Dashing D.
Yelp
Staying across from the Hagerstown location for a few weeks on business. They are opening one close to where I live. Thought I'd check it out. I don't leave a lot of reviews. I tip 25 to 30% on mediocre to shitty service. I'm a really easy guest for the most part. Check on me ask if I want a refill? Maybe find out why a portion of my order is missing? A box after pushing my left overs away from me would have also been nice. It didn't start out bad. Sat at bar when I walked in they had one bartender and maybe 15 people at the bar. Ordered a Labatt Blue, nothing special, didn't have it on draft they had the light. Fine bring me a tall, no issues yet but standby. Idk if the changed and didn't bleed the line, lack of line cleaning, bad keg. That was definitely not a Labatt Light. It tasted like you'd imagine a Butter Beer from Harry Potter tasting. Very off, weird notes and not at all what I remember from a Canadian beer I've drank countless times. No biggie right finish my beer order a IC Light, let the bartender know something maybe off with the Labatt line. Chatted for a minute or so. Got my IC light, ordered food the Boski and a side of fries. Got food after what didn't seem to be a bad wait. Not bad, despite being both dry and stone cold at time. Food runner dropped the sandwich, walked off my side order. Bar started to fill back up a bit, maybe a dozen people now. After about 15 to 20 minutes I realized nobody really gave a shit. Pushed my empty glass and leftovers up. Started looking to see what liquor stores were nearby and open. Most at the time it was about 720 pm. Stay tuned it gets worse, or better depending on if your kind of fun is train wrecks or plane crashes. I honestly can't recall the last time I left a restaurant pissed off, on so many different levels. The lone barkeep then sets up camp in front of me, so while I'm looking at pro military advertising. I can't help but hear, the bartender and another guest, idk whether it was a friend, regular, honestly I believe it was an off duty employee, and the bartender start berating and trash talking the Nation briefly, and our military forces in great detail and very boisterously. A bit shocking yes, maybe more since I was wearing a salute to service jersey, a Naval Academy cap, a memorial bracelet for a fallen brother in arms, and a Navy ring. Time now about 730ish. At this point I'm really ready to go, still sitting with my leftovers and an empty glass. Still wanting to order something else for Togo, and possibly another beer while I wait to walk back to my hotel. Ok here's my shot, dudes leaving, bartender is walking over. Sidelined by a dude who doesn't know what alcohol is and is questioning "what is this vodka and soda no alcohol" I should add most of the guests around me had grown frustrated conversed amongst their parties, with plenty of choice adjectives, magically got a check and left. New people fill in, still not by any means busy. Times now 750, watching yelp put the closing minutes on liquor stores. Still thinking whatever I can make it, she will come by, possible stop, look, notice and or care, ask a question maybe? Nah, we get to wait another hour before we get that resolve. By now stuff's closed, it took me standing up, pushing my seat back, finally broke out my card. Started tapping it on the bar. After everything to this point, I was anxiously awaiting my chance to get out of there, like a kid waiting to open Christmas presents. Again chair loudly pushed back tapping card on counter, other and new guests staring, shrugging, smiling and shaking their heads. I do not by any means have a poker face any longer. I'm mad, getting madder by the minute. She goes for a quick pass again, I ask can I please have a box and the check? Thank You. Okay game over right? Owwww cue that jeopardy buzzer you lost. She does stop takes my card, doesn't any and everything else but run it. Now everyone sitting around the bar is giving me the wtf? Did you do something? That your ex wife? You run over her dog? Eat the last PopTart? I finally get my card back 15 minutes later, no itemized bill. A thank you from a turned back walking away. A lot of solidarity wtf stares from nearby guests. After a way more than generous tip, and almost two hours I'm finally free. Offended, Insulted, ignored, at least those around noticed. Too bad they weren't working the bar. I can't imagine their night going any better. Wanted to be a fan, wanted to bring some people in. Despite serving numerous overseas deployments, being called all matters of names. Not being allowed to go, see, eat or drink at places for being me, or an American, or based off my profession at the time. I'd go back, get yelled at, pushed, shot at, turned away, anywhere in the world, before I ever set foot into a Primanti Bros again. Hagerstown deserves better.