PROS: The cheesy bacon fries with dipping sauce are awesome! And the Starlite, which is directly across the street, is easy to reach when Scott, the owner of the Irish Democrat, threatens to call the police and kicks you out.
CONS: Scott, the owner of the Irish Democrat, will threaten to call the police and kick you out for asking the volume to be turned up on the TVs.The owner is a 100% prime cut jerk, who -- based on my single experience on Iowa Caucus night on February 1, 2016 -- knows exactly nothing about customer care and business reputation.
Anyhoo -- the local Democratic Party -- Hillary, Bernie, O'Malley supporters welcome -- called in an alert/reservation on the day before caucus day. Y'know, a friendly heads up that we had selected his place to spend our dollars and drink/eat/socialize/watch the caucus returns. So the 100+ people who showed up on a Monday night to spend probably thousands of dollars could not have been unexpected. The place was full of happy people -- singles, families, kids, old, young, Iowans and out-of-staters who had come to work on campaigns -- there for the express purpose of watching the caucus returns on the TVs in this sports bar. And buying lots of food and drinks. LOTS. Good business, right?
Not for Scott, the owner of the Irish Democrat! He made clear in every single passive-aggressive way he could that we were not welcome. Chief among my complaints is that he would. not. kill the forgettable house music and turn up the volume on the biga$$ TVs so we could hear what CNN was saying. Because, you know -- caucus results watching party, right? Various people asked him repeatedly during the night -- at about 15 minute intervals -- to turn up the volume. He would either say he couldn't, or he would when he could.
Finally, when the candidates started appearing to make their concession/victory speeches, I again approached him at his position behind the bar and asked him if he could please turn up the volume for the speeches. He literally yelled at me at TOP VOLUME (the entire side of the restaurant turned around to stare) that he would not, and we were the most demanding customers he'd ever had, and he was kicking me out. I asked why? He didn't give a reason. Did he not value our business, and our green dollars? No, he did not (this was all being shouted at top volume by him). Then he threatened to call the police and tried to kick out a group of us who were all at the same table.
Again: for asking for the volume on the TV to be turned up. Just that. Only that.
Eventually we left and went across the street to the Starlite, and y'know what? When we walked in, the waitress instantly changed channels for us, dialed the volume until we could hear it, and then took and filled our drink and food orders quickly.
The kicker? When we were leaving the Starlite -- not the Irish Democrat, the Starlite -- a guy named Brad (who had identified himself as the bouncer for the Irish Democrat when we were getting kicked out) came into the Starlite and wanted to shake hands and make nice and apologize for the fact that we got kicked out. Sure, fine!, I said -- I was never mad about anything, it was the owner who was yelling at US. So cool, all sweet, right? You'd think so, except that Brad then followed me and another campaign worker into the parking lot and prevented us from getting into our car by slamming the driver's door shut and holding it shut with his leg, and started threatening to beat my ass. Eventually we got into our car, and backed out -- but not before he said that he should bust my window out, and punched the driver's side window very hard.
So: Not only will the Irish Democrat deliver an astonishingly low level of customer service, one of their customers -- or maybe he actually was the Irish Democrat bouncer -- will follow you across the street to another restaurant and physically threaten you in the parking lot of that restaurant.
My one recommendation to Scott, the owner of the Irish Democrat, is to change the name of his place from IRISH DEMOCRAT to IRISH JERK.
I would love it if Scott, the owner of the Irish Democrat, reads this and continues to yell at me in the comments. That would be hilarious!
I would also love it if you could boldface words in these reviews, because I would like to boldface, "Scott, the owner of the Irish Democrat," throughout my review so that it would really pop. read more