Rockford

07/20/2008 Posted by tayg

The food at the Rockford is great, but the staff is rude and slow. It sure is funny to read these reviews and see which ones were posted by the managers!

05/22/2008 Posted by noooners

Hey, here's the deal. The Rockford has good food, but when I get dizzy (SERIOUSLY. NOT A LIE) from the lack of quality air and my eyes can't close because they're so dry from the cigarette smoke, I can barely function let alone enjoy a savory sandwich. So folks, I certainly won't be returning to the Rockford until it goes non-smoking (and hey, non-smoking in one half of the restaurant that is open to the smoking portion ain't non-smoking) and shows some respect for the diners [as well as the EMPLOYEES-- I hardly think that breathing cigarette smoke for a 6-hour shift is considered part of ENSURING EMPLOYEE HEALTH AND SAFETY..... but that's just one woman's opinion, don'tcha know], and I hope you can sympathize and empathize and also find somewhere else to go if you want a good burrito sans lung cancer or smoky clothes.

Pros: decent food.

Cons: ciggy ciggy ciggy smoke

05/17/2008 Posted by Kensingon81

I love this place. Sure there are a few staff members that are too cool to notice you, but for me, that's the charm of the place. There are more good staff members than bad. Rob, Cheatie, Jeremy, they are all wonderful. The sesame crusted salmon is divine.

Pros: Food, decor, price

Cons: overly loud music at night with a certain bartender.

03/31/2008 Posted by reviewer23415

I like the food (they specialize in sandwiches) at the Rockford, but the poor service has kept me away. Don't expect warm smiles or friendly faces. In fact, don't even expect direct eye contact. The waitress we had the last two times we went there seemed depressed and miserable. She didn't check on us to make sure we had drink refills. She didn't explain why it took over an hour to make 4 sandwiches, and she didn't make any effort to build any rapport. After this odd exchange, I had to force myself to leave a tip. Rockford, here is a "tip"... hire more cooks, get rid of the creepy drawing of the woman smoking a cigarette, and hire servers with personalities and a pulse.

Pros: Great Food, Reasonable Prices

Cons: Service, Parking

10/16/2007 Posted by hxc

One of my best friends recommended The rockford and raves about it constantly. Our waiter was really nice and awesome and my soda was good-that was about it. The food was blah and disgusting-I ended up eating some pickles at the dinner table then going to the BK lounge afterwards. I couldn't find anything worth eating...It's extremely overrated and crowded...mmm never again.

Pros: Location. Service. Ambience. Diet Coke!

Cons: Food. Parking.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

09/16/2007 Posted by ca10pe

I agree with the others who've said that the staff is pretentious. I have been to this place a few times and every time I'm there, the "service" (if you can call it that) has always been lukewarm. But my visit this past Saturday finally made me stop and think that no matter how good the food is, getting CRAPPY service is NOT worth the visit! We sat there for 10 minutes and no one was even acknowledging our presence. There were 2 waitpersons just standing around right next to our table and neither made an effort to even just say, "someone will be with you soon". They were too busy trying too hard to act "cool". We finally just stood up and left, and the 2 a**hole waitstaff saw us leave without saying a word. We will never go back there again and will make sure everyone we know will not, either.

Pros: Okay food

Cons: Too many to mention, but most especially the so-called "service"

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

09/04/2007 Posted by ellefatale

I moved from Raleigh to Seattle in 2005 and everytime I come back I visit my favorite restaurants. Rockford being on that shortlist I made sure to stop by. The atmosphere is great. The food is delish but man, the wait staff are such pretentious hipster a**holes! I came back over Labor Day weekend and had lunch there with my parents. Our waitress acted like she was in hell. When I ordered she said "uh uh" and plopped the menu in front of me and pointed at what wasn't available during lunch hours and just stood there annoyed. My mom ordered baked beans as a side and was brought a cup of mushrooms (which wasn't even mentioned as a side when we asked). I live in Seattle where hipster culture is rampant and ridiculous and this brat put them all the shame. Get real Rockford. You are a tiny restaurant on Glenwood Avenue in RALEIGH NORTH CAROLINA. Understand your clientele and shake your waiters out of their tight pant-ironic haircut-hazed arrogance. GEEZ

Pros: Great food, great bartenders, great atmosphere

Cons: Hipster waitstaff

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

08/23/2007 Posted by raleighafficianado

The food at The Rockford was excellent. I loved my sandwich, and the prices were excellent considering the amoutn and quality of the food. However, I will have to agree with the many previous reviewers in saying that service at The Rockford is TERRIBLE. We went at lunch on a Saturday (after the rush), and the hostess never really actually sat us. She basically told us to pick somewhere, so we did. Our waitress came by a couple of times at first, but we never saw her again after we got our food. Some other waitress refilled our drinks, and we caught our original waitress at the very last minute so she could bring us the check...and I'm sure she only came back then in hopes of getting a tip (which I'm sure she was surprised at the less than 15% she received). Also, the waitresses were dressed very unprofessionally. I understand that this is an artsy place, but I don't want to see your navel or have your cleavage over my boyfriends food while you're serving us.

Pros: Good food, good price

Cons: Lazy floosy waitresses and hostesses

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

07/10/2007 Posted by rlo

I am curious about service in many Raleigh restaurants these days. Those restaurants that are middle-of-the-road in price with typically great food, too often have a wait staff with people who seem like they really don't want to be there. This is what I have found consistently at The Rockford. I go back simply because the food for the price is unbeatable, but every time I return, I feel the wait staff takes a little chip out of me, The last time I went to the restaurant, I was with a party of six. As I was sitting there, I was talking with a friend when the waitress came up to our table. She interrupted our conversation in the middle of my sentence and stated she would only say what she had to say once so we had better pay attention, treating us all as if we were 5 year olds. I was really blown away by the attitude. She was totally serious. Ownership really needs to take a hard look at revamping the attitude throughout the wait staff, and probably replacing most of those working there. Interestingly, most of the time the bartenders are solid with their customer service. I wish the servers could learn from them and get a grip on the really important people (the customers) who frequent their establishment and help pay their bills. So, if you decide to drop in to The Rockford, be prepared to get a dose of bad attitude with an exceptional meal. I don't say this out of anger, just out of hope that things can change and everyone can enjoy great food AND great service.

Pros: Great food. Great prices.

Cons: Consistently the worst service in Raleigh.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

01/09/2007 Posted by leahisgreat

This is one of my favorite lunch and dinner spots in Raleigh. Perfect for a date or even a night out with a few (less than 8) friends. The food is amazing. An assortment of all kinds of unique sandwiches and large plates are available at lunch. At dinner you can have the specials or try something off of the appetizer menu to go with the main dish. They serve seasonal sides that change daily to weekly and all the ingredients are fresh and tastey. This is the perfect spot if you're looking for something simple, yet exciting. It is reasonably priced and the staff is great! Don't forget about the booze!! They have a good sized bar with a great selection. It is a great hidden find. You won't be disappointed.