Cafe Champagne Thornton Winery

I made a reservation for 7 for 12:30pm on Father’s Day. We have an autistic child who unfortunately was having a meltdown when we needed to leave. My parents, who are almost 80, got there on time and I told them to explain what was going on and to go ahead and sit to get some drinks and appetizers. They let me know the restaurant refused to seat them until all of us were present. I figured they must be really busy and didn’t want to make other people wait or didn’t want to mess up the kitchen flow. Having worked in restaurants before, I understand the need for that policy. However, once we got there around 1:15pm, we saw the restaurant was over half empty and no one was waiting for a table. Staff was standing around, and my almost 80 year old parents were sitting on a short wall in the shade to stay cool. I was appalled that the restaurant manager seemed either unable to determine if she should adjust restaurant policies or was simply lacking empathy and did not care. I checked in and said we were the party of 7 with the 1230 reservation where my parents arrived on time and you wouldn’t seat them. She simply curtly replied, “Yes” and didn’t even look at me. If my parents and my autistic child could have waited to eat and get some water I would have left right then. I am glad we stayed because the food was good and the waitress and staff were wonderful. The view was great and we loved the aesthetic. We spent a large amount of money and tipped the waitress over the mandatory gratuity for parties of 6+. But I seriously question the judgment of a manager that will not allow 2 almost 80 year olds to sit at a table and get food and water when it’s over 80 degrees and they have the space and staff to handle a table that does not follow the typical order timing. The fact she was informed of why we were late and she showed no understanding or concern also leads me to think this coldness and rigidity is not out of the norm. We will not be returning.

We entered the restaurant and waited for 15 minutes without anyone approaching us, so we decided to leave.

Easy to make reservations, friendly and attentive staff. We had 1 item come out slightly incorrect, and it was fixed and brought back out extremely fast. Good wines, delicious mimosa, small but perfectly balanced selection of brunch foods. Definitely worth it for the birthday brunch

Pleasant surroundings but food was disappointing. Service staff were excellent

I visited a charming and peaceful restaurant located in the heart of a winery, but my dining experience was disappointing. Despite requesting a rare-cooked burger, I was served a tartare burger instead. It was evident that the kitchen staff was not accustomed to preparing meat to this level of doneness. After bringing me a replacement burger, it still did not meet my rare-cooked expectations and was instead cold. Cooking a rare burger on the grill typically requires two minutes per side over high heat until it reaches an internal temperature of 125°F. I was so frustrated with the experience that I barely ate any of it, impacting the enjoyment of my meal with my companions. I have learned my lesson and will be sure to request a medium rare burger in the future.