Strongly advise using cash, not starting a tab. I haven't lived there in 15 years, but was back in my hometown for a family member's milestone birthday on 11/3/18. We came here after because they really like the band that was playing there for the first time.
The band was great, but I was warned by two different people after buying a round to check my tab when I closed out later, apparently they have a reputation for running it up. I noticed they were doing handwritten tabs and hanging them up...I was also warned one of the bartenders has serious "big fish in a small pond" syndrome and is really unpleasant, and he was pointed out to me. Ok, I'm in my late 30's, go out all the time for the last 20 years, not my first rodeo, didn't go to him and I knew what I ordered. I even told them my full name for each round and that it was a Chase card for my tab to help them out since it was busy.
Fast forward to later and I ask for my tab, and it's not itemized, just the total on the receipt, and it's absurd.
I let the bartenders know, and they couldn't provide an itemized receipt when I asked for one. The guy simply says "It's right." I couldn't even get the hand written one to see where the discrepancy was. I don't think that's legal? At the end of 2018 what restaurant or bar can't show what they're charging you with when told there's mistakes with the total? They said there were multiple people there with the same last name with tabs, and were rude about it. I reminded them I gave my full name and the name of the bank on my card each time.
Obviously it's not the first bar in history that has had multiple people with the same last name either, and no one else in our group had light tabs compared to their order, so that wasn't a case of mistaken identity.
I let them know that unless Watertown has prices well past what I'm used to paying in NYC cocktail bars and restuarants, there was absolutely no way my tab was anywhere close to correct. It wasn't even close. They weren't budging, it was late and my group was leaving, so I had to sign to get my card back, told them I would be disputing the charges, and didn't leave a tip...when I usually leave over 20% everywhere.
I called Chase the following Monday morning to dispute the extra charges, and had to estimate what the tab should have legitimately been since they refused to give an itemized one. I've been with Chase nearly 20 years, and this was the first time I've ever had to dispute charges at a bar, and the extra charges were reversed.
Long story short, their reputation is most definitely deserved for running up tabs in my anecdotal experience. Hand writing tabs instead of using a digital POS and then not giving customers itemized receipts is just asking for fraudulent charges, hoping people just sign for them after drinking. Might as well just throw at a dartboard to make up the total.
I was warned and it still happened to me only being there one night, beware. read more