Sherrie Willis
Google
Yesterday, I celebrated my 39th birthday with my family at Bond 45 at the National Harbor and it was nothing short of extraordinary.
The day before, I began calling around to different restaurants to ensure they were both kid-friendly and accommodating to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). As parents of a son on the spectrum, we’ve come to understand that not every place is equipped or willing to meet our son’s unique needs.
When I called Bond 45, I had the pleasure of speaking with John, the general manager. I explained our situation and asked whether they had outdoor seating, preferably at the front or back of the restaurant, to help minimize sensory overload. I also shared that my son’s stimming can sometimes be a bit loud and asked whether the restaurant was child-friendly.
John, without hesitation, responded, “The only thing in our policy is that we treat every guest like family.” And that’s exactly what they did.
Before we ended our call, John told me that on my birthday, my fiancé, our son, and I would be dining in a private room with a view, complete with a complimentary bottle of champagne to celebrate. I was moved to tears. His offer went far beyond anything I could have expected. He even said, “Your son is our son, and he’ll be treated as such.”
Arriving at Bond 45 on my birthday, we were greeted with a smile from the host at the front and immediately welcomed by John. He poured two glasses of champagne and told us to follow him, then walked us toward an officer who was there to take our little one for a ride in his cruiser! My mouth was on the floor! Once we got to the private dining room, we met our server Lotfi, who was AMAZING, to say the least. Lotfi greeted us and instantly made us feel like family. John let us know that he was so happy to have us and that we would be starting our five-course meal. I CRIED AGAIN.
Lotfi came out with our son’s food and appetizers so fast! There was so much food, and EVERYTHING WE ATE WAS DELICIOUS! Around the third course, John brought in Derrick, who is the GM for the Ferris wheel and after dinner, we would be going on a VIP ride on the Capitol Wheel. I CRIED AGAIN! Who knew there was VIP seating on the Ferris wheel? Not me! After dinner, we took a few pictures & headed to the Wheel to end our amazing evening. Bond 45 is now family.
The hospitality, the food, the love, the atmosphere -ALL 10/10. Thank you again a million times for this wonderful experience and for making my family feel so welcomed. Your kindness is rare and so gratefully appreciated.