This review is specifically about Greg. His behavior made us extremely uncomfortable, and when…read moreconfronted, he became defensive and hostile. Note to the owner: unless Greg's demeanor and attitude improve significantly, it would be in the company's best interest to remove him from customer-facing interactions.
My husband and I visited this brewery for the first time around 4:30 PM. It was slow, and as experienced brewery-goers, we asked about flights so we could decide which beers we might want as full pours. We were helped by a woman with short blonde hair who was friendly, knowledgeable, and exactly what you want in a customer-facing role. She explained that while flights are not offered, she was happy to provide small samples to help us decide and assured us it was no problem. She also explained that half pours were available.
She poured five small samples for us. My husband chose a half pour of Lil Lager and a half pour of Oktoberfest, and I ordered an Athletic NA. We also ordered pretzel bites, which we were told had to be rung in separately--unusual, but fine.
Shortly after receiving our drinks, I noticed that all half pours were listed at a flat rate of $5, even though a full 16oz Lil Lager was only $4 and the 16oz Oktoberfest was $7. I mentioned this to the woman helping us, and she agreed it didn't make sense. She told us she would charge us $2 (a soda price) for the Lil Lager half pour, which we felt was fair and reasonable. This agreement was clearly communicated and understood.
At this point, Greg abruptly inserted himself into the interaction, asking if we were done and demanding our card, despite the fact that we had just received our drinks and were still waiting for food. He had not been involved in our transaction at all. His interruption was unnecessary, uncomfortable, and disruptive, especially given that the woman assisting us was more than capable of handling everything.
When Greg questioned her about our tab, she explained the pricing adjustment she had already agreed upon with us. Greg dismissed her explanation and overrode her decision. He rang us up and charged $5 for the half pour of Oktoberfest, $4 for the half pour of Lil Lager, and the full $5 for my Athletic--completely disregarding the agreement made with us and undermining his coworker in front of customers. His actions felt deceptive, disrespectful, and violating, not only toward us but toward his colleague as well.
By this point, the entire experience had soured. When our food finally arrived, we just wanted to leave. As we passed Greg on our way out, he told us to "have a good night." I told him directly that he had handled our transaction incorrectly.
He became immediately defensive and interrupted me repeatedly, insisting he had done us a favor by charging $4 instead of the $5 half-pour rate. This completely ignored the fact that we had already agreed--clearly and openly--with his coworker on different pricing, which he knowingly overrode. This was not about the money; it was about principle, respect, and basic customer service.
When I told him the experience was awful and that I planned to leave a negative review, he told me to "go right ahead," raised his voice as we were leaving, and falsely accused us of having "20 tastes." This accusation was inappropriate, untrue, and hostile.
Greg demonstrated a complete lack of customer service skills, poor judgment, and an inability to understand the basic goal of a brewery: allowing customers to experience the product so they want to purchase more of it. Instead, he dominated his colleague, alienated customers, kept inaccurate tallies, and made unwarranted assumptions. The entire interaction was uncomfortable, unprofessional, and frankly bizarre.
If this establishment is going to hold small tastes against customers, then flights should be offered for purchase. As it stands, the environment felt unwelcoming and inhospitable.
We will not be returning, and I will be sharing this experience with friends, family, and neighbors. This was, without question, one of the worst customer service experiences we've had at a brewery.