On a slow Tuesday night around 7:00 pm, I visited the Lumberyard Tavern in Encinitas for a friend's birthday. We had been there before and really liked the vibe of this relaxed, friendly establishment. The Lumberyard's happy hour offers minor discounts on beer, wine, and appetizers, and they seem to promote sporting events well. Offering a wide range of both local and macro brews, this establishment has the potential to be a great new gem for the "lumberyard" area of Encinitas.
Unfortunately, the beer selection is where the excitement ends. The cocktail menu was pretty unimpressive; your standard issue sports bar martinis and margaritas were listed for those people that have perhaps never ordered a mixed drink before. While some local venues like Hensley's and The Stadium have shown creative cocktail menus, The Lumberyard hasn't gotten there quite yet.
The food was reasonably priced, and I always enjoy a unique idea like a pretzel hamburger bun (pretty good). However, if I may offer a bit of food advice; order sauces and dressings on the side, as the burger and salad we ordered were swimming in their respective condiments.
As a bartender, I generally don't get a chance to get out during games or on the weekends, and am able to give an establishment the benefit of the doubt by evaluating them when they are generally slow and should be at their best. I feel like this keeps me from being another Yelp'er who complains that they got slow service for a UFC fight or couldn't find a spot at the bar on a Saturday night. I understand these service setbacks and that bars and restaurants are going to be busy, the same way you know you're going to hit traffic on the freeway at 5 pm on a Friday. But when bad service happens when a restaurant is slow and the quality is at the hands of the staff and management, then it is worth mentioning.
Having sat at the bar and in the restaurant, I noticed that the service was fairly poor on both occasions. This time, however, there was an obvious lack of knowledge and experience and the server seemed apathetic at best. We saw her a handful of times, and it was always after we flagged her down to ask for something, never for her to ask us if we wanted a refill, some ketchup, or to just find out if we were enjoying our meals.
Although there were only a few full sections of the restaurant, our completely empty beer, wine and soda glasses went unnoticed. We also never received a check-back on how our food was as my wife's salad was drenched in dressing and I desperately needed a soda refill for my spicy burger. The only time we really saw our server was when she brought the check, which we didn't ask for. At this point, she was extremely efficient at closing us out, but absent and unconcerned when we needed things throughout the meal.
I seemed like all of the servers could use some multitasking and table management skills, as well as a quick briefing in general concern for the tables in your section. At least feign a slight interest in your job! We were never shown any appreciation for having a birthday there, or received an apology for the extended wait periods. They either need to have more servers, hire more experienced staff, or have management that holds their employees accountable for service.
The good food, quality beer selection, and great Encinitas location make me want to like this place, but until the service is dramatically improved, I think it will be awhile before I consider myself a regular.
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