Lia L.
Yelp
We came to Cairde for my friend's birthday and they accommodated at least 40+ people concurrently (probably 60+ throughout the entire night), provided top tier service, and created an unforgettable night.
It was Friday so there was karaoke and KJ Chris was also amazing. Highly recommend this establishment for food, drinks, or celebrations of any kind. Don't drop in though (see my edit) and email or call ahead of time to arrange a large party. Being prepared and having open communication is key to planning and executing events that are positive for both staff serving and patrons attending.
For instance, I communicated with Martha, almost a month in advance, to set up a birthday party that would be one for the ages. We emailed back and forth and eventually had a call to finalize details, one of which, was moving the time of the event itself. They were extremely welcoming and ensured that we had all that we needed. She also told me that there was a concert that night in the area (Modest Mouse) which I would have been unaware of and learning that helped me plan parking accordingly.
In short, my friend had a blast and it would not have been possible without the help of Cairde.
Edit: I read some one star reviews mostly all from the same group going on a Sunday night with 30-40 people which the restaurant wasn't expecting that were posted about a year ago. They complained about someone named Kyle specifically. After my incredible experience with my massive group of 40+ and which grew as the night went on, I felt the need to give Cairde the benefit of a doubt and also point out potential factors as to why their experience contrasted so greatly with mine.
Very few restaurants would be prepared for a group of that size coming in on a Sunday randomly. As mentioned earlier, I reached out to Cairde almost a month in advance to set up this birthday party and everything went so smoothly because of our ongoing communication and mutual respect for one another.
As someone who frequently organizes large gatherings, I've learned through experience that it's always beneficial to everyone to have advance notice. In the past, if a restaurant can't accommodate all of my guests, we split up and call it a night. It would be on me as the organizer to find a place that can accommodate everyone and if I cannot, it's because I didn't plan efficiently.
Based on the reviews, it sounds like they initially started out with 10 people and then invited 20-30 more as the night went on. I don't know if they made the staff aware of more people coming but regardless, never in a million years would I descend upon a restaurant with 30+ people dropping in without talking to the staff well ahead of time to ensure that everyone is prepared.
A large volume of people may require more staff to work that night or even have the kitchen open later than it would be (which is what they did for us) and again while Kyle could have done better serving their giant, unexpected group, Kyle is not 100% at fault here but based on what they said, he didn't follow your instructions of separating the tab. That's a valid concern to have but to have three people from their party take the time to review their one experience? I'd say one disparaging review is enough but go off I guess.
Review bombing, in addition to their ill preparedness, is indicative of what kind of patrons or lack thereof, they are. In reference to their reviews, they had a week to figure out their food situation and I'm sure the festival was exhausting but maybe try to plan a little bit better next time instead of taking a situation destined for failure from the start, getting on a high horse, and ranting into the void of Yelp.
That being said, I too, am yelling into the void so whoever is reading this, just know that my experience was phenomenal and all restaurants will have off nights. Sadly, reviews posted here are usually negative and the positive experiences are left unwritten.
Perhaps people find it cathartic to vent online when they could go to therapy instead.
That's why I yell positively into the void to celebrate all of my good experiences as well as the bad. You can read my bad reviews too because I'm blunt when I'm thankful and blunt when I'm disappointed.
People will share when they get bad service to attempt to warn others, so why not share equally as often when they get great service?
What they ranted about would have been a difficult situation for most restaurants and some likely wouldn't have even attempted to randomly service 30+ people dropping in on a Sunday night. Look at the ratio of reviews. The abundance of one stars are lengthy reviews from that group which I believe is an inaccurate representation of the service this establishment provides and provided for me. I'll see if my friends want to give some good reviews too since they all had a wonderful time.
I digress and I digest. Take all reviews, positive and negative, with a grain of salt.