Rogue 2009

Ran down to Newport yesterday and for first time I have been disappointed by the Rogue establishments there. Now let me say, I have been a Rogue Nation member since 1998, before several of these locations even existed. So this was not my fist visit. In fact I used to make a trips down there JUST to visit them. I don't think I will be doing that anymore.

As some of you know I've never been a huge fan of their Portland location and have always hoped that they'd eventually manage to get the atmosphere of the Newport pubs. Instead the infection seems to be spreading backward.

We visited 3 locations the Brewers on the Bay, the Public House on the historic bayfront and House of Spirits. All of them were understaffed. On a Sunday, in a seaside tourist town. In June.

They apparently did realize this and used it as excuse to cut their menu down from 4 pages to one. That's a MUCH better idea than hiring adequate personnel. Serving staff at both the Public House and Brewers on the Bay were showing the strain of being overworked and rather inattentive in consequence. I don't blame, the problem was clearly higher up.

They had also been drilled at getting people to join the Rogue Nation club, but every single one of them failed to ask for the card (which provides discounts) when running the check.

The House of Spirits is doing a new whiskey, which is a quite good single malt, I'm also told there is a vodka on the way. I'll probably wait for it to hit my local liqour store.

All in all it appears Rogue is learning all the wrong lessons from McMenamins, the Northwest doesn't need another line of beer-themed amusement parks.