Sara Z.
Yelp
I typically don't write reviews, but I feel compelled to after my recent experience here. I made a reservation for a family celebration for 11 people about 6-8 weeks prior to the event. The person I had spoken to, Isaac (I believe was the manager) was very accommodating. The weekend we had our reservation booked happened to be a busy weekend for graduations, confirmations, etc.
I had called the morning of the event & spoke to Isaac again to confirm our reservation. At this time, he was extremely apologetic & had informed me that the owner had moved our party to the bar area, and reassured me that it was not a decision he would have made as the manager, however he had no say in the matter. Our table was moved because "larger" parties were accommodated, even though they had booked after us. I asked him if he could have the owner call me back. About an hour or so later, the owner, John, called me back. I politely shared my concerns & frustration. I informed him that we booked several weeks in advance & we had older relatives in our party that wouldn't be able to hear or see well in the loud, dark bar area, and we preferred to be in the main dining room. If we had known, we would have chosen a different venue at that time. He didn't want to hear my concerns, and just spoke over me. He continued to justify his decision and why the bar area was sufficient. He told us we didn't have to eat there & we could choose a different restaurant (keep in mind this was 3 hours before our reservation on a busy weekend). My husband also spoke to him, and when he calmly stated that he didn't appreciate John talking over him and not allowing him to speak, he hung up on my husband.
When we arrived, the atmosphere & space we were put in was worse than I could have imagined. It was so small, family members were at the end/corner of the table with no space to eat. If someone had to use the restroom, the entire table had to get up to let them through the enclosed area. Furthermore, there were extra stored tables & overturned stacked chairs surrounding us. It was deplorable.
Our table service was great, and the staff (manager, waiter, bartender) were extremely apologetic & understanding, informing us "this is the way the owner deals with customers". When our dinner was over, we asked twice if we could speak to the owner. After about 15 minutes, John came out with a defensive attitude (no apologies, no acknowledgment of the situation). My husband again expressed our disappointment in the situation & poor customer service on the owner's part, and he told my husband he'd "take care of him outside" if he wanted. We were appalled & disgusted at his incompetence, rudeness, ignorance & complete lack of professionalism. I have never been treated like this by an owner of an establishment before. We will NEVER be back again. As far as the food, the French Onion soup was very good - the rest is mediocre. Good luck Elizabeth's...you're going to need it.