Prairie Inn - Carrington

I went and had lunch at Prairie Inn the other day with my mom and daughter and I have never experienced such terrible service all around. At first everything seemed OK, until we waited an hour for our food. Being that we were like the only people there we thought it would be a quick stop, not the case. I ordered a Philly steak sandwich and the salad bar, my mom ordered the hamburger steak breakfast and I ordered fries and 1 chicken strip for my daughter. The salad bar was mediocre to say the least. The lettuce was old and browning and hot item was at least 2 hours old. Finally when our food arrived the only decent thing was my daughters food, which was pre-cooked deep fried french fries and 1 chicken strip. My sandwich had vegetables only on one side of it and the meat tasted a bit funny so I didn't even eat the other half. My mom took two bites of her hamburger steak and couldn't eat anymore of it because it was so sour tasting. Besides being burnt the eggs and hash browns were edible so she ate them. After we were finished she told the waitress that the burger tasted spoiled and asked if she could get the burger taken off our check and we were flat out told no you ate it. Now how in the world was she supposed to know it tasted terrible unless she had a bite? From then on the cook actually stood on the kitchen and glared at us until we left. The girl who rang us up didn't even acknowledge us and literally threw my mom's change on the counter. Oh, and I forgot, obviously it was a very unprofessional environment with the waitress's loudly talking about family members being in prison and having restraining orders. Once again the absolute worst dining experience I have ever had!!!! Terrible food and service!!

When I arrived, the place was nearly empty, with three clean tables available. The two young waitstaff were lounging at the counter, glued to their phones, one of them even using foul language. When a customer sat at a dirty table in their section, she was dismissed and told to talk to another waitress. After rolling her eyes, she wandered off to show her boyfriend something on her phone before finally taking the order. When she returned to check on our order, it turned out she had completely forgotten to place it. With three tables occupied, I watched as she delivered the bill to the diner next to us but ignored their empty plates, even as they tried to read their papers at a two-person table. When it was time to settle the bill, I noticed that the other customer had left without paying because of the poor service. The waitress mistakenly thought it was my payment and asked if I needed a receipt. I clarified that it wasn't my bill, and she suggested I order again. I paid and left without leaving a tip—absolutely nothing. I never do this, but I can confidently say that I will never return to this restaurant. I strongly advise all truckers to stop at Jamestown, Minot, or Harvey instead.

When I arrived, the place was almost empty, with just three clean tables available. The two young waiters were sitting at the counter on their phones, and one of them was using profanity quite loudly. After a customer sat at one of the dirty tables in that section, the waiter made a snide remark about another waitress. After rolling her eyes, she walked a few steps away, only to show something on her phone to her boyfriend before finally taking the order. When she returned with our food, she sheepishly admitted to our waitress that she had forgotten to place our order. There were only three tables occupied! I noticed that she handed the check to the diner next to us but didn’t clear her empty plates, even though the customer was trying to read her papers at a two-seat table. When I went to pay, I saw that the other lady had left her payment on the table after receiving poor service. The waitress mistook it for my payment and asked if I needed a receipt. When I clarified that it was not my bill or my money, she merely asked if I wanted to eat. I ended up paying the bill and leaving without tipping—which I never do, but the service was that bad. I won’t be returning, and I’d advise other truckers to stop in Jamestown, Minot, or Harvey instead.

Today, March 9, 2012, I stopped in again. When I arrived, the place was nearly empty, with only three clean tables available. The two young waitresses were at the counter, fixated on their phones—one was even using profanity like a sailor. When a customer sat at a dirty table in her section, the other waitress pointed it out to her. After rolling her eyes, she slowly got up, took a few steps, then returned to show something on her phone to her friend before finally heading to take the order. After placing her order, the customer realized she had forgotten to include ours. By then, there were three tables of diners. I noticed her giving the bill to the person next to us but failing to pick up their empty plates—even though that customer was trying to read her paper at a two-seater table. When I got to the cash register, the other customer had left her payment behind because she received no service. The waitress mistakenly thought it was my payment and asked if I wanted a receipt. When I explained that it wasn't my bill, she then asked me what I had ordered. I paid and left without leaving a tip—not something I normally do, but I won't be returning to this place again. I’ll be sure to recommend all truckers to plan their stops in Jamestown, Minot, or Harvey instead.

During my recent visit, we strolled over to the restaurant from our hotel. The place was clean, and we were greeted by the staff right away. We settled into a cozy booth that accommodated our group of six, and our waitress offered friendly and efficient service. The food was delightful, with the pancakes being my favorite. Prices were quite reasonable, generally around $25 for two meals, two drinks, an appetizer, and a kid's meal. The service was satisfactory, though you might need to request refills depending on your waitress.