Christopher Y.
Yelp
I was disappointed to say the least after attending a birthday party at Guptils this past weekend. After speaking to a very rude older gentleman on the way in to the rink, the tone was set for the rest of my encounters with rude staff. I was at the party to assist my special needs niece. To my surprise, to be able to assist her while skating I would be required to pay the $8 admission(because the party guests parents are only allowed to walk on the premise with the paid party) plus a skate rental. I had no choice but exclude her from the activity or pay the addional cost. I do not feel the skate rental was out of line but the additional admission feels like double dipping, the parents of the birthday girl paid over $500 to have a party, I would think the rink could extend a hand of gratitude and allow parents to just pay an additional skate rental fee, not a seperate admission and skate rental. I spoke to either a manager or owner after being told this, and having trouble with the skates fitting my nieces safety equipment, and what I was told was cofirmed as "their policy" and he turned to walk away.
I would like to note that this is a cash only establishment, so make sure you have enough or you will be using their non bank branded atm.
During this confusion and trying to find skates that my neice could use with her equipment the staff at the ticket counter were nothing but rude about the situation to not only myself but the parents who rented the facility.
The room the party was in was very small for the amount of kids, and most of the parents had to stand out side. The decor of the establishment looks to not have been improved in decades if not the 70's. The staff serving the party basically slammed the pizza down and left. Additional pitches of soda were $5
I was bumped into not only once but twice by different staff in the food area that said a loud "excuse me" after running into the back of me (while on skates, and supporting my niece), one of these staff members was the woman serving our party. The general feel of the staff I encountered was that, I the customer, felt like a burden to them, with the exception of the young men working at the skate exchange counter, they tried their best to help me.
I have recently attended a party at another local kid friendly establishment and I can say Guptils provided a starke, depressing contrast to the way they do business. I am highly dissapointed by my experience this past Sunday at Guptils, a place where I have fond memories of my own as a child.
I hope the management of this establishment takes a realistic look at how the majority of their employees and staff are treating their loyal customers. A smile, a helpful hand to those in need and some general kindness would have gone a long ways. Instead of saying " I have to deal with screaming kids all day" , maybe understand that these kids and family's are the ones who believe in and enjoy your business.