Rockford

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 more

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 more

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. more

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. more

Rockford is a great place to go for an inexpensive meal out before meeting up with your friends on Glenwood. Their sandwiches are amazing. The best are: ABC sandwich with apple bacon and cheese and the Bacon turkey sandwich. Simple food with a low price to match. Great views of Glenwood from the 2nd story windows. Pros: Cheap food...good sandwiches Cons: Not much else on the menu more

Cool vibe. That's the best thing Rockford has going for it--oh, and cool music selection (Beck, Spoon), though the CD player was skipping much of the time. Pros: music, cocktails, ambience Cons: food, service more

The Rockford has a great atmosphere that makes you feel as if you're sitting in a friends living room. The food is ""Off the hook"", and the drink selection is also great! more

The Rockford definitely has its own charm that you can only appreciate when you go there regularly. The staff isn't rude, but if you're looking for poppy perky chain restaurant style 'flare' this might not be the place for you. The food here is amazing. Being a frequent patron, and trying all sorts of dishes, I have never been disappointed. The creativity that goes into each sandwich creation amazes me time and again. And to top it all off, a couple can dine there and leave with it only costing them ~$25. This is a popular 'cheap' date spot for me and my boyfriend. Pros: Sandwiches, Atmosphere more

The food in this place was ok...nothing spectacular. But if you have kids- DO NOT GO HERE. THey don't have a kids menu to look at -but you can get a grilled cheese sandwich. (NO ketchup should have been our first clue.) The 17-month old that was with us fussed for a few minutes when the food first came out (she was tired), and the Hostess had the nerve to ask us to take her outside so it didn't bother the other customers!!! TOld us that most people do that to calm the baby down (like she knows the first thing about kids- she didn't look old enough to have any). And she proceeded to argue with us about it! THe waitress apologized after we told her that they should put a ""Kids not welcome"" sign up if that's how they felt, but still. And there were only 2 other people in the restaurant at the time. She made sure though she seated folks as far from us as she possibly could. Obviously from the last few posts from August 2006 through today, sounds like probably the same hostess! Not worth it. Try one of the other restaurants around that area. Cons: Poor customer service, not family friendly more

I love the Rockford...when it's not busy. I recommend NOT trying to get a quick bite to eat at lunch or on a busy weekend night, because chances are you'll be waiting awhile. The place is small, and fills up quickly, and the food is sometimes slow to come out. Once it's there, though, it's worth it! The specials and sides are constantly changing to reflect the season, and I don't think anything on the menu costs over $13. I love the grilled mozzarella and pesto sandwhich and the house salad is very good as well. The crowd is very hip and it's a great place to people watch (which you'll have plenty of time to do!) more

Its sad to see all these bad reviews...I am traveling to Raleigh from Atlanta for thanksgiving to meet family coming from all over the states. Having only been to the Rockford once, years ago, I can only remember that it was a cool space. Somewhere where I was planning on the family and friends meeting for drinks and such. Being that our time together is limited, I don't think we will want to subject ourselves to that kind of service. I just baffels my mind that after reading the reviews, that go back to months and months ago, that this place still exist. Having worked in the service industry, not only is great customer service crucial to keeping a business alive, it's how servers make their tips. I am very disappointed that this establishment has allowed itself to go to the ruins. Pros: cool space Cons: too many bad reviews more

This place seems to attract the local artsy crowd - not the art collectors, but the artsy, creative people in town. The menu and selection also has that flavor. The food is good, but the potato salad has too much mayo instead of mustard. If going to lunch, get there early as they fill up and the waiting area is quite small. Pros: Different menu than most places Cons: Potato Salad has too much mayo more

I had an awful experience at this restuarant, for well....it seems the same reasons all the other recent reviewers had, because of the AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL service and the rudeness of the seating staff. If I were the owner of this establishment I would be embarrassed, I could not find one member of the staff that showed any sign of professionalism nor respect for me as a customer. Walking into this place was like freezing time, no one seemed to move at a pace faster than a snail and while doing so, their attitudes were most unpleasant, and frankly the food wasn't of the quality to make up for all of the other issues that came along with eating there. I hope that anyone else that has a negative experience here will too share their experience to warn others before they waste their time....and if you have a date and want to impress, I highly suggest taking them elsewhere it will most likely ruin your evening if you start out here! Pros: Great location Cons: Horrible Attitude from staff, slow service, long wait more

After reading the last two reviews posted, I can honestly say they were not alone in their experience at the Rockford. I too was treated with complete disrespect by the hostess when I went there to eat last. All the visits before had been so so, but I do like a couple of the dishes and it has a cozy atmosphere so I continued to go back, but after my last visit, I too will not return to the Rockford. There are plenty of other new establishments in Raleigh to visit, so I would suggest not settling for poor service and attitude at the Rockford, their food while good, in no way makes up for the attitude you receive when visiting there. If their management was concerned about his/her business he would take the time to re-evaluate his staff and maybe go over some courtesy procedures. The customer service here is the worst I have seen in the city by far. If I were you, I wouldn't waste my time, unless you enjoy being insulted by a snotty hostess who seems to care little about her job or any of their customers. Pros: Cheap Food, cute atmosphere Cons: Awful Service from the waitstaff and especially the hostess, they seem to care very little for their guests at this restaurant more

I went to the Rockford with a group of friends on Friday night. I had been there many times before and had always thought it was a charming restaurant with decent food and so-so service. However, after my experience on Friday night, I will never set foot back in this restaurant because of their horrible customer service (namely the hostess who should NOT be working in the service industry.) The hostess was so incredibly rude to my friends and I for absolutely no reason, decided that we were not worthy of being seated in the restaurant , proceeded to seat everyone that came in after us, and then yelled at my friend for simply inquiring about when we would be seated. Our party ended up leaving the restaurant without eating and all of us were very offended by our mistreatment. I suggest to the owner of the Rockford to start hiring decent people who will treat customers with the service they deserve. Pros: Cheap Cons: Hostess, Horrible/Snobby Service, Long Waits more

I have for years been a proponant of unique Raleigh eateries. As a native of Raleigh and having lived in New York and Atlanta I am proud of the restaurants here that exibit a degree of character. I have accepted, in the past, the subpar service at the Rockford. Many of the high profile restaurants in larger cities employ wait and bar staff from the arts community that seem to have ""other things"" going on that prevents them from offering accetable service. In those places there is actually a charm to waiting longer than usual and being treated with a ""we can do with you or without you"" air. Raleigh, no matter how much I hope for it to be, is not yet a place where such ambivalence is tolerated. more

Every single sandwhich i have ever eaten from this place is just simply outstanding. I love eating here. The only downfall is the service! Looking at other reviews I can tell it is just not a one time thing. I don't mind waiting for food or for my seat, thats what you get for going out on the weekends but my dear god why can't any of the servers be kind or polite? The whole atitude of this place is stuck up and not pleasant. If the food wasn't so cheap and amazing I would never return to this place. Pros: Outstanding Food, Cheap Cons: Parking somethimes, Service more

I live in Raleigh for 23 years, and have not found a better place to eat! Rockford has the best sandwiches, and the freshest ingredients. It is a great place for a first date, or a night our with friends. It's also great for vegetarians, they have a new type of homemade veggie burger everyday with fun toppings. Try the Mission Style Burrito (if your a vggeie), or the ABC sandwich (if not)! Pros: inexpensive, great location, fun atmosphere Cons: a wait on Fri. nights more

I love the menu and the environment of Rockford. The food never disappoints and the ambience is wonderful however I am consistently astonished at the lack of service. I can never get in and out of there for lunch in less than an hour and 15 minutes. Not only is it incredibly, dreadfully slow but they also tend to make mistakes with my order as well as other diners I have taken there. It seems almost intentional because I have been dining there for two years and service has stayed the same. If it were not for the food and the location, I would never go back during the day. I have plenty of time for dinner in the evening but for lunch during the week, I do not have an hour and a half to wait for a sandwich no matter how well prepared it is. Pros: great food, great environment, great location Cons: slow, slow, slow more

My mom, sister and I went to the Rockford last night and were highly impressed. I didn't even know they served food here and was thrilled with the food, service and atmosphere. The curry tuna sandwhich was fabulous as was the grilled eggplant. I was also impressed by the wine selection and prices which were extremly affordable. Our server was very timely and helpful. The overall experience was the best I have had in awhile Pros: price, location, wine more