Restaurant Impossible - Dog and Pony Ale House Update

Photo - Facebook

Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Renton, Washington to makeover the Dog and Pony Ale House.  The owner Kristen, despite being smart, is allowing a vocal group of customers to influence her business decisions such as buying new restaurant equipment and changing the menu.  Kristen also has trust issues with her staff and supposedly owes "hundreds of thousands" to the IRS.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Dog and Pony Ale House to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post Restaurant: Impossible):




Positive Reviews:

• "A lot of people have been vocal one way or another about the remodel and I still like the place and for me not much has really changed. I go mainly for the beer and the bar and the regulars are still there and most seem to like the changes."
• "Refreshed and better than ever.   Beer selection was stellar - a heavy emphasis on IPAs, but a great variety of styles to go along with it. Erin was nice to chat with and super-knowlegdable about beer.  Service was attentive but not overbearing.  Food was fine - nothing I ate was fantastic, but D&P has never been about the food for me.  They quite simply have the best beer selection between Seattle and Tacoma.  Judging it solely as a beer bar, it is a solid 4."
• "So the place looks great with a nice pub feel, the beer selection is one of the best in the area and the food was great....Service was quick and friendly. Lunch time is a very busy time for this place with Boeing so close."

Negative Reviews:

• "Here's the problem. The massive renovation was done in November. We visited on Jan. 24 and expected to see a whole new menu. Instead of keeping Chef Irvine's menu, they went back to their horrible food....Can't wait to see the truth on TV."
• "Was super excited to try  the new menu... I left Monday telling everyone about the new menu and couldn't wait to return. Returned 2 days later to discover that the salmon lox tacos had been axed. Actually, the entire menu changed.... What a disappointment. They didn't give it chance. I was so looking forward to becoming a regular fan of the new food. The service left much to be desired too, which has been the case for a while now. Feels like they caved in and responded to the pressure from a few without giving the new menu enough time to attract new loyal customers."
• "I am a Renton Homeowner and like to support local businesses but even after the "Restaurant Incredible" changes - it is still just so so!  We actually decided that it would be our last time.  What changed our mind?!  I saw the owner standing in the kitchen eating with her fingers, licking her fingers and then wiping them on her pants.  She DID NOT wash her hands and then continued helping customers with her dirty fingers she just had in her mouth!  GROSS!"

*Reviews from Yelp, Tripadvisor


Other News and Links:

• The Restaurant Impossible makeover happened in late November 2014.
• Here is the Dog and Pony Ale House Facebook Page, which lists itself as a bar.
• Here is the Dog and Pony Ale House website, which has a drink menu, but does not have a food menu.
• The makeover was on November 21st and 22nd, and on November 25th, they were already making changes to the Restaurant Impossible menu. (Link)
• The owner Kristen has three adopted children, two from China and one from Ethiopia. (Link)
• A local article announcing the makeover had a lot of comments, and people seemed to think the location was bad due to the parking situation and that it has gone downhill since the new owner (Kristen) took over. (Link)
• This review said the bathrooms were recently re-done by Kristen and this review said they were putting the TVs back in the bar.
• There was a local news story yesterday (2/10/2015) about a scam artist who is wanted in Washington.  She was a night manager at the Dog and Pony Ale House and is accused of stealing about $15,000 in cash and forging checks from the bar in late 2013.  Kristen Fisher, the owner of Dog and Pony, is interviewed in the news story. (Link)

Conclusion:

The reviews of Dog and Pony Ale House seem to be mixed with people liking the beer selection, but having issues with the food/menu and service.  With 32 beers on tap, I am sure more people come the Dog and Pony Ale House for their beer over their food.

The episode description does not say anything about employee theft, so it will be interesting to see if the topic comes up on the show.  Kristen blamed the theft for hurting her business a lot, but the $15,000+ figure is much less than the "hundreds of thousands" supposedly owed to the IRS.

UPDATE - Dog and Pony Ale House closed in late 2018/early 2019.


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