Kevin D.
Yelp
Horrible owner, food, and venue; a trifecta of atrociousness
We were excited to visit this unique venue believing it to be a cornerstone of Thomas' arts and culture. We were excited to listen to live music on Sunday evening and enjoy the wild turkey wrap. We checked with the hostess earlier in the afternoon and were assured there would be no problem with our party of four getting tickets at the door. Well, when we got there about 30 minutes before the band's set, the nightmare began. We stood in line at the first register and paid our $20 per person cover charge. Next, we waited for 15-20 minutes in a second line to order and pay for our food. In the meantime, the enclosed restaurant area in front of the stage began to fill with other customers. There was not enough room to seat them all, so someone brought extra chairs out and filled all empty spaces in that area. My family and I went to sit in an outside patio area, with about twenty other displaced patrons. We were near enough to the stage not to mind; we could not see them, but we could hear them.... so it was not great, but we did not complain. Then, someone came out and began to shut the doors to the restaurant, so we could not hear the band. It was a mild evening, so this made no sense. I began to open them again, because there were plenty of people in the patio who had paid $20 each to listen to the band. Then, an irritating fellow began to argue and insist that we could listen to the band on the speakers; when I asked him who he was, he became overly aggressive and said, "I'm the owner!" I then reiterated that none of us paid to listen to music on speakers. He said that he would send the complaining customers over to me, cursed out my son and me, and retreated into the kitchen. Wow... I don't know what else to add. Except to say that the food came to us about 40-minutes later and was very poorly made, lacking some of the ingredients advertised. Also, I noticed that the exit to the patio, which is enclosed with a large metal fence, was chained and locked shut, and this was with an overcrowded bar. Overall, the place is dirty, lacks adequate staff, and is configured in a way that is unsafe. If you, or the county fire marshal, ever happen to find yourself unlucky enough to be at this venue, just speak with the "owner." Ask him if, after you pay your cover charge, he will force you to listen to music on a speaker as you are shuffled into overflow seating because he sold too many tickets. Also inquire about the low-quality food and the chained exit gate with the dog door leading to the street. The Purple Fiddle states that it strives "hard to meet everyone's tastes, both musically and gastronomically!" NOPE, not even close!
