For our wedding in August, we booked the Burrata Rooftop Bistro at the Holiday Inn Express Grand…read moreIsland for an afterparty, paying for food and bar service with two bartenders and indoor/outdoor seating. After months of planning, a site tour, food menu and clear communication, what was meant to be a joyous conclusion to our wedding day turned into a complete disaster due to the mismanagement and unprofessionalism of the restaurant staff.
We informed the restaurant in advance that the first shuttle from our wedding venue would arrive around 10:15 PM. Live music was scheduled earlier in the evening, and we were assured our private party would transition smoothly afterward. Instead, when we arrived, we were met with chaos.
The lead staff member, Tanya, outright refused to accommodate our group, claiming the General Manager instructed her to close by 11 PM--despite our booking being confirmed. Tanya even threatened to call law enforcement if we stayed. Many of our guests had planned their evening around attending this afterparty, knowing late-night transportation options in the area are limited. To have the event canceled upon arrival when we had 50 people standing there hungry and ready for the event was absolutely devastating.
We tried to address the situation, I even reviewed with Tanya the reservation details on her phone, which confirmed our scheduled arrival time from 10:15 PM to midnight. When I took a photo of her phone screen as it confirmed as proof she had the details, she quickly pulled her phone away and refused to honor the agreement. Tanya escalated the situation further by yelling at guests, flipping off a patron not associated with the wedding party, and complaining to others earlier in the night that she "didn't want to work this party" and was "hoping we wouldn't show up." And counting down the minutes to when she didn't have to serve us. She bizarrely claimed the party was only booked during hours of operation to which last call was @10:30 and closing @11- which was not the case- why would anyone spend hundreds of dollars for not even two hours, with other patrons there, and with no food or drinks included, with a last call for a time occurring before second shuttle would have even arrived...
To make matters worse, Tanya falsely claimed the restaurant had to reimburse an "entire floor of hotel rooms due to noise complaints", even though our party had just arrived, and there was no music or noise on our end. If complaints were made, they were likely related to the live music held earlier in the evening, not our group.
While we received a refund for the afterparty fee, we have yet to see promised reimbursements for our room, and there has been no meaningful apology or accountability from the restaurant or hotel management at that location. A regional manager briefly reached out saying he was going to address this but then stopped responding entirely until saying a couple weeks later he had left the organization and could not help anymore but thought the room was reimbursed- which it has not.
Tanya's behavior was completely unacceptable and unprofessional. She ruined what should have been a celebratory event for us and our guests. The other bartender was the only bright spot, remaining professional and sympathetic despite the chaos.
This experience left us and our guests stunned. We strongly urge anyone considering the Burrata Rooftop Bistro for an event to reconsider. The mismanagement, lack of care, and outright disrespect we encountered were inexcusable. I hesitated to even post this review, however, feel I have given them ample time to address my concerns and they have not.
I additionally have Photo evidence that includes the reservation details from Tanya's phone, along with her flipping off and screaming at a patron.