Austin B.
Yelp
Discriminated Against and Harassed - Hillstone Phoenix Has Lost a Loyal Guest Forever
As someone who dined at Hillstone Phoenix multiple times a week when I lived here--and who has since become a regular at their sister restaurants in LA, like South Beverly Grill and Gulfstream in Newport--I'm absolutely appalled by the treatment my husband and I received during a recent visit. I've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars at this restaurant group over the years. After this experience, they won't see another penny.
We flew into Phoenix for a quick weekend trip and made a reservation for three. Realizing it was a school holiday and that our friend's kids would be joining, I called ahead to adjust the party to five. The hostess couldn't have been more dismissive and flat-out refused--no flexibility, no solutions, no hospitality.
Fine. We decided we'd walk in instead. When we arrived, I saw familiar faces behind the bar and stopped to say hello. Before I could finish my sentence, the general manager--who I believe I recognized from Houston's Irvine--rushed over to harass us and, quite frankly, discriminate against us for being a gay couple.
My husband was wearing a trendy sleeveless top, something we've literally worn several times at South Beverly Grill without issue. But this manager refused to seat us, saying his shoulders were showing. Meanwhile, the woman in our party wore a nearly identical top--and he had no problem with her outfit. When I asked about the discrepancy, his response was: "Well, she's a female, so she can wear that. But because you're a man, you can't show your shoulders."
Excuse me? That's not a dress code--that's blatant discrimination. And let's not pretend this is The Ritz in Paris--it's a casual lunch spot on Camelback, in Arizona, in April. The restaurant was half empty, and yet the GM went out of his way to make us feel unwelcome because of how my husband dressed--something he would never have done to a straight couple.
I worked in hospitality--I waited tables at Mastro's in college. I understand dress codes. But what I also understand is grace. On the rare occasion we had to enforce something, we would apologize profusely, offer a solution (a chef's coat, even), and go out of our way to make the guest feel cared for. That's hospitality. What Hillstone Phoenix delivered was harassment, judgment, and exclusion.
We left and dined at Buck & Rider down the street instead--shoulders and all--and spent $500 on lunch, leaving our server a $150 tip. That is where hospitality lives. Not here.
It's heartbreaking because Gulfstream in Newport has always been a favorite of ours. But after this experience, I will never support this restaurant group again. Your money may be green, but if you're gay, don't expect to be treated with basic decency at Hillstone Phoenix.
Shame on them.
(Here's a photo of our party so you can be the judge yourself)
