"We live in Chapel Hill, and various members of our family have been dining at the Carolina Inn since the late 1950s. It has often been the place for special outings for us. But we recently returned for the first time in several years for what we hoped would be an elegant and satisfying dinner with visiting out-of-town guests and were deeply disappointed. Service was slow and felt rote and unenthusiastic. Drinks were fine, but all of the food was really minimal for what we paid. There was *nothing* about any of it that we could not easily recreate at home for far less , and the entrees deserve special mention for how small and unimaginative they were. FIFTY DOLLARS for an overcooked end piece of salmon and a quarter-cup of what seemed like canned white beans? The entire meal cost nearly 350 for four people and would have been too expensive at 100. We didn't raise a fuss at the time as we did not want to make a scene in front of our guests, but when we complained to the manager the next day, our message was met with skepticism. That said, the manager DID agree to refund the dinner, so we are pleased with the customer service in the end. Still, this seems like a sad state for a venerable Chapel Hill institution."
