(716) Food and Sport

Reviews 3

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Jackie Weber

As some one who is excited for all the up and comings around downtown Buffalo, I was excited to try out (716). We went on a non event night, hoping that we wouldnt have the 4 hr wait that Ive heard so much about (there was still a long wait....though there were tables open). The Pros: The atmosphere is pretty cool. BIG....EVERYTHING is BIG. Including the host and hostess at the door. Lindsay and DJ were great. Very charismatic, personable and welcoming with big smiles on their faces; inquired how everything was when we were leaving and it is because of them that I may consider coming back. The Cons: The wait. From the table to the server to the drinks....it was LONG. Once seated the server eventually came over. He didnt introduce himself and simply took our drink order. He couldnt seem to understand that I wanted two separate drinks (one alcoholic, one non-alcoholic). Needless to say he did eventually figure it out. Drinks came in a timely manner and order was taken. As we waited for the apps, we had finished our drinks. No server around to see if we needed anything. And believe me, I searched for him. Even went to the lav to see if I could spot him....Nope. Apps finally come, from another server. Chili had much to be desired. The house salad was good...as far as lettuce and garnish on a plate go. The stuffed peppers were delicious!! Still no drinks and no one asking if everything was ok or if we needed anything. Within 10 min of our salad and apps arriving and we were still eating, our dinner comes out. Again by another server. We told her the order wasnt ours. We ordered a spicy veggie burger and a flat iron steak. The server looked confused and only then did our original server come over with the steak flatbread and told us that that is what we ordered. When we told him no, that we ordered steak he got an attitude and insisted that was our order. I know people make mistakes, but all it takes to rectify the situation is a simple "Im sorry" and fix it. Not arguing. He mustve realized his mistake and said he would get the steak. We just asked him to leave the burger, get us another round of drinks (still hadnt noticed they were empty). It was only after I mentioned to the hostess about the service, that the server became VERY attentive to us. Stopping by every few minutes to assess the table, see if we needed anything, how everything was. He did mention that the manager would be applying a discount (very nice but not necessary) and would come over to speak with us. That never happened. Much like another reviewer mentioned, it seemed as if the managers didnt want to deal with the patrons. Ive been in the hospitality service and if a table is unhappy with a couple things, make it known to the table that you are aware of the situation and that you are sorry and will do your best to make it better. While we may contemplate going back, it wont be any time soon....unless it is at the bar. We spent about an hour and a half eating dinner and the tables on either side of us were still there. One was nursing a beer and the other table was complaining about everything and didnt seem satisfied. I was later told that one table had been there for over 2.5 hours and the other had been there for 4.5 hours. Hmmmm....maybe that is why you have such a long wait time. Patrons arent asked to limit their table time when there is a waiting list. Next time I want to go out in that district, I will go to Cobblestone,The Swannie House, or Liberty Hound. The hype isnt worth it for (716)...much needs to be worked on.

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Justin Huett

So we decided to go to 716 last night for dinner, it was a Sunday around 5:30pm and we were seated promptly. Upon first entering the establishment it was impressive. Everywhere you look there is a flat screen TV, from the 38 screen above the bar to the TV in bathroom mirror. Its a sports fanatics dream. On the other hand as family of three, I found the TV mounted to the wall in the booth a bit much. Having a 32" TV within a foot or two of your face was more than we needed. The menu was sparse, simple and clean. I decided to ordered a burger with No onion which came with their "Fresh hand-cut French fries" and half of a pickle spear for $11.99. After waiting what felt like a long time, our order arrived. Being that I dont like raw onions I checked my burger as I often do b/c people make mistakes, I didnt see any so I continued. First bite… Onion; they were hiding under the tomato. Being I was borderline hangery (Anger caused by hunger) and with our server nowhere in sight I continued to eat. The serving of fries was small at best and the "Fresh hand-cut French fries" looked like the leftovers from bottom an Ore-Ida bag you found in the back of your freezer. When our server returned to ask how things were I pointed out the onions and told him it was ok. To the servers credit he quickly apologized and said he would remove it from our bill. After it was all said and done our bill was $20 after tip for poutine, one beer and one soda. Before leaving I used the mens room, which again looked nice on the surface. It was much smaller than I had anticipated being it a sports bar that seats 500 people. As I stood there I looked at the wall which had something stuck to it that didnt belong there. As I went to wash my hands in the tastefully artistic sink and faucet, the faucet didnt work. I really expected more from a Billionaire owner. In conclusion if you are looking to hang out with the guys, have some drinks and watch a game, Im sure there isnt a better place in town. If youre looking to take someone out on a first or second date or want to impress them with a nice meal I wouldnt suggest it. Because Buffalo is a town know for three things; the amount of snow we get, our food and the lack of winning professional sports teams. There are so many great places to eat throughout the city, unless something changes I can see the majority of 716 patrons being from out of town with few returning for the food. I wouldnt be surprised to see a change in management in the near future. Currently 716 does not host UFC fights and has limited Pay Per View events, though they will be showing the Mayweather Vs. Pacquiao fight on May 2, which you can buy your tickets ahead of time for $20 per person on their website.

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M

Pros: The ambiance is fantastic - TVs everywhere (literally everywhere), HUGE TV at the main bar, but its useless to watch if youre close. The bar has a cool ice rink/skate theme. Free parking garage (on Washington street) connected to the restaurant as well is a plus. You can access the restaurant through the garage on the 2nd floor. The menu has a good selection. Nice draft selection as well. Cons: The kitchen. The food we ordered came out cold. We ordered the Triple Crown Fries, which could have been good, but they were cold. One of our guests ordered the sesame chicken salad, and requested no Asian peanut sauce - and it came out with the sauce on it. They returned it, and said they would take it off our bill, but never did. Allergies were a factor here and it couldve been a really bad night. Also ordered was the Turkey sandwich, which was good - maybe because it was served cold.. And the bartenders - The one blonde girl who was working the main bar was good, the other male bartenders were horrible. All in all its worth a visit I guess (for the ambiance). The place has all the factors to be excellent, but most of the staff (kitchen/bartenders) are flushing that down the toilet. They need to be more attentive with the food and communication / listening skills. Like I said, the menu has a nice selection of dishes, but the kitchen is totally dropping the ball here. I wouldve gave it less stars, but the ambiance made it a 3 star review. The time we visited was around 6pm-11pm.