Bad night at Fiore at Rincon

[Alan Mendelson]

I think Fiore is a great restaurant and steak house. It's the premier restaurant at Rincon and while I love the place I have to point out when something goes wrong.

Yesterday afternoon I called Rincon for a reservation at the oyster bar. I was told no reservations were taken for the bar but also they were not needed especially since I was Seven Stars. But when we arrived we were told it would be a 45 minute wait. I was offered a pager-- but I was required to give either a credit card or my picture ID as security for the pager. Never in my life has a restaurant asked me to do this-- and I am a 7 Stars player.

We went to the bar outside the restaurant and played 8/5 Bonus (yes full pay at a bar). After about 45 minutes -- and no page -- we went back to the hostess who said to me "we paged you." But our pager hadn't triggered. Then the hostess discovered she hadn't pushed "send" on the system.

So we waited a few more minutes and were seated.

The seats were bad as we were on a curve and it was like we weren't sitting as a couple. The manager said he would move us when other seats opened but I told him not to bother.

We had the seafood platter and gumbo which were excellent. Always had great food there.

Then came the check. $91 for the two of us including drinks and that was fine. I presented a Total Rewards gift card with a remaining balance of $280.

The waiter comes to me and says the remaining balance is zero. I said try it again. A second time he says zero balance. I ask for the manager and he tries my card and comes back to say it was declined. Now I'm angry.

I take the card and point out the service phone number and tell the manager to call. A few minutes later he says yes, the remaining balance is $280 and there was a problem with their payment terminal.

Not exactly what you would expect at Fiore.

[Vpnewbie]

Alan, if you think Fiore has excellent food then your standards are very low. You should stop at The Gambling Cowboy in Old Town Temecula next time on your way to Rincon when you're with your date. Fiore is "okay" but waaaaay over priced especially for what you get. At Fiore everything, and I mean everything is ala carte. Salad extra.... I can live with that.

When you dine out you are usually served more food than any human should be eating at one sitting. That's not the case at Fiore. When you order a $55 Rib eye. That's all you get. Potato? extra. Asparagus? extra. When you order an entree you don't get anything with it.

Alan, I'm surprised you ever spoke highly of this restaurant especially because of "Alan Mendelson's Best Buys". Just my opinion but.....Fiore is not a "Best Buy". Even for fine dining, you'd be better off not eating at this casino.

[Alan Mendelson]

Vpnewbie please post a review of The Gambling Cowboy. I'd like to know more about it. It's certainly close enough to Pala, Pechanga and Rincon to be of interest to all casino goers. Thanks!!

[Vpnewbie]

The Gambling Cowboy is a steakhouse located on the 3rd floor in Old Town Temecula. Behind Mad Madeline's, if you're familiar with Old Town. Reservations needed. Not in bar.

They have a few dining options. You may decide you want an elegant white tablecloth experience. Outdoors on the balcony with views of this great little town, or my choice a casual bar dinner. Which is fine for children. No younger than 10ish.

The Cowboy has a huge appetizer as well as dinner menu. It can get a little pricey with the addition of cocktails, salad and an appetizer. But they do have happy hour everyday. 3-closing Tuesday-Thursday, and 3-6 Friday-Sunday. http://ilovethecowboy.com/about-us/

They have excellent margaritas on the rocks and will bring a bread basket to your table.

I suggest the sweet chili calamari for an appetizer and the wedge salad is an excellent salad choice but, not necessary as you will be taking your dinner home if you choose these options in addition to your entree. I almost always choose the 8oz slow roasted prime rib because I love the heat the horseradish brings to the table. My side choice is the loaded baked potato. Your entree will also come with the best sauteed corn and green beans or snap peas you've ever tasted in your life.

You will not be disappointed. Enjoy.

[Dan Druff]

What a mess.

You should have gotten some portion of the meal comped for this fiasco.

You should find out who the restaurant manager is (not the on-duty manager at the time, but the general manager), and call him. I bet you'll be offered something for your next visit.

On a side note, that TR gift card has been nothing but fail for you. Typical CET.

[Alan Mendelson]

Dan I think the TR gift cards are great. The problem was the terminal at the restaurant. I've used the gift cards there before with no problem.

[Chimp]

Alan, if you think Fiore has excellent food then your standards are very low.

Alan, I'm surprised you ever spoke highly of this restaurant especially because of "Alan Mendelson's Best Buys". Just my opinion but.....Fiore is not a "Best Buy". Even for fine dining, you'd be better off not eating at this casino.

Newbie.....a bit harsh of a response. Fiore does have excellent food and if it is essentially free, as in this case, since it cost Alan nothing out of pocket, except maybe for a tip, it was a "Best Buy".

[Vpnewbie]

Hi Chimp, Alan's a big boy he seems to be up for a suggestion. I'm sure a lot of people like Fiore. I'm simply suggesting an alternative that in MY opinion is far superior in taste and value.

*Side note-using his TR Gift card is not getting it for free. He definitely paid for that card. Your right though. Not out of pocket expense for last night when he used it. Lol
*2nd Side note-I also think its great that Alan is open minded to share other options rather than casino food with the general public.

[Chimp]

Newbie....I think you misunderstood my point. Maybe I was not clear. My comment had nothing to do with Alan specifically. He just happened to be the person going to Fiore. All I was saying is that I think it is a good deal to dine at a higher-end restaurant for "free" rather than to pay for it. If I was paying out of pocket it would be a totally different situation.

And I do realize that the gift card was not completely "free".

Hope you had fun and were able to meet Nash.

[Vpnewbie]

Thank you, I did meet Nash and her hubby. Spent most of the evening with them and they both are very nice people. Played $1 Aces and Faces. I got 4 quads on 3116. No quad aces and one quad on bonus poker next to 3116. Unfortunately I gave it all back. It's also unfortunate that none of us won the $50,000. I'm sure we all had fun though.

[Alan Mendelson]

As I noted above info about a great restaurant in Temecula would help players at various casinos. Not everyone has comps to use at an expensive casino restaurant.

But when I do have comps available I would rather use comps than cash. The TR gift cards are in fact comps.

[Dan Druff]

Alan, the "terminal" should not be an issue for the TR card if CET ran things properly. And I can't imagine how the terminal would come back with the card declined. That doesn't make sense. If the terminal was really broken, it would say something like, "Cannot read card", not "Card has $0 on it". Regardless, they obviously knew the terminal had problems beforehand, yet treated you like your card was the issue. How did that happen? Why didn't they realize this immediately when your card reported back as zero, if they've had problems with the terminal recently?

I'm just saying that your TR gift card has run you into two frustrating situations thus far.

I will concede that it's still the best value of all the "Signature Experiences", and I would also get those cards if I had experience points to use, even with all the fail that's occurred.

But honestly, for them to forget to signal you after 45 minutes, and then stick you at an awful table because they gave away tables that should have rightfully been for you, that's pretty bad for a fine dining restaurant. That alone is worth comping at least part of your bill.

I think Vpnewbie is being too harsh on Fiore's food. I also think she doesn't realize that the modern standard for top steakhouses is to serve everything a la carte. It's been that way since the 1990s. Yes, you can fine very nice restaurants which serve sides with your steak, but high-end steakhouses nearly all follow the a la carte model.

I found Fiore to be good, but not great. It does not compare with steakhouses like Mastro's, but it's definitely the best thing in Rincon. Furthermore, I agree it's much better to eat there using RCs/comps/TR gift cards than to go elsewhere and pay real cash.

Alan, I still suggest you call the restaurant manager and complain about your experience. I bet you will get something for next time, which will indeed be a "best buy". And you honestly deserve it after all you went through there.

[Nash]

We enjoy the food at Fiore and we have never had bad service there. We have eaten there enough times to get a nameplate on our table. Amanda is the hostess there and she is always very accommodating. She told us they always hold tables for Seven Stars
players so if you don't have a reservation you can walk in and she will have a table within a few minutes.

As far as your Signature gift card I will venture to guess you had the same problem I had with mine at Toby Keith's in Las Vegas. The card has to be entered into the terminal as a Master Card. If the server doesn't do that it won't allow the transaction. My overall experience with using the Signature gift card has not been good and only for the fact that their employees are not familiar with the card. Hopefully that will get better.

[Alan Mendelson]

The manager said they are very familiar with the TR gift cards and he says it was a "terminal" problem, and he did not mention that it had to be entered as a MasterCard and that was the problem. So I don't know exactly what their "terminal problem" was. Again what they did tell me that the terminal reported that the card had ZERO available, and only when the manager called the phone number on the card was he able to verify that $280 was still available from the original $500 amount. It was very irritating that on top of the other "bloopers" that I also had to wait around close to fifteen minutes for them to fix the problem.

Fortunately it was just me and my girlfriend there. Imagine how embarrassing it would have been if I was entertaining guests?

[Alan Mendelson]

I was discussing the Fiore incident tonight at dinner with a high roller who frequents Rincon. His question: "so, did they wipe out the check for all the problems or at least comp some of it?" "No," I said. He shook his head. By the way: three problems but not even one apology.

[Dan Druff]

I was discussing the Fiore incident tonight at dinner with a high roller who frequents Rincon. His question: "so, did they wipe out the check for all the problems or at least comp some of it?" "No," I said. He shook his head. By the way: three problems but not even one apology.

He is right.

Now you have two different people telling you this. The lack of an apology is especially bad.

You should really call the manager of Fiore (the highest manager there is for the restaurant) and make a big deal about this. Almost 100% that you will get some kind of comp there next time.

[Alan Mendelson]

Management at Rincon frequently reads this forum. I know. They talk to me often.

[Alan Mendelson]

I received an email this afternoon from the manager/director at Fiore/Rincon.

Mr. Mendelson,
My name is Will Burtner and I was the manager working withcu you that night. I feel terrible about how the evening went because it was one unfortunate action or circumstance after the other. Your assessment of the evening was 100% accurate and I can only say I’m sorry. It is my responsibility to ensure great service and we fell short. You were completely justified in your frustration and the least I can do is buy you and your guest another meal in either Fiore or the Oyster Bar. Please reply to this email and we can set up arrangements.

Sincerely,

Will Burtner CS // Food and Beverage Operations Manager
Harrah’s Resort Southern California

First of all, I am very pleased that he said my "assessment of the evening was 100% accurate and I can only say I’m sorry."

I thanked him for the offer, and I said I would discuss a date for returning to Fiore.

[Aaron]

Alan

I had the same problem with the gift cards this weekend in Las Vegas. I figured out that they places were running them as TR cards for RCs and they would tell me there was no balance. I would tell them to run it as MasterCard and use the number on the back for verification it would then work.

I also found out that many places in the LINQ on the approved list will not accept them. The Manager at the Tilted Kilt told me they would not accept them because CET gets a 20% kick back on use.

[Dan Druff]

Alan

I had the same problem with the gift cards this weekend in Las Vegas. I figured out that they places were running them as TR cards for RCs and they would tell me there was no balance. I would tell them to run it as MasterCard and use the number on the back for verification it would then work.

I also found out that many places in the LINQ on the approved list will not accept them. The Manager at the Tilted Kilt told me they would not accept them because CET gets a 20% kick back on use.

I love getting little tidbits on things like this.

I'm sure there's a similar deal for those shopping vouchers they give for the Forum Shops and Miracle Mile. Only some stores would take them, and I'm sure all of the stores would have if CET was reimbursing them at parity.

The foolish thing is that this actually frustrates CET customers when the TR gift cards have limited use, so you would think it would be mutually beneficial to process them cheaply. However, I am assuming CET doesn't want to pay out hard cash to third party merchants, and would much rather the cards get used on-property, where their actual expense is only a fraction of the value of the card.

But this is an area where CET should stop pinching pennies and think about the greater good of keeping their best customers happy. Sadly, all CET can do is think about how to reduce expenses with their TR program, and this in turn drives away many of their bigger gamblers.

They still don't "get it" that gamblers want an effortless, frustration-free experience with their comps.