Comments on: Has the halo slipped off the Cloud 9 Grille?

By: Lisa

Lisa — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:32:21 +0000

I have been to Cloud 9 Grill several times. We have had good experiences, which is why we chose it to take our family to when visiting us from out of state. It was our “big night out” as we got babysitters etc. We did make reservations ahead of time as were looking forward to the views. It happened to be the night of Rhythm and Booms so were hoping to also enjoy a bit of a show from a distance. Upon arrival we were seated upstairs amongst a large group who were having a cocktail party in the middle of the dinning room. We asked to be moved down away from the group twice and were denied until we strongly complained. The hostess staff said they were booked (many tables were left empty the entire night). We were eventually allowed to move one table down. We asked for a corner table but were denied. After ordering our dinner, a group came in that was extremely loud. They seemed to be family of some staff there and acted as if they were in a bar not a fine restaurant. The noise/ their singing and vocabulary was inappropriate. It was apparent that they were very drunk. During the fireworks show no one could see out because they were standing and dancing at the windows. While our waitress was very nice and did a good job she could not be heard over the noise when checking in with us. We were literally yelling at each other. Believe me we complained. The final straw was that a half hour before the start of the fireworks show the manager or owner brought a boom box up and turned it on so we could hear the pre-show. Actually didn’t have a huge problem with them playing the music but why did we have to listen to two d.j.’s at full blast for 30 minutes. We could not hear each at the table. The owner did come by and acted like he had no choice in the situation. My guests did not complain because they were trying to be courteous to my husband and myself. I do not have a problem with the restaurant changing its atmosphere for a special night but believe it is the responsibility of the establishment to inform their guests. We certainly would not have dropped $200+for a dinner in a bar. I did not want to go to Rhythm and Booms but it was as if we were in the middle of it. A truly disappointing night with no sincere attempt to reciprocate from the restaurant. They have lost a customer.

By: Stacy

Stacy — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:19:02 +0000

I went last night and it was easy to make reservations for upstairs seating. Starters: cheese with corn fondue and the homemade potato chips were both wonderful. Since both were good, I would love to try something else as well. The Meal: I have always been leery of ordering scallops at any restaurant because I am very picky about how they turn out–they are not easy to cook. We ordered seared scallops and jumbo shrimp pasta; seared scallops and filet mignon with sweet potatoes and vegetables. Both meals were great as well. I loved the scallops in both meals. It can be a little pricy, but enjoyable.

A big concern I have read here is the service. I thought they were friendly and attentive. If there were one or two who are not friendly, I did not notice. The view is great. Enjoy your visit.

By: scout

scout — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:52:49 +0000

Crab cakes and calamari wonderful. Tall black haired waiter was condescending, arrogant, aloof, impatient, inhospitable and fell into a gray area between professional and RUDE. Slow July 4th at 6pm-4 tables in the place-needs cleaning especially the glass ceiling. No one was remotely happy to see us-because we are bikers?

By: Paul

Paul — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:06:57 +0000

Please…East Siders aren’t any more used to chains than West Siders. All those wonderful unique and local restaurants over there like P.F. Chang’s, Ruth’s Chris, Friday’s, Applebees, Smokey Bones, Biaggi’s, Outback, Cheeseburger in Paradise…we East Siders can’t touch their local flavor!

That said, I live a mile from Cloud 9, have dined there about 10 times, and have never experienced any of the issues documented above. Maybe I’ve just been lucky, or maybe they’ve sorted out their issues.

By: Janet

Janet — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:50:08 +0000

Wow. Bill, cool off. What side of town are you from. I also resent his attitude. Maybe Bill’s attitude is; “Oh, they are just East Siders- They will never recognise good food, a happy atsophere, and great service, we can just shove this place down their throats, they will never know the difference”.

By: jeff

jeff — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:15:25 +0000

As a business owner on the East Side, I was so happy that a decent restaurant for business lunches and dinners was opening. I have been to Cloud 9 with suppliers, customers, employees, etc. many times. I don’t know why I keep going back. Sooner or later it’s going to be a reflection on me that I keep taking people to this place.

The first few times everything was fine. But I’ve been there 5 or 6 times over the last 6 months and it seems like it gets progressively worse. On Halloween, the hostess was half-dressed and looked like a tramp. I asked her what she was. She replied that she was a “One Night Stand.” Yeah that’s what I expect when I dine out at a supposedly nice place.

I continually hear employees blame one another, see stress and frustration on their faces and hear it in their voices. The food is ok, not great. One night in February, I was dining with a supplier from out of state and there was SO MUCH that they were out of. Various Beer brands, menu items, etc. Just a mess. I get the impression that the employees don’t really care, but their indifference, rudeness etc, is probably more a reflection of the restaurant manager than anything else. So much potential for this restaurant, and therefore, so disappointing. It’s not too late to get this fixed. I myself will probably never go back unless I hear that things have improved.

By: Mary

Mary — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 22:05:09 +0000

After reading the reviews on Cloud 9, as Owner or Manager of this establishment I would recommend a SECRET SHOPPER (DINER )on his behalf and get some feed back to his staff ASAP !!!!!!!!!!!! I was just going to order a bottle of wine for a friends B-Day and started reading. I have not had the pleasure yet of the experience.

By: Abby

Abby — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:12:18 +0000

My friend just invited me to have lunch next month and said she wanted to try Cloud Nine. She lives on the west side, I live and love it on the east side and our other friend joining us lives in the middle. Imagine that! We respect and like each other!

After reading this, I hope some of you aren’t there, and by what you’ve written, I doubt you will be. There is an arrogance in too many Madisonians, east, west, up, down, it doesn’t matter, it’s all ’round. Are you the travelers who get angry at wait staff who don’t speak English when you dine in THEIR countries?

I’m looking forward to Cloud Nine and I hope they like dealing with us when we are there.

By: joyce

joyce — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:53:03 +0000

What Holly said- try something for yourself !!! Take a chance! I love cloud 9. I went there after reading all of these negative comments. I will continue to go there and continue to tell my friends to go there.

By: JIm

JIm — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:13:23 +0000

well, I can say as someone who will be visiting your city this weekend, I will not be taking my party to Cloud 9 for all of the above mentioned reasons.