Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick in Boonville
Anonymous on 07/15/2014 12:17 AM:
My husband and I had been to Glenn's Café a few years ago. They served a wonderful meal "family style". So we thought it would be great to take our grandson for Sunday dinner after church. We were disappointed to find out they no longer served "family style" and had changed their menu. The food was a bit too fancy for our taste and over priced. But the worst part was, that we had to wait an hour and a half for 2 sandwiches and a hamburger! The fries came late. We did ask to sit outside but wouldn't have if we had known we would be waiting so long. The waitress was friendly and kept our water glasses full. We almost left but were told our food was coming. Ten minutes later we did get served. We were told that a group of ten people arrived and they were understaffed because they usually aren't busy on Sunday (I imagine so). Our grandson was a good sport. We did get a 20% discount, but we will not be returning or recommending this restaurant.
Billy from Mokane on 07/15/2014 07:11 AM:
Come on, what does this have to do with riding the Katy Trail? "The food was a bit to fancy for our taste, had to wait and hour and a half for a sandwich and hamburger". Wonder what would have not been to fancy? I believe a totally made up story...
MidSouth from Rogersville on 07/15/2014 08:17 AM:
I love fancy sandwiches...
Trek on 07/15/2014 08:22 AM:
Many stay at the Frederick and eat at Glenn's while riding the trail. Although it looks like these folks were just out for Sunday dinner after church.
I don't understand stuff like this when from the start people set the stage explaining how they were wronged.
You were disappointed that the menu had changed. You could have left if they no longer had what you wanted. No hit, no run, no foul. Simple.
The food was a bit too fancy for your taste. Sandwiches, a hamburger and fries? Really? If they didn't have what you originally wanted on the menu and you thought it was a bit fancy, why not cut and run?
The food was too pricey. You could have left before ordering if you felt you were going over budget. Money management might be good to teach the grandson.
"We had to wait an hour and a half...." Really? Were you held hostage? You had to wait? Or, you chose to wait? Maybe you need to hone in on what is a reasonable time to wait. Perhaps your wait threshold is set too high and your complain threshold is set too low. Maybe you're waiting too long before taking action and are too quick to complaint and blame someone else for your poor choice.
Looks like you had time to wait (because you did) and you got a discount, so the food wasn't too over priced.
I'm not defending Glenn's Cafe. I do though, think that when people are old enough to have grandkids they should be old enough to understand a bit of personal responsibility and that they can often control a situation or event. You are not a marble in a fruit jar spinning out of control at the hand of the master jar spinner. You have choices. If you don't like what is layed out before you, leave. If you you choose to stay when its all so wrong, why complain about? It was your choice....unless in fact they did tie you to the chairs that were bolted to the floor and you really did have to stay and be cursed by the powers that be with such an experience.
Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick in Boonville
Anonymous on 10/03/2011 11:59 AM:
The food and service was wonderful. Cant wait to stop in again when Im in the area.
Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick in Boonville
John K from Webster Groves, MO on 09/11/2011 09:42 PM:
We stopped for lunch last Friday and had a fabulous lunch. Food was exceptional and service was great.
Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick in Boonville
David Wulff from Columbia Mo on 06/05/2011 02:09 PM:
My wife & I toke 2 other couples to glens Friday 6-3-11 We ordered food & waited 2hr.& 20min. asking several times what the problem was! when we got the food it was good. After dinner we asked to talk to the manager (Steve Cup) we were told the waitress lost the ticket. and if we were not happy don't tip her As it has not the restaurants fault! We were more disappointed In the lack of management than the wait!
Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick (Boonville)
Sue from Belton MO on 10/10/2010 10:59 PM:
Recently ate dinner at Glenn's Cafe after riding the Katy Trail with two other couples. Our experience was disappointing to say the least.
Food was overpriced, service was not good. They have done a great job with restoring the building, but would not return to the restaurant.
Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick (Boonville)
KaleMor from Jefferson City, MO on 08/20/2010 11:28 PM:
I think Glenn's a nice addition to Boonville, especially with it's location in the Hotel Frederick. I've eaten there several times and it's been a mixed bag. Also, they adamantly refuse to provide separate checks, which is troublesome when you're on an expense account and needing a receipt. Still, I recommend it.
Robert from Boonville, MO on 10/09/2010 11:54 PM:
We ate their once, and never again. They totally ignored us, delivered the wrong food, never refilled our drinks and then copped an attitude when we complained about the wrong food being delivered. Not worth the time or money -- suggest you try Riverside Diner or the Palace instead. These folks actually appreciate your business and the food is better and far less expensive.
Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick (Boonville)
John from St. Louis on 10/18/2009 07:25 PM:
We spent two nights in Boonville. Our host at the B&B recommended Glen's on Friday night. The experience was so good there was no question that we would return on Saturday. They gave us a coupon for a reduced rate room in the hotel during the off season - I think we'll make the trip just for the food.......
Cyclone Billy from Creston Iowa on 10/26/2009 08:07 PM:
Stayed at the Hotel Frederick Labor Day Weekend........Super place unfortunately Glenn's is
closed on Sundays but from what I gather it is a great place. A beautiful restoration with a
great staff and located right on the trail at the Bridge. I rode in from Sedalia then on to Jeff
City.
kim from independence, mo on 10/27/2009 06:43 AM:
Glenn's isn't closed on Sundays. We had wonderful meals on two separate Sundays at Glenn's back in June. Perhaps closed just that Labor Day weekend Sunday?
gc from Columbia on 10/29/2009 07:01 AM:
I want to concur. Glenn's is open on Sunday afternoons. The deal on Sunday is family-style dining on that day. Great food!
Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick (Boonville)
Jake from Mexico, MO on 08/15/2009 09:43 PM:
Great food, great service, great location. The onion rings were especially good. This was a great stopping point on the trail.
Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick (Boonville)
Hughes from Shawnee, KS on 08/15/2009 02:32 PM:
GREAT food!!!! Great experience!
Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick (Boonville)
Sharron from St. Louis on 09/19/2008 12:19 PM:
My husband & I suggested we try it with our friends (2 other couples) & we were all disappointed with our dining experience. The service was very slow, food was not good and prices were too high for what you got. None of us will ever go there again when we visit Boonville
Anonymous on 09/19/2008 03:32 PM:
How was your ride on the Katy though??
Weekender from Columbia on 10/11/2008 03:02 PM:
Glenn's is the main reason I even ride this section of the trail, which is a little boring. I do like riding over the Missouri River bridge though. The thing I like about Glenn's is the really good seafood/fish, the veggie side choices and just the feel of the old building. My friend and I usually arrange to end our ride at the hotel, because we are wine drinkers. Meals I've tried and loved are the shrimp creole, trout, and blackened redfish.
Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick (Boonville)
Anonymous from Columbia, Mo. on 08/12/2008 07:18 AM:
Love Glenn's Cafe!
The food is wonderful! And for all of you old-time Glenn's patrons, they now do a Sunday Brunch. Its a little different from the regular menu with fried chicken, pork loin, etc. They are such a boost to Boonville's restaurant scene. I just wish they were still in Columbia.
Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick (Boonville)
John from Jefferson City on 08/05/2008 08:43 AM:
I will never be back and will let everyone know why. It was the most horrible dining experience I have had in a very long time. The service here is awful. The owner doesn't care if he has repeat customers or not. Of course they tack on the 17% gratuity because they know they probably wont get much of a tip if they dont. They dont split tickets, they drop food, they don't return to the table after delivering the food. They really should step back and examine how they treat customers.
matt headley from wichita on 08/07/2008 09:29 PM:
i did not eat there but i stayed there and it was awesome.... lynn the person working was
awesome i give the hotel a 10
Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick (Boonville)
VERY disappointed from Jefferson City on 08/03/2008 06:46 AM:
HORRIBLE! I will never go back. The service here is a joke! After a disaterous meal, (and a final bill of just under $250) the owner said he was "too busy" to come to our table to discuss our experience. At one point a member of our party had to get up and get the water and tea pitchers to refill glasses. One person never got part of their meal, one person's meal was dropped on the floor, and replaced with another meal because it was supposedly the last special. He recieved his meal after everyone else was almost done, the owner sent word with the waitress that since it only took "2 minutes" to receieve his replacement meal, there was not going to be any sort of comp. That was the longest two minutes EVER!! They obviously have a problem from the top down. The food wasn't bad.
Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick (Boonville)
Anonymous from Boonville on 05/02/2008 06:20 PM:
Glenn's is nothing like it was in Columbia. The food is still okay, not great, but the service has gone straight downhill since the grand opening. The employees are rude, unclean, and some need lessons in appropriate dress (last time we were there, the hostess was wearing a black bra under a see-through white shirt). The staff polishing wine glasses at the cup board were touching their noses and wiping glasses (yuck). The entire time we had to listen to them gossiping very loudly about who is pregnant and who is sleeping with whom. The menu is limited, and for 1/4 the price we could have real cajun food.
Trek Biker on 05/03/2008 01:40 PM:
Our experiences at Glenn's have not at all been like the anonymous posters. I've not noticed anyone being rude or unclean in dress or behavior. My question though is....on our next visit to the Boonville area, where do we go to get real cajun food for $5?
gc from Columbia, Mo. on 05/03/2008 07:44 PM:
Trek,
Good point!
SS from Columbia on 05/05/2008 12:42 PM:
I also have to agree with Trek. Our expieriences have been great! The entire staff has been polite and well dressed. And I don't believe the anonymous poster was being very 'appropriate' when picking on one certain employee.
Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick (Boonville)
Anonymous on 11/07/2007 04:58 PM:
Glenns cafe is the most wonderful restaurant around. My husband and I ate there every friday when we went to Mizzou and were sad when they closed. to our delight the re-opening in Boonville is so great....same great food!!! We love it!!!
Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick (Boonville)
Kathy from Eldon on 07/23/2007 04:12 AM:
I'm a little confused as you state that Glenn's is opened Monday when their site says not open til Tuesday. Could you please verify this for me, as we would love to come up there but my husband is only off on Mondays.
Thank you for your time.
Ray (webmaster) on 07/23/2007 05:58 AM:
Whatever their website says, takes precedence over what you see here (so I have corrected the info here). It looks like they cut out Mondays from their schedule. Sorry you can't make it there, but thhanks for calling this to my attention.
Anonymous on 09/06/2007 04:40 PM:
Glenn's has new hours. Monday thru Thursday 4:30 pm to 9:pm, Friday and Saturday 11:00 am to 10:00 pm and Sunday family style breakfast 10-2
Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick (Boonville)
jim from columbia on 08/03/2007 07:51 AM:
Went there with my wife for a special occasion. Things started off poorly when the bartender got upset when I tried to help her troubleshoot a drink order for my wife. Things got worse when one of the oysters we got was very off (unfortunately, I figured it out just after I swallowed it). The food was otherwise adequate, but the oyster came back to haunt me about an hour into the meal. I brought this up to the waitress who told the manager. The manager said "well, I'll give him another one then". I spoke to the manager who eventually told me to "kiss [his] ass". I have never been treated so poorly, I will certainly not be back.
gc from Columbia, Mo. on 08/03/2007 09:16 PM:
I find this comment very interesting. If this is the same person who I saw at Glenn's the other night, I have to side with the restaurant.
This person felt that he didn't get the service he "deserved." He was rude and sarcastic to the server, the bartender and the owner, who tried to rectify the situation. The owner asked this person several times what he could do to please this person. All the customer could do is talk about how he was an important doctor in Columbia and said that he was going to "ruin" the owner's business. He got increasingly rude and personally insulting to the owner, who did get angry at this point. And to top it all off, when this "doctor" left, he was repeatedly screaming "Fu## You, A**hole!" at the owner.
All I can say about that is that if I was screaming profanities and threatening people's livelihoods and generally acting like he did at his hospital, I would probably would have been arrested.
Trek Biker on 08/04/2007 04:56 PM:
The thing I find interesting about comments like this one is that people come here to a forum about the Katy trail to rant about how they got the shaft at an establishment that has sooooooo little to do with the Katy. If this were Eateryreview.com, then go on and on about how poorly you were treated. As always, I fail to see the relevance or any relationship between "one" "off" oyster and the Katy trail.
Anonymous on 08/08/2007 01:57 PM:
I was there the night of this incident. I have never seen anyone so rude or drunk as I did this couple. I was trying to have a nice family dinner, as we often do at Glenn's. The hostess and the manager did everything they could to make the couple happy, but nothing was going to make them happy. It was upsetting for not only myself, but also my nieces and nephews to be hearing such language at what was otherwise a very peaceful and elegant dinner. And how arrogant to think that they could tell the bartender how to do her job. I would not have blamed the owner if he'd have decided to ban them from ever returning...or to have called the police for being quite drunk and very disorderly. How this couple ever made it home in one piece after drinking so much is beyond me...thank goodness no one was hurt.
Elizabeth from Columbia on 08/18/2007 09:48 PM:
(My husband wrote the original post in this thread). The previous poster apparently has a separate incident in mind. It’s kind of sobering to realize that we aren’t the only guests the restaurant owner has sworn at. There were no children or young people in the restaurant the night we were there. Our disagreement took place in the lobby, so I doubt any of the other patrons were even aware we were unhappy. And we certainly were neither drunk nor disorderly! In our case, the hotel manager (the hotel doesn’t own or operate the restaurant) did, indeed, go out of her way to make us happy. The restaurant owner, on the other hand, didn’t even offer an apology. It wasn’t the oyster that was upsetting – fresh oysters are highly perishable and you can get a bad one no matter how good the restaurant. It was the owner’s behavior that was the problem. We were celebrating our tenth wedding anniversary and had been hoping for an elegant and memorable evening. Memorable? Yes!
GC from Columbia, Mo. on 08/21/2007 07:48 AM:
So let me get this straight, Elizabeth.
You and your husband did nothing and the owner just came up to you, out of the blue, and started swearing at you for no reason? Sorta sounds like an alternative reality. Since I was there and it was your husband that was swearing and issuing threats to kill the business, I think you may need to reassess. Or did the previous comments strike a nerve with you? As I said before, I don't think ANY business would put up with the behavior, attitude AND arrogance that I witnessed. Did you get a bad oyster? OK, that does happen. But from what I gathered, nothing could have been done to rectify the situation, no matter what the owner did for you.
I guess I am sensitive to this since I have been a long time patron of Glenn's dating back 20 years and have always been generally happy with the food/service/attitude. Was it always 100 percent perfect? Not always. But I have always had a positive experience. If what you are looking for is boot-licking fawning, good luck with that and have a nice life.
With that, I will take a hint from Trek Biker and end my rant. Lets get back to talking about the trail.
Anonymous on 09/01/2007 11:01 PM:
The Katy Trail is wonderful. Checked it out while visiting Boonville for 6 days to attend a family re-union. So I'm assuming that other riders of the trail will want recommendations on where to eat, sleep and shop if they decide to stop in Boonville for the night.
Went to Cafe Napoli, they were rude. Went to Walmart to look for party supplies for the reunion. Asked an employee for help finding two items in their store. In the middle of the second request she folded her arms and started tapping her foot. Never had a problem at any of the hotels we have stayed at on past visits. Folks at the Palace and Stein House are friendly. At Country Mart grocery store they were very helpful and nice.
Boonville business owners either don't get it or don't care that as consumers we do have other choices.
Elizabeth on 09/05/2007 04:25 PM:
Dear g.c.,
No, of course you didn't swear at us out of the blue. First we told you that we thought the offer of a replacement oyster withouteven a perfunctory apology was inadequate and ungracious. *Then* you told us to kiss your ass. And yes, when you called me a drunkard in that other post, you did hit a nerve.
Don from Dallas on 09/05/2007 06:22 PM:
Our family had a great meal at Cafe Napoli. It's a neat looking place and the waitress was very helpful and another older lady there stopped at each table to make sure everyone head a good meal. There was a wide and intersting selection of menu choices which was a nice surprise for a small restaurant in a small town. Good pizza and pasta dishes.
I don't think the staff knew much about the Katy Trail and we noticed that in other places in towns along the trail.
Don from Dallas on 09/05/2007 06:26 PM:
P.S.,
Dear Elizabeth & GC,
Enough with Oystergate already! Whatever happened, just treat everyone kindly and go back to the Katy!
Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick (Boonville)
Anonymous on 08/08/2007 11:38 AM:
I ate at Glenn's last week with 9 other friends and it was fabulous! We had excellent service and food, and a very enjoyable evening! The Frederick is an amazing hotel that creates a unique atmosphere. I would highly recommend Glenn's and return in a heartbeat!
Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick (Boonville)
Gary Gose from Rocheport on 06/25/2007 11:28 AM:
I was dining at your Restaurant last week. The service was great & the food was wonderful. But while we were eating a hostess-I later found was Lauren Winters, was correcting Tommy Howard in the dining hall, in front of all of the guests. It made me and I'm sure many of the others very unconfortable. This appeared very unprofessional & could have been handled very differently. I'm not sure, but I suspect that Howard was merely saying hi to a guest. Tommy Howard is welcome at my table any time & I would invite a friendly greeting.
Trek Biker from St. Joseph, MO on 06/25/2007 02:34 PM:
A post here concerning this issue seems unprofessional as well. I would think it more appropriate to call the establishment if you thought an employee was unfairly chastised in front of paying customers.
Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick (Boonville)
Anonymous from Columbia MO on 04/02/2007 01:25 PM:
Loved being at the Frederick - The feel of the old tile underfoot, the great clock in the entryway - the ambiance of the dining room, Imagining times and peoples past - And the food - How does one make cornbread the consistency of angel food cake, anyway??? :) Pastalaya - Perfection of textures and spice - The entire experience was a most excellent treat I will indulge in again soon.
Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick (Boonville)
David from Boonville on 03/27/2007 07:52 PM:
Ask for Matt and look for Twilly. Be sure to thank Steve for bringing Glenn's back to life. Wonderful place to relax and meet lovely people.
Anonymous from Springfield,Mo. on 03/28/2007 08:14 AM:
What are the diredtions to Glenn's Cafe?
Trek Biker from St. Joseph, MO on 03/28/2007 10:55 AM:
Click on "Boonville" on the map above.....scroll down and click on "Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick." There is a map, address, and a link to their website for even more information.
GC from Columbia, Mo. on 03/28/2007 12:19 PM:
Directions are pretty easy. Glenn's is in the Frederick Hotel. The Hotel is adjacent to the Boonville Bridge(three-story red brick building). If you cross the bridge, you can't miss it.
Also, The Frederick Hotel is supposed to be opened, I believe, on May 1. They are taking reservations now.
Oh, and if need a stiff drink, have Matt mix you a "peanut butter and jelly" shot. You probably shouldn't get right back on the trail after a few of those!
Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick (Boonville)
Tony T on 03/13/2007 01:01 AM:
Great Prime Rib, Great Chicken fried steak. Yum Yum...... Thanks Steve for a great meal !
Glenn's Cafe at the Frederick (Boonville)
GC from Columbia, Mo. on 10/05/2006 07:16 AM:
Best food on the trail!
ET from Columbia on 10/05/2006 10:35 AM:
Absolutely--we were so sad when Glenn's closed in Columbia, and checked it out last weekend--great food, right on the trail. Ride a long way first so you're hungry enough to enjoy it!