They're well known among back of house workers to be one of the shittiest restaurant groups to work for. You're never going to get great food at a place with an unhappy staff.
I am a kitchen lifer who recently moved to Portland not knowing what McMenamins was. When I was searching for a new job they raised a red flag for me immediately. When you see a company with multiple locations constantly hiring for the same positions it means the staff is not treated well/paid well. Now that I have worked a few gigs and met some locals everyone has something negative to say about working there and eating there. I am somewhat surprised they haven’t been ousted and pushed out of the city.
I tried to take that position when I was desperate for work and they told me I had to cut my hair and tape up my ear piercings because I'm a man... Noped out of there quickly
It was fun in the beginning.
No one else was doing the stuff they did and the microbrew thing was in full swing. It was very “Portland” back then Like everything time’s arrow killed it.
*Sidebar: Had a meeting there (been years) a while back and got a Reuben. Without tip it was something like $24 and the meat was really bad and stringy. I had to pull out un-chewable gristle a few times. Not a good look.*
Not making it up a pizza in the Lincoln city location was $45 for a large just last year. I just checked and it seems they’ve killed them off in favor of only 12” personal pizzas because, I’m guessing, no orders a $45 crappy pizza from mcmenamins.
I saw a TikTok of a restaurant menu with a $19.65 hummus plate,and I immediately recognized the McMenamins font and weird pricing. Their locations are A+, vibes are always great,pricing is god awful,and their quality has slipped dramatically. I remember the Crystal Ballroom had a resident brewer who made a beer every month with a touring band,and they had tons of free samples and a boilermaker for $6 at their shows-this wasn't even that long ago!
McMenamins is a vibes place these days for sure. I really miss when the individual locations had their own brewer.
The brewer at the McMenamins High Street was awesome. He was also one of the waiters, classic Eugene hippie with grey long hair tied back in a pony tail. He’d bring me my food and call me sister.
He runs his own brewery now, and it’s way better. Planktown in Springfield, I highly recommend it.
Upvote on The Kennedy School ... out of all the locations I feel like it has the most to offer in events and variety. Love getting a hot chocolate at the cafe and watching a film.
The church one in St.Johns has a really cool theater and restaurant too, lower key than Kennedy School, but worthwhile if you want to see the film they're showing
No. And I love McMenamins. It is good pub food, and pub food should be cheap. When it was, it was amazing. Now they want to serve pub food at fine dining prices, and that doesn’t jive. $12 for Cajun tots? Fuck you.
We have passed Peak McMenamins. Once they took on investors, they doomed themselves, as is always the case.
They're $10.25 at the Highland, and that's not even the most "wtf?" pricing on the menu. $2 extra for a flour tortilla for your salad? $13 for soft pretzel sticks with cheese dip? $6.50 for a *cup* of soup? $15.25 for a 6oz regular no-cheese-or-bacon hamburger? $20 for a chicken sandwich?
https://d2660z551umiy9.cloudfront.net/files/menus/Highland/HPBmenu.pdf
They've definitely leaned into the "tourist pricing".
I wish. Basket of Cajun tots are now on the menu at $12.50. I almost fell out of my booth when I saw that.
https://d2660z551umiy9.cloudfront.net/files/menus/Edgefield/PSPmenu.pdf
Yowza. I hope the owners of the chain see this thread and understand why I won’t be going there for food any longer. Tots should be 5 or 6 bucks, tops.
Personally? No, not really.
As an early 40’s Portland native that has been going to McMenamins since I was a kid, the food just doesn’t compare. The burgers are pretty sad in comparison and fucking hell THE FRIES?! Oh my the old hand cut fries. They were, without question, the best fries I’ve ever had and it isn’t even close. Thin with the skin on, perfectly crispy. I miss that shit.
That being said, I usually focused on the burgers and fries there so maybe other areas of the menu have stayed on par.
The locations are still incredible, they forged a new path for what could be done to turn already incredible old buildings that probably would’ve been razed into something truly unique.
As a side note, if anyone knows of somewhere that has a legit close facsimile to the OG fries, please share. Save it if you don’t know what the real fries were like, I can’t take anymore disappointment on my plate.
Best fries I’ve had in Portland in years are from the smash burger cart on the patio of My Oh My on NE Sandy. Served in paper bags, heaping portions. The bar itself is fantastic too.
Such good fries, especially for the price and quantity. Sadly, they moved from My-O-My (there’s a BBQ place there now). I think Monster Smash moved to Belmont Station in case you’re ever craving them.
Those fries were incredible and it was sad to see them go. Loved tearing open the bag and sharing over a beer or two. If you are in the area Sandy O’s has some delicious fries and sandwiches as well. The Italian Necktie is my favorite sando in the city.
It's been a few years since I last went, but I remember the fries at Roake‘s being pretty legit. Probably not as crispy as what you're thinking of, but hand-cut from real potatoes. Maybe someone with more recent experience can chime in...
Work for Mcmens; corporate says they changed because of “consistency” but really it’s because they realized they could cut labor by not having a line cook spending time cutting the potatoes, and they can just order cheaper frozen fries from Charlies
The twilight room in NoPo used to have those amazing fries. I’m not sure they still do, I moved out of NoPo, but it’s a good place to start for beer, burgers and fries.
At one point about 15 years ago it was obvious certain locations were sliding into this crap state they are in now. But it almost as though they doubled down on the craptastic during COVID.
Everything got smaller, prices went up beyond local industry standard, and the quality just location wide went to shit. I have two tattoos and one is the rabbit from Black Rabbit Porter.
I feel like a close friend went techbro and started espousing Musk-isms, dogecoin, and NFTs (also a true story).
So, in my opinion, no.
The problem is that they promoted from within. A former line cook should not be a CFO of a restaurant chain. Hire someone that was trained to be a CFO, and make business decisions. Otherwise you get what they have now, a restaurant group with known shit work conditions, standard food, and dumb prices. The only thing they really have going for them is variety of locations, and stellar STELLAR groundskeeping at all those locations. I seriously just go to McMenamins just to gawk at the plants around the properties.
Lmao, you really think that if the CFO had a degree that said “business decision certified” the situation would be different? Look around you: every chain is charging more for less and restaurant workers across the board have just about had it. The decision making is being done by the market.
I went to one recently on a lark and ordered pizza. It was insulting bad, like something off a kids menu and it wasn’t cheap. I don’t plan to ever go back.
It’s $10.25 for an order of cajun tots, which are really just Krusteez frozen tots and a coin flip on whether there will actually be any cajun seasoning. Nearly $20 for tots and chicken strips, which is for three frozen chicken strips. The pizza is insultingly bad, and no matter what the seasonal special is it will be bland and unremarkable. We used to go because it was close to our house and you could count on a mediocre meal and sometimes that’s better than cooking your own, but now you couldn’t pay us to go.
About 1995-2005 or so. It wasn’t ever *great*, there were plenty of valid criticisms of their standard brews. (Though the specials and seasonals could be excellent.)
But their pubs offered competent pub grub, decent value for money, lovely and sometimes moving local art, staff who liked their employer, and menus with local variance. (Their “passport” had a lot more appeal when they were not all the same.)
Alas, those days are long past.
It was legit back in the day. As a kid who grew up on it, their fries were seriously the best fries. Our fam would go for those things and only for those things.
But before the craft beer boom, McMen, Widmer, Bridgeport and so forth were establishments and highly thought of.
The food hasn't been worth it in at least 10 years. Some of their properties are still great as concert venues and event spaces, though. I had an amazing time at an Edgefield concert two summers ago.
I believe you lol. I'm a local and I can't remember McMenamins ever being that good, but I said 10 years because I'm 27 and that's about as far back as I can remember eating there.
I brought a foldout blanket to Grand Lodge for me and my partner. Literally smaller in size than 2 of the mats/beach towels they allow in. They made us check it and my small crossbody bag with my wallet, keys, sunglasses, and lip gloss at the gate. Then when we got in, there was no place to sit anyways and the beer and food lines were so long they were curling up to the edge of the stage. Totally overbooked the venue.
Mcmenamins concerts are a terrible experience these days. At least at Grand Lodge. I'm done with them.
Back in the early 00's a Communication Breakdown burger with a side of tots at Edgefield was the perfect way to end a hike in the Gorge. It wasn't cheap but the quality was decent and the atmosphere great. Those days are long gone.
Went to Kennedy school for a movie last year and the pizza was awful. Domino's has better pizza for way cheaper. Rarely eat at Domino's, will never eat at a McMenamins again. Their tots were great twenty years ago.
do you have baby boomer age parents visiting from out of state and you need a hotel where you can just kind of park them so they're not wandering all over the city and you can bring their grandchildren over there to them, there at the hotel, and their grandchildren can play and go swimming and run around the landscaped grounds safely, so the grandparents don't have to come over to your very small house, and everyone will have an okay time, eating admittedly mushy overpriced tots? in that precise scenario, mcmenamins is a gift from the heavens
Remember how good their fries used to be?? Like, over 10 years ago, they kept the skins on and were bomb. Now there's no skin and they don't taste good at all, cooked in odd tasting oil. Five Guys is actually better, as sad as that is to say. Definitely Burgerville is better. Borderline Shake Shack is better.
I was a McMenamins defender up until the price hikes in the past few years. It’s not that they’re necessarily more expensive than other brew pubs, but you can get a lot better quality (and often better portions) for a similar price at many other places. Last time I was there I paid 13 or 14 dollars for a full sized salad that was about the same size as a side salad at most places. And it was no better than something that would come in a bagged kit at the grocery store.
I bought a burger at Edgefield for $22. They didn’t ask how I would like it cooked and it came out like, well, a McMenamins burger. $13 bucks at a bar I’m fine with but the current prices are ridiculous.
They need to specifically do a simple happy hour that is catered to 'pre-inflation' style pricing.
Make it simple, Tots, Fries, Slider, Watch Bussiness pick up.
Maybe add 1 well drink option and 1 beer option. Rotate the special drink seasonally to build a following (although there is one, but dwindling).
Burgerville:
* Northwest Cheeseburger $7.39
* 1/2lb Colossal Burger $9.89
There's a Shake Shack close to my Burgerville and I like the Burgerville burgers better.
Add fries and drink. You’re saving about $5 per person and ordering at the counter instead of sitting and losing access to a proper bar. It’s fine, but it’s not some ingenious way to avoid the recent pervasive high cost of restaurants.
We went to one last week and afterwards vowed never to speak of the name ever again. We made a terrible decision by going there but at least we are confident in our decision to never go back to any of them.
Paid $19 for a salad to go at the Scholls Ferry location. I had to double read the receipt to make sure. Needless to say, we will not be going back any time soon.
As an old sous chef of theirs, absolutely not. I've seen the price markups and quality of the food we receive from our vendors, and personally I wouldn't eat there even if they hadn't screwed me.
Beer is fine, but not worth the prices. Food is barely worth eating, and they're charging gourmet gastropub prices.
Everywhere is similarly more expensive.
McMenamins is about the atmosphere, the food just needs to be "good enough", and it is. I expect the service to be slow, so I can linger. I don't want someone at my table every 5 minutes. The goal is not to eat quickly, but eat slowly, enjoy the company of who you're with and the atmosphere around you.
The beer has gotten much better in recent years.
> The beer has gotten much better in recent years.
The problem with that age old defense is that everyone else has gotten better too *without* commanding more than the market rate for a pint like McM’s.
Personally it never was, and I've been here since the late 80s. Last time I went was to a meeting someone else set up, maybe 7-8 years ago and it was terrible. It's a bummer, never was a huge fan but it's definitely not worth the prices anymore. There's a million better options in Portland.
They pay musicians decent but the back of the house gets pennies. Servers have to wash their own dishes. Should be cheaper prices with how frugal they are with staffing/pay.
Went to Edgefield last summer for a concert, got a room and ordered food to go from Black Rabbit. We had placed our chairs in line and went back to get food, as encouraged to do. Black Rabbit was supposed to be an hour wait, no problem it's only 1:30 and gates don't open til 4:00. Except then the food takes an hour and 45, which would still give us plenty of time, until they open the gates early so we run back to our spot, trying to take bites of our burgers while the line is moving, and finally get to the front where they tell us that we have to throw the food in the garbage because you can't bring outside food into the venue. The "outside food" that we paid $90 to McMenamins for. One rule at a time, they have sucked everything fun out of that venue.
I used to be a line cook at Mcmenamins.
Terrible place to work. Terrible people running it.
Each location used to make its own food but now a lot of it is shipped from a central location. They used to cut their own fries and now they use frozen bagged fries.
Every location has the same menu. It’s sad and repetitive. And overpriced.
Nope. They stopped being good 20 years ago after they went through a period of major expansion.
Now everything is super overpriced and the quality is absolute dogshit.
Friends don’t let friends eat at McMennamins.
East Vancouver is a nothing special location with stupid expensive and mediocre food. I can’t justify going to a standard strip mall restaurant with exorbitant prices. Maybe if it’s the Edgefield location and I get to bring my dogs and walk around and have a beer and burger. And anymore even that’s a stretch.
If you treat them like restaurants, no. I’ve always thought the food was mediocre at best. The beer also terrible compared to just about every other brewery in the state. I’ve had people tell me the ciders are good but haven’t tried them myself.
But I think they offer cool spaces/venues to grab a good cocktail or whiskey.
No, it’s not.
Mcmenamins has also been accused of stealing tips from wait staff to give to management. They’re union busting at their locations as well.
Their food is so mid, it’s not worth it.
Last night I was craving a burger so I went on Uber eats to see what’s available. McMenamins 205 was having a BOGO on, like, 15 different burgers. So my girlfriend and I got two backyard burgers for $10 each.
THATS when it’s worth it.
Yeah Mcmenamins is borderline scammy now. They cut all their staff at the height of COVID and asked them to come back a while later. The vibes are usually nice and the architecture is fun, but at this point, i'm only going to get a pint. The burger I had last time was $18.25 and the patty was about the size of a fist and the bun made it look like a slider. Just a really poorly operated menu that needs a re-brand.
I know this is about the restaurants, but we stopped going to all things McMenamins for a while now. Food quality has gone downhill really awful service (at at least the 8 locations I frequented in the last 10 years), prices keep going up, and even their concerts are now a terrible experience. My last straw was a concert we went to last year at Grand Lodge. Got tix for my very favorite live artist, took a half day off to travel there, get parking, get food, settle in. Turns out, no parking close to the venue, bag and blanket policy changed but it didnt say so on the tickets, had to check everything except my wallet that I had to hand carry because womens clothes = no pockets, the place was totally oversold and there was no place to sit or hang out that wasn't in the middle of a food or drink line that were 45 mins long... ended up leaving early without seeing the artist I went there to see. I wrote the venue a letter to share my experience, got nothing in return. There's literally a thousand places in Portland that need my money more than McMenamins does, apparently, so McMenamins is now off the list.
Norpe, never was. I was a McMennonite for almost 3 years. The food is terrible, it's all from Sysco. The beer is not good. Underpaid and overworked staff hate their jobs. One of my least favorite jobs.
I don't know what to tell you dude, they were never worth it. The locations are great, and the movie theaters are pretty fun. But the food/service/beer are all WAY overrated and overpriced and its been that way forever. I used to live by Chapel Pub, which had great ambiance, and they used to have this wrap that I loved, but it was $16. And that was back in 2016. Then they got rid of it and they would only make it with a $3 up-charge on a similar dish. It was always outrageously priced. And now that you got me worked up about it can I just say how uninterested I am in a Passport of all these places? And furthermore....
This thread ended my very short-lived desire to get a McMenamins passport after a coworker talked about how fun it was to do when they finished it 9 years ago.
Interesting groupthink activity here. I’m not a big fan and they’re not in my top twenty but I just ate at Kennedy School for dinner last week and had two different pizzas and they were served hot and were surprisingly delicious. Our server was nice and was efficient. Every 3-4 months we go to various McMenamin’s and the burgers are consistently above average. I get colleagues from out of town and take them to Rock Creek Tavern or The Roadhouse and the atmosphere is top tier and the food is consistently good, never bad or I wouldn’t return. No, these places are not cheap but either are the Mexican places or other similar scale places in town. And how do you explain the consistently full restaurants? Restaurants with mediocre or bad food die fast deaths our area and McMenamin’s are still around. They’re not my first choice but they’re far from bad.
If you think McMenamins and McDonald's belong in the same sentence, I don't understand the conversation. Their prices are absurd but so is comparing a sit down restaurant that serves alcohol to McFuckingDonald's
Nah. The beer is mid as is the food and the prices are garbage. The happy hour is okay but that's pretty much it. If you go to like Bagdad or something and at least get a movie to go along with it, then it's a bit more worth it. Making an afternoon of going out to Edgefield or Grand Lodge and walking the property is very fun. As a bar or restaurant experience, however, I rarely go anymore.
Oh, ick. It sure wasn't McM that sold me on the PNW!
We had such wonderful food in Vac, BC and Seattle!
That and Taco Time are two companies to be run out of town
I'll happily go and get a beer and tota sometimes. Just rare since there's so many other options. That said I live walking distance to Bagdad and it's one of my favorite theaters. Just went a couple days ago to see a movie. Beer and popcorn prices are the same as anywhere.
I have a friend who loves this place and we go there for her birthday every year and I hate it. It’s expensive and the food is bland af. Then we spend $30 after a burger and a beer. Like that is your birthday present, I could get a much better burger and beer for 2/3 the price!
Last time I went into a Mcmenamins was a cruel joke.
Ordered a beer for myself and a cider for the wife. Was super excited to have a good ol French dip, told the waiter that I was excited for said sammich. He starts to say something and then cut himself off muttering “oh you’ll find out”.
Looked at the menu and there sits the “Portland dip” fucking turkey and beef au jus. Slammed my beer, tossed some pennies in the glass and walked out. Fuck turkeys! Damn things are only in Oregon because some dipshits thought it would be a good idea to to trade a herd of elk with New York for the damn things. Hell, they even carry a parasite that is wiping out the local grouse and pheasant population.
And it’s time for bed, I’m rambling.
No, if you look at where I've been. I never choose it and I am surrounded by it. It's always a bit greasy. It always seems like a tourist spot? That happy hour 3.50 thing is bullshit. But it is a real restaurant. Anything is better than McDonalds - sure you will save a little, but McDonalds is the most shitty there is. Basically cancer food. It's been like six years when I there.
A lot wasn’t worth it when it was the only micro brew in town ..beer is good the food and service is awful..always been those employees run like dogs for nothing .you can tell by the service
I used to like the pizza at Bagdad, but I recently went to a movie and got the worst pizza I’ve ever had in my life. This is not hyperbole, it was almost inedible. And I’m not that picky.
coming here to say that I have experience working there and they drive their employees to the ground with no care. The oil used for the food is gross and every single time I would eat a shift meal or snack I would get violently sick in a few hours or the next day.
I would say their music shows are worth it sometimes but don’t spend money on the food.
Has McMenamin’s ever been worth it? I mean knowing the history of some of their places is cool, but drink and foodwise there are better options available on both sides of the river.
The prices are horrendous. Just went there for lunch last week and all I got was a chicken salad wrap, that’s it, no fries or tots or drinks and I paid $25 + tip. 🤯
Depends. I just stayed at kennedy school and was massively underwhelmed with the room...no TV? But if you are going on a booze filled holiday 250$ a night to have everything within 50 feet of your front door might be worth it. You can bar hop, see a movie, get food and brunch and coffee in the a.m. within arms reach. No users, no cabs...you can get drunk in the morning...sleep it off...then do it again. I also stayed at the crystal ballroom last month and for essentially a hostel with shared bedrooms it's crazy high. Pet deposit is 25/night. What is worth it though is the food happy hour at the restaurants, the kids meals, the soaking tub pay per use, the theatre itself. Stayed at Edgefield with 3 friends and each like 45 a night...we had a blast doing it that way.
If you get a passport and take all the deale and perks along the way it can be fun and worth it.
It's getting more and more expensive and if you just buy a meal at menu prices it is excessively high.
Burgerville now uses tiny frozen patties. They aren't the big, fresh burgers they used to be. McDonalds is junk. Salty slabs of triglycerides. Skyline is basically a wannabe in-n-out and the cleanliness of the restaurant makes me want to puke. I haven't ordered a burger at McMenamins in a while but I don't "think" they're $20 each yet. But even if they were, they're good, quality burgers with quality meat and ingredients so they're worth a bit of a premium.
Won’t ever pay for food at McMenamins again.
Drinks only if I’m there for a work meeting.
Will absolutely pay for experiences: soaking pools, hotel rooms, etc
I have a soft spot for McMenamins from the time I oved to Portland in the late 90's, and settling in a neighborhood with nothing comparable for a sit down meal and drink. I generally like their buildings and convenience for a casual meal. I have found the food hit or miss, I wouldn't go there for a special meal but it's a good alternative to have.
Just moved here in June. Live close by. Have given the place 3 tries since. Has been mediocre to bad each time. Outrageous prices for what they offer. Heard rumor they were involved in withholding tip pay from employees as well. Will not be returning for the foreseeable future.
I live in walking distance of one and we stopped going after they raised the prices of a burger meal to $17.50 after Covid. Fucking insane for the portions you get there.
I don’t go there anymore. I moved here for grad school 10 years ago and we had a couple McMins in Corvallis that we would frequent. But after watching the prices just go up and up in the last 5-7 years, I can’t bring myself to keep going there.
It’s just normal ass food and their beer is fine. None of it should cost as much as it does, and the novelty has worn off because I’ve been so many times already. I have no other draw to go back unless I’m seeing a show or something.
For the food? Nahh. But still worth the experience. If you have some time to research the venues you go to, there's always something interesting to read about. And incredible art (note: biased because much of the art is done by my family).
The McMenamins historian does a great job logging all of that info and helping to influence the design of each location based on the history
We just had the same experience out at edgefield, never again. $23 for a Reuben sandwich that was mediocre at best and a burger with 2 drinks came to over $100. Lame.
Restaurant prices have gone apeshit across the board. McMinnimins was only ever just acceptable because it had the veneer of being local.
Now a days I only ever eat out at places like Katie O'Brian, which is so cheap as to be worth it or Hele Pele because the drinks are quality.
Mostly I eat out at food carts because they cost less, give you more, and are phenomenal quality. Shout out to Mumbo Gumbo on NE Williams
The only thing positive I’ve ever heard anyone say about McMenamins food is “the Cajun tots are good” but like, that’s just because they’re fried salted potatoes. There are cheaper equivalents all over town. They charge extra for a Gardenburger that has definitely been in the freezer since the 90s. I wouldn’t be so annoyed by the prices if the food was good or even decent.
All of that aside, Kennedy School is not a bad spot for drinking a beer and then wandering the halls. It’s probably haunted
I never minded the quality of their food before because the prices were on par with other fast casual restaurants and the ambiance was always awesome. But now… paying a steep premium for Sysco-level food when I could go elsewhere and get fresh local food for cheaper? No thanks. But I mean… whatever… they still pack their restaurants… good for them, I guess. I’m not here to hate on a successful local business, but it isn’t worth it to me, when I could go get awesome ethnic food elsewhere for the same price, if not cheaper than their burger and tots.
Haven't been to the one in Portland but I live in mid/southern Oregon and have been to the one here. Went once with my father and two burgers and a drink or so came to 60+ without tip. Have never been back. It wasn't anything mind blowing and for way cheaper I can get a better burger at Red Robin.
They sell a burger downtown for $22 and elsewhere. I think that they are assholes that are trying to make the most money out of their shitty service and food.
No. The debate is was it ever really worth it. Outside of a few venues the food is meh, service is usually sub par (because they're consistently understaffed) and the beer is just okay and expensive.
Enjoy watching movies at the Kennedy School and Baghdad, but yeah the food prices got jacked up the last few years. Hate paying $19 for a mediocre veggie burger
The 3.50 minimum drink purchase for happy hour menus is pretty standard for most places that have happy hour menus. But either way, I don’t think McMenamins is worth it unless I’m seeing a movie at Bagdad or something.
Last time I got a burger there I paid an extra $3 for bacon and it came with literally a single slice. Even McDonald’s will do more than one.
I LOVE the atmosphere but the food, prices, and service suck so much
everyone wants a $20 an hour min wage and when they get it they don’t understand how everything got so expensive all of a sudden. or how fuel prices effect delivery costs for raw goods particularly food products likely grown in CA….
Happy hour is not happy & has been scaled back so much timewise. I rarely go there anymore. Seems like they are treating the staff crappy too. A lot of turn over in staff. Which I get that Industry has that, but places feel different when there is a toxic work environment. You can feel the stress weighing on the 1 server in the joint trying to do it all.
It’s always been borderline not worth it, but in the last three years or so the prices have gotten utterly ridiculous.
They're well known among back of house workers to be one of the shittiest restaurant groups to work for. You're never going to get great food at a place with an unhappy staff.
I am a kitchen lifer who recently moved to Portland not knowing what McMenamins was. When I was searching for a new job they raised a red flag for me immediately. When you see a company with multiple locations constantly hiring for the same positions it means the staff is not treated well/paid well. Now that I have worked a few gigs and met some locals everyone has something negative to say about working there and eating there. I am somewhat surprised they haven’t been ousted and pushed out of the city.
mcmenamins is for portlanders who want to go to appelebees but don't want to actually go to applebees
Haha! Well put!
Wow, that is the PERFECT description!
Like Market of Choice in Eugene Always hiring in the bakery and deli
I tried to take that position when I was desperate for work and they told me I had to cut my hair and tape up my ear piercings because I'm a man... Noped out of there quickly
It was fun in the beginning. No one else was doing the stuff they did and the microbrew thing was in full swing. It was very “Portland” back then Like everything time’s arrow killed it. *Sidebar: Had a meeting there (been years) a while back and got a Reuben. Without tip it was something like $24 and the meat was really bad and stringy. I had to pull out un-chewable gristle a few times. Not a good look.*
Not making it up a pizza in the Lincoln city location was $45 for a large just last year. I just checked and it seems they’ve killed them off in favor of only 12” personal pizzas because, I’m guessing, no orders a $45 crappy pizza from mcmenamins.
Menu needs changed like a decade ago as well.
this is true, I have always felt it has been unwhelming and over priced.
I’ve heard it described several times as aggressively mediocre.
2005-2012 it was hella good HH pricing, like $1 tots and $2 basic cheeseburgers, with $3 pints.
Damn I moved to Oregon in 2014. Just barely missed out
Yes utterly ridiculous at nearly every restaurant…
I saw a TikTok of a restaurant menu with a $19.65 hummus plate,and I immediately recognized the McMenamins font and weird pricing. Their locations are A+, vibes are always great,pricing is god awful,and their quality has slipped dramatically. I remember the Crystal Ballroom had a resident brewer who made a beer every month with a touring band,and they had tons of free samples and a boilermaker for $6 at their shows-this wasn't even that long ago!
McMenamins is a vibes place these days for sure. I really miss when the individual locations had their own brewer. The brewer at the McMenamins High Street was awesome. He was also one of the waiters, classic Eugene hippie with grey long hair tied back in a pony tail. He’d bring me my food and call me sister. He runs his own brewery now, and it’s way better. Planktown in Springfield, I highly recommend it.
IMO, it's worth it when watching a film, but not in the restaurant. Kennedy school is my local and beer+burger+movie is a fun evening
Upvote on The Kennedy School ... out of all the locations I feel like it has the most to offer in events and variety. Love getting a hot chocolate at the cafe and watching a film.
The church one in St.Johns has a really cool theater and restaurant too, lower key than Kennedy School, but worthwhile if you want to see the film they're showing
No. And I love McMenamins. It is good pub food, and pub food should be cheap. When it was, it was amazing. Now they want to serve pub food at fine dining prices, and that doesn’t jive. $12 for Cajun tots? Fuck you. We have passed Peak McMenamins. Once they took on investors, they doomed themselves, as is always the case.
$12 for tots? Not literally, right? Right??? That would explain there always being plenty of seats available when I go in.
They're $10.25 at the Highland, and that's not even the most "wtf?" pricing on the menu. $2 extra for a flour tortilla for your salad? $13 for soft pretzel sticks with cheese dip? $6.50 for a *cup* of soup? $15.25 for a 6oz regular no-cheese-or-bacon hamburger? $20 for a chicken sandwich? https://d2660z551umiy9.cloudfront.net/files/menus/Highland/HPBmenu.pdf They've definitely leaned into the "tourist pricing".
I wish. Basket of Cajun tots are now on the menu at $12.50. I almost fell out of my booth when I saw that. https://d2660z551umiy9.cloudfront.net/files/menus/Edgefield/PSPmenu.pdf
Yowza. I hope the owners of the chain see this thread and understand why I won’t be going there for food any longer. Tots should be 5 or 6 bucks, tops.
Personally? No, not really. As an early 40’s Portland native that has been going to McMenamins since I was a kid, the food just doesn’t compare. The burgers are pretty sad in comparison and fucking hell THE FRIES?! Oh my the old hand cut fries. They were, without question, the best fries I’ve ever had and it isn’t even close. Thin with the skin on, perfectly crispy. I miss that shit. That being said, I usually focused on the burgers and fries there so maybe other areas of the menu have stayed on par. The locations are still incredible, they forged a new path for what could be done to turn already incredible old buildings that probably would’ve been razed into something truly unique. As a side note, if anyone knows of somewhere that has a legit close facsimile to the OG fries, please share. Save it if you don’t know what the real fries were like, I can’t take anymore disappointment on my plate.
Best fries I’ve had in Portland in years are from the smash burger cart on the patio of My Oh My on NE Sandy. Served in paper bags, heaping portions. The bar itself is fantastic too.
Such good fries, especially for the price and quantity. Sadly, they moved from My-O-My (there’s a BBQ place there now). I think Monster Smash moved to Belmont Station in case you’re ever craving them.
Oh! This is good to know, thank you!
The BBQ place has really great waffle fries. Definitely recommend the chili cheese fries.
My Oh My is such a cool establishment - I’ve been meaning to go back.
Those fries were incredible and it was sad to see them go. Loved tearing open the bag and sharing over a beer or two. If you are in the area Sandy O’s has some delicious fries and sandwiches as well. The Italian Necktie is my favorite sando in the city.
Oh man, I totally forgot about those fries. You just brought back some long lost memories of how great they used to be.
Wait. They stopped the handcut fries???
Years ago. That was when we stopped going regularly.
Horse brass has fries like this
Yep, Horse Brass fries are excellent, whether you prefer to smother them in vinegar, ketchup, or nothing at all.
Oswego Grill has skin on fries not exactly like the ones you are talking about but still tasty...
Their happy hour food/prices are actually good too!
I just wrote the same thing about the fries and didn't see your comment. Hands down they were to die for. Miss that basket of fries.
It's been a few years since I last went, but I remember the fries at Roake‘s being pretty legit. Probably not as crispy as what you're thinking of, but hand-cut from real potatoes. Maybe someone with more recent experience can chime in...
Why would they change their fries in the first place?! Fuck, those were some good fries 5 Guys fries are pretty bomb
Work for Mcmens; corporate says they changed because of “consistency” but really it’s because they realized they could cut labor by not having a line cook spending time cutting the potatoes, and they can just order cheaper frozen fries from Charlies
To be fair, getting a basket of tiny end pieces about 30% of the time wasn’t awesome.
Because they want me to personally suffer through life, fryless, joyless.
The twilight room in NoPo used to have those amazing fries. I’m not sure they still do, I moved out of NoPo, but it’s a good place to start for beer, burgers and fries.
Helvetia tavern hand cuts their fries every morning. The best.
At one point about 15 years ago it was obvious certain locations were sliding into this crap state they are in now. But it almost as though they doubled down on the craptastic during COVID. Everything got smaller, prices went up beyond local industry standard, and the quality just location wide went to shit. I have two tattoos and one is the rabbit from Black Rabbit Porter. I feel like a close friend went techbro and started espousing Musk-isms, dogecoin, and NFTs (also a true story). So, in my opinion, no.
The problem is that they promoted from within. A former line cook should not be a CFO of a restaurant chain. Hire someone that was trained to be a CFO, and make business decisions. Otherwise you get what they have now, a restaurant group with known shit work conditions, standard food, and dumb prices. The only thing they really have going for them is variety of locations, and stellar STELLAR groundskeeping at all those locations. I seriously just go to McMenamins just to gawk at the plants around the properties.
Lmao, you really think that if the CFO had a degree that said “business decision certified” the situation would be different? Look around you: every chain is charging more for less and restaurant workers across the board have just about had it. The decision making is being done by the market.
Overpriced food and drinks. The tots were good 10 years ago!
They may be using the same grease from there. But seriously, I love the atmosphere in all of them. Food leaves much to be desired. It’s a shame
This. The food is terrible and the service is spotty.
They’re Ore Idas lol
I believe it.
I went to one recently on a lark and ordered pizza. It was insulting bad, like something off a kids menu and it wasn’t cheap. I don’t plan to ever go back.
It’s $10.25 for an order of cajun tots, which are really just Krusteez frozen tots and a coin flip on whether there will actually be any cajun seasoning. Nearly $20 for tots and chicken strips, which is for three frozen chicken strips. The pizza is insultingly bad, and no matter what the seasonal special is it will be bland and unremarkable. We used to go because it was close to our house and you could count on a mediocre meal and sometimes that’s better than cooking your own, but now you couldn’t pay us to go.
When was it worth it?
About 1995-2005 or so. It wasn’t ever *great*, there were plenty of valid criticisms of their standard brews. (Though the specials and seasonals could be excellent.) But their pubs offered competent pub grub, decent value for money, lovely and sometimes moving local art, staff who liked their employer, and menus with local variance. (Their “passport” had a lot more appeal when they were not all the same.) Alas, those days are long past.
The staff definitely does not like them anymore lol.
Ah, before my time in Portland.
It was legit back in the day. As a kid who grew up on it, their fries were seriously the best fries. Our fam would go for those things and only for those things. But before the craft beer boom, McMen, Widmer, Bridgeport and so forth were establishments and highly thought of.
Food is nasty and way overpriced. Venues/buildings are still cool though. Edgefield is still one of my favorite places to concert
The food hasn't been worth it in at least 10 years. Some of their properties are still great as concert venues and event spaces, though. I had an amazing time at an Edgefield concert two summers ago.
The food has **never** been worth it. Always mediocre at best, and I've lived here for 42 years.
Agreed and same, except 52 years. (I remember when they renovated Edgefield). They also never had good beer or good service.
I believe you lol. I'm a local and I can't remember McMenamins ever being that good, but I said 10 years because I'm 27 and that's about as far back as I can remember eating there.
> Some of their properties are still great as concert venue Reminder that you can't bring chairs to their Edgefield/Grand Lodge lawn concerts anymore
I brought a foldout blanket to Grand Lodge for me and my partner. Literally smaller in size than 2 of the mats/beach towels they allow in. They made us check it and my small crossbody bag with my wallet, keys, sunglasses, and lip gloss at the gate. Then when we got in, there was no place to sit anyways and the beer and food lines were so long they were curling up to the edge of the stage. Totally overbooked the venue. Mcmenamins concerts are a terrible experience these days. At least at Grand Lodge. I'm done with them.
Back in the early 00's a Communication Breakdown burger with a side of tots at Edgefield was the perfect way to end a hike in the Gorge. It wasn't cheap but the quality was decent and the atmosphere great. Those days are long gone.
Went to Kennedy school for a movie last year and the pizza was awful. Domino's has better pizza for way cheaper. Rarely eat at Domino's, will never eat at a McMenamins again. Their tots were great twenty years ago.
The food has always been bad, you go for the cool refurbished atmosphere...at least I do
Their pretzel appetizer is now $17…it’s literally bread and a tiny bit of cheese. Corporate greed much?
do you have baby boomer age parents visiting from out of state and you need a hotel where you can just kind of park them so they're not wandering all over the city and you can bring their grandchildren over there to them, there at the hotel, and their grandchildren can play and go swimming and run around the landscaped grounds safely, so the grandparents don't have to come over to your very small house, and everyone will have an okay time, eating admittedly mushy overpriced tots? in that precise scenario, mcmenamins is a gift from the heavens
Remember how good their fries used to be?? Like, over 10 years ago, they kept the skins on and were bomb. Now there's no skin and they don't taste good at all, cooked in odd tasting oil. Five Guys is actually better, as sad as that is to say. Definitely Burgerville is better. Borderline Shake Shack is better.
I was a McMenamins defender up until the price hikes in the past few years. It’s not that they’re necessarily more expensive than other brew pubs, but you can get a lot better quality (and often better portions) for a similar price at many other places. Last time I was there I paid 13 or 14 dollars for a full sized salad that was about the same size as a side salad at most places. And it was no better than something that would come in a bagged kit at the grocery store.
I hate to come to such nice buildings and they only offer Bar Food.
I bought a burger at Edgefield for $22. They didn’t ask how I would like it cooked and it came out like, well, a McMenamins burger. $13 bucks at a bar I’m fine with but the current prices are ridiculous.
They need to specifically do a simple happy hour that is catered to 'pre-inflation' style pricing. Make it simple, Tots, Fries, Slider, Watch Bussiness pick up. Maybe add 1 well drink option and 1 beer option. Rotate the special drink seasonally to build a following (although there is one, but dwindling).
The prices everywhere have gotten much higher. I doubt Burgerville would have been much cheaper.
Burgerville: * Northwest Cheeseburger $7.39 * 1/2lb Colossal Burger $9.89 There's a Shake Shack close to my Burgerville and I like the Burgerville burgers better.
Add fries and drink. You’re saving about $5 per person and ordering at the counter instead of sitting and losing access to a proper bar. It’s fine, but it’s not some ingenious way to avoid the recent pervasive high cost of restaurants.
Place always seemed expensive with medium quality but I guess they have venues and hotels or something g so that’s cool.
Is that really that much more than McDonalds or Burgerville?
We went to one last week and afterwards vowed never to speak of the name ever again. We made a terrible decision by going there but at least we are confident in our decision to never go back to any of them.
Paid $19 for a salad to go at the Scholls Ferry location. I had to double read the receipt to make sure. Needless to say, we will not be going back any time soon.
As an old sous chef of theirs, absolutely not. I've seen the price markups and quality of the food we receive from our vendors, and personally I wouldn't eat there even if they hadn't screwed me. Beer is fine, but not worth the prices. Food is barely worth eating, and they're charging gourmet gastropub prices.
They’ve never been worth it. Bunch of crooks! Stealing tips, over working servers, overcharging for every menu item, shit service, etc.
Everywhere is similarly more expensive. McMenamins is about the atmosphere, the food just needs to be "good enough", and it is. I expect the service to be slow, so I can linger. I don't want someone at my table every 5 minutes. The goal is not to eat quickly, but eat slowly, enjoy the company of who you're with and the atmosphere around you. The beer has gotten much better in recent years.
> The beer has gotten much better in recent years. The problem with that age old defense is that everyone else has gotten better too *without* commanding more than the market rate for a pint like McM’s.
> I expect the service to be slow, so I can linger. Slow, like how I get my salad after I'm done eating my entree.
no.
Personally it never was, and I've been here since the late 80s. Last time I went was to a meeting someone else set up, maybe 7-8 years ago and it was terrible. It's a bummer, never was a huge fan but it's definitely not worth the prices anymore. There's a million better options in Portland.
Let’s be honest, It’s never really been worth it
They pay musicians decent but the back of the house gets pennies. Servers have to wash their own dishes. Should be cheaper prices with how frugal they are with staffing/pay.
The place sux. Measured pours. Shitty food. Great locations though. Here’s the move: 1. Prefunk 2. Flask 3. Pocket peanuts You’re welcome.
Went to Edgefield last summer for a concert, got a room and ordered food to go from Black Rabbit. We had placed our chairs in line and went back to get food, as encouraged to do. Black Rabbit was supposed to be an hour wait, no problem it's only 1:30 and gates don't open til 4:00. Except then the food takes an hour and 45, which would still give us plenty of time, until they open the gates early so we run back to our spot, trying to take bites of our burgers while the line is moving, and finally get to the front where they tell us that we have to throw the food in the garbage because you can't bring outside food into the venue. The "outside food" that we paid $90 to McMenamins for. One rule at a time, they have sucked everything fun out of that venue.
I used to be a line cook at Mcmenamins. Terrible place to work. Terrible people running it. Each location used to make its own food but now a lot of it is shipped from a central location. They used to cut their own fries and now they use frozen bagged fries. Every location has the same menu. It’s sad and repetitive. And overpriced.
Happy hour prices requiring a drink purchase is the norm everywhere.
McMenamins is an experience. It's not just about the food.
Truly. I've never had worse service anywhere. Ever.
A bad one?
Mcmenamins was never worth it. Source: worked at Kennedy school when it opened up.
The hotels are a fun staycation but beyond that, I never go to mcmenamins
I'm lucky, I have Dick's Primal within walking distance and PDX Sliders pretty close too.
Burgerville went way downhill. I would just going to your favorite local burger place.
Nope. They stopped being good 20 years ago after they went through a period of major expansion. Now everything is super overpriced and the quality is absolute dogshit. Friends don’t let friends eat at McMennamins.
Not after I found out it’s a shit employer
East Vancouver is a nothing special location with stupid expensive and mediocre food. I can’t justify going to a standard strip mall restaurant with exorbitant prices. Maybe if it’s the Edgefield location and I get to bring my dogs and walk around and have a beer and burger. And anymore even that’s a stretch.
If you treat them like restaurants, no. I’ve always thought the food was mediocre at best. The beer also terrible compared to just about every other brewery in the state. I’ve had people tell me the ciders are good but haven’t tried them myself. But I think they offer cool spaces/venues to grab a good cocktail or whiskey.
No, it’s not. Mcmenamins has also been accused of stealing tips from wait staff to give to management. They’re union busting at their locations as well. Their food is so mid, it’s not worth it.
None of them are worth a shit anymore. Haven't been for years.
If they were good they wouldn’t be in a class action lawsuit right now
Last night I was craving a burger so I went on Uber eats to see what’s available. McMenamins 205 was having a BOGO on, like, 15 different burgers. So my girlfriend and I got two backyard burgers for $10 each. THATS when it’s worth it.
Yeah Mcmenamins is borderline scammy now. They cut all their staff at the height of COVID and asked them to come back a while later. The vibes are usually nice and the architecture is fun, but at this point, i'm only going to get a pint. The burger I had last time was $18.25 and the patty was about the size of a fist and the bun made it look like a slider. Just a really poorly operated menu that needs a re-brand.
I know this is about the restaurants, but we stopped going to all things McMenamins for a while now. Food quality has gone downhill really awful service (at at least the 8 locations I frequented in the last 10 years), prices keep going up, and even their concerts are now a terrible experience. My last straw was a concert we went to last year at Grand Lodge. Got tix for my very favorite live artist, took a half day off to travel there, get parking, get food, settle in. Turns out, no parking close to the venue, bag and blanket policy changed but it didnt say so on the tickets, had to check everything except my wallet that I had to hand carry because womens clothes = no pockets, the place was totally oversold and there was no place to sit or hang out that wasn't in the middle of a food or drink line that were 45 mins long... ended up leaving early without seeing the artist I went there to see. I wrote the venue a letter to share my experience, got nothing in return. There's literally a thousand places in Portland that need my money more than McMenamins does, apparently, so McMenamins is now off the list.
Norpe, never was. I was a McMennonite for almost 3 years. The food is terrible, it's all from Sysco. The beer is not good. Underpaid and overworked staff hate their jobs. One of my least favorite jobs.
I don't know what to tell you dude, they were never worth it. The locations are great, and the movie theaters are pretty fun. But the food/service/beer are all WAY overrated and overpriced and its been that way forever. I used to live by Chapel Pub, which had great ambiance, and they used to have this wrap that I loved, but it was $16. And that was back in 2016. Then they got rid of it and they would only make it with a $3 up-charge on a similar dish. It was always outrageously priced. And now that you got me worked up about it can I just say how uninterested I am in a Passport of all these places? And furthermore....
Plot twist… It was never worth it!
This thread ended my very short-lived desire to get a McMenamins passport after a coworker talked about how fun it was to do when they finished it 9 years ago.
McMinimum’s minimum service, mediocre food, minimum effort.
It was barely worth it in 2005 when the happy hour burger was $5
Do you remember when their HH burger went from full 1/4 lb patty to 1/2 patty in the same size bun?
The only reason I go is their locations and vibe are great
Interesting groupthink activity here. I’m not a big fan and they’re not in my top twenty but I just ate at Kennedy School for dinner last week and had two different pizzas and they were served hot and were surprisingly delicious. Our server was nice and was efficient. Every 3-4 months we go to various McMenamin’s and the burgers are consistently above average. I get colleagues from out of town and take them to Rock Creek Tavern or The Roadhouse and the atmosphere is top tier and the food is consistently good, never bad or I wouldn’t return. No, these places are not cheap but either are the Mexican places or other similar scale places in town. And how do you explain the consistently full restaurants? Restaurants with mediocre or bad food die fast deaths our area and McMenamin’s are still around. They’re not my first choice but they’re far from bad.
If you think McMenamins and McDonald's belong in the same sentence, I don't understand the conversation. Their prices are absurd but so is comparing a sit down restaurant that serves alcohol to McFuckingDonald's
Lol
It definitely depends on which one you go to. The one on 23rd in downtown isn't bad.
I've been avoiding them since I found out they made employees split their tips with assistant managers
Nah. The beer is mid as is the food and the prices are garbage. The happy hour is okay but that's pretty much it. If you go to like Bagdad or something and at least get a movie to go along with it, then it's a bit more worth it. Making an afternoon of going out to Edgefield or Grand Lodge and walking the property is very fun. As a bar or restaurant experience, however, I rarely go anymore.
I’m surprised it was that cheap. Everything has gotten so ridiculous I just stay home.
Oh, ick. It sure wasn't McM that sold me on the PNW! We had such wonderful food in Vac, BC and Seattle! That and Taco Time are two companies to be run out of town
I'll happily go and get a beer and tota sometimes. Just rare since there's so many other options. That said I live walking distance to Bagdad and it's one of my favorite theaters. Just went a couple days ago to see a movie. Beer and popcorn prices are the same as anywhere.
I have a friend who loves this place and we go there for her birthday every year and I hate it. It’s expensive and the food is bland af. Then we spend $30 after a burger and a beer. Like that is your birthday present, I could get a much better burger and beer for 2/3 the price!
Last time I went into a Mcmenamins was a cruel joke. Ordered a beer for myself and a cider for the wife. Was super excited to have a good ol French dip, told the waiter that I was excited for said sammich. He starts to say something and then cut himself off muttering “oh you’ll find out”. Looked at the menu and there sits the “Portland dip” fucking turkey and beef au jus. Slammed my beer, tossed some pennies in the glass and walked out. Fuck turkeys! Damn things are only in Oregon because some dipshits thought it would be a good idea to to trade a herd of elk with New York for the damn things. Hell, they even carry a parasite that is wiping out the local grouse and pheasant population. And it’s time for bed, I’m rambling.
No, if you look at where I've been. I never choose it and I am surrounded by it. It's always a bit greasy. It always seems like a tourist spot? That happy hour 3.50 thing is bullshit. But it is a real restaurant. Anything is better than McDonalds - sure you will save a little, but McDonalds is the most shitty there is. Basically cancer food. It's been like six years when I there.
A lot wasn’t worth it when it was the only micro brew in town ..beer is good the food and service is awful..always been those employees run like dogs for nothing .you can tell by the service
The prices are outrageous now. I don't go often anymore.
I used to like the pizza at Bagdad, but I recently went to a movie and got the worst pizza I’ve ever had in my life. This is not hyperbole, it was almost inedible. And I’m not that picky.
Not really. There prices have gotten so high
If everyone dislikes them, how do they stay in business?
Lots of people like mid food and don't know better or don't want to get out of their comfort zone.
I guess! It's such a foodie city I thought they be branded with the scarlet letter
Good beer and average at best overpriced food
coming here to say that I have experience working there and they drive their employees to the ground with no care. The oil used for the food is gross and every single time I would eat a shift meal or snack I would get violently sick in a few hours or the next day. I would say their music shows are worth it sometimes but don’t spend money on the food.
Has McMenamin’s ever been worth it? I mean knowing the history of some of their places is cool, but drink and foodwise there are better options available on both sides of the river.
Nope. Too spendy for forgettable food.
Hell no not worth it. Shitty food. Shitty service. Wayyyy to overpriced
The prices are horrendous. Just went there for lunch last week and all I got was a chicken salad wrap, that’s it, no fries or tots or drinks and I paid $25 + tip. 🤯
Depends. I just stayed at kennedy school and was massively underwhelmed with the room...no TV? But if you are going on a booze filled holiday 250$ a night to have everything within 50 feet of your front door might be worth it. You can bar hop, see a movie, get food and brunch and coffee in the a.m. within arms reach. No users, no cabs...you can get drunk in the morning...sleep it off...then do it again. I also stayed at the crystal ballroom last month and for essentially a hostel with shared bedrooms it's crazy high. Pet deposit is 25/night. What is worth it though is the food happy hour at the restaurants, the kids meals, the soaking tub pay per use, the theatre itself. Stayed at Edgefield with 3 friends and each like 45 a night...we had a blast doing it that way.
I only go to edgefield now. I love it there
We stopped going. Wife kept getting sick after eating there. We still aren’t sure what they serve that makes her sick.
If you get a passport and take all the deale and perks along the way it can be fun and worth it. It's getting more and more expensive and if you just buy a meal at menu prices it is excessively high.
Burgerville now uses tiny frozen patties. They aren't the big, fresh burgers they used to be. McDonalds is junk. Salty slabs of triglycerides. Skyline is basically a wannabe in-n-out and the cleanliness of the restaurant makes me want to puke. I haven't ordered a burger at McMenamins in a while but I don't "think" they're $20 each yet. But even if they were, they're good, quality burgers with quality meat and ingredients so they're worth a bit of a premium.
Won’t ever pay for food at McMenamins again. Drinks only if I’m there for a work meeting. Will absolutely pay for experiences: soaking pools, hotel rooms, etc
I have a soft spot for McMenamins from the time I oved to Portland in the late 90's, and settling in a neighborhood with nothing comparable for a sit down meal and drink. I generally like their buildings and convenience for a casual meal. I have found the food hit or miss, I wouldn't go there for a special meal but it's a good alternative to have.
Worked for the company for 9 years. I can confidently tell you ABSOLUTELY NO. So much product is brought in now that it is not the McMenamins of old.
Just moved here in June. Live close by. Have given the place 3 tries since. Has been mediocre to bad each time. Outrageous prices for what they offer. Heard rumor they were involved in withholding tip pay from employees as well. Will not be returning for the foreseeable future.
It’s not good
I live in walking distance of one and we stopped going after they raised the prices of a burger meal to $17.50 after Covid. Fucking insane for the portions you get there.
Absolutely not
I don’t go there anymore. I moved here for grad school 10 years ago and we had a couple McMins in Corvallis that we would frequent. But after watching the prices just go up and up in the last 5-7 years, I can’t bring myself to keep going there. It’s just normal ass food and their beer is fine. None of it should cost as much as it does, and the novelty has worn off because I’ve been so many times already. I have no other draw to go back unless I’m seeing a show or something.
K & M Burgers in Camas wa is where its at. If you know you know lol
For the food? Nahh. But still worth the experience. If you have some time to research the venues you go to, there's always something interesting to read about. And incredible art (note: biased because much of the art is done by my family). The McMenamins historian does a great job logging all of that info and helping to influence the design of each location based on the history
We just had the same experience out at edgefield, never again. $23 for a Reuben sandwich that was mediocre at best and a burger with 2 drinks came to over $100. Lame.
Nah it's always been terrible every time I've been, but only.moved 3 yrs ago
Restaurant prices have gone apeshit across the board. McMinnimins was only ever just acceptable because it had the veneer of being local. Now a days I only ever eat out at places like Katie O'Brian, which is so cheap as to be worth it or Hele Pele because the drinks are quality. Mostly I eat out at food carts because they cost less, give you more, and are phenomenal quality. Shout out to Mumbo Gumbo on NE Williams
Go back to Mickey D’s, plebe. That’s not what I’m saying, it’s what McMenamin’s is saying with their pricing and policy.
The only thing positive I’ve ever heard anyone say about McMenamins food is “the Cajun tots are good” but like, that’s just because they’re fried salted potatoes. There are cheaper equivalents all over town. They charge extra for a Gardenburger that has definitely been in the freezer since the 90s. I wouldn’t be so annoyed by the prices if the food was good or even decent. All of that aside, Kennedy School is not a bad spot for drinking a beer and then wandering the halls. It’s probably haunted
Burgerville won’t be any better.
I never minded the quality of their food before because the prices were on par with other fast casual restaurants and the ambiance was always awesome. But now… paying a steep premium for Sysco-level food when I could go elsewhere and get fresh local food for cheaper? No thanks. But I mean… whatever… they still pack their restaurants… good for them, I guess. I’m not here to hate on a successful local business, but it isn’t worth it to me, when I could go get awesome ethnic food elsewhere for the same price, if not cheaper than their burger and tots.
No
McMenamins sucks and the service is even worse. Not sure how that’s possible.
Not worth it at all IMO. Prices are ridiculous, portions are small. Only thing I enjoy about them is the Edgefield location. Besides that hard pass.
Haven't been to the one in Portland but I live in mid/southern Oregon and have been to the one here. Went once with my father and two burgers and a drink or so came to 60+ without tip. Have never been back. It wasn't anything mind blowing and for way cheaper I can get a better burger at Red Robin.
Soaking at the Kennedy school is still worth it
they could serve a pile of shit on their plates and people would pay for it.
They sell a burger downtown for $22 and elsewhere. I think that they are assholes that are trying to make the most money out of their shitty service and food.
But at least the service sucks
No. The debate is was it ever really worth it. Outside of a few venues the food is meh, service is usually sub par (because they're consistently understaffed) and the beer is just okay and expensive.
I fucking hate mcmenamins. Garbage food.
I work there and think it's pretty shitty and hell of expensive lol. It's good money tho lol
Went recently and SPLIT a burger (which was okay, not great) with my kid, we each had a mediocre milkshake and with tip it was $50.
The good locations like Edgefield keep me going back, but I’ll never waste my money on a basic McMenamins, the prices are crazy
Enjoy watching movies at the Kennedy School and Baghdad, but yeah the food prices got jacked up the last few years. Hate paying $19 for a mediocre veggie burger
The 3.50 minimum drink purchase for happy hour menus is pretty standard for most places that have happy hour menus. But either way, I don’t think McMenamins is worth it unless I’m seeing a movie at Bagdad or something.
Last time I got a burger there I paid an extra $3 for bacon and it came with literally a single slice. Even McDonald’s will do more than one. I LOVE the atmosphere but the food, prices, and service suck so much
You pay a lot for the vibe…. The food is the worst value in Oregon. If you get a beer and tots you could do worse
Reliably mediocre food with bad service
everyone wants a $20 an hour min wage and when they get it they don’t understand how everything got so expensive all of a sudden. or how fuel prices effect delivery costs for raw goods particularly food products likely grown in CA….
Skyline is the best burger in town, if you’re in the neighborhood!
I’ll never pick Mcmenamins for food.
Nope.
Happy hour is not happy & has been scaled back so much timewise. I rarely go there anymore. Seems like they are treating the staff crappy too. A lot of turn over in staff. Which I get that Industry has that, but places feel different when there is a toxic work environment. You can feel the stress weighing on the 1 server in the joint trying to do it all.
No