Old Chicago

The last thing anyone wants to hear is excuses for poor service(see May 24th entree)
The end result is that a lot of people experience poor service at this restaurant.
I have been here multiple times over the last couple years, for lunches, dinners and just to go out and have a few drinks with friends, and the best service I/we have ever received was average at best .
The food is good, and they have a great selection of beers, but like someone stated below, what difference does a choice of 100 beers make if you can‘t get someone to serve you one in the first place, or get a refill while you are sitting with friends trying to have some fun?
Please, no more excuses for poor service.

Food and service is poor. Had to wait forever to get service, food was cold or under cooked. Wait staff was more worried about how drunk they were the night before then make sure my family and I were taken care of.

I have given Old Chicago about 5 "another chances" too many (not by choice). The service is almost always poor. To the server who said that poor service gets a 10% tip? Give me a break. If you hate your job that much, get a different one. Rewarding laziness and unattentiveness is idiocy, what is this, the welfare system?
I will grant that one time, the server did right a situation where neither my wife nor I got the food we ordered after having waited 45 minutes for someone to come and ask what we wanted. However, the whole thing took 2.5 hours, and they weren‘t even busy. All in all, not the worst food, but there are certainly much better places in Ames.

Also, if a meal is messed up or not right- let us know- we‘ll take care of it! Always tip your server at least 10% especially if you have alcohol because servers have to tip out the bartender for that alcohol. One bad experience I recently had with a guest involved a simple mistake. They received the wrong crust on their pizza. I chose to have their whole pizza taken off and I even gave them a free beer. My manager did not want to take their pizza off but I insisted. Despite this my table did not tip me and I had to actually pay out of my pocket 5% to the bar for their alcohol sales . (I only make 4 bucks an hour.) If you have bad service then tip the minimum which is generally 10%. If you have average service tip 15% and if you have great service tip at least 20%. The only way the government can get away with paying less than minimum wage for this job is because of your tips. And if you can‘t afford to tip- you shouldn‘t be eating out!Also,don‘t take it out on the server if you think the prices of the food is too steep! Write that on a comment card instead.

Don‘t go out to eat if you are in a rush to be somewhere or you just live your life rushing from place to place. Eating out should be an enjoyable experience where you can relax and enjoy the company you are with. Just to name a few of the typical duties a server has with a guest: Getting ice throughout the shift(you run out fast!)/running dishes from the dish area/rolling silverware(so the guest has silverware on their table)/running back to the cooler to grab more lettuce or a dessert/waiting at the bar for drinks to be made/running your food to the tables/ringing in another guests order/counting change for another guest/Cleaning off another table/Greeting another table etc. And please keep in mind that as a server we don‘t get breaks or lunches. Many times we work 12 hours straight without sitting once. I‘ve even worked 15 without a break.

Generally I‘ve had good experiences at this restaurant. I‘ve not really noticed problems with servers. The service here is about what I expect of any place in Ames. I even had a server replace a pizza at no additional charge because there had been a mistake with the order.

I think they make the best pizza in town. I‘m a pretty picky eater and there are very few restaurants on my list in Ames, so it says a lot when I say that Old Chicago is one of my favorites.

Sad to say the two times I ate here the service was poor. Staff was too busy talking about partys. The food was cold and over priced. I will not be returning.

For all of you knocking Old Chicago, I think you‘re missing the point. I would have to agree the service in the restaurant may be below par, but Old Chicago is a SUPER fun place to go watch the big game! Monday night football rocks!! Free salsa and chili, great drink specials, and contests galore. Its a fun atmosphere for any sports fan. Join the World Beer Tour and select any one of their 110 beer selections! For anyone looking for somewhere to watch the game, this place is a must!!

I havent been here for 10 months and decided to give it another try in the hopes that the service has gotten better.
NOPE.

We weren‘t impressed with this restaurant and won‘t be returning. While they do have a good selection of beer, the pizza was a disappointment. The toppings were good, but the crust was almost impossible to bite through. It was tough and had what I think was corn meal caked on the bottom, which made it crunchy. Our service was average. Our food arrived in good time, but we didn‘t get the refills we needed.

Everyone is in such a hurry these days... has anyone who posted on this board traveled abroad??? Doubt it - cause if they had they would appreciate the fact that time is given for you to deside what you want - for you to talk with the person you are dining with... abroad - no one is in a hurry - and they appreciate the finer things in life - they don‘t bitch about how slow the service was at their favorite restaurant - People in the US need to relax a little more... there are worse things in life than having "slow service" trust me. (you are NOT paying for it - you are paying for going out and having a bit of fun (god forbid) - and for not cooking for yourself one night... and to just plain enjoy the fun, easy going atmosphere. perhaps your server is a bit more LAID BACK and you are a bit too UPTIGHT... you should try the laid back life style and see what it does for you - bet your life will be more fun!!

I‘ve dined here twice and the story is the same - horribly slow service, even when the restaurant isn‘t busy! I don‘t have three hours to eat!

I tried the noon buffet awhile back. Bad choice by me, poor food selection, and it wasn‘t that good. Only been there once. Maybe it is fine if you order off the menu.

The food is OK, and the beer selection is great.
The service is the weak link in this restaurant.

PS:
Please don‘t whine about how it gets busy, or that you have to serve 20+ people, or having to remember what someone ordered to drink...IT"S YOUR JOB!
You may be a good server, but the majority of your staff is not.

Do US all a favor and get us another beer and / or the bill in under 30 minutes.

I‘ll be back in a month or two see if your espoused service is for real.

"The Masked Muncher"

I work at Old Chicago and I feel I am a great server and the majority of the people I work with are great as well. I really think that the only people that come on here to leave comments are the ones who want to complain... because for as many bad reviews there are on here - there are a lot more good comment cards left in our box. I also think that people tend to forget that at a busy time a server is trying to please 20+ people at once and trying to remember what each one wants and needs at any given point. If you have come to expect poor service in Ames, do us all a favor and stay home and cook for yourself ...

My husband and I really enjoy stopping for a drink and some appetizers after work. The Pepperoni Rolls and Italian Nachos are our favorites!! I‘d have to agree with everyone else about poor service, but I‘ve come to expect it in Ames.

I have been a huge fan of Old Chicago since visiting the original in Boulder, CO. The Ames Old Chicago is a great place to drink and have some appetizers snacks at the bar, but it breaks my heart to say that the service is terrible. Go for the good food, and wide beer selection but prepare to wait a long time for refills or your bill if you are sitting anywhere except the bar. It‘s too bad, because the OC‘s in Omaha and IC are some of the best places to go when the employees care.

i was disappointed to find out that the restaurant wasn‘t actually named after the city of Chicago, it was named after a pinball machine or something. at least that explains why the food isn‘t exactly Chicago cuisine, but it doesn‘t explain the prices! i thought the food was just OK and service was good, but the food is definitely overpriced.

OK, they got a hundred plus beers to choose from, but what does it matter when you can‘t get anyone to take your order?
Service here is a major issue.

One of my favorite places to eat in Ames. I‘m from Chicago and even though it may not be authentic Chi-town pizza, it‘s still really good! The servers may not be the most experienced at their jobs but all the ones I have had have made up for it in their friendliness. I would definitely recommend it!

The city of Chicago should sue these people for trying to claim that this is Chicago style pizza. It is closer to the crud they eat down in St. Louis than anything remotely connected to the Windy City. Plus, I‘ve never been to a restaurant that has 5 hostesses and 2 waitresses. The service here is a joke. A cruel joke. Only exceeded by their inability to keep more than one item up for their "buffet".
Furthermore, don‘t let anybody hype their pepperoni rolls to you. Edible - yes! Orgasmic - No!

Great beer selection, but prices are pretty expensive! I go for the world beer tour and the half priced appetizers past 10pm..great clean place to go hang out with some friends.

I have never had a problem with the service however I have heard that is a problem, some of the bar staff are incompitent when it comes to the menu. Food is great

Increadibly overpriced? Horrible Service? Who are you crazy broke people?

The food is great, the service is great, the beer is WONDERFUL. Anyone who‘s ever been to most any other restaurant in Ames - that has good tasts - would agree.

Granted, it doesn‘t hold a candle to the Cafe, but that‘s a whole different sort of thing.

I think the service has gotten a lot better since it first opened. The bar section is definitely a good place to catch up with old friends with 90s music in the background.

This place is fun! Get on the World Beer Tour and check out the bar.

TERRIBLE SERVICE but great food. I guess that‘s what you get in a college town.

Do not get the Spagetti! It was very very Bad. Other than that typical Chain restauran.t

Didn‘t even make it to the food - got up and walked out. The service was terrible and the seating arrangements were terrible, no privacy at all.

The staff at Old Chicago is great... it‘s a lot of fun there, be prepared to have a good time!

The Beer selection is amazing

The worst food and service I have had in 3 years in Ames. Incredibly overpriced.

I love Old Chicago - Try the Italian Nachos!!