Protocol Restaurant

Have always heard wonderful reviews about the Protocol and I was able to finally experience it for myself. Attended wedding Saturday Aug 20th - Food was outstanding - Presentarion and taste were excellent - Perfect portions. Wait staff were very efficient and accommodating! Will have to keep Protocol in mind for my wedding reception... YUM!

We held our wedding reception at Protocol and every aspect of service from start to finish was exceptional. The owner Paul personally met with us and was able to accommodate all of our needs and more. Paul, as well as the banquet manager Carol, was very flexible and also helped with making suggestions to make the entire wedding day run smoothly. The food was wonderful and the service good as well. We would absolutely recommend Protocol as a wedding/banquet venue in WNY. Ebony and Jerome Singletary

We are residents of Florida and occasionally travel to the Buffalo area. While it has been several months since we ate at the Protocol, we are still discussing the fine dining experience. The help, food and ambiance were without fault. We intend to stop there the next time we are nearby, ...... you should too.

Not cheap, but the quality was without question. I and my family of 5 had a great meal here. Everything was cooked to perfection. Although I can't afford to go there all the time, we will definitely be back.

Carol and Paul are awesome people to help plan your wedding or event at their venue. On October 7, 2017 Paul and his team did a fantastic job making our event successful. I would recommend Protocol for your next event or just fine dinning.

there was one waitress for 26 people she did an excellent job had a little bit of a wait for refills on drinks and water. Otherwise she got everybody's order and it all came out relatively at the same time the food was excellent

We were there on 3/29/19 from out of town celebrating my husbands birthday. The food was fabulous. They treated us with respect and seated us immediately for appetizers at the bar. Service was great. I would recommend this restaurant and we will definitely be back. The owner was on the premises and was very accommodating. The flourless chocolate cake is extremely yummy.

Went to dinner there yesterday. I usually go a few times a year. Yesterday was the best dinner I ever had there. I always have a great dinner but this was by far the greatest! The service, atmosphere, cleanliness, and timing of everything was perfect, like always! Most restaurants I go to the food is very bland, but never here, this was full of flavor! I had the blackened cajun salmon (all of the seafood is delivered fresh everyday.), the red roasted potatoes, seasoned vegetables, salad, and fresh bread. Our server was very attentive and friendly. Paul the owner came over to introduce himself and make sure we enjoyed everything! He is a very nice and down to earth guy and really cares about his restaurant and what you think! I can't wait to go back!!

Perfection! I couldn't have asked for a better experience for my daughter's bridal shower. The brunch was amazing. The Chicken a la King was delicious and many went up for seconds. The waffle station was worth every penny, they were light and tasty! The room was beautiful, the staff was attentive and friendly. The room was set up exactly as we asked and the design for the "beverage table" was unexpectedly delightful. Our guests truly enjoyed it as well. Thanks Paul and Carol!

Wonderful atmosphere! Enjoyed a dinner here for my birthday and I still cannot stop thinking about the delicious food we had. The stuffed peppers came in a good portion, great app before the generous portion of lobster Mac and cheese. Our waiter was very nice and knowledgable of the menu. Overall great experience.

Had a wonderful dining experience, one of the best in a long time. Was there on Thanksgiving, we were seated promptly. Our server, Cheryl, was sweet, friendly , knowledgeable ..top notch server.. she was outgoing and pleasant, even though she was working on a holiday. Our food came out promptly and it was not only delicious but presented beautifully. We will definitely be going back again !

Group of us went here last Saturday. I ordered the pan roasted chicken; very tasty. Companions had wild salmon, cooked just the way he liked it. Two others had the pesto chicken which they said was awesome. We all indulged in dessert. I had the strawberry shortcake which I recommend. Will definitely be back.

Recently held a Business Appreciation dinner for 55 people, everyone felt it was one of the best experiences we have had in this format. The food quality was impeccable, the service, which is how we judge a facility, was seamless. The wait-staff moved around with an efficiency and silence that was remarkable. You didn't even know that they were serving the food or drinks. The overall experience made the evening terrific.

Great food and atmosphere. Friend's choice to celebrate her birthday. The owner (Paul) took on role of bartender. He was very charismatic and polite. He brought a slice of cake with sparkling candle. Will return!

Went for a Romantic Valentine dinner and that is what we got. Service was a bit slow but it was to be expected. The food was delicious and beautiful when we were served. Our server, Cheryl , made sure we were taken care of, consistently checking on us and apologizing for the delay (even though there was no need to) We were there to relax and take our time , which is the frame of mind you need to be in on a major holiday. We each had surf and turf and it was perfectly cooked, and a great price to boot. Was well worth the little additional wait. Would very highly recommend and will definitely return !

Wonderful dinner New Years Eve.. seated on time.. dinner was exquisitely presented and everyone agreed they were delicious.. Waitress was over the top fakely nice, to the point of annoyance. Was expecting a bit more from a server in a fine dining restaurant. Being fake and insincere can be as much a downfall with a waitress as not being friendly. she did not make us feel warm and fuzzy. Would definitely go back for the food, would ask for a server other than Ellyn

We come here for Thanksgiving every year. The food was the best this year. However, the deserts can be better. The pies are limited to pumpkin & apple. I would love a pecan pie some year. And, if they were made at the restaurant - even better

Food was good, staff was friendly. I'm in my late 30s and I was half the age of the rest of the customers. Portions seemed a bit small for the price. Went on a Thursday night, wasn't busy at all.

Went to Protocol recently for lunch but I have been there for dinner in the past. Not a bad restaurant it's just a bit dated. The seafood is clearly their specialty and it is usually very fresh. I've also had a steak before which has been alright. The staff is friendly but the decor is just a bit dated. It is also usually a bit of an older crowd. They do take reservations which is a plus. It's also a bit pricy. Ultimately not a bad place but there are better choices nearby.

We had a lunch party there. Food was good but not much of it. Nice setting. Adult plates were $18 and children's are $15 for 2-3 small chicken fingers. I bought a cake nearly double the size I needed and they served my guests the smallest pieces of it. I had a picture of my daughter on one side of the cake and they cut into it even though 1/2 the cake was left over. Beverages are ala cart, the $18 & $15 plates only include tap water or coffee. Beverage station is self serve, which is good... but then a couple of the wine bottles were never opened so the waitress changed that quick and walked around asking people (towards the end) if they'd like more wine. To me that's sneaky. My total was around $1500.00 for 29 adults & 21 children. If that sounds reasonable to you, go for it! They do put the guest of honor's, name on their street sign!

Always wanted to try the food here. I've heard mixed reviews but I was hopeful. I was there as part of a function so it was buffet food but it definitely wasn't anything to write home about. No reason to go back. Perhaps the sit down dinners are better?

I was finally contacted by Paul Pelczynski. It was a relief to be able to talk about what happened. He was extremely apologetic and said he would be looking into what happened that evening with his staff. It is my hope that this prevents this type of situation from happening again. Customer service is of utmost importance, especially in the hospitality industry, and the staff can make or break a restaurant's reputation in the community. It goes a long way when the owner contacts you personally when you have had a bad experience and works to make it whole. We chose the Protocol to have a dinner reception after my mother's funeral. We had booked for 60, but only had 1/2 of that amount. While the food was good, when our guests went up for seconds, the staff was already packing up the food. They were told that it was restaurant policy that the leftover food goes home with the staff. The servers were extremely rude and said we were not allowed to bring food home. I would hope that the policy did not mean that the servers were basically treated to over $1000 worth of food. Not only did we not get to take home food we paid for, when I got the final bill from the funeral home we were charged over $600 more than we were quoted. When I compared what we paid to the charges for their dinner buffet that are on the website, we paid $11 per person more (there was no alcohol included). I wrote a letter to Paul Pelczynski, the owner, explaining what happened. It has been over two weeks and he has not had the decency to respond. I feel that we were taken advantage of in our grief.

I was there for a party recently where a buffet was served. I've sometimes gotten a mild "bug" after attending buffets and usually that was where the buffet was not that good. So I had this "bug" the next day after attending this buffet. The roast beef was so tough that cutting it was very difficult, and chewing it was difficult. The dressing that went with the turkey was not tasty. Something should be done about that.

Had a new dish tarragon shrimp would not recommend. When dish was sat at the table did not look appetizing shrimp pale green shrimp. Sauce way to sweet. Onion soup good as well as ceasar salad.

We go there every year for an event party and the food is normally excellant. This year the food was disappointing. The salad came with chocalote syrup on it instead of balsamic and the fillet was overcooked.

Attended a business meeting at this location. The banquet room was very clean and orderly, well equipped. Bar service was slow, the bartender was working diligently but could not keep up with the volume. Finger foods were adequate but not impressive. Chicken wings were very undercooked (although nice size). The other selections could have been better. Veggies were fresh. Overall, if the price is right this location will suffice but certainly won't impress the attendees. Great location with Rt90 access and lots of potential... Make some changes and the rating would be much higher.

Had at 6:30 reservation didn't get seated until 40 minutes later the owner did offer us a complimentary drink for our wait. We both ordered French onion soup the waitress brought mine out and brought Linda the wrong one so I gave Linda mine and waited another 10 minutes for my soup to come out the veggies given with the meals was pretty skimpy and I ordered two 16 oz New York strip steak it was very chewy and had a lot of gristle very disappointed with the whole experience

A disappointing experience.. my friend and I ordered the filet and shrimp entree and the meat was very tough... upon paying our bill, I asked if there was a discount for the uneaten tough filet and was told that the manager said no. Not cool....too bad! The stars are for the server.

Had family there for Easter Brunch...greatly disappointed....overbooked and VERY POOR service (due an apparent shortage of servers?) Crowds of patrons were lined up out the front door, and in bar area door waiting for their reserved tables. Roast beef was so tough , could not even cut with knife..then getting bill with 18% tip already tacked on?? What incentive is there for good service. Will find another restaurant for future family gatherings on Easter Holiday

The décor is dated and tables are positioned too close to one another. My foot was stepped on twice by the waitress as she was stepping in between my seat and the table next our ours. I had her rump and the busboys rump at my face several times. Very unappealing to say the least. My wife's food was subpar for the price point. The waitress recommended the petite filet and shrimp. The shrimp were mushy and the filet had a very strange flavor. We sent it back and ordered her a fish fry which surprisingly came out in 2 minutes. Obviously, was taken from someone else's order. The fish was ok but the panko crust overdone and not tender, also greasy. I needed tartar to mask the grease flavor. MY NY Strip had a nice flavor but a bit unevenly cooked, tough on the outside. Not what you expect from a supposedly upscale establishment. The large mirror we were seated in by was so outdated along with the broken down chairs. The chair I was sitting could have been a rocking chair. Very strange. Midway during our meal a band began to play in the banquet room. A fun idea but the dancers were coming to and fro through the restaurant to the bar to retrieve drinks. Meanwhile leaving the doors open allowing for the music to overpower conversations to say the least. The annoyance of the traffic created from a lack of bar in the "dancehall" ruined our idea of a quiet romantic dinner. Our waitress was the only bright spot. Katherine the waitress was great about listening to our complaints and did her best to accommodate us but you could see she was just as disappointed with the results due to poor management. The owner manager came by but we were not impressed that he did not offer a free dessert for the poor food and the obvious inconvenience of sitting so close to another table and by the dancehall doors. Very weird vibe, not so great food and you can tell they are struggling. Today I found myself suffering from what I believe is mild case of food poisoning. Public be warned. Just wish we would have read the other comments before we choose to dine at the Protocol. We won't be back.

We are here alot, I bring my patient here often to meetings of groups she's a member of. Veggies are always cold and taste fake, awful. The wait staff are wonderful tho, best around.😆 same taters always, taste old as tho made yesterday and sat out all nite. Salmon is always tasty...good bread, salad is a joke.

The words "overwhelmingly mediocre" come to mind when referring to The Protocol restaurant. Is their cooking protocol to under season all of their foods? We were recently there for a catered breakfast event and the scrambled eggs tasted bland and spongy whilst their potatoes tasted only like pepper...and nothing else. The bacon was thin, cardboard stiff and bland (how does one even make bland bacon) and the cranberry juice was oddly watered down. Decent coffee though. All in all, just okay. Save yourself the overpriced plate and just enjoy your free hotel breakfast instead.

6:00pm reservation...Was greeted rudely (as was the couple who checked in before us). Left at 6:30p Anyone can take a reservation. The point is to keep the reservation. It seemed like it was the manager greeting us (older bald guy with a limp). He has no business managing a restaurant, or dealing with the public in any capacity.

Went for an event and the servers were not organized, food came out cold, and desserts were being served while dinner plates were still on table. Food did not have much flavor and potatoes were not cooked all the way. Not very good experience at this restaurant.

Waitress was nice but the food was bad. Lobster Linguini was tasteless. All flavor was boiled out. Fish Tacos were overwhelmingly spicy. We have been going to Protocol for 18 years so this was incredibly disappointing. Just found out we missed $15 Tuesday at Russell’s!!

Rude wait staff and bartender. Managment wasn't much better. Food was ok, ice cream was warmer than potatos. Ran out of food ordered for wedding guest. Not worth the money my family spent for my nieces wedding... We were warned by friends but didn't listen.

I had my wedding there 7.23.16. The food was good and the room was pretty, but that's about all they have going for them. I recommend NEVER doing events with Protocol! Owners are very nasty. I paid per plate for my food and we had some not show up due to a tragic car accident Paul refused to make the food so my other guests or parents could take it home. I paid $58 a plate, and he refused to give me the food that was brought for MY WEDDING. My guests who didnt finish their meals asked for take out boxes to take their meal home, or the kids meals home, and they were told no they were not allowed to take it home. Paul was rude and nasty to my guests on more then one occasion. I caught him yelling at 3 of my guests. The bar tender had no idea what he was doing. He was miserable and nasty the whole night. When I decided to do my wedding at protocol Carol promised me I would have Jack and Coke there (one of the only drinks my husband drinks) no jack at all! For every meeting Carol was so unorganized. She never remembered our meetings, never has the proper paper work. She screwed up the counts for my wedding and forgot the kids after we said 5 times she was forgetting the kids. So the Wednesday before my wedding i had to come up with another $200 because she can't listen! I had the worst experience with protocol and they will never see another penny from me ever! Owners treat you like you are dirt beneath thier feet. Terrible customer service! Not worth the money they charge.

had reservation for 6:30pm for 7 people. got there about 6:15pm order food at 6:45pm. the first plate did not come out until 8:30 then the second plate took about another 5-10 minutes to be served and out of the 6 filet mignon ordered everyone of them was wrong. we talk to manger he was no help so we left without eating, unfortunately we will not be returning. so we went to Goodtyme South on broadway had excellent service and great food at a quarter of the price.

Met my cousin here for our annual special holiday lunch. $8 for a bowl of mediocre seafood soup, only seafood was extremely chewy (or, overcooked) clams. Next course was a Caesar salad (really, WHAT restaurant can't master this one by now?) that had been dressed WAY too early, so by the time I got it, it was slimey. Again, for $8, too small and not presented correctly. Will not be back again.

Just there for Easter Brunch. Never again!! Made my reservation at least 4 weeks ago for 1pm. Arrived to find a line out the door and people packed inside like sardines waiting to be seated. The owner was rude when we asked why we were not being seated as we had a reservation and was told they were working on it. We were not seated for 40 min! Food was cold, meats were over-cooked and the service was horrible. Server added 20% to our tab and couldn't keep up with drinks or water. It was buffet. 20% tip I could have gone to Russell's. Next year we will. Disappointed in a restaurant that has been in business many years. The 1 star goes to manager who apologised to us for the wait.