Irish Rover

We had a wonderful experience at the Irish Rover this afternoon! It was my daughter's birthday and we had a large group. Not only was the food wonderful but the service was exceptional. Our server brought my daughter a free Irish Rover T-shirt for her birthday and then offered to take a photo of our whole group. She was so friendly and wonderful with the children. She patiently separated our checks and we never wanted for refills even with 4 kids! I think her name was Cindy. She had really cute pig tails and dimples. Everyone should ask for her! We had the BEST time! My daughter's birthday was really special!

Hat's off to Michael and Siobhan!

The wife and I had an exceptional time at the Rover tonight, until the bill came...

We are fairly regular at the Rover and we have our favorites: two pints Guinness (one ea.), fish n' chips, cottage pie, coffee w/ Bailey's, and whatever excellent dessert strikes our fancy. We always have a wonderful time, the people are great; the atmosphere is warm and cozy. It is an ideal place for dinner on Frankfort Ave.

But tonight our meal ended on a sour note. The bill arrived and everything was in good order, but when my wife paid with her credit card (as we usually do) she was presented at the table with some manner of portable credit card machine and was asked to run her own credit card and complete the transaction herself. Fortunately, our server was helpful and instructed her on how to operate this contrivance. However, this was an unwelcome novelty in our dining experience.

Call me old fashioned, but when I go to a restaurant like the Rover, I expect service. That means showing me to my seat, getting my drinks, taking my order, bringing my food, refilling my drinks, clearing my table, and settling my bill. This new method of running credit cards smacks the very principle of service directly in the face. Up to that point, we felt like guests, but after that I began to wonder if I should expect a cut of the night's tips.

It has always been my philosophy that service should make the guest feel special and "served," like a guest. All guest-needs are handled by the staff. If this is a new trend in restaurant service, it is unwelcome and off-putting, especially in restaurants like the Rover which otherwise provide an exceptional experience.

When we return to the Rover (and I won't lie, it might take a while to want to go back) we will definitely pay with cash and hope like hell we aren't expected to make our own change.

Sorry Rover, we love you, but we greatly dislike your do-it-yourself credit card machine...

Ronnie, I have not yet encountered this while dinning, but the holster credit card machines are in place as a added security measure to protect the customer, sounds like you really like The Rover otherwise, seems a little nit picky.

My boyfriend and I ate there last week and while the server brought the portable machine to the table, she still swiped the card. I actually thought it was kind of nice that we didn't have to wait for her to take the card, swipe it elsewhere, and then bring the receipt, since the portable thing had a printer on it. I can't say I would have minded terribly if I'd been asked to swipe it myself, though I can see why some people might. It would probably be better if they had the servers do it.

Ronnie, I initially had a similar response to this type of situation. However, the practice of using the portable unit at the table is actually quite common in European countries. My wife and I experienced this over and over again in 4 different countries this summer. This is, perhaps, one of those moments when we actually see the beginning of a shift in service. Something that was once looked upon with disdain becoming commonplace and, therefore, accepted. Such is life.

As mentioned, this is a common thing in Europe and was much preferred over the disappearing credit card bit we have here. My wife had her credit card number copied at a local chinese buffet last year (along with a large number of other patrons) which was sold to a group in NYC. I would welcome this method as yet another way to protect your identity and good credit rating. Bring it up to the LaGrange Rover, Michael.

We went to the Rover last night with a party of 10, and that credit card machine was very helpful. Instead of our server having to grab ten different cards and run them one after the other, we were all doing it at once, on our own machines. This also allows the servers to give additional attention to other tables because they aren't tied up behind the bar running cards.

Another great feature- it displays three possible tip options and what the tip would be, so all you have to do is press a button and it adds your bill for you AND prints out the receipts at the table.

In addition, our server was beyond helpful, and the food was piping hot and delicious as always.

My favorites are the Scotch egg, the salmon and cheese au gratin. and the berry trifle!

I also love the outside patio, and the booth by the window in the back dining room is cute (thought it fits but two).

Running the card at the table on a machine you control, rather than having your card disappear with a server is soooooo much more preferable, just from a security standpoint. I think its a brilliant move and we should expect to see most restaurants follow suit. I applaud them!

I would far prefer being able to manage my own credit card at any place of business rather than handing it over to a perfect stranger who disappears with it for awhile and then comes back for me to sign something. I'm hoping more Louisville restaurants will offer this service.

I agree, I don't mind running my own card a bit. I do it at the grocery, the gas station, and most other places, so I'm happy to do it at a restaurant too.

The less my card leaves my hands the better!

[Robin Garr]

Running the card at the table on a machine you control, rather than having your card disappear with a server is soooooo much more preferable, just from a security standpoint. I think its a brilliant move and we should expect to see most restaurants follow suit. I applaud them!

Years ago, there was an excellent Dilbert strip on this point. The gang was out to lunch, and in the first panel, Dilbert was bloviating about the hazards of Internet security, "I would never use my credit card online, yada yada." As he was yakking, he handed the server his credit card.

In the last panel, she came back for his signature ... wearing a new fur coat.

The bill arrived and everything was in good order, but when my wife paid with her credit card (as we usually do) she was presented at the table with some manner of portable credit card machine and was asked to run her own credit card and complete the transaction herself.

This is how every restaurant in Europe operates. It is for your own safety so that your credit card never leaves your possession. In this age of identity theft and credit card fraud, this is a step that the Rover took at increased cost to them in order to protect their valued customers.

In Northern Kentucky a waiter at a restaurant was recently indicted for stealing the credit card numbers and identities of dozens of patrons. When he took their credit card back to the wait station to run it, he copied down the number, exp. date, and security code on the back.

I applaud the Rover for moving to the portable CC machines. Hopefully more restaurants locally follow suit.