing, how beneficial (or hurtful) this forum can be to area businesses. He's tarnishing his own reputation when all he had to do was clarify the situation, admit the LP was bad/wrong, settle up with the complaining customer, and move on and show you can fix mistakes. I said it before, if you can brag about serving 400 meals a night, I'm positive you can sacrifice a meal or two to make a situation right. Great point by Lakesrider as well...I don't care that you served 400 meals a night, you better get mine right because that's the only one I care about. However, you will not have this opportunity in the future as I can't justify heading to the LP now based on the reviews and how this situation was handled.

The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to Bigstan For This Useful Post:
CGI3 (08-15-2010), Heaven (08-13-2010), ironhorsetim (08-13-2010), Lucky1 (08-18-2010), VtSteve (08-13-2010)

08-13-2010, 11:55 AM	#12
Newbiesaukee Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Coral Gables, winter; Long Island, summer Posts: 1,366 Thanks: 966 Thanked 575 Times in 300 Posts	I absolutely agree that it was prudent for Mike Ray to stop defending his every move. However, he could have accomplished this simply by not defending every negative comment about the LP. It was not necessary to "resign" from the Forum which seems conterproductive to me.

The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Woodsy For This Useful Post:
hazelnut (08-13-2010), SteveO123 (08-15-2010), VtSteve (08-13-2010)

08-13-2010, 01:26 PM	#15
Resident 2B Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: North Shore, MA Posts: 1,358 Thanks: 996 Thanked 314 Times in 164 Posts	Do Not Go Away I hope that Mike Ray does not go away from posting on this forum. Mike runs a very good restaurant, The Lobster Pound. I enjoy this place for dinner and for drinks, or for both. Mike, you have built a solid business and as a result, some will take a poke or two at you and the restaurant. Listen a bit, but do not stop what you are doing. Some of the comments may help you in your efforts towards continuous improvement, while other comments are pure crap. I know you can tell the two apart. Keep up the good work and thank you for taking The Lobster Pound to where it is today. R2B

The Following User Says Thank You to Resident 2B For This Useful Post:
Newbiesaukee (08-13-2010)

08-13-2010, 01:34 PM	#16
ishoot308 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Gilford, NH / Welch Island Posts: 6,533 Thanks: 2,455 Thanked 5,468 Times in 2,143 Posts	I must say, I have seen a lot more damage done in a few of these restaurant threads than I have seen in the entire boating forum! Unfortunately the damage done here can really hurt a local business whereas the boating forum banter is simply bickering... Go figure.. Dan

08-13-2010, 03:44 PM	#17
Irish mist Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 686 Thanks: 128 Thanked 85 Times in 49 Posts	You can't prove it, but from what I have read over the years it looks like the LP was targeted by some individuals for whatever reason......I'll leave that for you to figure out why. It does not help that Mike has thin-skin IMO, but the guy has sunk millions of dollars down the Weirs. It's a no win situation for him.

08-13-2010, 07:32 PM	#18
NoBozo Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Portsmouth. RI Posts: 2,231 Thanks: 400 Thanked 460 Times in 308 Posts	LP Posts: I didn't bring this up in my earlier post where Mike addressed MY posts directly. I didn't think the LP needed to RE-Live the 2008 thread again so I didn't bring it up. The OP in this thread had only TWO posts out of 143 in that old thread. Yet he is attacked incessantly in THIS thread. THIS thread is up to 91 posts. There seems to be some supporters here who are LOCAL... I think: So they support their own. That's understandable. Maybe the unhappy customers posting here are those loathsome FLAT Landers who bring money.....and expect something for it. Just wondering. Where there's smoke there's fire......NO...??

08-13-2010, 09:53 PM	#19
skisox24 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 74 Thanks: 9 Thanked 5 Times in 3 Posts	My Reply I am sorry for not having responded to the many posts since mine of July 31. I have not logged onto Winnepesaukee.com since August 1st. NonVotingTaxpayer noted that I had a previous post criticizing the Lobster Pound. That is probably true and, if my memory serves me correctly, I complained about the outrageous cost of one pound of steamers compared with the same quantity of steamers at two other lakes region restaurants in the area at that time. I also appreciate his acknowledgment of my positive post for another seafood restaurant in the area. I do not enjoy slamming a restaurant in public and would much prefer promoting a good experience. And, I have had several complimentary posts on Winnepesaukee.com. But my party's experience that night of July 30 was exactly as I had described. With respect to Mike Ray's August 3rd reply to my post, I did not see his statement until tonight. As for Mike Ray's assertions, I am shocked at the misrepresentations that he presents. The very first thing that I stated to our waitress when seated was that we had time constraints because of our Meadowbrook tickets. I will grant the possibility that she was so busy that evening that she may have forgotten that we told her of our schedule. I will not, however, allow Mike Ray or the waitress to escape a total lie. I ate one peel-and-eat shrimp and my son had two. I don't recall how many shrimp are contained in a one pound serving, but will guess at somewhere between eight and fourteen. We conumed no more than three and the rest were left untouched. For the waitress to report that all were eaten tells me a great deal either about her credibility or Mike Ray's inability to accept accountability. Mike Ray is correct in that we chose not to complain to the waitress about the shrimp, nor did we complain about my fish entree, or my son's ahi tuna. We chose to make our statement with a 10% gratuity (and we always leave 20% of the gross amount of a restaurant tab). And, I will acknowledge that following the inedible shrimp which was delivered unacceptably late, that our level of disappointment was transitioning into anxiety. How can a restaurant acknowledge as acceptable a practice whereby the waitress never stops by the table a short period after the delivery of food to check on the level of customer satisfaction? That is waitressing 101. Not only did she not stop by, but we had to seek her out by asking two other employees to please have her sent over to our table. This was after a lengthy period of our failed visible search for her presence anywhere near our table. I am always willing to excuse a restaurant from good service when they are excessively busy. However, the total lack of attention to our specific request for attentive service because of our concert arrangements, and the waitress's failure to check back in with us at least once is inexcusable. Several posters stated that our time sensitive goal at the Lobster Pound on a Friday night in mid-season was unrealistic. On that point, I will accept responsibility for a bad decision on our part. Actually our first choice was Patrick's Pub, and when we arrived in their parking lot we discovered that there was more than an hour wait. We then drove to the Lobster Pound where we were sat at a table immediately....no waiting at all. Does that support the contention that the restaurant was unusually busy and, therefore, unable to deliver routine restaurant services? Look, my post was inspired by the fact that my experience that night represented the worst dining experience that I can ever recall in my adult life. I am sure that we were victims of a perfect storm of events that caused us to be treated with inferior attention. My goal was to share our experience with others for whatever benefit that might serve future customers of this restaurant. At the same time I will acknowledge having dined at the Lobster Pound three or four other times in recent years where service was totally fine and the food, while not exceptional, was quite acceptable. And, the Lobster Pound's outdoor seating venue is one of the best in the lakes region. It was a bad night for sure, but to me the most disturbing aspect of this entire controversy is the unfounded defense of Mike Ray with his inaccurate contentions that totally fly in the face of the truth. I am sorry that he feels that it is necessary to resort to that level of self-advocacy. The internet and forums like Winnepesaukee.com can be an excellent medium for sharing information with members of the public. At the same time, I recognize the anonymity of internet postings and the potential for malicious abuse of the internet medium for unethical purposes. I assure everyone on the forum that our representations are totally accurate and I truly felt that my posting was warranted due to our treatment that evening. I have no intentions of hiding behind my anonymous "user name." I would be more than willing to meet with Mike Ray to discuss our experience directly with him, face to face. I am not looking for any special treatment, favors, or gifts from the Lobster Pound, and, in fact, I would refuse to accept any if offered. However, I am uncomfortable continuing this discussion with only one side of this dispute having a real identity. So, if Mike Ray would like me to stop by his business to discuss our complaint, I would be totally agreeable to doing so at a time convenient to us both.

The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to skisox24 For This Useful Post:
ironhorsetim (08-15-2010), NonVoting Taxpayer (08-16-2010), Shreddy (08-16-2010)

08-13-2010, 10:28 PM	#20
VitaBene Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Moultonborough Posts: 3,644 Thanks: 1,718 Thanked 1,662 Times in 861 Posts	Thank you for posting and your willingness to meet with the LP.

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Winnipesaukee For This Useful Post:
KTO (08-16-2010), pondguy (08-16-2010)

The Following User Says Thank You to jmen24 For This Useful Post:
Shreddy (08-16-2010)

The Following User Says Thank You to VtSteve For This Useful Post:
garysanfran (08-16-2010)

08-16-2010, 02:17 PM	#25
momof3 Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Methuen, Mass Posts: 25 Thanks: 1 Thanked 4 Times in 2 Posts	Went to LP Saturday Night My husband and I love the LP. We went there Saturday night and had dinner, very happy with our service and the food. A small problem arose that was neither the waitress or the owners fault but we addressed the issue with the waitress to make her aware of the issue.She had the owner (I beleive it was Mike, but have never met him ) come over and talk to us about our concern. He was very attentive and then took one meal off the bill and gave us a free dessert...to us this was above and beyond what he needed to do. We will continue to go there!

08-18-2010, 06:37 PM	#27
sa meredith Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 986 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 32 Thanked 352 Times in 137 Posts	better and better Christ...this just gets better and better. Just came back from 10 days in Meredith. Made two trips to LP (drinks/ apps only)...both experiences were perfect. Good fun, live music, nice buzz. Tonight, logged on to computer for first time since getting home, and had to laugh out loud when I saw this thread still going strong. I believe the OP...and believe that Mike Ray's posts are sincere as well... But mostly I believe...and no one can tell me differently...that LP loves all this publicity, and it is indeed good for business. How can it not be????

08-16-2010, 10:12 AM	#32
gtagrip Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 301 Thanks: 115 Thanked 75 Times in 52 Posts	Thank You! SKISOX24, thanks for coming back onto this thread to backup your first post. I take back all I said previously.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Switch to Linear Mode Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode