Beach House | Saanich | Cordova Bay Road

[spanky123]

Originally Posted by mik

peanutflower - I assume you have conveyed your outrage to the owners?

Personally, if I had "first hand knowledge" of an owner(s) operating their business in contravention of the law...especially in a way that takes advantage of their employees...I would be contacting proper authorities.

Which is precisely why I keep saying that Peanut needs to have his daughter / friends file a complaint with Labour Standards. Labour Standards staff act extremely quickly (ie days), have the authority to enforce payment and will fine employers for repeated offences. Last time I checked 50% of complaints are related to the hospitality industry so they know the routine.

In my opinion, someone who keeps posting negative comments about an employer without taking any action to actually resolve the issue has limited credibility.

[Sparky]

Our fearless leader (Mike) and I decided to critique this establishment today....and we were delightfully surprised.

The food was great and the service was impecable. The nice waitress informed us that there were no issues with wages or pay. (we asked) She said it was a wonderful place to work.

This place was busy...customers everywhere...the view was to die for.

I highly recomend the soup and the crab/avacado dip.

[spanky123]

Thanks Sparky. We can certainly trust your comments and views on this.

I see that the urbanspoon folks are going crazy deleting comments and ratings on both sides. Obviously a battle going on that is nothing more than a distraction.

[Sparky]

Thanks Spanky123

It was truly a delightful experience. I can appreciate that they might have had some growing pains....but that sure wasn't evident today.

It's a great room to enjoy a repast.

[dirtydeeds]

Originally Posted by spanky123

Thanks Sparky. We can certainly trust your comments and views on this.

I see that the urbanspoon folks are going crazy deleting comments and ratings on both sides. Obviously a battle going on that is nothing more than a distraction.

I only go on urban spoon to look up menus now, I find it has become a dumping ground for people with an axe to grind. Looked up the Beach House reviews because of the above post and they mostly look like the same posts posts here on VV probably the same poster multiple times.

[spanky123]

Originally Posted by dirtydeeds

I only go on urban spoon to look up menus now, I find it has become a dumping ground for people with an axe to grind. Looked up the Beach House reviews because of the above post and they mostly look like the same posts posts here on VV probably the same poster multiple times.

When you have 47 reviews in a month and 95% of the reviewers only signed up for accounts that day then something is up. I put yelp and tripadvisor in the same category in that the reviews on all of them have become questionable at best.

[dirtydeeds]

And also thanks Sparky for the unbiased review much appreciated!

[VicHockeyFan]

I'm confident that Sparky and Mike asked the important questions of the staffer, to put to rest the questions of wages etc. raised by one single poster in this thread here.

[sebberry]

Originally Posted by Sparky

That looks tasty! Call me next time

[Sparky]

Originally Posted by VicHockeyFan

I'm confident that Sparky and Mike asked the important questions of the staffer, to put to rest the questions of wages etc. raised by one single poster in this thread here.

Mike's jaw dropped a little when I asked the question point blank...but the answer was genuine....she said "Kate is a wonderful employer".

[Sparky]

^^ seb...we will make a point of calling you. Thanks in advance for picking up the tab.

Just kidding.

[Mike K.]

Thanks for posting the picture and your comments, Sparky!

I don't think I've ever had better service in any restaurant other than at the Empress. Our waitress was very attentive, looking in our direction every few moments and walking past at regular intervals to see if we needed anything. The other staff were buzzing around all doing their thing and despite their age relative to most restaurants Sparky and I didn't feel like we were in the hands of amateurs.

It is understandable that Beach House may have had growing pains in the first couple of weeks and the lack of a booze permit most definitely dampened spirits (no pun) but that appears to be well behind them.

As for the menu, it was simple but not lacking. In other words I think they're trying to balance a variety of popular items without plunging straight into the deep end. I can see the menu tailoring to a more discernible patron as the place grows some roots.

[spanky123]

Thanks Mike.

Now to settle the other discussion. What % of patrons (in your estimation) were older than 55? :-)

[Sparky]

^ In Mike and my's case it was 50-50

[sillyia]

I have not changed my opinion. I have given up on the food and service at the establishment. Now, I simply walk up to have a cocktail and view Mt. Baker.
Perhaps, some have a decent experience. That has not been mine.

[Nparker]

Originally Posted by sillyia

...I have given up on the food and service at the establishment. Now, I simply walk up to have a cocktail and view Mt. Baker...

If you detest this place so much, why do you continue to give them your business? Surely, there must be other locations from which you can view Mt. Baker and imbibe.

[Mike K.]

I see we went from "nobody is getting paid" to "managers are making $44k and unfairly getting tips." So which is it? Which scenario is the big problem of the week?

Suffice it to say Beach House is the envy of many local restaurateurs and undoubtedly the talk of the neighbourhood. Things get lost in translation, rumours get started, and we end up with a flurry of criticism where none is deserved.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Beach House last week. The food was what I expected, the service was impeccable and the interior renovations are of the highest quality.

[Matt R.]

You can enjoy a cocktail and view Mt. Baker from the Marina, too!!

Matt.

[VicHockeyFan]

Originally Posted by Matt R.

You can enjoy a cocktail and view Mt. Baker from the Marina, too!!

Matt.

Yes, indeed, very nice view from there.

[peanutflower]

Originally Posted by VicHockeyFan

I'm confident that Sparky and Mike asked the important questions of the staffer, to put to rest the questions of wages etc. raised by one single poster in this thread here.

Just because I'm the only poster raising this issue doesn't mean that my opinion a) doesn't count, and b) that my statements are incorrect. This is hardly a forum that a bunch of young 20 year old servers would be posting on. They are probably doing that elsewhere. So to disparage my remarks and accurate observations just because I don't belong to your little clique is pretty unfair. Do you honestly think that you would get the real story when you asked the server while they were working in front of other people and management? Really? that's incredibly naive to think that. I know that if someone asked me I'd paste a big ol' smile on my face and say everything is great. It's not.

So you can be confident and all smug like all you want, Sparky and Mike and VicHockeyFan, but this place is ripping off its employees still.

[Mike K.]

Peanut, with all due respect, we as moderators are charged with doing our best to ensure that conversations on this forum do not lead to rumours or fan the flames of existing rumours. When Sparky and I were presented with the opportunity to ask an employee about her situation, she insisted she had no complaints. As such the two of us have no reason to believe otherwise.

The onus on all individuals who contribute here, particularly under a pseudonym, is to provide readers with more evidence than anecdotes. Understandably sometimes anecdotal evidence is all that may be available but the charges you make against this restaurant and its management are serious and the only way your message will have the impact you desire is if we have the opportunity to converse with an affected employee on this forum. The burden of proof is on each of us here. Without it, we can say whatever we like about whomever and whatever we like and that is not an acceptable way of maintaining the integrity of a social media resource.

Consider that for a media outlet to even run a story about deadbeat management an employee must present them with tangible proof that they are employed, that they have worked a certain amount of time for which they have not been paid, and that they be willing to publicly reveal their identity. A reporter will then follow up with management to get their version of the story. We saw this with Duncan Morrison several months back when employees of Wharfside Eatery came forward about unpaid wages.

However, Peanut, I know I speak for many here when I say that your contributions are appreciated. We may not be in a position to accept the situation as you described merely on faith, but it does make for interesting debate. If indeed there are issues with compensation at Beach House I am confident employees will start seeking recourse through the appropriate channels.

[Sparky]

Peanutflower.....Mike doesn't pay me either.......what we ate, saw, and heard was genuine.

[arfenarf]

I would have loved to discover how terrible this restaurant is, but when I tried to drop in the other night, it was packed to the rafters with a one-hour wait for a table. Will have to book a reservation to get inside to see how much people hate it.

[Sparky]

^ That reminds me of the restaurant story when someone asked about going to a particular restaurant.

The answer was " Nobody goes there anymore, it's too busy."

[spanky123]

Originally Posted by arfenarf

I would have loved to discover how terrible this restaurant is, but when I tried to drop in the other night, it was packed to the rafters with a one-hour wait for a table. Will have to book a reservation to get inside to see how much people hate it.

And the "foot vote" is all that is really important at the end of the day.