Wolfe's Tavern

LadyJane · 10-29-2009, 09:38 AM

The latest issue of New Hampshire Magazine features Wolfe's Tavern in Wolfeboro among the "Hottest New Restaurants" in the state. Congratulations to them ! I usually dine in the Meredith / Moultonboro area but sounds like I need to take a ride down the street.

Heaven · 10-29-2009, 11:23 AM

I'm not knocking Wolfe's Tavern, but isn't NH Mag the one where a business can pay to be profiled? I do understand that the food is well prepared. I haven't heard anything about a "hot spot".

Pineedles · 10-29-2009, 12:27 PM

NH Magazine has best of NH picks, both Reader's Poll and Editor's Picks. Wolfe's tavern appears in the Editor's list for 2009 for their burgers. I am not sure how the Editors make their picks.

jmen24 · 10-29-2009, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heaven

I'm not knocking Wolfe's Tavern, but isn't NH Mag the one where a business can pay to be profiled? I do understand that the food is well prepared. I haven't heard anything about a "hot spot".

You are correct, we get a visit from the salesman about every two weeks. One of the companies that we have worked with before and displays an ad on this site is Chris Williams Architects, they had a feature earlier this year on a boathouse that they build on Winni. I costs big money (as local advertising goes) to get a featured article in the magazine but it can work out quite well. Most trade magazines operate on the same deal, that is how you get the subscription for free, everything is paid for before it gets to you.

Grady223 · 10-29-2009, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LadyJane

The latest issue of New Hampshire Magazine features Wolfe's Tavern in Wolfeboro among the "Hottest New Restaurants" in the state. Congratulations to them ! I usually dine in the Meredith / Moultonboro area but sounds like I need to take a ride down the street.

See the posts on this site entitled "Wolfeboro inn a dining disappointment!!!"

Hot place? People are staying away in droves!

Mr. Prop-B-Gone · 10-29-2009, 07:51 PM

We went to the Wolfeboro Inn this past Sunday, 10/25/09. I posted our experience on the forum under the "Wolfeboro inn a dining disappointment!!!" thread, under the title of "This is Not Your Father's Wolfeboro Inn".

We had purchased a gift certificate before they renovated, and decided to use it up. Even forewarned by the reviews on the Forum, we were extremely disappointed with the service and, with the exception of the Norwegian Salmon, equally disappointed with the quality of the food.

Don't know about the magazine article, but we will never go to the Wolfeboro Inn again.

Merrymeeting · 10-31-2009, 08:13 AM

Granted they had the misfortune of reopening at the same time the economy tanked in the worst way in decades, but how can a company that has been so successful elsewhere in running a quality inn keep messing up so badly here?

twoplustwo · 10-31-2009, 10:11 AM

I'm not knocking Wolfe's Tavern, but isn't NH Mag the one where a business can pay to be profiled? I do understand that the food is well prepared. I haven't heard anything about a "hot spot".

I *am* knocking Wolfe's Tavern. This is either a payoff or the editors at NH Mag are smoking something quite righteous.

camp guy · 10-31-2009, 11:52 AM

It's not the food, it's not the millions in renovations, it's not the location or any of that stuff - it's the SERVICE and the attitude of the people. I can't, for the life of me, understand why management isn't all over the place making sure people have a pleasant experience.

Unless there is some huge secret I just don't know about, how can service be so consistently poor. The posts on the internet constantly refer to service as being poor, and, yet, management isn't visible curing the problem.

If the Inn fails, they need only look into the mirror for the reason; and, it certainly won't be because they hadn't been warned.

SumoDog · 10-31-2009, 12:07 PM

Camp Guy is right - it is the service - terrible would be an understatement - and that starts from the top - food can be foregiven - bad night etc.. - but the service is where it starts - The Woodshed, Common Man, Canoe and other successful restaurants - the food is not always great (everyone has a bad day or overcooks/undercooks on occasion) - but the service is always there. Its too bad to spend all that money and forget what drives the hospitality business - being hospitable.

dewitt · 10-31-2009, 02:35 PM

I know it's over priced, but Disney knows what hospitality is. The Tavern needs to get at least 50% of the attitude WDW shows its customers to get my business back. Have a Magical Day.

p.s. I have know affliation with Disney just HMO.

Rag Top Daze · 10-31-2009, 03:57 PM

I *am* knocking Wolfe's Tavern. This is either a payoff or the editors at NH Mag are smoking something quite righteous.[/QUOTE]

For sure there was something like this going on! But it's going to take more than the endorsement of the magazine to help Wolfe's Tavern out. They need to take a hard look at employee training and at what's coming out of their kitchen in order to build back their previous stellar reputation.

Heaven · 10-31-2009, 04:46 PM

I don't know about the previous stellar reputation, I thought the food inedible for the several years prior to these new owners. I'll admit I only tried it 5 or 6 times. The curly french fries were good, I had the prime rib one Christmas Eve with my entire family and it was horrible (quality), grisly, tough etc. So the food HAS to have improved a great deal. I notice that they are advertising hard to pull in the after work crowd and "local" weekend crowd with ads that sound like sports bar type deals.

Begonezvous · 11-09-2009, 08:39 AM

In spite of the recent posts about this restarurant, my wife and I went there for dinner Saturday night. We waited much too long for our waitress to take our drink order. The meals came while we were still finishing our salads. Overall I thought the service was poor.

The soup du jour at the salad bar was described as Minestrone but it looked and tasted like a bowl of spagetti-O's. The food was ok but it did not give us that "we can't wait to come back" feeling. I'm disappointed that this didn't work out but I don't think I'll be trying this restaurant for awhile.

kechefs · 11-09-2009, 08:51 PM

Its all about the advertising dollar for New Hampshire Mag. The new O in Concord was in the same article it wasn't open yet!

Winnigirl83 · 11-10-2009, 09:06 AM

Four of us went a couple of weekends ago. It took a long time to even get acknowledged at the front door. Finally someone came over and said they would clear a table for us. Then the bartender decided to ask if we were all set. (For those of you that haven't been here, the door leads into the bar - in full view of the bartender.)

Finally got seated, the waitress gave us our menus and disappeared, not offering us a drink, water, or telling us the specials. When she did come back, she wanted to take our food order, we asked her what beer they had on draft, she didn't know and disappeared again. After we got our drinks, the service did get better (don't know, maybe it was the drinks!

). They have a great assortment of draft beers.

We ordered nachos, which came out timely, but were lukewarm at best. When our meals came, the were cold. We were going to get dessert, but it seemed as though the waitstaff was changing from lunch to dinner so we didn't bother.

All in all, not a good experience for us. If I go back it would be for a quick beer before I head down the street for Mexican.

Fishing · 11-16-2009, 06:43 PM

My husband and I returned to the Tavern this Halloween weekend. We had been there for the "soft" opening in May - tried again in July and were hoping that this time there they would get it right (after those 2 disappointments) Well, not only did they get it right - we went back 2 days later. The Prime Rib was delicious!! When you go for the All you can eat fish Friday dinner - when you got refills they gave you more of everything - fries, etc!! Their shrimp and sausage gumbo was just perfect. Going back 2 nights later my husband had the roast beef special (I believe it was roasted) - and it was so tender you could cut it with a butter knife. We were introduced by our waitress to the new manager one night and the chef the other.
We think they are back on track and we wish them well.

ApS · 11-16-2009, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heaven

"...I don't know about the previous stellar reputation, I thought the food inedible for the several years prior to these new owners. I'll admit I only tried it 5 or 6 times..."

Dining there "5 or 6 times" for "inedible food" is a whole-lot of trying!

If you ordered from their large-ish hamburger selection, you were going to get a pretty dern good hamburger/cheeseburger.

The burgers were named for the Lake's geographical features—which made for some interesting names for your food selection. You could order "The Rattlesnake"! Or order my favorite—a large cheeseburger, piled deliciously-high with mushrooms and curley-fries

named

the <<<...gulp...>>> "The Graveyard".

Perhaps it was the loud talk and cigarette-smoke from the bar that took away from your experience: Once that crummy atmosphere was finally gone for good ?

... the place got sold.

Hmmm. Is there a place in the "History" forum for Menu History?

Heaven · 11-16-2009, 07:22 PM

Who was the new manager?

Pineedles · 11-16-2009, 07:37 PM

That is such good news. It's wonderful when a Phoenix rises.

10-29-2009, 09:38 AM	#1
LadyJane Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: northern Ct. Posts: 335 Thanks: 129 Thanked 50 Times in 33 Posts	Wolfe's Tavern The latest issue of New Hampshire Magazine features Wolfe's Tavern in Wolfeboro among the "Hottest New Restaurants" in the state. Congratulations to them ! I usually dine in the Meredith / Moultonboro area but sounds like I need to take a ride down the street.

10-29-2009, 07:51 PM	#6
Mr. Prop-B-Gone Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 106 Thanks: 4 Thanked 30 Times in 17 Posts	Maybe the burgers are OK, but..... We went to the Wolfeboro Inn this past Sunday, 10/25/09. I posted our experience on the forum under the "Wolfeboro inn a dining disappointment!!!" thread, under the title of "This is Not Your Father's Wolfeboro Inn". We had purchased a gift certificate before they renovated, and decided to use it up. Even forewarned by the reviews on the Forum, we were extremely disappointed with the service and, with the exception of the Norwegian Salmon, equally disappointed with the quality of the food. Don't know about the magazine article, but we will never go to the Wolfeboro Inn again.

10-31-2009, 10:11 AM	#8
twoplustwo Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Moultonborough Posts: 456 Thanks: 51 Thanked 39 Times in 21 Posts	I am I'm not knocking Wolfe's Tavern, but isn't NH Mag the one where a business can pay to be profiled? I do understand that the food is well prepared. I haven't heard anything about a "hot spot". I am knocking Wolfe's Tavern. This is either a payoff or the editors at NH Mag are smoking something quite righteous.

10-31-2009, 11:52 AM	#9
camp guy Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: formerly Winter Harbor, still Wolfeboro Posts: 1,154 Thanks: 293 Thanked 501 Times in 281 Posts	Wolfe's Tavern It's not the food, it's not the millions in renovations, it's not the location or any of that stuff - it's the SERVICE and the attitude of the people. I can't, for the life of me, understand why management isn't all over the place making sure people have a pleasant experience. Unless there is some huge secret I just don't know about, how can service be so consistently poor. The posts on the internet constantly refer to service as being poor, and, yet, management isn't visible curing the problem. If the Inn fails, they need only look into the mirror for the reason; and, it certainly won't be because they hadn't been warned.

10-31-2009, 12:07 PM	#10
SumoDog Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 22 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts	Service Camp Guy is right - it is the service - terrible would be an understatement - and that starts from the top - food can be foregiven - bad night etc.. - but the service is where it starts - The Woodshed, Common Man, Canoe and other successful restaurants - the food is not always great (everyone has a bad day or overcooks/undercooks on occasion) - but the service is always there. Its too bad to spend all that money and forget what drives the hospitality business - being hospitable.

10-29-2009, 11:23 AM	#2
Heaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 521 Thanks: 128 Thanked 95 Times in 67 Posts	I'm not knocking Wolfe's Tavern, but isn't NH Mag the one where a business can pay to be profiled? I do understand that the food is well prepared. I haven't heard anything about a "hot spot".

The Following User Says Thank You to Heaven For This Useful Post:
BroadHopper (10-29-2009)

10-29-2009, 12:27 PM	#3
Pineedles Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Moultonborough & CT Posts: 2,537 Thanks: 1,065 Thanked 653 Times in 364 Posts	NH Magazine has best of NH picks, both Reader's Poll and Editor's Picks. Wolfe's tavern appears in the Editor's list for 2009 for their burgers. I am not sure how the Editors make their picks.

10-31-2009, 08:13 AM	#7
Merrymeeting Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Merrymeeting Lake, New Durham Posts: 2,224 Thanks: 302 Thanked 798 Times in 367 Posts	Granted they had the misfortune of reopening at the same time the economy tanked in the worst way in decades, but how can a company that has been so successful elsewhere in running a quality inn keep messing up so badly here?

10-31-2009, 02:35 PM	#11
dewitt Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 14 Thanks: 1 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	service I know it's over priced, but Disney knows what hospitality is. The Tavern needs to get at least 50% of the attitude WDW shows its customers to get my business back. Have a Magical Day. p.s. I have know affliation with Disney just HMO.

10-31-2009, 03:57 PM	#12
Rag Top Daze Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Moultonborough Posts: 119 Thanks: 11 Thanked 13 Times in 9 Posts	Understatement of the day I am knocking Wolfe's Tavern. This is either a payoff or the editors at NH Mag are smoking something quite righteous.[/QUOTE] For sure there was something like this going on! But it's going to take more than the endorsement of the magazine to help Wolfe's Tavern out. They need to take a hard look at employee training and at what's coming out of their kitchen in order to build back their previous stellar reputation. __________________ I live for a rag top day

10-31-2009, 04:46 PM	#13
Heaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 521 Thanks: 128 Thanked 95 Times in 67 Posts	I don't know about the previous stellar reputation, I thought the food inedible for the several years prior to these new owners. I'll admit I only tried it 5 or 6 times. The curly french fries were good, I had the prime rib one Christmas Eve with my entire family and it was horrible (quality), grisly, tough etc. So the food HAS to have improved a great deal. I notice that they are advertising hard to pull in the after work crowd and "local" weekend crowd with ads that sound like sports bar type deals.

11-09-2009, 08:39 AM	#14
Begonezvous Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Tuftonboro Posts: 50 Thanks: 7 Thanked 17 Times in 13 Posts	Wolfe'sTavern In spite of the recent posts about this restarurant, my wife and I went there for dinner Saturday night. We waited much too long for our waitress to take our drink order. The meals came while we were still finishing our salads. Overall I thought the service was poor. The soup du jour at the salad bar was described as Minestrone but it looked and tasted like a bowl of spagetti-O's. The food was ok but it did not give us that "we can't wait to come back" feeling. I'm disappointed that this didn't work out but I don't think I'll be trying this restaurant for awhile.

11-09-2009, 08:51 PM	#15
kechefs Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 10 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Its all about the advertising dollar for New Hampshire Mag. The new O in Concord was in the same article it wasn't open yet!

11-10-2009, 09:06 AM	#16
Winnigirl83 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 115 Thanks: 41 Thanked 29 Times in 11 Posts	Four of us went a couple of weekends ago. It took a long time to even get acknowledged at the front door. Finally someone came over and said they would clear a table for us. Then the bartender decided to ask if we were all set. (For those of you that haven't been here, the door leads into the bar - in full view of the bartender.) Finally got seated, the waitress gave us our menus and disappeared, not offering us a drink, water, or telling us the specials. When she did come back, she wanted to take our food order, we asked her what beer they had on draft, she didn't know and disappeared again. After we got our drinks, the service did get better (don't know, maybe it was the drinks! ). They have a great assortment of draft beers. We ordered nachos, which came out timely, but were lukewarm at best. When our meals came, the were cold. We were going to get dessert, but it seemed as though the waitstaff was changing from lunch to dinner so we didn't bother. All in all, not a good experience for us. If I go back it would be for a quick beer before I head down the street for Mexican.

11-16-2009, 06:43 PM	#17
Fishing Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 19 Thanks: 3 Thanked 9 Times in 4 Posts	My husband and I returned to the Tavern this Halloween weekend. We had been there for the "soft" opening in May - tried again in July and were hoping that this time there they would get it right (after those 2 disappointments) Well, not only did they get it right - we went back 2 days later. The Prime Rib was delicious!! When you go for the All you can eat fish Friday dinner - when you got refills they gave you more of everything - fries, etc!! Their shrimp and sausage gumbo was just perfect. Going back 2 nights later my husband had the roast beef special (I believe it was roasted) - and it was so tender you could cut it with a butter knife. We were introduced by our waitress to the new manager one night and the chef the other. We think they are back on track and we wish them well.

11-16-2009, 07:22 PM	#19
Heaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 521 Thanks: 128 Thanked 95 Times in 67 Posts	Who was the new manager?

11-16-2009, 07:37 PM	#20
Pineedles Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Moultonborough & CT Posts: 2,537 Thanks: 1,065 Thanked 653 Times in 364 Posts	That is such good news. It's wonderful when a Phoenix rises.