Today I headed over to Wild Bill’s Sports Saloon in Apple Valley with Art, Joey and Kevin for lunch. I, like tens of thousands of other people based on my logs, have been anxiously awaiting the opening of Grizzly’s replacement. As you can see from the comments below (which I have moved over for history’s sake) some people have liked it and others have not been so impressed. Needing to know for myself whether it was worthy of the repeat business I never gave to Grizzly’s, I rounded up a few people and we headed over for a noon lunch–or so we thought.
Kevin and I arrived together at 11:45 and were greeted with a 35 minute wait. Kevin noted to the hostess that there were numerous empty tables inside and she replied that they were trying to allow the kitchen to catch up due to the busy breakfast (which is apparently $9.99 and based on the menu for it and what I saw later, wasn’t worth half that) service. Kevin argued that we should at least be permitted to sit at a table and wait, possibly with drinks, instead of having to crowd around each other in the foyer. He was overruled.
After finally being seated at 12:27 we placed our drink orders only to wait 15+ minutes more for our server (BTW, she was attractive but certainly not as hot as this commenter would like you to believe) to take our actual food orders. The menu is pretty basic and looks very similar to what you’re going to get at BW3. Based on the pricing, number of wing sauces (15), Tuesday night wing night (35c wings), and the fact that it’s a sports bar with tons of TVs and neon beer signs, this entire establishment’s purpose is to undercut every single thing that nearby Buffalo Wild Wings has to offer. We were there solely for wings (except for Joey who ordered the appetizer sampler) so between all of us we ordered 54 wings in 7 different sauces (I also tried the Parmesan Garlic which was purchased by my neighbor but that was pretty fucking tasteless and I don’t recommend it at all):
18 Wild Bill’s Scorching Buffalo Border Sauce
6 Jim Beam Buffalo
6 Cajun Ranch
6 Wild Bill’s Orange Sauce
6 Sesame Asian
6 Bourbon Teriyaki
6 Carolina Honey BBQ (boneless)
All of the wings come with complimentary bleu cheese or ranch and celery sticks (BW3 now charges you .60 for each cup of bleu cheese).
After waiting a total of 30 minutes (to the minute) from when we first were seated our wings came out (at 1 PM instead of 12 PM) with Joey’s sampler taking some extra time to arrive. We all shared the wings and Joey’s sampler so we all got a very good idea of many different sauces. To be perfectly honest both Art and I were concerned about the quality of the sauces going into this especially after our lackluster experience at sister restaurant Babe’s in Lakeville (they are owned by the same guy along with 4 other places) so we were apprehensive when the wings were first laid out in front of us.
These are definitely not the sauciest wings nor the meatiest but they aren’t too bad. The tables favorites were the Bourbon Teriyaki, Jim Beam Buffalo, and the Scorching Buffalo Border Sauce. None of the sauces were spicy enough for any of us with even Joey, who admits to preferring “medium” (also known as being a Spice Pussy (TM)), said that it wasn’t too hot for him. After eating 4 of them a pleasant pepper flavor was left on the tongue but they honestly need to either come up with a 16th wing sauce or bump the “Scorching” up about 15 notches to compete with BW3 for the hottest wings available in the South Metro.
The Bourbon Teriyaki was my favorite as it had a distinctive and pleasant flavor. If you’re not a spice fan and are looking for something tasty but not terribly sugary, this one is probably the one for you. Another one I appreciated was Wild Bill’s Orange Sauce. Too sugary for me but I could definitely see it being a favorite of those who aren’t much into Asian flavors but want something sweet. Kevin liked the Sesame Asian (I found it tasting mostly like sesame and little like anything Asian) and the Cajun Ranch even after later mentioning to me that he doesn’t much care for ranch usually. Art seemed to really enjoy the Jim Beam Buffalo.
Joey, the poor outsider being that he ordered a sampler instead, ended up with 6 of the Carolina Honey BBQ in the boneless variety. To me they tasted very tough and dry and the sauce could not help it out much. While the sauce was fine, the heavy breading and dry and tasteless chicken was just too much to make it a winner. The mozzarella sticks were fine and came with a fairly standard marinara sauce that I could have done without. It also came with chips and very basic Sysco-ish salsa that was pretty boring. The highlight were the crispy onion rings (not greasy and didn’t burn your whole mouth as if they came out dripping with bubbling oil) but even those I could definitely do without.
Art had ordered a side of fries which were seasoned but previously frozen. I believe that as soon as they were delivered he announced something about “good ‘ol Ore-Ida,” but I could be wrong on that one. I tried them and they were crisp but nothing to write home about. Another “eh” for me.
The bleu cheese was notable and came chunky (not like BW3′s runny and expensive salad dressing which comes with tiny little bubbles of cheese rather than hunks like it should) and tasty but the cheese could have been about 10x more sharp for me. Being that you don’t have to pay for them like you do at BW3, these are definitely a treat and went well with the celery and the chips which I spent quite a bit of time dipping in the leftovers.
Overall, definitely a place I’d return to eat wings and watch football at again. With 35c wings and 15 sauces, it’ll be a contender for wing night in Apple Valley. My sole suggestion to them at this point is to fix the serving issues (speed was a big problem here today but that’s easily fixable) and the completely underpowered spice levels. Any wing place worth its salt is going to have at least one wing that’s hot enough to make you break a sweat. Not a place I’d recommend traveling to from far and wide (or even Savage for that matter) but one that if you’re looking for mild and sugary wings with some interesting flavor combinations, then I’d suggest you stop in at to see what you think.
So, have you eaten at Wild Bill’s Sports Saloon in Apple Valley? If so, what did you think? What was your favorite wing sauce offered? Did you have something other than wings (my neighbor was there when we arrived and said their $1 burger special was good) and if so, what was it and how was it? Whatever you have to say about Wild Bill’s Sports Saloon in Apple Valley go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear what you have to say!
Address:
Wild Bill’s Sports Saloon
15020 Glazier Ave
Apple Valley, MN 55124
Phone:
952-431-3216
See all the pictures from Wild Bill’s Sports Saloon on Flickr here.
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October 6th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Interesting. I remember when Grizzly’s opened, before all the other sports bars were in AV, you had to wait for a table every night of the week. I even remember the food being pretty good.
My wife and I stopped in for dinner a couple weeks ago on a Wednesday and the place was empty at 6:30pm, the food was just average and I remember thinking that this place wouldn’t be around for long.
Hopefully they will reinvent the place instead of just changing the name and offering the same standard sports bar fare.
October 6th, 2009 at 10:52 am
Fantastic! A sports bar?! In Apple Valley?! SWEET! I hope they have those fancy buffalo wing thingies!
We used to go to Grizzly’s often way back when we first moved to the area. They had awesome garlic shrimp! However, a few years ago they ‘revamped’ the menu and got rid of some of the more expensive dishes and replaced them with mediocre bar food. I can’t say I’m surprised they closed.
October 6th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Damn it! I was just thinking how unique it would be to be able to watch sports while eating and drinking.
Oh well…I guess it’s OK…I just noticed how well soup, salad and sandwiches go together. Once I help people discover that, I’ll be RICH, RICH, RICH!
October 6th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
I drove by there last weekend wondering why it was closed. That’s too bad, they had a pretty loyal bar crowd. I only ate there occasionally when all the other AV places were packed. The food was average at best. Now, I am sucked into mediocre food at Old Chicago working on mini beer tours. Nothing like a getting a “free” T shirt at the end.
October 6th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
The worst part is that whatever replaces it will be the same. Close your eyes, and you won’t know the name over the door has changed.
October 7th, 2009 at 8:06 am
I never went to Grizzly’s and doubt I’ll have a reason to go to Wild Bill’s, but I am glad it is not just going to sit empty.
October 8th, 2009 at 10:56 pm
Went there once maybe a year ago. Didn’t impress me one way or another. Usually I just forgot it was even there. Sadly, it became an inside joke between the wife and I as we drove by on our way to Old Chicago or something else and I’d jokingly recommend going there since the parking lot always looked empty to me. I’m completely shocked it lasted this long. I highly doubt this new place will succeed as I find this location hidden for some reason even though it’s not.
October 10th, 2009 at 12:13 am
We used to go there for their 2-for-1 burger nights as it was cheap and at least 1/2 way decent… over the past year or so I noticed the quality was down and we stopped going as often…
Hopefully the new place will succeed.. I’m usually game for trying a new place at least once..
October 10th, 2009 at 9:52 am
It is owned by the owners of Babes, Oak City, Pickle Park…
October 11th, 2009 at 9:44 am
Honestly, if I hadn’t read this post, I wouldn’t have noticed when it changed to Wild Bill’s. That’s how little of an impression the place made on me.
I think I might have eaten there once 8-9 years ago, but I certainly don’t remember anything about it.
October 14th, 2009 at 11:58 am
i used to be one of the loyal bar go-er at grizz at 23 i brought my friends there and it became our bar… we stopped going there about 7 months ago when management changed it was a very loyal crowd that would be there however the bartenders treated us very well for the most part… but when management changed and half the staff was let go…beautiful girls… we quit going there… and i dated half the staff 2 so that may have had something to do with it… i wish this place will do well… hire attractive girls to get my buisness back
October 14th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Don’t leave us hanging shane…which bar’s staff are you nailing nowadays?
October 26th, 2009 at 6:29 am
I’m kind of bummed it closed. I’m even more bummed out that it went so far downhill so fast.
I used to work there from ’02 to ’05 then moved back home to Hawaii until ’07. Of course it was one of the first places I stopped by to eat when I moved back, and to my dismay, the place seemed to be heading downhill. The bar was still busy, but the dining room was strangely empty – even on Friday nights, when, at least while I worked there, there used to be a 20 minute wait to get seated! I’m not surprised, though, as I’ve noticed over the last two years the crowd – even at the bar – got smaller and smaller.
I’m also sad to say that I noticed a drop in the quality of service as well. Not that I’m patting myself on the back about my time there, but I think back then we had a staff that was a lot friendlier, more interactive with the guests, and a lot more attentive than what I’ve noticed going back.
My guess is the decline and the closure had more to do with management than anything else. And considering its the only Grizzly’s in the Metro area, the owners probably decided it was easier to simply cut their losses then try to revamp it to one of the other Grizzly concepts (Grizzly’s Burger Co., Grizzly’s Woodfire Grill, Etc…) which actually might have fared a lot better (Hey, it worked for Doolittle’s in Eagan, right?…).
What really took the jelly out of my doughnut, though, is that I thought they had the best buffalo wings in town – even better than BW3′s. The sauce was not too thick, the skin was crispy, and the portion was perfect for the price (I always got 2 lbs…). Really going to miss those wings….
October 27th, 2009 at 8:48 am
I was there about a year ago. The service was ok. There was differences between some workers as energy wasn’t really there. I’ve seen it be like a ghost town for over a year. Few vehicles I’ve seen since the time. Make sure quality and customer service are key when running, otherwise get ready for another closing. Safe atmosphere is what most people want in a restaurant. Meal deals that make sense is also another good idea to get people through your door. The economy can also be affecting businesses, so be patient til it comes around. Fun and addictive are 2 actions that yours needs.
November 9th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
If it’s anything like the owners other restaurants (Oak City, GB Leighton’s Pickle Park) This place is going to be a huge hit! Great food and great drinks.
website: http://www.wildbills-sportssaloon.com
November 10th, 2009 at 8:24 am
Just so everyone knows, Brent here works for the web design/branding firm that did Wild Bill’s Sports Saloon’s website. The same one that can’t spell Minneapolis in their header (emphasis mine):
Brent, just for future reference, be clear when you have a financial interest in a business you promote. We don’t appreciate self-promotion.
November 10th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Pretty shitty website, a picture on a fancy “Old West wanted poster” background, no other information…just the picture. I’m even less interested after seeing the ‘website.’ Nicely done, Element 115 Design!
November 10th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
For all anyone knows, it’s been saying “Coming Soon” for 6 months! A date of publish or an expected date of opening would be awfully helpful.
That tends to be a pet peeve of mine. Give me some facts, like a solid date, or don’t bother me at all.
November 10th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Greg, actually (emphasis mine):
So, it’s only been closed with that sign out front for a little over a month :-)
November 10th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
I don’t know if this is totally accurate, but my mother-in-law says that Wild Bill’s is owned by the same people who own Babe’s in Lakeville. Apparently a bartender at Babe’s let them know this one night last week.
I’ve never eaten at Babe’s so I don’t know what to expect from them.
I know my kids will miss Grizzly’s just because of that beat up stuffed bear in the lobby. Otherwise, it was unremarkable at the end.
November 11th, 2009 at 9:00 am
Bill, I was referring to the website posting. It is totally unclear what timeframe is in play with that type of website posting.
November 11th, 2009 at 9:07 am
Greg, it’s possible that they just don’t know. Last weekend I drove by and noticed that they were working on the exterior of the building. That stupid half truck was gone and two men were futzing with something on the side of the building facing CR-42.
Tracy, you might be dead-on. Look at what the website touts as their headlining dishes: wings, burgers, ribs, and flat bread pizza. Those are almost identical to what’s offered at Babe’s. Unfortunately, as some of you may already know, Babe’s wing offerings are complete and utter fucking crap (for those of you that don’t want to read that post: they all taste so similar that we couldn’t tell them apart) and a recently closed restaurant offered burgers and flat bread pizza too. Hey, if it didn’t work somewhere else, we should really try it at a new location only 5 miles away–maybe it’ll succeed there–where another similar restaurant already failed.
Awesome.
November 14th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Wild Bill’s Sports Saloon will be opening on Dec. 14th. They brought in a great chef to design the menu, and wings with fabulous different sauces will be included. If I, and the other girls I saw at the interview, are any indication it will be an attrative young staff and a great place to hang out both for food and late night drinks :) See you all soon….
November 14th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Interesting marketing technique: http://bit.ly/4oLnog
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
November 14th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
WTF??
November 14th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Fake.
November 14th, 2009 at 11:11 pm
Attractive young staff? Why, what are we waiting for!? Let’s all go to Wild Bills!
Sheesh.
November 15th, 2009 at 7:52 am
heh.
November 15th, 2009 at 8:09 am
Well, Shane from comment #11 above will be back, spreading the joy, I am sure.
November 15th, 2009 at 8:17 am
So, it appears they are discriminating against my peers in their hiring. :-)
November 15th, 2009 at 10:54 am
Looks like Shane is quite the stud.
November 17th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
used to be a loyal happy hour attendee at Griz. Now have found Pinnio Brothers (sp?) in the Grand Stay hotel. They have the best happy hour from 4-6 pm (I think). $2 pretty much anything.
November 17th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
With the popularity of “Cowboy Slims, Cowboy Jacks, etc.” they’re hopping on the bandwagon. However, the lack of an appealing outdoor patio is going to make it hard for them to do business. (I wonder what kid of success Slims and Jacks will have in the colder months) Additionally, the local competition within their competitive set is going to make it hard for their success. I wish them luck, as I do with all new businesses, but they have a long uphill climb after the “new restaurant” hype dies down. I would have thought a little harder on the concept and brought something to the area that hasn’t been done before.
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:31 am
December 14th is what they are saying on their sign as their grand opening. Does that mean that it won’t be a soft opening and we should expect excellent wings, burgers, and flat bread pizzas from the get go?
December 9th, 2009 at 1:56 am
well i just got a flyer opens dec 14. looks like 5 dollar burgers, 15 wings (free with coupon in mail!!!!!!!!) and happy hour. wings and beer = Yum
December 9th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
I am getting excited about this place. I got a coupon for 6 free ones in the “Save on Everything.com” magazine. I will have to look in the mail, too. They boast of 40 HD TV’s, 15 wing sauces, fresh burgers ($5 a lot of the time), Peanut Bar and more. It could be a great destination for viewing a Wild or Gopher game.
December 11th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
I have a friend that installed the sound system at this place and he said they are going to have a dj 3 nights a week with a huge sound and light show.
December 12th, 2009 at 11:33 am
Sound like more glitz than substance. Frozen prepared chemical food. Gee, I think we have enough of that out here. How about some FRESH food, people?
December 12th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Ugh, I have a headache just thinking about eating dinner in a place with a dj and sound/light show. Maybe they will have take out.
December 16th, 2009 at 7:53 am
Received a comment with an e-mail address that is invalid (so I refuse to post it) that gave a thumbs down on opening night and the note which we all wanted to hear–that their staff definitely is not hot.
Bummer.
December 16th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Stopped in for happy hour…it was very crowded, but, it is the new place in town. Looks a lot like the old Grizzleys, except the dining room wall and the bear are gone. The bar is the same…good wings, good happy hour prices..still the same NTN happy hour crowd..I’ll go back.
December 18th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
http://wildbills-sportssaloon.com/ Here is the website for Wild Bill’s.
December 18th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Sandy2, yeah we knew that back in November.
December 18th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Sometimes I think to myself “WTF do they do with something like that giant bear when they are done displaying it?” Do they rent a storage locker? Did someone bring it home? Maybe they dumped it into a construction dumpster? Think of the practical joke potential! I’d like to make it look like it was peeking in someone’s window.
December 18th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
How about putting it in the middle of one of our lovely roundabouts?
December 20th, 2009 at 8:19 am
If anyone sees this.. DO NOT GO TO WILD BILLS IN APPLE VALLEY!!! Long story short… they wouldn’t serve us at 1:30am… understandable but unexpected when they didn’t give us last call… then I had to go to the bathroom really bad… they threw my $4 drink and the free beer they gave me for bad service away.. the manager said I was screwed and threated to call the cops to throw me into detox…. I called the bar when I got home to complain.. the same guy told me that I was stupid and said he was the owner and I was just trying to take him for a ride… All I asked for was my drink back or $5 to spend the next time I came… He was a complete dick.. I then talked to an employee outside when I was waiting for my ride, he said he is always like that and no one likes to work for him… Well please spred the word because I will not let this slide!!
December 20th, 2009 at 8:28 am
Aren’t roundabouts dangerous enough? Now you want to add visual distraction!? Geez! ;)
December 20th, 2009 at 8:56 am
[...] week’s poll comes after I read comments written by Mrs. Marcos and Sandy and the nagging feeling of despair that yet another stupid roundabout may be popping up [...]
December 20th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
The alleged entire reason to put that new roundabout in Burnsville was for the safety of pedestrians – I’m still scratching my head over that one!!!!!!
December 20th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
OMG..like..they totally wouldn’t serve me…like…at 1:30 and like..I had to go to the bathroom and..you know..like…it was totally like…rude…and this guy like..was like a total like jerk…like next time I’m like totally like going to like Major’s. OMG.
Thank you for reminding me why I don’t go to these places Jenae.
December 20th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
They carded me, the Mr Marcos, and our dining companion, Rachel. We enjoyed that very much and nobody threw our drinks out before we were finished.
December 20th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
Come on Mrs. Marcos!!!! Coke or Pepsi? I have higher expecations of you to report on this without being asked.
December 21st, 2009 at 12:18 am
I’d have to disagree with that. ;)
It was hit and miss, but I’d go again. We were there during the 12:00 NFL games and I believe there were 4 games that were on a crapload of TVs. If you want a place to catch a game, this would certainly work.
December 21st, 2009 at 12:19 am
I should have clarified: the food and service were hit and miss. I wasn’t speaking to the hotness of the staff in that statement. :)
December 21st, 2009 at 6:37 am
I have moved all the comments from the original post under the review for historical purposes.
December 21st, 2009 at 8:28 am
i’ll pass thank you!
bb
December 21st, 2009 at 8:40 am
“Spice Pussy” and “poor outsider”…well, I’ve been called worse things. :)
Hey, someone had to go against the grain and see just how crunchy and dry boneless wings can be made!
December 21st, 2009 at 8:58 am
Reviewed Wild Bill’s Sports Saloon: Apple Valley, MN (http://tinyurl.com/yahl6h8)
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
December 21st, 2009 at 9:03 am
For wings, I would go here rather than BW3. The wings seemed meatier. The sauces were decent, but i agree that they need to kick up the spicy end a couple of notches. I do think the manager should, in keeping with the decor of the restaurant, be hog tied and branded foe making the stupid decision that people would rather wait standing in a crowded and small foyer while the kitchen caught up rather than wait at a table with beverages. Dumb move. Change that policy. The reason I quit going to BW3 was the inconsistency of the food and the crap quality of the service. Mostly the latter though. I will try this restaurant again, but if the management decision to make people stand there for 30 minutes looking at empty tables is typical, I will quit going.
Also, I was enjoying a nice game of interactive trivia, when they abruptly changed the channel on the two trivia screens i could see in mid game. I understand they wanted to show another football game, but it would have been nice if someone would have either waited until the end of the trivia round, or come by and apologized and indicated they needed to change the channel, and why.
December 21st, 2009 at 9:35 am
I don’t know why it’s so hard for some restaurants to get the spice thing right. Either make your sauce spicy or quit claiming that it is. “Scorching” and “Atomic” sauces that are a medium at best do nothing but piss off those who like a little heat with their sweet. If you make it really spicy and call it that, you don’t have to worry about searing the much-discussed bland Minnesota taste buds — they’ll be running in the opposite direction for a burger or barbecue wings. I’m with Bill and Sui: Kick it up a few notches if you want to survive as a wing joint. Maybe that guy from Girvan Grille can show them how to make a sauce…
Other than that: lots of TVs and Summit on tap. Could be a real Sunday hangout if they straighten out a few of their kinks.
December 21st, 2009 at 11:05 am
Sorry, Thought Leader, was waiting for Bill’s ‘official review’ before adding my two cents!
Let’s start at the beginning…
#1 I agree with Bill’s comments regarding the long wait and making us stand in the foyer instead of seating us. There were SO many empty tables and I can understand that they needed to get the kitchen caught up, but seriously, that was lame standing next to the bathrooms and the main door of the restaurant. Also lame? Hearing the hostess explain the lame reason for the wait to EVERYONE that came in the door. We waited about 10 minutes after being told it would be a 25-30 minute wait, so I would say we were pleasantly surprised when they did call our name. Oh, another lame thing? They don’t have a PA system for calling the name so when they were trying to call a party to be seated they would walk around the bar trying to yell over the television sound. I saw at least one group of irritated people mad that they hadn’t heard their name called for their table.
#2 I actually ran into Bill on the way to our table and the jackass said “They serve Pepsi.” I actually said “WHAT THE FUCK!?!” Before I could go completely insane, Bill admitted he was kidding and didn’t know what kind of pop they served. Jerk.
#3 They do, indeed, serve Coca Cola products and my drink was quite tasty!
#4 After getting over the “Pepsi” remark, I noticed the bottle of ketchup on our table was generic. I know I’ve voiced my Heinz ketchup rant before, but for those that don’t know, I hate any ketchup that isn’t Heinz. So, seeing that generic bottle of ketchup, naturally I was apprehensive about ordering anything that would require ketchup but in the end I couldn’t resist the server’s recommendation for “poker chip” fries (basically just sliced potatoes, no seasoning, of course I LOVED them). I will admit, the ketchup was just fine and I worried for no reason!
#5 I ordered the shredded pork sandwich topped with honey barbeque sauce (the server asked which sauce I would like and I asked for something MILD and she recommended the honey barbeque which I found to be perfect for me). The sandwich was good size and came with a large serving of poker chip fries. I took 1/2 of the sandwich and 1/2 of the fries home for dinner. I really liked the sandwich, lots of meat, right amount of sauce, the bun wasn’t overly obnoxious (I hate huge buns for sandwiches). Even warmed up later in the evening it was a tasty dinner!
#6 Mr Marcos ordered a buffalo chicken wrap and poker chip fries. He seemed to enjoy his dinner and it looked nice. I will see if I can convince him to come write his review.
#7 Rachel tried to order the French dip but the waitress said they were out of au jus, that was kind of lame but we got over it. Rachel ordered the fish sandwich with fries (crinkle cut). She seemed to like it (I didn’t hear any complaints). We’ll see if I can get her to post a comment!
#8 They had a special going on for $2.50 Bloody Marys or Screwdrivers. Rachel and I opted for Bloody Marys and Mark went with the “Skinny Pirate” (Captain and diet Coke). I’m not a huge drinker but the Bloody Mary was pretty tasty and came with a whole skewer of interesting garnishes (some sort of jerky, pickle, banana pepper, olive). Rachel had to ask for her beer chaser and the server brought it out and apologized for forgetting it!
#9 Our server was certainly cute (I’ll leave the ‘she was smokin’ hot’ comments for Mr Marcos) and very helpful with suggestions. We didn’t wait overly long for anything we ordered and she checked back just the right amount of times (overly intrusive can be just as annoying as disappearing servers).
Other than the stupid wait we all really enjoyed our lunches and will definitely go back. Most of you know that I’m kind of a picky bitch so when we find something I like we tend to go frequently.
Oh, definitely missed the stuffed bear. I should have asked where it went.
P.S. I should have had Bill come take pictures of our food lol
December 21st, 2009 at 11:50 am
A few of us noticed the same thing as Mrs. Marcos on #4: what respectable restaurant doesn’t serve Heinz?!?
December 21st, 2009 at 11:52 am
Perhaps by offering up generic ketchup and mustard they are able to push out real bleu cheese dressing for free instead? If that’s the case, I’m happy to take the ketchup hit :)
December 21st, 2009 at 12:04 pm
I can’t tell you how irritating it is to be charged for celery at BWW, I will give this place a shot for that reason alone.
December 21st, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Not meaning to hijack the Wild Bill’s thread in order to bash BWW, but seriously, there is something wrong with the food at that place. I literally throw up every time I eat there (sometimes I can’t even make it out their door before I’m vomiting). I’m far, far from a food snob or food expert but to me, BWW personifies everything that is “corporate food” (i.e. Sysco).
And in interest of full disclosure – one of those crappy servers is my youngest sister (and yeah, she’s not that great of a server lol).
December 21st, 2009 at 1:50 pm
My two cents…
FOOD:
On par with BWW I would say, and I love BWW to the point where I go there a lot when I’m out of town or otherwise not with Mrs Marcos. The poker chips could have been a little more done, maybe a little less dry. Ideally this kind of potato should be like mashed potatoes inside – these were more like baked. The buffalo sauce on my Buffalo Wrap had slightly more of a vinegar taste than I would have liked, but still ok. My drink was about right for a bar & grille, which is about 50% less Cap’n than my usual spots.
SERVICE:
Sucked at first. I agree with Bill that we would have much preferred to be waiting at a table with a drink, and whoever made THAT decision to let people crowd around the door staring at a bunch of empty tables is a dumbass. I would cut them a little slack on that though since they just opened, but it sounds like these are experienced managers / owners. It got a lot better – our waitress was excellent.
SCENERY:
The waitresses were pretty hot. Not smokin’ hot like the Hooters I was at in Dallas. But they were consistently 7′s ~ 9′s, and the uniforms – tight jeans and tight med/low cut tshirts – worked just fine for all of them that I noticed. …and trust me, I had a pretty good look around. ;) I’m sure someone was expecting to read something about the building here, but I didn’t notice that much different from Grizzleys, which is fine.
December 21st, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Were any of them wielding swords?
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:36 am
So let me get this straight. Please point out if I am right or wrong…
Back in the day Wild Wings didn’t charge for dressing, then they decided to charge, then they stopped charging, and now they charge again? Plus they charge you for celery? Is this correct?
December 22nd, 2009 at 11:04 am
jf, I have been to BW3 several times recently (my pregnant wife likes wings–one of the few things she can eat w/o a problem surprisingly enough) and they have charged us for extra sauce, ranch or bleu cheese, and celery. Extra sauce and dressings have been .60 each. I believe celery is .30 but I am not 100% on that. I am, however, 100% on the sauce and dressings.
BW3 needs to get its fucking head out of its ass.
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:00 pm
My family went there for my son’s birthday on Sunday evening. I agree with Bill’s review pretty much wholeheartedly. We had the the parmesan garlic (yuck), sesame asian (ok), cajun ranch (second fav of flavors ordered), jim beam buffalo (ok) and bourbon teriyaki (yummy) – these were all regular wings. My youngest had mild boneless and hated the sauce. It was a weird consistency. The wings were meatier than BW3, we could have ordered fewer. The sauces need to have the heat and spices cranked up. I like the sound of the orange sauce one, Bill. I do like the mango habanero sauce at BW3. Nothing on Wild Bill’s menu was close. We also got the buffalo chips. They have queso on them and blue cheese and bacon. I would order those again. BTW, our waitress was very cute and caught the eye of the birthday boy.
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:15 pm
Woah, seriously, Mr Marcos?! WTF are you talking about?!?!?! Those potatoes were fabulous, were we even at the same restaurant?
December 23rd, 2009 at 9:09 am
Just to clarify a theme that’s been running through these comments, and other threads:
Buffalo Wild Wings does not charge for your initial blue cheese/ranch and celery. The exception MAY be “Wing Tuesdays” where it states right on the menu that those aren’t included on Wing Tuesdays.
I was there last night and, because of the comments on here, paid attention (since I’ve never been charged for either, even when I’ve asked for two of each, etc.). EVEN though it was Wing Tuesday, I wasn’t charged for the blue cheese and celery (didn’t order extra).
Also, the wings were good sized and meaty.
Bottom line: If you’re charged for those and it’s not Wing Tuesday, you are a sucker.
I do agree with Bill that the portion of dressing is small.
December 23rd, 2009 at 9:12 am
MSPD,
1. We were there on wing night the last two times.
2. I don’t read the menu. There are only two sauces worth my time anymore. Man do I miss Smokey Southwest.
3. BW3s wings are not meaty in the least. And they pale in comparison to Wild Bill’s or anyone else around town to be honest (although that could change over time as BW3 has).
Happy holidays! :)
December 23rd, 2009 at 9:18 am
MSPD – Thanks for clarifying. I was confused. :)
December 23rd, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Oh please, stop blaming ‘The Wife’ for your addiction to BWW.
December 23rd, 2009 at 1:09 pm
I prefer going to Rascal’s but she doesn’t *shrug*.
December 23rd, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Kind of like people don’t read this site before concluding that you’re a turd? (Oooo…got you there)
I’m going to argue this one. They weren’t the size of the ones I’ve had at Runyon’s downtown which, to me, are the gold standard of wings in MSP. And I haven’t had them yet at Wild Bill’s, but these were above average in wing size.
Maybe I’ll have to do a side-by-side comparison soon, complete with photographic documentation. (Oh darn, that would suck having to eat a bunch of wings).
Or we can add it to the list for “blind tasting” events.
December 23rd, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Maybe we should weigh them before and after sucking all the meat off to know exactly how much meat was on there rather than bone size, fat, cartilage, etc (which I’m sure is a factor).
Also we should get them from many different locations. The last time I was at the AV location I really had only 16.5 wings because three of them were more like the size of my pinkie finger. Lakeville, however, has only shortchanged me on one wing in 3 visits.
I think that would be interesting to see.
December 23rd, 2009 at 1:49 pm
I have to agree with Bill on this. We used to frequent BW3 and loved the wings (years ago), but stopped going when the wings shrunk to what can only be described as chick wings or maybe sparrow wings.
In fact, I used to be a little afraid of the wings, and esp drummies, because they were so large I was sure they were from a Turkey or something. That is certainly no longer the case.
December 23rd, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Yeah, leg night used to be huge. Now they are the size of everyone else’s wings.
December 24th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
MSPD, is Runyon’s still a big coke (not cola) bar?
December 25th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
For a bar that advertises itself as a “Sports Bar” they definitely DO NOT measure up to the billing. I have been there 4 times now since they opened on Dec 14th. On the 14th we wanted to watch the Monday Night Fooball game and that was about all we could do was watch. The bar was filled with music and absolutely NO commentary from the game. After some customers bugged the staff they finally put the game sound on. Again today Dec 25th we stopped in to have a few beers and watch the NFL network game between the Titans and Chargers. We were served up with a “lame excuse that they could not put the game commentary on until after the play list finished from someone that put $$ in the juke box. This is absolute “hogwash” since the music that was playing would go through parts of a song and cut to another so from what I could tell it was just another tactic to keep the lousy music playing. If you want to watch and “HEAR” the game broadcast of the day you would be better off looking for someplace else. They are more concerned about playing to the “Majors” crowd instead of living up to their sports bar billing. I will check back but unless they change the way they do business they have lost me as a customer when it comes to watching sports. As a side note their food is so-so and really nothing special to make up for the lack of consideration for a sports enthusiast’s desire to see and “hear” the game.
December 26th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
My wife and I thought wild Bills was pretty good. The place looks good with that wall gone. The wings were good (at least as good as BW3) as were my french dip and my wifes bacon cheeseburger. We thought the food was on par with a Champps. As for the waitresses. I like the look they are going for with them. I think the tight jeans and t-shirts are much more tastefully done then a Hooters. We will certainly go back there again.
December 26th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
sandy, I’m the last person that would know that. I wouldn’t think so…it seems like a pretty nice place/your average downtown bar. Usually a bunch of suits doing happy hour etc.
December 26th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
I’m just dating myself. It was a pretty intense place in the eighties.
December 27th, 2009 at 9:58 am
Oh hell yeah: best wings south of the river. It’s on…
December 29th, 2009 at 7:32 am
[...] Metro Holiday Light Display Map 4. Giuseppes: Burnsville, MN 5. Pardon My French: Eagan, MN 6. Wild Bill’s Sports Saloon: Apple Valley, MN 7. Osaka Seafood and Steakhouse: Apple Valley, MN (was #2 in 2008) 8. Ramy’s Pizza: Apple [...]
December 29th, 2009 at 8:29 am
So because they wouldn’t turn on the sound for the game it’s not a sports bar? Interesting commentary…
MSPD, I had some BW3 wings with UpWithTheMooses last night, they were puny. I should have taken pics :)
December 29th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Man, that’s disappointing. WTF? Does Denny have some secret code he punches in for people that tip him well? Is it because I’m generally there on slower nights (not during a Vikings game)?
I believe you, but I don’t get it. I’d give Denny a ration of shit if my wings were tiny, but I’ve never had to.
December 29th, 2009 at 9:40 am
UWTM got them as takeout but next time I’m there maybe I should sit at the bar and see the difference.
December 29th, 2009 at 10:04 am
Its honestly surprising to me that we view these so different than you MSPD. Seriously, the last several times I have had wings at BW3 they were very nearly small enough to think they might belong to a pidgeon.
While the overly large wings, and esp drummies kind of scare me, the small ones are annoying as well.
December 29th, 2009 at 10:10 am
UWTM? That’s a new one.
It’s obvious that Bill is a closet BW3 lover anyways. He keeps going back, no matter how much he criticizes the wing size.
FYI-I had Rascal’s wings over the weekend. They were delicious. Not puny by any means, but certainly not large. Not very spicy, but good flavor.
December 29th, 2009 at 10:13 am
UWTM = “UpWithTheMooses” and I didn’t go back, he bought them and I happily ate them. He’s the best.
December 29th, 2009 at 10:18 am
Ok, I’m an idiot for not figuring that out.
I also forgot to mention, I find it annoying when the game audio is on for any non-local games at a bar. I can see both sides I guess, but most people probably weren’t there to get immersed in a Titans Chargers game.
December 29th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
well i like the lay out but the drinks are costing way to much you should get some better drink special for games if ya do i can tell ya me and my friends would be there all the time.
December 29th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
I just finished reading all 95 comments on this, what seems to be, fairly mediocre restaurant and have come to one conclusion – Bill needs to start posting pictures of the waitresses to settle avoid any future confusion. One man’s 7-9′s could be another mans 4-6′s, but it doesn’t sound like Shane cares either way!
December 29th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
I’ve read all of the posts and reached the conclusion that wings must be man food.
January 1st, 2010 at 7:18 am
I went to Wild Bill’s again last night with my wife and Josh. Here are some additional comments:
1. The Bourbon Teriyaki tasted more like Teriyaki than it did the first time–no pleasant bourbon taste. My wife ordered the same wings as I did and her’s were labeled just plain teriyaki but mine were labeled correctly. I think they were the same tonight.
2. The Scorching wings were hotter than on my first visit. I had 6 of them in a row and my mouth was definitely heated up quite a bit more than on my first visit. I was pleased. I think 12 in a row might give you a sweat. There was a noticeable habanero flavor there and if they got about 2x more heat that they’d definitely have a capable hot wing that would be more worthy of a visit than BW3. The waiter later asked if I thought they were hot and I mentioned the previous visit and how these were hotter. He admitted that he didn’t find them hot the first time he had them and that maybe he’d try them again now. I suggested that they make them just a little hotter. He said he’d pass it along.
3. Some of the waitresses were hot tonight. Josh was in heaven. Unfortunately we had a waiter–although he was a great server and very prompt and good at his job. Thanks!
4. The wings were a bit smaller than we had on our first visit. Not as small as some of the wings that I have received at BW3 but definitely not the same monsters I had before. I guess this is hit or miss. Boo.
5. Tried the queso chips–more cheese is needed but I liked it. Josh had the bleu cheese and bacon poker chips. Yum.
6. Josh had the jerk wings–they weren’t identifiable as jerk wings at all. Boo.
—
Overall another good visit and one that solidified my belief that this is an excellent competitor to BW3. I’ll continue to go back.
January 1st, 2010 at 3:30 pm
I know, right? And even worse, he blames it on his lovely, pregnant wife! For shame!
January 7th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
My husband and I ate here for the first time on Tuesday night – 35 cent wings night. We ordered 2 different buffalo sauces, but they only brought out one sauce; I’m guessing it was a classic buffalo sauce. It wasn’t super spicy, but it was good. I also liked the bleu cheese dressing. We ordered chips and queso. The queso was white. The chips and queso were good, but they weren’t anything special. For the price, though, it was a good meal. We got a beer, chips and queso, and 12 wings, for just over $11. Our only real complaint is that they only gave us one napkin each, and we never had an opportunity to ask our waitress for more napkins. This is obviously a petty complaint, but when you’re eating something messy (like wings), a lot of us need extra napkins :) We both like wings and live in the area, and haven’t been super impressed with BW3. We will probably be going back to Wild Bill’s instead of BW3 when we get a wings craving from now on.
January 7th, 2010 at 10:52 pm
This place is a JOKE for a sports bar. National championship college football, end of 3rd quarter they turn off sound and put on the DJ, yet no one, I mean no one is on the dance floor. They do the same thing for NFL games too. We had to ask repeatedly to get the sound even at a level you can hear.
This is not a sports bar, this is a wanna be dance club. Sports fans of any kind, avoid this place like the plague!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 8th, 2010 at 9:22 am
Did you hear the commentary for that game? It was awful. I’d much rather have cranked dance music than listen to that garbage.
January 8th, 2010 at 9:37 am
Future commeters please note, I do verify that your e-mail address exists. blah@aol.com is not valid and your comment will be deleted. I suggest using your real address.
January 8th, 2010 at 9:48 am
Nice. I wondered. Anyone who would accuse Wild Bill’s of wanting to be a dance club can’t be taken too seriously.
January 8th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
I guess I’m going to re-invite the firestorm. I got over to Wild Bill’s for some wings with the boy — the word “laughable” comes to mind. We had standard buffalo, teriyaki and parmesan garlic (since those are my guilty pleasure at BWW).
Parmesan Garlic wings at Wild Bill’s are hideous, as others have already noted. Overwhelming taste of mayonnaise. Teriyaki was like syrup. Buffalo, which I would never order but the son chose, were fine.
The irony, and the part that’s laughable since I’ve been sort of the lone defender of BWW wing size, is that Wild Bill’s were the tiniest little wings I’ve probably had outside of an order I got from Wing Street when I was dragged to Pizza Hut a month ago.
I’ll start with a photo of the LARGEST of the 18 wings. Crayon provided for reference. I would consider this a medium-small compared to what I get a BWW.
January 8th, 2010 at 7:50 pm
And on the other end of the spectrum…this is an embarrassment. Unfortunately (and I have more photos to back it up), this was the norm, rather than the exception. Tiny, tiny wings.
I’ll give them another shot, as is my general rule, but Wild Bill’s first impression pales in comparison to BWW, in my opinion.
January 8th, 2010 at 7:54 pm
And that is my pinky finger. The wing wasn’t even as wide as the bottom half of my tiny finger. It’s barely wider than the crayon.
January 8th, 2010 at 8:09 pm
Joey, yes my comment that this is a poser sports bar was true, I didn’t post with some phony email address. I could care less that a bars barely turns on sound for games or that they kill the sound and put on DJ music.
The only reason I complained is they advertise and promote themselves as a sports bar. The even mention in their ads, best sound… LMFAO. If I go to a place advertising as a steak house but they only give you a sampler of steak and main meals are vegetarian, that would be getting me in there on a false pretense, just like Wild Bill’s did.
I went there as sports bars in Minneapolis area are few and far between. Thought awesome, sports bar to have some beers, decent food and watch and listen to college/pro games. Wild Bill’s should advertise as numerous normal small sized TV’s, sound for part of the games only if you ask repeatedly, thumping DJ and dance floor kicks off start of 4th quarter for all games.
Wild Bill’s is really no different than Majors and Old Chicago in Apple Valley and basically any other bar for viewing games as I can get the same TV viewing and sound (lack thereof) at any bar. A sports bar Wild Bill’s is not. Decent place to have a few drinks and some decent bar food, sure.
January 8th, 2010 at 11:34 pm
I wonder if the wings issue is due to the last couple years of low chicken availability. It seems they have been dropping in size for a while.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2009-11-13-chicken-wings_N.htm
January 9th, 2010 at 8:48 am
Mikeh, I might think so, except that I can get decent sized wings all over the place. The SA at Post Road by the airport, Runyon’s downtown, the Nook, Doolittle’s, Cub, BWW….I think it’s more an issue of the restaurants’ quality standards. 1/3 of my wings at Wild Bills should have been tossed or at least thrown in as extras.
January 9th, 2010 at 9:22 am
SA? seriously?
January 9th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Yes. That specific SA has a full lunch counter that caters to the thousands of cab drivers that hang out in the holding area just behind. Most days, they have buffalo wings. I won’t claim that they’re as good as restaurants, but they are always on the large end of the buffalo wing spectrum. Next time I’m over there, I’ll take photos and post for the size comparison. They’re another one of my truck stop-style guilty pleasures.
January 9th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
I’m picturing scary giant chickens that grow up next to a nuclear waste dump.
January 9th, 2010 at 8:22 pm
Probably. But they taste good and they’re close to my office. You’d especially appreciate that I eat them with a Coke Zero or a Diet Coke.
January 10th, 2010 at 11:40 am
Were there on Friday night, and it was about a 30 minute wait. Fortunately they did not make us mull in the lobby like big fish in and kiddie pool. Went to the bar and before we could finish our beers, we were seated. I don’t remember the fireplace, was that added in the renovation? Anyways, ordered the rib and wing combo, as did my neighbor. Wifey ordered taco pizza. The waitress, while friendly, was no rocket surgeon. Neighbor did enjoy the view when she bent over to deliver the next round.
When the food arrived, I immediately looked at neighbor and went, yum, boiled ribs. Who the hell boils ribs? You can bet any meat to fall off the bone if you boil it. Boiled meat, with boiled fat, slathered with sauce. Not so yum. Sauce made it slide down. The wings? I love the crayon comparison above, but where did you get the mini crayons? Sauces were average at best. As far as the decor, and renovation? I miss the bear, otherwise, if removing one wall between the bar area and the for dining room constitutes a renovation, I missed something. Wifey enjoyed her taco thingy, whilst washing it down with Miller lite. By the way, it is January, why no seasonal tap beer? Winter lager, ale, something?
Eminently forgetable experience, and most probably will not be back.
January 17th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
This place is not a sports bar. Putting up a couple of pathetic TV’s doesn’t make you a sports bar…and who plays music during the 4th quarter. Food was average at best. Can’t comment on the service as we didn’t get any – barely saw the waitress. I don’t think I’d go back for a sports game even if they offered free beer and wings.
January 17th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
The wings were about the size of BW3 today but they were $1 for 6. $4 to eat 24 wings? I’ll take it.
January 17th, 2010 at 7:11 pm
I went to BW3 Friday night in Woodbury and thought the wing size was comparable to Wild Bill’s, though definitely way too expensive compared with Wild Bill’s
Also, based on the commercial I heard for Wild Bill’s the other night on KDWB (yes, KDWB…), there’s no way I’d call them a sports bar. The ad was clearly catered to teens and 20-somethings looking for a place to party with drink deals and a dance floor. It was pretty disappointing to hear them targeting this demographic.
January 18th, 2010 at 6:30 am
Why do people keep comparing the wings to BW3′s wings? If the wings at BW3 were any smaller, they could be used as a toothpick. How about you compare them to a place with good food and good wings. If you want good wings and beer, neither one of these places should be on your lists
January 18th, 2010 at 10:51 am
Why not target that demographic? Families, empty nesters, etc. are done dining by 9pm. The 21+ crowd hasn’t even left the house for the night at that time. It is pretty common practice to try to target that age group with late night specials. I would rather my 21+ kids stay close rather than head to Minneapolis, Uptown, etc. It is a nice hang out for the college crowd when they are home on break. Panino Brothers does the same thing. And they are still packing them in.
January 18th, 2010 at 10:55 am
The reason not to target that demographic is the business becomes somewhat schizophrenic in its identity. I know that if I go to Champps or Applebee’s at 11:00 PM, I can expect pretty much the same atmosphere as I can at 8:00. I like that. It’s my personal preference and Wild Bill’s can run their business however they like, but knowing that their atmosphere at one point in the day is much different than at another makes me much less likely to go there. Besides, other businesses like Applebee’s stay pretty busy after 9:00 without changing anything. Of course, half off appetizers helps.
January 18th, 2010 at 10:58 am
Jakester, The reason for the comparison is simple: Wild Bill’s is trying to be a cross between Majors and BW3, which is sits between. They are doing everything they can to be both restaurants–instead of being their own.
January 31st, 2010 at 3:32 pm
I have been to Wild Bills quite a few times now, a couple times for the Sunday brunch, Sunday for the burger special and the rest of the times during happy hour. The brunch was OK, as good as any other brunch I have had. The Sunday $1 burger special is great, a plain but large, great tasting burger for the price. Happy hour at Wild Bills is a blast. I always sit at the bar, and have never had a problem finding a place to sit. Ashley is a great bartender, she remembered my name after only a couple visits and is a very friendly and attractive young woman. I also liked the fact that they’ll set up a tab without asking for 5 different forms of ID or hold a credit card. Anyone who isn’t satisfied with the looks of the staff, well, you just can’t make some people happy. I love the place and will drive the extra distance to go there. I used to go to Babes but Wild Bills puts them to shame. The Wild Bills staff should train the Babes staff on how to treat its customers. If I have a complaint about Wild Bills it would be the distance from home, too many cops to have to dodge!!
January 31st, 2010 at 8:38 pm
What the hell does that mean?
January 31st, 2010 at 8:52 pm
Methinks it has something to do with the fact that John59 has been driving home from WB’s with the nagging feeling that, if stopped [on the longer drive home than his prior favorite watering hole], he would fail a sobriety test.
January 31st, 2010 at 9:04 pm
Go easy on the guy MSPD. He thought he was in Golden Valley and heading to Plymouth.
February 14th, 2010 at 9:31 am
Ate here once for lunch, took 45 mins to get a burger. Waitress was apologetic and said the kitchen was backed up.
Tried to eat there again…called to make a reservation, had one for 7:30, but when we got there the hostess told us they dont take reservations and asked who i talked to, not to mention that she was rude and unapologetic.
February 14th, 2010 at 11:16 am
Bzzzt. wrong answer from someone being called a hostess. It simply does not matter who you talked to. The first thing she should have said was apologize for the impression that you were given that they take reservations. Then state that they will try to get you a table immediately. Then maybe ask if you can recall who you talked to so they can avoid the issue in the future.
As soon as that first mistake (the reservation was made) the hostess should have realized that your experience was already set on the negative side of the scale. Thus the idea should have been to find a way to bring it at least back to neutral, if not positive by quick action on their part. Anything less shows either a lack of proper training by management, or management doesn’t really care what the experience is for every potential customer.
It seems that restaurants work hard to get a customer in the door. It is complete failure when a service issue or quality issue leads to a customer leaving, or never coming back.
February 14th, 2010 at 11:21 am
Based on how crowded the place has been when I’ve been there, Wild Bill’s is not having any problems getting people in the door.
February 15th, 2010 at 9:26 am
SOOO,
Friday night I got the chance to go to the Wild game. Afterwards a couple friends of mine thought we would get a few drinks and something to eat. I suggested Wild Bill’s. Now granted, it was about 10:30pm and I wasn’t sure what to expect. The parking lot was full and we parked next door (I think its a DMV?) We walk in and the place is absolutely PACKED, but not “hang out” packed, it was “dance club” packed, shoulder to shoulder, sweaty “popped collar” dudes running around. Well, we left about 2 minutes after arriving and the bouncer is trying to talk us into staying. He says, “where are you going?”. I say “We want food”. Bouncer–”We have food”. Me–”We dont want to eat on the dance floor”. He then just gave me a funny look and we left. I’m not bashing how they do things at Wild Bill’s, as they obviously had plenty of people in their bar/dance club. But we decided to head over to BWW instead. Glad we did, BWW was EMPTY, which was more of what we were looking for. Had a couple beers and some wings, same old(but you know what you are gonna get). So, just a tip, don’t head to Wild Bill’s for food at 10:30 on a weekend!! God that sounds so obvious now!! :)
March 11th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
I still think WB is a great place to go, although I will stick to sitting at the bar. I took my daughter there on a Sunday to watch the race and take advantage of the Sunday burger special. We sat at a table, service was subpar, food was brought to the wrong table, another server caught the error but by that time the food was cold. They didn’t ask how to cook the burger like Ashley(bartender) always does and our burgers were way over cooked. TV viewing from tables is hard and they don’t really cater to NASCAR fans. I’ll still come for happy hour and sit at the bar where Ashley delivers her excellent service and takes and delivers a lot of good natured ribbing.
July 4th, 2010 at 7:41 am
We have been there for the $1. burgers, had good service, the burgers were great and also the Bloody Marys..you have to check out places before you go…we had been told by others, that they charge more for EXTRAS…so don’t blame it on them, if you didn’t know this! We will go again:)
October 1st, 2010 at 2:49 pm
[...] Following some recent searches on Google and the site, I did some digging and found out the Majors, a long time restaurant holding at the corner of CR-42 and Galaxie is now closed in Apple Valley. Owned by Premier Restaurant Group who also owns Stella’s Fish Cafe and the Molly Cool’s Seafood Tavern chain, this location had been open for at least four years but couldn’t compete with the likes of newcomer Wild Bill’s Sports Saloon. [...]
November 6th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
It really sucks that Majors has closed, it really makes it hard to get into Wild Bills, you have to get there pretty early to find a spot at the bar for happy hour, the last few times I have gone there I couldn’t even find a spot to park. I ended up going to the American Legion and saw a lot of Majors and Wild Bill’s people there too.
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:40 pm
The outdoor patio at WB’s is great, I can’t wait until the weather is nice enough for them to open it again. My only complaint is that it isn’t big enough, everyone likes it! The TV viewing is great, I love going there to watch the NASCAR races. Ashley is still there, looks as good as ever, and gives the same great service she is known for.
May 6th, 2013 at 6:30 am
This place is a fn joke!! They are racist and over charge !! They will push you around a lie to your face! The owner is a self centered egotistical piece of shit!! And not to mentioning of the staff Is worthless!!! Couple kool bouncers that’s it!! Was kicked out for a month for being accused if taking a debit card off the floor and trying to use it!! I said wtf are you talking about and so I showed my id and the fat bartender with a belly bigger than mine says well you didn’t have to be rude!? I says you didn’t have to acuse me of stealing ! Long story short the owner comes up to me on a power trip says we gotta talk!!? I said for what as he physically grabbed me and pushed me torwards the door! He says you were swearing at my staff and your friend Dave confirmed it!! I said what I wasn’t here with no guy named Dave! He says well your outta here for a month I said ok buddy!! A patron who spends an average 100$ a night there kicked out because of a lying bartender that I tipped 8.50$ for two drinks ! What makes me pissed Is the owner a deusche bag never let me say what really happened kicked out a paying customer after he bought a drink and was told to leave after purchased a drink and wasn’t given my $$$ back what a joke that place is ! So if you want to see racism and stero typing as well as discrimination on plain site wild bills in Applevalley is where Togo!! Yeah cute girls there but asshozles for staff
May 6th, 2013 at 8:31 am
Wasn’ t me.
May 6th, 2013 at 10:27 am
marksan,
douche
bb
May 6th, 2013 at 1:00 pm
Something stinks about Mark’s story. I swear I’ve read it months ago either on this site or another review site.
May 6th, 2013 at 1:05 pm
Oh wait. One of my coworkers had a similar experience. He was kicked out after a woman accused him of punching her, which he did not do. But the process of getting kicked out was pretty much the same as above.
May 6th, 2013 at 1:19 pm
I think this Mark Jacobson guy must be the same guy that voices over monster truck rally commercials and Luther Kia radio spots.
“ONE NIGHT ONLY AT THE METRODOME-DOME-dome-dome!!!!! Sponsored by LOOO-thur KI-UHHHHH!!!!”
Oh, and if you really average $100/night at Wild Bill’s, you’re a fucking moron.
May 6th, 2013 at 2:45 pm
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May 6th, 2013 at 3:02 pm
Hey Mark,
1. Normally I wouldn’t allow such an ignorant post to be approved but because your lack of intelligence is so hilarious I decided to let it through while disabling your ability to post in the future.
2. You are a, by far, the biggest douchebag to ever have posted here on Lazy Lightning. I mean, we’ve had some real treats over the last 8 years but, you sir, take the cake. The fact that you have outclassed Mopey as far as your douchebaggery is truly a gift that you should tout on your resume as a highlight. Maybe The Onion could hire you as a writer; at least after some serious editing work for your complete and utter lack of command of the written English language.
—
On a side note, I apologize for allowing “Gay ass fukin Muslim guzzn cum queer” to grace the comment section but I figured it was worth a read for others to know how some people chose to respond to others on this site.
Seriously dude, grow up; you’re a total waste of time, energy, and space and hopefully Darwin wins and rids of your existence.
May 6th, 2013 at 3:14 pm
This is what I like to a call a case of the messenger shooting himself. Even if Mark’s story has a grain of truth to it, which I doubt, we’d be hard pressed to understand and/or care, given the outburst of backwater fucknozzlism we need to wade through.
See, Mark, when you type hideous shit like you did, the rest of the world tunes you out. But, yeah, I’m gonna place my bets on the Darwin principle here. herpderpderp
May 6th, 2013 at 3:18 pm
Let’s remember, Mark spends $100/night on booze. So, he’s not dumb! NOT DUMB! When will you people learn!?
When you’re that much of a high-roller, grammar is just a waste of time.
May 6th, 2013 at 3:44 pm
But, how droll. I lol’ed, tho
May 6th, 2013 at 3:55 pm
I think maybe I’ll go catch a drink at Wild Bill’s, now that it’s safe from Mark… well, for a month, anyway.
May 6th, 2013 at 4:00 pm
I’m going to go out on a limb and say he didn’t win those C-notes on Jeopardy.
May 6th, 2013 at 4:25 pm
MSPD, or a spelling bee.
May 6th, 2013 at 4:27 pm
I think the best move for Hundred-Dollah Mark is to start frequenting The Rack. Seems like a solution that benefits all parties.
May 6th, 2013 at 4:37 pm
Isn’t is spelled Hunjid-Dollah?
And….yeah….The Rack sounds perfect for this douchewagon.
May 6th, 2013 at 4:57 pm
Yes, obviously. My wife will be glad you outed me.
May 6th, 2013 at 5:02 pm
Mark seems oddly focused on anal sex. He brings it up quite often.
May 6th, 2013 at 7:50 pm
Being that he obviously can afford the very finest in smartphones, the bon vivant, man-about-town that he is, perhaps the spellchecker is set to “Idiocracy” mode to save time.
He probably wipes his ass with $20.00 bills too.