I could have kept this story for Wedding Update #25 on this week’s Thursday Rundown but I decided otherwise. Instead of relegating it to the bottom portion of my end-of-the-week blog post, I wanted to shed some extra light on it tonight.
I mentioned on this blog once or twice that it took Sidney and I much time and research to finally identify a venue for our rehearsal dinner. After doing our due diligence, we selected Thoroughbreds Chophouse and Seafood Grille, a well-respected restaurant on Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach.
I corresponded with the general manager back and forth as we set the date, menu, and party size. With most of the logistics completed, we only needed to decide on one final arrangement: Where at in the restaurant we would actually have the dinner.
At Thoroughbreds they have multiple private rooms available for occasions such as rehearsal dinners. On Saturday night, Sidney and I went to the restaurant to scope out our options. Mind you, showing up at a popular restaurant’s lobby on its busiest evening of the week for a tour isn’t the most courteous thing to do, but the staff didn’t act like they minded at all. The receptionist greeted us and called management right away to help us.
A minute after the call I was shaking hands with David Amend, the general manager of Thoroughbreds, the same guy I had chatted on the phone and engaged in e-mail correspondence with over the past couple months. He was always so unbelievably nice over the phone/e-mail that it was great to finally meet him in person.
David took us through the restaurant and showed us the three private rooms available for our special dinner. Along the way he assured us that his staff would make the evening perfect and do whatever they could to accommodate our needs.
“I don’t care if you want us to configure these tables into a big heart, we will get it done,” David explained as he gestured at the different tables laid out in one of the rooms.
Although all the rooms would have sufficed, we decided on the ultra-private option located upstairs. There was just something about the pageantry and seclusion of the space that made Sidney and I both instantly agree on it.
With the business part of the evening out of the way, Sidney and I were actually going to enjoy our first ever dinner at Throughbreds. Before we met with David, we had made a reservation with the receptionist. But don’t think we were going to wait in the lobby! David escorted us right to the bar and graciously took our own drink order. We sat back and sipped on our drinks while chatting with the pleasant bartender. About 15 minutes later David was back to seat us for dinner. We attempted to close our bill at the bar but the bartender said the drinks were on David.
We were seated in the intimate and comfortable dining room. From the moment we sat down, it was a special dinner. Our server treated us like gold as she tended to our every need. Sidney ordered the chicken Dijon and I selected the 12 oz cut of prime rib. Everything from the salad to the bread to the meat was fantastic. We ordered additional drinks and truly enjoyed a romantic meal.
After our plates were cleared and the decision made to pass on dessert, our server came by to drop off what I thought would be the bill. However, the only thing she dropped off were two after dinner mints.
Knowing what had just occurred, we tried to be as polite and respectful as possible.
“Excuse me ma’am, aren’t you going to drop off the check?” I softly said.
“David has this one,” she confidently said.
We humbly thanked our server and ordered a dessert to-go so we could at least take care of her (I didn’t have cash to leave a gratuity so I needed to make a transaction). We walked out of the doors of the restaurant blown away by our experience.
It is so comforting to know that we have made a great decision regarding our rehearsal dinner plans. We can’t wait to have our families celebrate with us at Throughbred’s in June. To David and his staff…THANK YOU. Don’t Blink.