The Spot is a true Vancouver neighborhood bar, and people have been coming here for decades. Owner…read moreAlan works incredibly hard for this place. He shows up, he cares, and he has made real efforts to improve the atmosphere. The recent remodel has made the bar lighter, brighter and more welcoming.
There are also some genuinely excellent bartenders who represent what The Spot should be. Cindy is phenomenal: professional, attentive and accommodating. Dylan will always hold a special place in my heart because she was the first bartender who took care of Jordan and me after we moved to Vancouver. She immediately made us feel welcome. I have never forgotten that, and that first experience is one of the reasons The Spot became special to me.
Unfortunately, my experiences with Ashley have been the complete opposite.
Ashley has only been working there for roughly a month, yet in that short time she is already alienating regular customers and damaging the environment Alan is working so hard to build. I have dealt with her more than once, and the service has been consistently rude, dismissive and unprofessional.
A couple of Thursdays ago, Ashley was covering for Cindy while Cindy was on vacation. I came in to meet our normal Thursday lunch group, and the difference in atmosphere was unbelievable. Ashley was inattentive and rude to multiple guests. This was not simply one bad interaction between her and me. Other people were having problems with her service and attitude as well. The experience became uncomfortable enough that I eventually left.
Today sealed it for me.
I had some time before getting tires put on my truck, so I stopped by The Spot for breakfast and a drink. When I walked in and saw her behind the bar, I genuinely considered turning around and leaving, but I decided to give it another chance.
That was a mistake.
I sat down at the bar. Ashley looked directly at me and continued talking with another guest while she ate her food and got herself something to drink. She made no effort to greet me, take my order or even acknowledge that I was waiting to be served. Then, while I was still sitting there, I watched her smirk with another guest and make comments about me.
Eventually, I got up and walked out.
I walked into a neighborhood bar ready to spend money, yet the bartender made the experience so uncomfortable that I left without ordering anything.
That is not being busy. That is not having an off morning. That is not a personality difference. That is a failure of basic hospitality and professionalism.
Bartending is a service profession. Customers do not have to be treated like friends, but they should be acknowledged, treated respectfully and given basic service. You do not have to like every person who walks through the door, but you do have to act professionally. Making a paying customer feel as though being served is some privilege you are granting them is completely backwards.
What makes this so concerning is how quickly this has happened. Ashley has been there approximately ONE MONTH, and she is already making longtime customers uncomfortable enough that they are leaving, avoiding her shifts and talking about how unpleasant the atmosphere becomes when she is behind the bar.
That should concern anyone who cares about this business.
Alan is trying to move The Spot forward. He remodeled it, made it brighter and more welcoming, and continues to show up for his business. Cindy, Dylan and the other professional bartenders have spent years building relationships with customers and creating the neighborhood atmosphere that keeps people coming back.
It should not take one new bartender a matter of weeks to start undoing that work.
This is bigger than whether Ashley likes me personally. I do not expect my bartender to be my friend. I expect professionalism, respect and service when I walk into an establishment as a paying customer. I will not spend my money somewhere while being deliberately ignored, mocked or made to feel unwelcome by the person whose job is to provide hospitality.
At this point, if Ashley is working, I will go somewhere else. Based on what I have personally witnessed, I would highly recommend that anyone planning to visit during the morning shifts check who is behind the bar first.
When Cindy is there, when Dylan is there, or when one of the other professional bartenders is working, The Spot can be exactly what a great neighborhood bar should be. That is the bar I know and the reason I keep coming back.
But what I have experienced with Ashley is unacceptable.
The most frustrating part is that I know The Spot is better than this. Alan deserves better representation behind his bar. The regulars who have supported this place for years deserve better. The Spot should be building loyalty, not allowing a bartender who has barely been there a month to drive loyal customers out the door.