February 6, 2024 at 4:42:
I spoke with a gentleman at the Loft and asked him if they could accommodate a table size of 15 to 20 people from 6:30pm-8:30pm, February 25th. The Gentleman said yes and said he must have me clarify this with the owner of the restaurant. I mentioned my knowledge of them having the upper floor space and asked him how many people that space can fit total, he said roughly 22 people. I asked him if he thinks that he will still be putting guests upstairs with us and he said most likely not because the tables you would be using would not leave much room for an additional table. I mentioned that it was an staff meeting, and we may be discussing sensitive topics. I gave him my number and ended this conversation.
Owner Paula called me and reclarified that I was looking to reserve a table for 15 to 20 people, I said yes, and she told me that she had open time, and it would be a $500 deposit. I said that was fine and she told me she would have the restaurant call me back.
The same gentleman was on the phone, and we set up our reservation. I gave him the credit card information, he stated he would personally be on site at the time of the dinner, the conversation ended. They called me back shortly after to retrieve my email to send me a copy of my receipt, which I thought was strange for a deposit but did not ask questions as I assumed it would be proof of my reservation.
A few days later my manager mentioned that the $500 turned into a charge and was on the bank statement.
We arrived at the restaurant at 6:30pm, and ate as usual. There were guests in the lower area of the restaurant, and they had placed a very small 2-person table at the corner of the top floor near us that we did not sit at. No other guest outside of our group was brought to the top floor. Music was relatively loud, but I did not ask them to lower the music as we were not the only guests in the establishment. When the server brought us our bill, we noticed that the $500 charge was not subtracted from the total amount and asked about having it fixed. The server than revealed the charge was a fee for reserving the space. I told her that was never an agreement, and I would like to speak to the gentleman who helped me reserve these tables. He raised his arms and stated I would have to speak with the owner of the restaurant Paula. I said okay, and we departed.
I had a phone call with Paula on February 27th at 5:37pm to discuss the charge. Paula reiterated that she remembers telling me in original phone call that there was a $500 deposit that I agreed to. I pointed out to her that she both in this very moment and in the first phone call said the word deposit and then explained my understanding of what a deposit was using a hotel deposit as an example. Paula then tried to tell me my definition was wrong, and it was a collected fee for reserving the party space because it was a private meeting. I told her I never reserved a party space; I reserved a table that could accommodate a party of 15 to 20. She then stated that she reserved the whole restaurant for us from open to close and I reiterated that I only reserved a table for my group on the upper floor, we did not request from open to close and reminded her of the guests that were on the lower floor. She backtracked and restated it was from 6:30 to close. She also revealed that the shift manager was supposed to ask us what volume we wanted the music at and if we wanted the TV on or off. I told her we were never asked this question and also mentioned that the music was loud, but I did not feel comfortable asking for an adjustment as there were other guests. She sounded frustrated and exclaimed she specifically told the staff member to ask this information. Paula used the word deposit 2 additional times on this phone call and stated "I mean fee" on the last use of deposit. I told her this charge was unauthorized and I did not sign a contract for a private party reservation with a cancelation policy. Paula in a frantic tone stated her husband was out of town and would have to discuss with him before she can make any changes. I told her okay and the conversation ended.
Paula has since stop communication with me. I am giving 2 stars because the food and the cocktails were good and I don't want to slam their staff for bad business practice. Be very cautious about reserving tables here as $500 for a very small space is outrageous. read more