KS
Karyn Strickler
Feb 14, 2026
Disappointing Service Despite Excellent Food
My husband is an international celebrity, and while many people in the restaurant and hotel recognized him, our waiter clearly did not. That is beside the point. Who you are should never matter--every guest deserves dignity, respect, and attentive service.
We went to Morton's The Steakhouse in the Hyatt Regency in downtown Bethesda, Maryland after a magic show and were fortunate to get a table on Valentine's Day. Our server, Owen, started off well. Drinks arrived promptly and were well made. As the evening went on, however, the service slowed to almost a crawl. Given that it was Valentine's Day, we were patient, understanding, and communicative throughout.
When the food finally arrived, it was excellent. We ordered the lamb and the lobster--both were delicious and exceptionally well prepared. The portion of the lamb was generous, quite the opposite for the lobster, which was barely a quarter pound of protein. During the meal, Owen checked in a few times, which we appreciated.
Unfortunately, the experience completely unraveled at the end. After finishing our meal, Owen disappeared entirely. We waited 20 minutes for our check and for our leftovers to be packaged. When he eventually returned, he tossed a few bags and take-home containers onto the table and walked away again--still without bringing the check.
Another waiter, John, finally noticed our situation and tried to help resolve it. He was very helpful, brought us our check and made sure we had everything we needed to finish our experience. However, Owen never returned to our table for approximately 40 minutes at the end of the meal, despite walking past us multiple times without acknowledging us.
What made this even more disappointing is that my husband reported the situation to two managers. While they listened to his concerns, there was no follow-up, no response, and no attempt to make things right.
We have never left a zero tip before and are normally very generous tippers, but the level of neglect was unacceptable. For the first time ever, we left a tip of ZERO. This review would also be a ZERO if not for the exceptional food.
Interestingly, we were sharing a large table with another party of two whom we did not know. Their treatment was entirely different and much more positive than ours. If we are treated like this again, we will not return. This level of service does not match the reputation of a restaurant located inside a Hyatt Regency, and we will be sure to share our experience with friends and fans across the region, the state, and beyond. We’ve gotten much better service at the Tasty Diner.