red ring

i used to work at the red ring. the service and kitchen staff, along with the management, really did work as a team. of course there are always a few sour grapes in every bunch, but overall it was a good place to work. most of the service staff are students. the restaurant gives students the opportunity to work close to campus. the kitchen staff were very committed to making good dishes. i tasted most of the food and it was always good. the only downside is that there is no parking. other than that, if you are in the area, give it a try!

i can't believe i'd never reviewed the red ring. i used to love this restaurant. it's close to the arena, the service is always very friendly, the food is decent, etc.

then, the female manager started interacting with us and i just haven't liked the place since. the service is still friendly and food is still okay, but the rude manager really makes an impact - especially since she encourages bad seating processes.

once, we were going to have a party of 3 and were seated at a table for 6, though the restaurant was mostly empty and there were plenty of tables that seated 4 (our friend had to cancel, so we moved to a table of 4 knowing there would be only 2 of us and the table was used for a party of 5 later).

many times, we've been there with parties of 4 when they wouldn't seat us at a table for 6, since they think there may be a bigger party coming in later - they'd have tons of people waiting for tables and lots of available tables, but be unwilling to sit parties together (as they do in some busy bars that have poor table layouts) or sit a smaller party at a larger table. they do the same thing when there are 2 people and a bunch of tables that seat 4. we've been seated and gotten through our whole meal while couples waited to be seated, though there were empty tables. kinda crazy that they would rather lose money than seat people.

i've seen other reviews mentioning this female manager, which doesn't surprise me, since she has been rude 100% of the time we've dealt with her and we used to go to the red ring a lot more. we've gotten more and more annoyed with the management and tend to choose other restaurants so we don't have to deal with her.

the mac & cheese is cold 99.99% of the time when you first get it (one time it was warm - i almost passed out from shock). i'm not sure how they prepare it, but whatever they do, it'll sometimes have steam coming off, but it's always cold. knowing this, i touch a noodle with a finger as soon as i get it and send it back to be warmed up. usually, this is not an issue. the waiter/waitress or male manager takes it back to be heated, apologizes, etc. a couple times, our food has been delivered by the female manager. on those occasions, she has actually argued with me (though she saw me touch the noodles with my finger to see if it was warm or not). even if i had no feeling in that finger and i happened to be incorrect (not the case), i see no reason for a manager to argue with me over my food. we keep hoping he'll move on to another restaurant and give the red ring a try again occasionally. i read a review that said they're managed by aramark, which surprised me, since aramark tends to be a smart company and it doesn't seem like they'd want a manager who's always rude and chooses empty tables over tables with people at them so often.

i've tried to find out how to contact the district manager (or even store manager if it's not the rude female manager), but i've had no luck. i've asked to speak with the male manager about the issues with the rude manager a couple times, but he's normally been too busy helping out, since we only go there before penguins games. (i've had a good interaction with him over other issues earlier in our history with the red ring and think talking to him might be useful.)

if you decide to go there, get there well before any event, so you can be seated without issues. if you have any issues, try to get the male manager, since the only female manager we've seen there will not care at all and will probably just upset you more.

the food is still decent and all the wait staff we've ever dealt with has been very friendly. if you don't have to deal with the female manager at all, i think the red ring is decent (i'd rate it a 4). if you do, i'd rate it a 1 at best. good luck!

good food and service near duquesne. nice lunch spot in uptown with great sandwiches and awesome fries-----specify spiced or not to your taste. a 20% discount with id for duquesne, mercy or uptown residence. big booths for meeting during eating and many options for sports watching. very nice!

much improved!. i first went to the red ring about a year ago before an event at consol and wasn't very impressed. the food was mediocre and the service was slow. however, i went back the other day before a pens game and was pleasantly surprised. apparently they're under new management now and have changed the menu and how a lot of the items are cooked. it made a big difference!

the burger and fries were amazing and i loved the little answer sheet you use to order it. the happy hour specials were also really good. i'm looking forward to going back!

great dinner, better bar. my wife and i recently tried the red ring again for a dinner and drinks. we tried it a couple times a few years ago, and they have really improved things. the menu is smaller and better (although large-sized!) and the atmosphere is awesome, not like most of the other student-oriented bars you would find around the area. we sat at the bar and had drinks for a few hours and got dinner. the food came out quickly and it was delicious.

best of all, the bartenders were fantastic. there were two younger men working the bar and they were attentive, kind, and made "the best cosmopolitans" my wife has ever had. we were there during a pens game, and it got incredibly crowded. the bar quickly became packed, with people standing and drinking a few beers before the game. even though it was packed from wall to wall, the bartenders did an incredible job accommodating everyone and offering good service. i didn't see a single unhappy customer.

needless to say, i highly recommend the red ring and my wife and i will definitely be back!

great. now i have to find another restaurant.... ... to have dinner at before the pens games.

we've been going to the red ring exclusively before games since it opened, but missed about 10 months before returning a couple of weeks ago. what the heck happened? smaller portions, food was not as good as remembered (and not hot), and no plates-- just cheap plastic baskets. are we on a beach eating fried seafood, or in a (formerly) good restaurant?

well, one thing was still the same. the waitstaff is still lacking. i mean, they're college kids, but come on, it's your job!

as we were waiting for our meals, we noticed that there were no lines to be seated this time and are wondering what restaurant everyone is going to now. because we are going to a game in a couple of weeks and, other than the steelhead grille, there's not much in the area except the horrendously overpriced concession food in the new arena.

thanks red ring, for the huge disappointment.

new menu - same great taste. they updated their menu keeping everyone's favorites and getting rid of some of the stuff that wouldn't be popular. it's great. great place for lunch, dinner, and before any consol event.

bad food, worse service. despite constantly having a bad experience at this place, i continue to go, only because late at night, after grad class, i don't want to walk through uptown with my friends for wine and food. in my latest experience, the bartender, who had 4 people at her bar, took 10 minutes to greet us, another ten to give us our drinks (four glasses of wine) and another 10 to take our order. in that 30 minutes, i could have driven to the southside, gotten a drink, and already had my food. the bartender then proceeded to take 15 minutes to cash out our checks. most importantly, dont go when theres a pens game, service is too slow to serve 30 people at once.

posted on january 11, 2010 by yinzhungry happy new year to all! i hope everyones holiday season was well, and most important is that you enjoyed some great food too. i know i did! my family had way too much food on the table this holiday season, especially christmas eve. we try to do the traditional 7 fishes, but sometimes go a little overboard with it and this year proved that. we had so much food we forgot to even put some of it out on the table. for the first time i tried to make a shrimp bisque, and while most of my family gave good reviews i wasn't thrilled with it and will be trying a new recipe next time. i like a thick bisque and this was more of a soup texture, i got the recipe from tyler florence off of foodnetwork.com, but i don't think i will go back to that recipe again. moving onto the first review of 2010… this past friday i had a chance to go to the red ring restaurant at duquesne university, and i have to say how surprised i was at this place. the restauarant is loca

so so. we went for dinner before the pitt/duqesne basketball game and the place was packed! this is understandable seeing as how it's a very short walk to the console energy center. it's your standard tgi friday's style food, and the service is fine. if you're looking for a quick bite before an event at the energy center i would avoid this place as it gets super crowded and the food doesn't justify the wait. on an off night stop in for a decent buffalo chicken sandwich.

terrible service. went to the red ring for lunch a couple weeks ago. the food was pretty good and reasonably priced, but the service was terrible. our drinks were never refilled and when it came to the check it took 30 minutes for our waitress to come and get our form of payment. i will not be going back to the red ring, there are plenty of places downtown that have good food and good service.

good place to meet. the red ring is on the edge of duquesne university's campus and close to the new console center. the food is good and usual fare. the atmosphere is open and airy with a college feel to it. a great place to go before and after penguin games.

goes beyond usual college fare of pizza and bar food, but not too much more..... red ring is really just an new and improved dining option for duquesne students; however, that should stop others from trying this new restaurant. the restaurant is part of duquesne's effort to engage forbes avenue and the uptown neighborhood with street level restaurants and stores in an area of town that has been desolate for too long. although the food was on par with chains like tgif and appelbees and goes beyond the usual college fare of pizza and bar food, one should not expect too much more. i would suggest giving the thia wrap a try. so, if you are in the area for school, work or a penguins game stop by for a drink and some good food.