Don't be fooled by the free drink/app Yelp promotion. If you consider your time valuable or want a pleasant dining experience, a $7 drink isn't worth the abysmal customer service.
I sat at the bar with the hopes of ordering food and a drink, but was greeted by a customer who had been standing for a drink for over ten minutes. Of course, this should have been a sign that I should leave, but the combination of the pouring rain outside and the promise of a free app or drink with dinner was just enough to trap me in the restaurant. I borrowed a drink menu from another patron and tag-teamed trying to flag down the bartender for another ten minutes with the gentleman who had been waiting for service. The complete lack of eye contact made it clear that the waitstaff had no intention of taking our orders. Eventually, I asked the barback to place an order, who in turn had to flag down the bartender.
It's hard to blame the servers. The bartender was not only staffing the bar, but also managing an entire section with no other help. The restaurant was busy, and it was clear to me that the servers were doing everything in their power to keep up with orders.
In addition to inadequate staffing, there didn't seem to be efficient processes to move orders along in the most timely manner. Despite ample bar space, the bartender was scampering to different parts of the restaurant to track down the right liquors for drinks. Servers started pouring foamy beers, getting in the way of each other behind the bar. There were two hosts, who did a wonderful job seating patrons in the large restaurant, but didn't seem to have any other tasks, like bringing menus to patrons. Instead, they stood idly and chatted by the door.
The restaurant didn't even invest in add-free streaming. Enjoy Hyundai Electra adds in the background of your dinner conversation. At first, the poor servers were constantly running to refresh the screen on the iPad streaming the music and trying to cancel the adds. As things got busy, they gave up and Pandora advertisers got a big return on their investment in marketing.
When my food finally arrived, I was shocked to have a decent meal. The pulled pork was fine, not cold like other reviewers reported, but not rich in flavor. Instead, the bartender encouraged me to smother the meat with one of their barbecue sauces. I tried both the sweet and spicy sauces; they were adequate.
I ordered coleslaw (recommended for the pulled pork), which was fine and braised vegetables (collard greens). Instead of the braised vegetables, I was brought the creamed spinach. This was actually delicious, and I was grateful for the mistake.
The other customers who I talked to had similar experience. Their meals ranged from adequate to good, but all agreed that the complete lack of customer service was enough to make them not want to come back. Some patrons sitting at the bar made this known quite loudly. read more