Lauren J.
Yelp
Man. What a sad turn of events. I've kept going back to this place because it's very close to where I live and it's generally a decent place to grab a drink, watch the game, etc. The last few experiences have changed my mind.
I wasn't going to write about this because it wasn't my experience, but my brother (who had also been there several times) was at Lower Mills Tavern about 2 months back to have a beer and watch Sunday Night Football. An older white gentleman sitting next to my brother proceeded to tell him that he didn't belong there (because my brother is black) and spouted racist crap at him. Apparently, the racist guy was a regular, so the bartender asked my brother to leave to avoid trouble and paid for my brother's beer to "smooth things over". Not good enough. My brother told me and I wasn't having it. I went in, asked for a manager (spoke with Barbara) and told her what happened. She was apologetic and wanted to talk to my brother about the incident, so she gave me her card. I gave it to my brother, but he decided not to pursue it, opting not to return to LMT.
I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and have been back a few times since. Today, I walked in with a friend, wanting to grab a drink or two and watch some football. The bartender was at the other end, chatting. She came our way to do something on the computer and then went back to the other corner of the bar to chat with her friends. I had a full conversation with the couple next to me about their espresso martinis, which I planned to order and was excited about. So we waited and waited and waited. The female barback cleaned glasses, filled the dishwasher, started filling water pitches, etc without acknowledging us or trying to get the bartender to get us a drink. Several minutes later, with no water, no drink, no acknowledgment, we decided to leave. Why spend money at a place that couldn't care less about my business?
On the way out, I wanted to get the bartender's name, and the manager overheard (I think it was Barbara again). She said she could get the bartender for us (Morgan?), but our seats had just been taken and I was over it. The manager tried to make an excuse that "maybe the bartender hadn't seen us". She saw us, but wanted to chat with her friends (note - she had not made/poured a single drink in the whole time we were waiting). The barback saw us, but couldn't care enough to even pour us waters or say something when we said we should leave. It was not that busy (unlike Bowery Bar and Yellow Door Taqueria). Maybe I should get the hint. At the un-busiest bar on the block, they didn't want to serve my brother and now me. Ok, bye.