Poor Richard’s Restaurant

We went with great expectation based on several people that we know who have raved about this restaurant. We ended up in the «lounge» because the wait for seating in the dining area was up to 45 minutes. Since we had a babysitter, we couldn’t wait that long.
Thankfully the bar area was relatively clean, not noisy, and definitely not smoky. But that’s really all it had going for it. It’s not the restaurant’s fault that the family of four sitting in swivel captain’s chairs turned all the way around to watch the gigantic flat screen above our table. It was a little awkward, but we pushed on.
We ordered an artichoke cheese dip appetizer with corn chips. It was ok but definitely nothing to mention here. Our waiter was prompt, somewhat, with taking our appetizer order. But that was the last thing he was prompt with.
We were going to order the Chateaubriand. My husband had never had it and since it was my birthday, I thought we could splurge and give it a try. After waiting no less than 20 minutes for our waiter to come back to take our dinner order, we had to settle for separate steaks due to the length of time it would take to cook the Chateaubriand.
Granted, we were sitting in the lounge area and didn’t order drinks, but there were others doing the same. Our waiter, and other wait staff, literally walked past our table many times without checking on us. We were at the bottom of the stairs, so it wasn’t like we could be missed. We were the first table you see once you come down the stairs.
So I got the chopped steak. I will say that once we got it, it was HUGE. But it lacked flavor and was pretty overcooked. I ordered the broccoli au gratin as a side. Seriously, meh. My husband’s steak was teeny and flavorless as well. For the price, it was really not worth it. As others have mentioned, the prices are steep for what you get.
We ended up getting desserts, one for our babysitters and one for me (well, us). :) The chocolate cheesecake was pretty good, I must say.
But for a meal that costs as much as ours did, we’ve definitely had better. And considering that I was looking for a juicy, mouthwatering steak, we should have stayed at Texas Roadhouse and dealt with the noise.
Maybe we’ll try Cheddar’s next time.
On a side note, if you’re not old and not from Gainesville and don’t know everyone in the building, it might be a little awkward for you. Seriously, at least a dozen people walked through speaking to at least one person at every table in the lounge. Not kidding.

The owner of this place is very rude. I had a bad experience at the restaurant and was explaining how the service was poor. He said, «someone else will take your spot» and slammed the phone down. Pretty sad.

Food was awesome and service was great. A little on the expensive side, but well worth it! I highly recommend this restaurant.

I’ve been going to Poor Richards for over 20 years. One of the more cozier feeling restaurants in town… service has always been top notch… I ordered the $ 18 soft shell crab appetizer, it was soggy and the shell wasn’t that soft, it was a bit chewy and hard to swallow. Pappadeux in Alpharetta has the most amazing soft shell crab around, but I hate the long drive. But, I don’t understand why a $ 32 Prime Rib cooked medium rare would be so tough… it was ever hard to cut with a steak knife. I would compare their prime rib to Wal-​Mart quality steak. And the side of eggplant parmesan not that tasty either. Go to the frozen section of the grocery store and try Micheal Angelo’s frozen eggplant parmesan, it’s way better. And the side salad was served as if the head of lettuce was only cut into 3 parts. The blue cheese dressing is great, but the salad was on the boring side. Sorry Poor Richards, but you have lost another valuable customer to Chedders… since they opened in Gainesville on hwy 53, we now go there about 3 to 4 times a week.

First visit to PR last evening — we had a group of ten (surprise birthday) and ate downstairs in the bar area.
The service was spot-​on — prompt, knowledgable, and sincere.
The food: ONE. WORD —– fried chicken livers (ok, three words). Absolutely incredible.

The service was excellent. The portions were very large. We had the French Onion soup which was very good. I had the house salad with hot bacon dressing. It was average. My husband had the garden salad with rasberry vinaigrette dressing and it was much better. For our entrees I ordered the special of shrimp and grits, which was a little to cheesy. My husband had the rib eye ordered medium rare and it was cooked to perfection. It could have used some seasoning, but was an ok steak. Overall the meal was above average, and we would recommend this

Poor Richard! (Pun Intended) We visited Poor Richard’s last Saturday after my nephews graduation. This was my first time but not the first for my nephew and the local folks. Leading up to our reservation I heard only good things… great selection, good steaks and friendly staff. Well, «Hi my name is Rhonda — is this going to be one check!» Is the first thing I heard, then «Good cause one check makes it easier for me, what are you drinking?!» That didn’t sit very well with me but is what it is.
We were a total of 13 so we were given 2 servers. Smart idea — except it didn’t work out very well. 1^st Rhonda only took 9 peoples drink orders and walked away. When told about it, made a face and came back.
The menu offerings were as good as I was told. Prime Rib, Filet Mignon, Tortilla soup, artichoke dip (spicy goodness), nachos, etc.
I should step back a bit and say that we were seated in a room in the back which had two other large parties. I think its smart as you keep the other tables free for smaller reservations.
We all placed our orders and it seems to have taken forever to start coming out. One of my aunts said, «Do you notice that no other table has food right now?» Any who, we were having good conversation so it didn’t matter that much. Eventually soups and salads started coming out. This is where it got down to ‘poor’ customer service. We ordered two french onion soups at the table. One came out the other did not. When we asked Rhonda, she said, «It may have gone to the other side of the kitchen since its two of us working this table, in addition downstairs is very full today and the kitchen is backed up!» NOT MY PROBLEM RHONDA! The other server came out a few minutes later with an extra Tortilla soup, instead of waiting for the french onion, which we thought would not come out anyway, we took that one. Fast forward to Rhonda coming out with the French Onion soup. My nephew’s girlfriend told her that she’d eaten the tortilla soup since it never came out. Rhonda proceeded to become very defensive… said it was not her fault and point at another of our friends saying this lady told me to just bring things out. Not sure why she did that. Help me Rhonda… Help help me Rhonda — understand why you did that. She got loud and out of line at our table. To the point where we had to ask her to drop it.
From the bad comes good. The manager was very understanding and apologetic. Although there was nothing taken off the bill nor a piece of cake offered, she acknowledged that this woman was out of line and would be spoken too.
The other server did a kick a$$ job. I felt terrible for her because it puts her in an awkward position. She handled it well and we made sure to tip her accordingly. Wish we wouldn’t have tipped for Rhonda but is what it is. Hopefully this is a learning experience for her. Customer is always right — regardless if you were busy or had a bad day at home.
I will give it a second try when I come back to the area because it did get great reviews from family and friends.

Fantastic meal! We stumbled upon this place (with the help of Unilocal) while in town for a rowing championship. I had the chicken and others in my party had steaks or seafood. Everyone was thrilled with their meal. The salads were fresh and delicious. The bacon dressing was a huge hit. The baked potatoes are to die for! You must have one if you go.

Ms B and I brought my mom to Gainesville for a high school reunion, and while here, we met my cousins, who live in town, for dinner at Poor Richards. Ms B and I both ordered wine (dry reds), which were quite satisfactory. The menu does offer a fairly extensive selection of appetizers and entrees. For dinner, I went with the small grilled filet, medium rare, which came with asparagus and potatoes. The filet was good — cooked just right — and the potatoes were… potatoes. The asparagus was very tasty, if a little tough. Ms B ordered the fried gulf shrimp, which she found quite good. I will say that, for what you get here, the entrees are fairly pricey, but on Friday night, certain items on the menu — including the filet — were discounted 10%, which was a decent deal. Our server was attentive and always courteous; definitely deserving of a generous tip. I found the atmosphere appealing, the noise level generally low. Overall, while hardly «exciting,» it was a completely satisfactory experience. A restaurant worth returning to.

We lived in Gainesville Ga almost 20 years ago and at that time this was one of the top places to eat. This weekend I was back in town for an event and decided to try it again. From the outside it looked the same and once inside I could see that unfortunately there was no change there either. It always felt cozy but now I would have to describe it as tired. They really need to update the interior and exterior if they want to maintain the current price levels.
I ordered from the fish of the day menu and had Grouper and my wife had one of their chicken dishes. While good it was not really anything special. Her chicken was prepared in a heavy red wine type sauce that was very strong and pretty salty. My fish was a bit too fishy for me though I normally love grouper. Pricing was not crazy but to me they were not reflective of the quality of food. For $ 24.99 for an entrée I expected a little more in terms of the food quality as well as the restaurant appearance. I don’t want anyone to think it was not good because it was as is reflected with the 3 star rating. I think I came here hoping to get a 4 star meal so perhaps I expected too much based on my experiences here in the mid 1990s.

Dined here on a week night and was pleased.
Décor:
Homy well worn feeling. Lovely pine paneled walls reminded me of old-​Georgia and old-​Florida places of yore. Crazy acoustic effect in the booth area made it possible to hear three tables nearby simultaneously, some nutty folks around this town!
Seasonal Menu:
Had the soft-​shell crab appetizer and it was perfect. I am from FL and have lived on the Chesapeake Bay in MD — I know crab.
Menu:
Bread — very good! A wheat roll and a french roll. Server offered more but we declined to save room for the other courses.
Had the fried oyster dinner with egg parm side. (was plenty to split with a date) The oysters were merely OK. The egg plant parm was OK as well, eggplant was not overdone but you couldnt call the drust crispy. Tartar and cocktail sauce were yummy. A tasty meal and not bad for $ 20-​ish.
I had french onion soup and it was good. Lovely cheese top bake and bread, decent soup but had a vaguely powdered taste, like maybe it was liptons powder base or some other pre-​canned stock base. — Decent++
My date had the vegetable soup and it was lovely. She loved it and I enjoyed my taste.
Service:
Very attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. Kept the table up and the drinks filled, I drank about 5 glasses of water because I was thirsty when I arrived. Unfortunately she missed the 2 salad ask altogether, there was too much food and it wasnt on the bill so, so no harm or foul.
On my first run I would say this looks like more of a steak place, although the seafood menu was fairly extensive. If I hadnt grilled giant steaks the day before dining here I would have sampled the beef.

We have eaten here several times since moving to No. GA and have never been disappointed. Last night was no exception as we brought our daughter for her first Poor Richard’s experience.
After commenting earlier that she was up for soup, salad and bread sticks at the new Gainesville Olive Garden (which we opted out of because the crowd there and the crazy traffic in their parking lot was just too much to wait for) my favorite girl cleared her plate of a steak and side of eggplant Parmesan (what an awesome side!!)…all this after having the hot bread and her salad.
Hubby had a shish kebob with a side of broccoli au gratin and I had the pork tenderloin special. All was delish.
Our server, Rhonda, was right on top of drink refills and checking in with us at the right times to make sure we were doing well.
I am in total agreement with several other reviewers… gotta try their hot bacon dressing on a salad. It is so good!
Daughter liked her first meal at Poor Richard’s and said it’s a definite «go back». Score one for this place with the younger crowd! Woohoo!
If you are in the area, give this place a try. I don’t think it will disappoint.

One of the best places to eat in Gainesville. I have never had a bad meal here. Definitely get the hot bacon dressing on a salad

I dined here every year for 6 years in a row on the same night of the year, in attempts to celebrate a once special occasion. I used to think the world of this place, maybe it was my age, maybe it was the time, but now I’m starting to think that maybe it was my lack of knowledge towards the finer things in life. Granted their Warm bacon dressing is one of the ones that I still rave about, but honestly… everything else was just… well…mediocre. But for what it is & for where it is I guess its the best that city has to offer. Sorry Gainesville…

Guest of in town locals last night and Poor Richard was a must do. Had thePrime Rib and it was served with Au Jus and a side of Horseradish. Entrée arrived after a delightful spinach salad (with boiled egg and bacon) dressed in a warm bacon vinagrette. Salad was delicious and definitely abhaed find for such dressing! Entrée came with a loaded baked potato and steamed broccoli. For dessert do the NY cheesecake. I would like to award a perfect score for the service was polite and Southern and attentive. However, the iced tea left a lot to be desired. My beverage tasted like fish, and the coffee with dessert really missed the mark. They have lots of other beverage selections, and I look forward to returning again in hopes of increasing the rating to a five star.
Oh, be sure to check your chair before seating — the chair I received had something sticky, but it did not soil my trousers. Only mention it for the dining area is a tad dated and the furniture has that worn look an feel.
Enjoy!

I wish I could give Poor Richards 3.5 stars. To me 3 stars says «average» and PR is not average, but I do not really think it is quite a 4-​star place either. However, with a nod to other reviewers, I will round up rather than down.
My date and I went to PR, my first time, her second. I was very impressed with ambiance of the restaurant. No fancy theme like many places… just classy but kinda dark and intimate.
Service was attentive. I got the broiled seafood platter which came with a salad which was good, though the boiled egg was a nice inclusion that I have not had in a while. The shrimp and scallops were great and the trout was quite tasty. The food was a little bland, but a little salt and pepper along with the tartar and cocktail sauces took care of that. The hushpuppies were a little doughy unfortunately. The bread was great, especially the wheat bread.
My date got the stuffed shrimp. Turns out, they were not to her liking, not because there was anything wrong with them, just that she is not a fan of «crab cake stuffing» and she thought it was stuffed with straight crab. Thus, hard to get a read on that dish.
I did think it was a little pricey for what you get. As noted, the food was not bad, but for the prices they charge, it should be a cut above. Bottomline, PR meets the most important test, however — would I go back. Yes!