While visiting our daughter in Cincinnati, we went out for supper at the Montgomery Inn Boat House. This is a very popular restaurant which has served many famous people and it sits right on the river.

And, since it was a Saturday night, we called ahead for reservations. But, unfortunately, they do not take reservations. When we asked about how long the wait would be, we found out that it would be about an hour and a half. But, they said that we could do “Call Ahead”.

With “Call Ahead” we were told to call about an hour before we would arrive and they would put our name on the waiting list. That way, when we arrived, our name would already be on the list and we would only have to wait a few minutes for a table. This sounded reasonable to us so we decided to go with it.

An hour before we left, we called and had our name put on the list. But, when we arrived, our name was not on the list at all. No problem. They acknowledged their error and added our name to the list.

When we asked how long it would be, they said it would be about an hour and a half. When we protested, they recanted and said that it would only be fifteen minutes. An hour and a half and several inquiries later, we were finally seated.

Apparently we were not the only victims of a screw up. As we waited, we heard others complain that they too had “Called Ahead” and still had to wait just as long as everyone else. Makes you wonder if the “Call Ahead” and the “15 minutes” promise is nothing more than a ruse to get you to wait.

The Montgomery Inn is noted for their ribs. We tried them. They were good but not Wowser. They were more like an expensive version of Applebys ribs. Certainly not worth an hour and a half wait.

Next time, it will be Joes Crab Shack. They are on the other side of the river. Same view, lower prices.